Crazydubman's 97 limited runner build

[crazydubman]

Finally getting a chance to update this.

I was lucky enough for my wife to let me get away for a few days over the last week of December. Work has been hell and some time away was definitely needed and appreciated.

So I got together with Mike [MENTION=49966]mikey's2010SR5[/MENTION] and AJ (forgot his screen name) and took off to Big Sur and Los Padres National Forrest.

Did a bunch of exploring and trail running. All easy stuff but some beautiful views. All in all stayed a total of two nights. Ate good, good talks with the guys, beer consumed and most of all, I was able to get my stress level down after a rough couple of months.

Anyways, here are a few pictures of the trip. Enjoy.

 

[crazydubman]

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A final shot looking south on my way back down the hill from the camp site

And can't forget the last nights dinner.

All in all the new wheel and tire setup worked amazing. Definitely more drivable. handling, braking, acceleration, everything improved. No regrets about getting rid of the beadlocks. Also really helped getting that rear swaybar back on. Lots of winding roads with sharp drop offs.

Have some trimming to address in the back as well as trim the flairs up a bit higher in the front. Hoping to get the rear springs pulled soon to cycle the rear and get the tire clearance taken care of and finally get my new upper links installed.

 

[AssBurns]

That's awesome! One of these days I'll like to do the same thing just to cruise around and check things out. Those pics with all 3 4runner and the sunset are badass!


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[JWaldz]

Is it the angle of the pictures or my eyes playing tricks on me??

It looks like your front tires are way bigger than your rear lol.

Great pics btw!

 

[crazydubman]

That's awesome! One of these days I'll like to do the same thing just to cruise around and check things out. Those pics with all 3 4runner and the sunset are badass!


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Thanks! Definitely hit the ridge at the right time. We had about 8 miles or so that was all along the ridge and it was right before sundown. For not planning it, there was no way that trail run could have been better.

 

[crazydubman]

Is it the angle of the pictures or my eyes playing tricks on me??

It looks like your front tires are way bigger than your rear lol.

Great pics btw!

Haha just your eyes playing tricks.

The back was unloaded and didn't have all my camping stuff in it so it was sitting a couple inches higher than the front. Plus the back passenger tire was on a little hump which made the rear seem higher than it usually is. Maybe its the relation of tire to fender gap that is playing with your head. Can't say that wasn't one of the reasons I liked the close up so much. These tires are monsters compared to my old 33's. Definitely gave the 4runner a whole new look and feel.

 

[JWaldz]

Can't say that wasn't one of the reasons I liked the close up so much. These tires are monsters compared to my old 33's. Definitely gave the 4runner a whole new look and feel.

They do look huge.. Reminds me of one of my pictures on my old suspension with 35's. The suspension was sagged front and rear, so there was less gap between the tires and fenders. The angle was perfect to make the tires look bigger than they were. I kept getting asked if they were 37's. Which is why I like the picture so much haha

 

[crazydubman]

They do look huge.. Reminds me of one of my pictures on my old suspension with 35's. The suspension was sagged front and rear, so there was less gap between the tires and fenders. The angle was perfect to make the tires look bigger than they were. I kept getting asked if they were 37's. Which is why I like the picture so much haha

Ya they do look big in that picture. Great picture for sure. No body lift here either so everything is already 1.5-2" lower from the get go. Its really just perspective.

 

[JooseBawxx]

Just spent about 50% of my morning reading this whole thread. You've got a sick rig. Plenty of inspiration in here for noobs like me.

Also, was having trouble deciding between plate and tube bumpers, and yours may just have sold me on the tube style.

Appreciate the detailed thread!

 

[crazydubman]

very late post but got a chance to get out to Frank Reigns earlier in the year with my little dude for his first wheeling trip. He had a blast, got totally tuckered out, and will definitely get out more with him soon.

These were taken by a few different people so they might be formatted a little different

 

[Road Bull]

Great pics! I have been trying to do a lot of 35" tire research. I also have 3.5" BS SCS in the F5's. I have been considering jumping up a size soon. I know you have flares on your 4Runner, but how much body trimming did you do to not rub the body panels? I saw your post about the wheel tub. That turned out clean looking. from my research, some people cut away some of the body on the fenders. It looks like this is mostly people who don't have a BL. I am trying to do this without adding a BL. I would plan to remove the front shocks and see what all needs to be cleared, and go from there. I hear different things about the back wheels rubbing, where they rub, and what is done to clear them.

Did the front tub change your interior floor dimensions much? Like, will it prevent a Weathertech fitted floor mat from fitting the way it's supposed to? LOL.

Any tips or tricks that you learned clearing your 35's would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[crazydubman]

Got a chance to get up to Weaver, Bowman, meadow, and White rock lake a few weeks back to do some exploring and camping with my brother and a couple friends.

super gorgeous up there and weather was perfect. Didn't get to do any fishing this time but maybe on the next trip.

