Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build

[Dirtco]

There is a Tacomaworld MOAB meet. May 16-20. There is gonna be like a hundred trucks there. Quite a few 4runners too.

Here is the thread for more info!
Tacoma Moab Meet 2012!!!! - Tacoma World Forums

Thanks for the link! That's a lot of vehicles, I might wait for a slower weekend but we'll see what happens when it gets closer. I still have some stuff I need to wrap up on the 4Runner, and I need to finish the trailer. It might be fall before I make it out there.

 

[Dirtco]

I took the KM2’s out for a trial snow run after work the other day. It’s been a horrible year for snow, and it really showed once I got out on the trail. The conditions are more like the end of May or early June. I still found some deeper snow on a couple side trails and the KM2’s seemed to work great. They hooked up really good; the snow was super wet and slushy but they still pulled through it. I do feel the MTR’s floated on top of the snow better, but it’s too early to tell for sure.

I was making great progress until I got greedy; gave it a little too much throttle and slipped the tires, once I spun the tires I was stuck and had to winch out. It was still fun!

 

[4-Ripcord]

Alright, well you would be a welcomed addition. And I know each and every person there would drool on your truck, so maybe not a good idea lol. Gotta keep it slobber free!

Nice pics!

 

[Dirtco]

Alright, well you would be a welcomed addition. And I know each and every person there would drool on your truck, so maybe not a good idea lol. Gotta keep it slobber free!

Nice pics!

We'll see if the truck and trailer are ready by then, if it works out I might check it out. Don't take my reply the wrong way; the big events are a lot fun, it's really cool to check out everyone's rigs and meet new people. But, there's also something special about having a few rigs/friends together, running the trails and having a couple cold ones next to the fire at the end of the day. I guess it just depends what mood your in. Thanks again for the link!

 

[CGuava]

There's also something special about having a few rigs/friends together, running the trails and having a couple cold ones next to the fire at the end of the day. I guess it just depends what mood your in. Thanks again for the link!

Totally agree dude. Just found your build thread.

Your rig has made a lot of progress since the last time I saw it, when it inspired me to find a new whip. Love the details. I've been looking at getting those D2's for a while, you use them as fogs? You liking color? I was thinking amber diffused lights or just the whites and aim them down low, not sure which to get.

Can't wait to check it out. Going to put a lift on my 4th gen here soon, I tried to resist doing it, but I just can't. I want to take it out snow wheeling with you guys sometime!

PS: Corey sell his rig? WTF?

 

[Dirtco]

Totally agree dude. Just found your build thread.

Your rig has made a lot of progress since the last time I saw it, when it inspired me to find a new whip. Love the details. I've been looking at getting those D2's for a while, you use them as fogs? You liking color? I was thinking amber diffused lights or just the whites and aim them down low, not sure which to get.

Can't wait to check it out. Going to put a lift on my 4th gen here soon, I tried to resist doing it, but I just can't. I want to take it out snow wheeling with you guys sometime!

PS: Corey sell his rig? WTF?

Thanks Christian! It’s been a dry winter so I didn’t get to use the D2’s (Amber, driving light pattern) the way I planned, I tested them a couple times in the snow and the light output/color was great. The color cuts right through the snow, when the headlights had a bunch of glare back toward the driver. They are pretty bright for a fog light in normal driving conditions, but in heavy snow / white out conditions I doubt they would bother other drivers too much. I also like the light pattern of the driving lights, I think the diffused pattern might not have the reach you want during normal driving speeds. They make colored filters if you want white most of the time, and amber during the winter. My only concern with the filter is getting snow, mag-chloride and road grime between the cover and light on a regular basis; or installing the cover with all that crap on the light.

How is the 4th gen working out? How much lift and what size tires? The front bumper turned out great; I’m excited to check it out in person and do some wheeling! I can’t believe Cory sold his rig and is moving, it’s a total bummer. I’ll give you the details the next time I see you.

 

[CGuava]

Thanks for the info man. I have thought about those covers too. I already have a E-series 12" light bar on the front, but wanted some LED's to mount as fogs. Thanks about the bumper, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out for my first ever plate bumper.

