Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build

[Dirtco]

And here it is under the 4Runner. I still have some work to do, I’m waiting on some chromoly spindles and hubs so I have a fresh start and I don’t have to worry about the old bent ones, or dealing with more junkyard parts. I also noticed a small amount of run out on the axle shaft through the ABS port, so again this will give me a fresh start to figure out what’s going on with that, hopefully the new parts fix that too.

Nice and smooth

Shock mount and skid plate

New uptravel

 

[Dirtco]

And the inspection / fill plug

How cool is this! Here is the view through the plug, you can see the ring gear, pinion, and even the carrier.

 

[JWaldz]

Damn fine work there man.. When's the front axle gonna come outta there for something more 'straight'?

I'm quite interested, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?

 

[Fireball]

Two thumbs way up for this build! You need a Table of Contents on page 1 so we can have a quick reference to all the various parts of the build. Nice nice work and a really pretty OEM color.

 

[t4r4life]

nice! i wish i have the space, tools and knowladge to do something like this. i'd do it everyday lol

 

[Dirtco]

Damn fine work there man.. When's the front axle gonna come outta there for something more 'straight'?

I'm quite interested, if you don't mind me asking, what do you do for a living?

Thanks! A SAS is not out of the question in the future, but for now I'm going to wait and see how the IFS holds up. I would like to upgrade to the Lotus axles, come up with some front sway bar disconnects, and wheel the thing for a couple years. Then I'll decide what needs to be done, well at least that’s the plan for now.

I will say that all the work converting the rear axle makes me really miss the simplicity of the old Toyota front axle!

I don’t mind, my everyday day job is fleet maintenance. I mainly work on Ford vans, not the most exciting thing ever but it’s a good job for the most part and I have access to the shop on my days off.

Two thumbs way up for this build! You need a Table of Contents on page 1 so we can have a quick reference to all the various parts of the build. Nice nice work and a really pretty OEM color.

Thanks man! That’s a good idea, I’ll see what I can up with when I get time.

 

[Dirtco]

I had my buddy machine some new seal adapters for me. The FROR kit includes an aluminum adapter but after measuring them it seems the clearance is a bit tight, there is less than a 1/16” of room total between the axle shaft and adapter. Between axle housing defection, axle shaft run out, and the possibility of a slightly bent housing, I wanted the most clearance possible.

Here is the stock aluminum adapter

And here are the adapters my buddy made for me, he turned it down to the same I.D. as the spindle (1.375, the adapter that comes in the kit is 1.325). He used steel since we decreased the thickness were it presses into the spindle, and since they are the same I.D. as the spindle, and it is made of steel, there was no reason to use the softer aluminum. If it rubs, it rubs, both the seal adapter and the spindle.

Here is the clearance of the inner lip on the old seal, you can see how jammed up it is against the adapter.

And here is the clearance of the new ones… Much better!

 

[Dirtco]

Chromoly hubs and spindles! :fro:

 

[Dirtco]

Coming together

ARP Hub studs

I just couldn’t paint the hubs, so I clear coated them instead. We’ll see how it holds up, worst case I’ll paint them the next time I have the wheels off, at least they will look sweet for a little while!

 

[Rockdawg84]

Beautiful work as always. The new pieces are just beautiful. What are these lotus axles you are talking about? I would love some more info as I've already broken several front axles.

 

[MDST]

Beautiful work as always. The new pieces are just beautiful. What are these lotus axles you are talking about? I would love some more info as I've already broken several front axles.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/124093-lotus-cv-axles-here-3.html

 

[Dirtco]

Beautiful work as always. The new pieces are just beautiful. What are these lotus axles you are talking about? I would love some more info as I've already broken several front axles.

Thanks Rockdawg! As MDST posted, they are the latest and greatest solution to broken CV's right now. I really hope to have a set in the next couple weeks!

 

[Dirtco]

As I said before the sway bar brackets on the new axle housing are screwed, so I will not be running a rear sway bar from now on (unless I feel it’s necessary in the future, then I’ll fab up some new mounts). I drove it around a little bit and it’s really only marginally noticeable on the street, much better handling than removing the front sway bar. I don’t think it will be an issue.

With the sway bar gone I no longer have anything to limit the downtravel of the rear suspension, and I’m not a fan of using the shock absorber to limit the suspension; it’s not good for the shock or bushings, and I’ve seen first hand what else can happen. Years ago I watched a 3rd Gen 4Runner rip the upper nut off his rear shock, and then I watched his coil spring bounce down the trail a good 15’-20’! It was amusing at the time, but it sucked when I had to crawl under there while he backed down the rock and reseat it. I don’t want to be that guy!

So I ordered and installed limit straps for the rear suspension, which will keep the shocks and bushings happy and prevent issues down the road.

Double sheer lower axle mount

Upper mount and adjustable clevis

 

[JWaldz]

Damn that rear setup is getting better and better. What size strap did you go with.. Looks close to a 12" or 14"

 

[Dous]

Damn that rear setup is getting better and better. What size strap did you go with.. Looks close to a 12" or 14"

Yea x2, limiting straps are going to be one of my next purchases, I just can't figure out what size to go with

 

[Kurtis]

This is not a truck. This is a piece of freakin' art. I wasn't too fond of the color but now I don't think I could see Dirtco's name next to anything else. Wonderful job. Great attention to detail.

 

[fightman80]

Looking good man! Always a new innovative mod added here... and I always look forward to an update!

 

[poleclimber63]

Awesome!

It's truly a work of art! Subscribed! I'm keen to see how your 4runner performs! I'm blown away, great job!

 

[JWaldz]

Hey Dirtco, I'm interested in knowing how much further the full float kit made your tires stick out compared to stock. Did you happen to take that measurement?

 

[the great him]

so maybe i just missed this, but how are you going to drain the rear diff?


i love your rig btw, its truly a work or art, and the color just makes the rig... its really the only color it could be IMO