4runner did great. The new panhard relocate brackets and cabin vent filter "mod" (Shoved a bunch of HVAC filter sheets over the vent to block the dust coming in) worked out great. Still see a few things that need to be addressed when time permits but all in all, great trip with no issues.

Prepping for the trip

Our view from camp on Weaver lake. Came in after dark so it was nice to wake up to.

Next came up to Bowman and the view was spectacular.

a shot of me and my brother enjoying the views.

Quick lunch at Meadow lake camp grounds

On the trail to white rock lake got a nice overlook from the north side of Fordyce lake.

and a few shots of White rock lake. Elevation about 7500 I believe. Still snow on the peaks. Surprising because they were on the west side of the ridge facing the afternoon sun.

Even crossed over the Pacific crest trail which is one of my brothers bucket list hikes at some point.

And back home for some unpacking.

And for those that have asked before about packing up for a trip and my cargo area setup. I have two more military field chest containers behind the folding chair with tools, spare parts, recovery gear, fluids etc.

Enjoy.

 

[crazydubman]

Lost a couple CV boots during the trip which had already been addressed and finally gave me the chance to swap in the other Lotus axle that has been in my spares since I got it and got to reboot the other Lotus since the boots were getting old.

And in case anyone was wondering about the clearance on the gas tank skid issues I was having, here is the finished product now. at ride height, there is about 2" clearance from the driveshaft now and don't forsee it to be an issue any more.

 

[crazydubman]

As some of you know, when the rear tire carrier was built, we hadn't figured out a way to lock it in the open position. During my trip to the Sierra's it became very apparent and quite frustrating needing to open the swing out because we were never parked on flat ground and it would constantly either swing past where it should or try to close when I didn't want it to.

I finally buckled down and made a little swing out lock that can be used while its open. Totally over engineered and overbuilt but what the hell right haha.

Welds are ugly but they are strong. Really need to get some gas as the flux core is getting old.

used some tabs with 3/8" holes at the pivot side and 1/2" at the pin side. Needed to get 1/2" risers to help clear the mounts and to help get the bar as horizontal and parallel to the other tubes as possible in both positions.
Used 1/2" rod ends with tube adapters for 1" x 120 wall tubing. Found the 1/2" locking T pin through McMaster.

Also welded in a little tab on the bumper to zip tie the power and comm cables away from the mounting hole for the pin.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

The rig looks sick as always man! It has always flexed better than most.

Glad to see you posting more often, but after visiting all those lakes, where are the fish pics?

 

[crazydubman]

The rig looks sick as always man! It has always flexed better than most.

Glad to see you posting more often, but after visiting all those lakes, where are the fish pics?

Thanks for the compliments. Definitely been on the back burner with house upgrades and family priorities. Hoping to be revamping the suspension at some point as well as fine tuning the camping creature comforts. It really does just work though.... maybe the suspension is more of a want. But I do see areas for improvements.

Haha funny you ask. I haven’t fished in years but AJ and Steve in the 4th gens both tried their hand at fishing this trip and came up empty. We saw small ones in the shallows but they didn’t land anything. Hoping on the next trip, we have more time at each lake and I can get some casts in. Would be nice to catch dinner instead of buying it before we go.

 

[TeamPez]

Amazing build and thanks for documenting it all. I'm stepping up to 35's soon and learned a lot from your experience. Look forward to your future trips.

 

[Frank13F]

Awesome job! Thanks for posting

 

[infamousRNR]

Sicmods Todd

 

[crazydubman]

Finally got some pretty big maintenance and updates done to the 4runner.

First up was the interior. The leather had seen better days and the drivers seat was beyond repair. I had been looking around for a set of good condition beige 01-02 cloth seats for a long time. Every time I called the salvage yards from an add on craigslist, the seats were already gone. I finally found a set up in Rancho Cordova and took off early the next morning. The set was from I believe an 01 SR5 and the seats were pretty much perfect. Another reason for wanting the 01-02 seats was so that I could have the child seat restraints for the upper tether. I have a toddler so having the car seat in the center with a lap belt only always got me nervous when wheeling. Since I got the rear cargo area carpet with the seats I had to pull the storage shelving. That was its own battle but while I had it apart I decided to pull out my CB radio and antenna since I now use my ham along with all the wiring from an old sub install. Since I didn't have a sub back there anymore, it just seemed logical to clean up the area since it was all stripped down. Hoping to be able to install a trans temp gauge in the spot with the old CB connection port had been. That will be a later project.

Here are the pictures of the seats installed.

While I was at the yard, I figured I would finally update my headlights and corner lights to 01-02 lights as well. Did a comparison during install and the output and cutoff is much more clear than the 97's original fluted lamps. Now, if I ever decide to, I will have what I need to do a projector retrofit. Don't mind the clearcoat on the hood.... it rained heavy and its been peeling for a while now. :crybaby:

Also while I was at the yard, I figured I would look to grab some clean door seals as the drivers side had been ripped for a while now. got those swapped out and so much happier now that its done.