4th gen is working out as a great DD/bike hauler (just started road biking). I'll only be putting a super mild 2" lift on it. Running the JK 32's that I've been running (I can find em' all over the place for cheap). Probably going to build a rack and rear bumper for it at some point too.

Your fab work is top notch man. I should have bought your first gen when I saw it for sale. That things was cool, but I think you made the right move looking for a SC'd 3rd gen.

 

[Dirtco]

I finally got around to doing the Tundra brake swap! A big thanks goes out to BFAD for his write up, it defiantly took all the mystery out of the process.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ements-231mm-13wl-tundra-calipers-rotors.html

Before –

After –

My old stock brakes were shot (35’s and heavy beadlock wheels will do that), the rotors had started to warp, and even before that I felt uneasy coming down a big hill toward a stoplight. There just wasn’t enough braking power for the wheels and tires.

Everything went smooth for the most part, but I did run into one problem. I bought two calipers from Napa and I started on the passenger side. It went great, no issue’s, just your typical brake job with a little trimming. I moved over to the driver side, attached the brake line to the caliper, and what would you know, big problem. I tightened the brake line down and it bottomed out on the caliper, but the flared end of the hard line still had 1/8”+ of play inside the caliper. For the hell of it I unclamped the brake line and it leaked brake fluid like crazy. I took it all apart and measured the thread depth to the flared surface inside the caliper, and it was way too deep.

It took me a week to get these calipers, so exchanging it for another one wasn’t much of an option unless I downed the 4Runner for a week, or reinstalled all the stock stuff and re-bled the brakes. I figured it was worth a shot to fix this one; so plugged the hole, took a good 1/8” (or more) off the caliper, reamed it, and chased the threads. The fix worked great and it’s not leaking. So far the brakes feel great; the 4Runner actually wants to stop and I don’t get that horrible feeling when I see a stop light change red in front of me. The brake pedal does have more travel to it, but once they start working they work good. I’m going to re-bleed them and see if that helps at all, along with checking the adjustment of the rear shoes.

Passenger side (The way it should look) –

Driver side –

 

[JWaldz]

Ain't it a world of difference!! Stops on a dime, even with the 35s

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Congrats on the upgrade. I think they will be a huge benefit to you & your truck considering the setup overall. I wonder how the hole for the brake line ended up like that?

One thing I might do if I were you, and if I were to do it over, is hit those big bolt heads on the calipers with some paint (black, or whatever you like). Mine have already rusted up to a nice orange/brown color and that's down here in NM where they saw minimal moisture/salt.

It sucks to have brand new brakes w/ugly rusty bolts.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Must be nice to have access to a post lift whenever you're working and needs the truck off the floor. Congrats on the brake upgrade, too!

 

[quicksilvr]

Nice work, great upgrade. Definitely check your rear brake adjustment, as they are heavily biased towards the front from the factory before they are even worn down. Just a little more help from the rear can provide better pedal feel and considerably more life from the front parts.

 

[Dirtco]

Ain't it a world of difference!! Stops on a dime, even with the 35s

So much better!

Congrats on the upgrade. I think they will be a huge benefit to you & your truck considering the setup overall. I wonder how the hole for the brake line ended up like that?

One thing I might do if I were you, and if I were to do it over, is hit those big bolt heads on the calipers with some paint (black, or whatever you like). Mine have already rusted up to a nice orange/brown color and that's down here in NM where they saw minimal moisture/salt.

It sucks to have brand new brakes w/ugly rusty bolts.

I have a feeling that the casting is new, and not reman'ed (or it's a reman that they machined to repair some damage?). I also noticed the threads were very sharp and had never been used before; there was some metal debris from the two surfaces threading together for the first time (it was not cross threaded), and the hole seemed to be drilled at very slight angle off of the other side. It just didn't seem right.

Thanks for the heads up on the bolts! Once I know these calipers work good, and there are no issue's with them, I'll hit them with some black paint. I'm a little leery after seeing the job they did on the brake line fitting but so far it's working fine.

Must be nice to have access to a post lift whenever you're working and needs the truck off the floor. Congrats on the brake upgrade, too!

Thanks man! It's very nice to have access to a lift, defiantly a perk of the job!

