diodia TRD Pro Build Thread

[diodia]

I was torn if I should start a build thread for yet another 2016 4Runner TRD Pro, but here it goes!

End of summer of 2016, my car at the time decided to develop some transmission noise (or so the forums told me). As the car was not worth much more than a new tranny, the sensible thing to do was to trade it in and get a new one. It was a time to say goodbye to this beauty...




I started off my search Saturday morning, at the dealership that I pass on my way to the mall. They did have a Trail trim, but without KDSS, which I wanted. Upon some more search, another dealer nearby had a TRD Pro, in stock, not bought at the time. You can see where this is going...
I showed up to the dealership, saw it parked up front by the door, and fell in love. The rest is history – we struck a deal and I was a proud owner of a 2016 4Runner TRD Pro at the end of the day Saturday. I`d say a successful car shopping experience, having bought it in a day! I also paid MSRP and they gave me a killer trade-in value for the Benz. Would highly recommend Zach at East Madison Toyota.
Here is how the truck looked at the time of purchase. Pretty stoked!



Out with the old, in with the new



So: what did I buy this truck for and what do I plan to do with it?
Truck is my daily driver, and aside from somewhat high fuel consumption, I love everything about it. It looks tough, mean, and unusual, I get compliments on it all the time too. As a daily driver in Wisconsin, especially during the winter, it is great. Aside from being a daily driver, truck will also carry all my gear to various outdoor activities (scuba diving, skiing, etc.), do some off-roading, be a reliable camping transportation, and tow a boat in a somewhat near future. It does all of that with ease and then some.

**I do have to agree with some other folks on the forum, though, that it does lack a bit of power. A little more “umph” when hitting the gas would be nice. More on that later.

Here comes the build part! The below is the list of the mods I plan to do for the truck, in (most likely) chronological order, as the funds and time become available. If a mod has a link, it has been completed

• HIDs/Stealth light bar
• Hella Horns
• Switch Panel and Auxiliary fuse block
• Rear cargo drawers
• Speaker upgrade/Dynamat install
• Rock sliders
• Dash cam
• CB/HAM Radios
• Remote start
• Compressor

Things I`m considering in the future, but not soon:

• Magnusson supercharger (once (fingers crossed) it comes out)
• Safari snorkel
• All around tint
• Beefier tires
• Regearing
• Full on suspension upgrade
• Rear bumper
• Front bumper

 

[diodia]

HIDs + Stealth Light Bar Install

Decision for the first mod was to upgrade the lightning. The stock light output sucks... That`s the end of it. As such, a light bar and HID`s are the sensible thing to do. I followed the instructions for the HIDs from [MENTION=103267]Saker[/MENTION] found here. Morimoto from TRS is what I chose.

The light bar was a tough call, but followed advice from [MENTION=127401]Krayziekid[/MENTION] and went with Opt7 C2 in 32". Used Rago fabrication mounts found here. Install was as described, this is how they look installed without the bumper. This is what the end result looks like!

 

[diodia]

It is good to know that our 4Runners are capable of transporting rare and sensitive cargo...

 

[ToyoT4R]

It is good to know that our 4Runners are capable of transporting rare and sensitive cargo...

View attachment 260372

A unicorn on top of a unicorn !

 

[diodia]

Fuse block install

At the same time as I was doing the lightbar, the auxillary fuse block was installed. Following [MENTION=834323]Okki[/MENTION] thread here, the install went fairly well.

The wire is marine grade, so are the terminals. Should last a little while. Crimper was "borrowed" temporarily from HF. Worked like a charm - highly recommend it.

Something a little different that I did - I have a relay that controls power to the whole fuse block. It is wired independently of the ignition, and allows me to switch on all of the accessories without a key in the ignition.

Lessons learned:

• Interior corners of the Runner are sharp
• 16GA wire for the switches is overkill - 18GA would work just fine.
• Mount all of the switches in the pod at the same time - was too cheap to buy two more, and will have to take everything apart to install two additional switches.
• If I was to do it all over again, the ONLY thing I`d change is the mount - you can get this amazing mount here for significantly less pain and effort. It`ll look better too.

And the pictures on how the install progressed:

 

[4raiderLV]

Great looking build! Every time I see these new 4Runners it makes me want to upgrade!

 

[MinecraftGriefer]

ooo nice Hummer H3!!!

 

[diodia]

Decided that my truck need some freedom.... Well, it got some freedom :biggrin2:

Oh, and before you ask - yes, that is a thin blue line.

 

[diodia]

Rear Cargo Drawer Build

I never got around to post the write-up with the pictures on my drawer build, so here it goes.

My dad and I spent about 18 hours building it (it was a very very long night) and I`m thrilled with the result. Carpet has held up really well to all of my abuse, the drawers are rock solid. We decided not to build it for the whole length of the bed in order to be able to put a hard rifle case vertically between the drawers and the hatch - works like a charm.







We used 1/2" plywood for the drawers, with a 3/4" top, sides, and the bottom - bought at a local hardware shop.





Rails were bought from here, and the drawers open up most of the way.
Top mounting rails were bought from here and cut to size. We used a router to drill out the space on the top.



First fitment into the car - everything lines up! The sides of the drawers actually sit on the little raised corners of the bed, and are load bearing.



Used 3M spray glue to put the carpet on the box. Decided not to do it for the drawer faces, as that`s where the stickers will go :eyebrows: In addition, I will be using Plasti-Dip to line the insides of the drawers, so that they`d be easier to clean and stuff wouldn`t roll around.

Unfortunately, I do not have any of the drawings left, but if someone needs any of the dimensions - let me know and I`ll measure them out!

Other parts - metal corners, carpet, latches - were all bought from here. Great prices, excellent quality products.

 

[diodia]

Speaker Upgrade

As everyone is aware, the speakers in the TRD Pro are lacking in most departments.... As such, decided to upgrade to some lovely Polks! Really really like them and the install was painless (aside from having to fab up some mounting brackets).



Comparison between the old and the new - the weight is at least 5x as more on the new ones.



Brackets needed some massaging on a grinder to fit, but it is doable!



While I was at it, I also used up Dynamat on all of the doors and the hatch. Lined up the exterior panel as well as used it to seal up the door as an enclosure. Works like a dream, the ride is a lot quieter.

Before:


After:


And how they look in the hatch.



Overall, changed all the speakers in the truck with Polks. Sound signature is really good, the lows are great. it does feel that I have a sub-woofer of sorts, all due to the Dynamat in the doors. :guitar3:

Took me about a day to do, as we had to rummage through multiple Wal-Marts to get materials for the brackets - used cutting boards. Worked great!

 

[diodia]

Rock Sliders!!

Had the pleasure to deal with [MENTION=111262]pelfreybilt[/MENTION] to get some sliders. Amazing service. good turnaround time, excellent product. Pictures speak for themselves.

I had a local shop powdercoat the sliders in textured matte black powder. That set me back another $350. Might have been a bit pricey, but the guy plated the sliders with some material (forget what it is) to prevent rusting. Hence the extra $$.

Also - the pallet with the sliders does fit in the 4Runner :dancin:











Fits with no issues, looks pretty good too!