Nice work, great upgrade. Definitely check your rear brake adjustment, as they are heavily biased towards the front from the factory before they are even worn down. Just a little more help from the rear can provide better pedal feel and considerably more life from the front parts.

Thanks for the input! Your 100% right, I've noticed that on all my Toyota's. I try to adjust the rear shoes on a regular basis, the automatic adjustment just doesn't seem to keep up. It makes a huge difference in pedal feel and stopping power.

 

[Dirtco]

There is one thing that has been bothering me about the rear bumper…

I hated how visible the “Interior pressure equalization vent” (or whatever it’s called) was, and when I had the old Turbo 4Runner there was a few times when rocks, sticks, etc worked their way into the opening. I decided to cap off the main opening with some 1/8” plate, but it looked “blah” once I had it welded in place. I could have drilled some holes in it, but that would have defeated the purpose of the plate. I found a couple Ballistic Fab weld-on skulls that I had in my toolbox, so I figured I would give them a shot; I hit them with a Roloc disc and then clear coated them. It’s a little cheesy, but they break up the panel really well and match the wheels. I can always paint them the same color as the bumper if I decide I don’t like them.

 

[quicksilvr]

The panels with the skulls are pretty cool! I like it. If it was mine, I'd put an AR-15 bolt face logo there or something, since I'm into that stuff. You could also put TRD right there if you could come up with some steel letters in the correct font. But the skulls are cool...maybe just a little too edgy for me if it was my truck.

 

[Dirtco]

The panels with the skulls are pretty cool! I like it. If it was mine, I'd put an AR-15 bolt face logo there or something, since I'm into that stuff. You could also put TRD right there if you could come up with some steel letters in the correct font. But the skulls are cool...maybe just a little too edgy for me if it was my truck.

Yeah, I'm still undecided about them. My last 4Runner had spider webs, skulls, and spikes integrated into the tube work. It looked awesome on that truck, but this one is so clean that I don't know what to think. I like the idea of the panels; they really needed to be added, but they need something else to break up the "blah". The TRD would be pretty cool, any other idea's?

 

[Dirtco]

I made it all the way to the top of Georgia Pass this weekend, that’s nuts for this time of year! The snow was still packed down from all the snowmobiles and the sun had melted the snow just enough to get traction. It get’s really steep towards the top and I didn’t think I was going to make it, but the KM2’s hooked up great and I made it all the way to the top!

Towards the top In places the snow was even deeper (maybe 10’-15’), but for the most part it was a couple feet deep. We should really have two or three times that, it’s been a horrible year.

At the top, nothing but snowmobile tracks

I hate mud :nono:

 

[quicksilvr]

Wow, that is crazy for this time of year. Only good thing about less snow is that mud season will be shorter.

I'm going to be in Lake City the first week of June, and it looks like the passes will definitely be open by then. Hopefully be able to take the 4runner over Engineer and Cinnamon with the wife...she's never been to Colorado, let alone on a jeep road. lol



Here's another logo that looks cool, and is kind of applicable. Plus it has just enough mystique to it....not everyone will know what it is, but some will. Just the logo (not wording) would look pretty cool.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I can't believe you made it up that high this early in the season. That's crazy. I'm always a little jealous when I see the places that you have access to for an afternoon of wheeling. I've got a 3-3.5 hour drive in front of me to find snow/mountains like that.

This warm weather this spring has been really unusual. I'm planning my first high lake trip for the 1st week of May. Even @ 11,000 feet, I'm pretty sure the lake will be free of ice by then w/this weather.

Oh yeah, RE the skull, I don't think it looks bad. I'd probably just leave the panel plain black if it were me.

 

[FrankM23]

I can't believe you made it up that high this early in the season. That's crazy. I'm always a little jealous when I see the places that you have access to for an afternoon of wheeling. I've got a 3-3.5 hour drive in front of me to find snow/mountains like that.

This warm weather this spring has been really unusual. I'm planning my first high lake trip for the 1st week of May. Even @ 11,000 feet, I'm pretty sure the lake will be free of ice by then w/this weather.

Oh yeah, RE the skull, I don't think it looks bad. I'd probably just leave the panel plain black if it were me.

How far away are you from Gila, NM?