Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build

Widowmaker is getting huge! Last time I ran Metal Masher was '05 and it was probably a 3.5' climb. My CJ had a 84" wheelbase at the time and 33s. It walked right up it. Doubt it would do it now if it was still setup the same.

The rock just in front of and to the right of Volcom's rig was mostly underground at that time.

Nice shot from the overlook on Cliffhanger in the video!
 
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Widowmaker is getting huge! Last time I ran Metal Masher was '05 and it was probably a 3.5' climb. My CJ had a 84" wheelbase at the time and 33s. It walked right up it. Doubt it would do it now if it was still setup the same.

The rock just in front of and to the right of Volcom's rig was mostly underground at that time.

Nice shot from the overlook on Cliffhanger in the video!

That was the first time I had seen it, and it was huge! The undercut at the bottom is what made it really hard. Aaron tried to drive it several times but everytime he got up towards the top he ran out of fuel and the 4Runner would die. I was going to give a shot if he made it, but I wanted a spot to winch off if needed.
 
Good video Jeremiah. Impressive what the rig will do! Aaron needs new tires sooooo bad. We should all pitch in to buy him some. Haha.
 
Awesome video. Makes me somewhat embarrassed being proud of things I've been able to get my 4Runner through. That stuff is crazy. I think I'd be calling for a spotter trying to pull into the trailhead.

Keep doing what you're doing. :rockon:
 
Thanks guys! Aaron and Rick did an awesome job getting the footage, I just put it all together.

Good video Jeremiah. Impressive what the rig will do! Aaron needs new tires sooooo bad. We should all pitch in to buy him some. Haha.

Thanks Christian. As always, it was nice catching up at the Jamboree. Aaron's poor tires! I hope he can line up something for next season. At least he has got his money out of them, I've gone through three rigs and two trailers in the time he has had those tires!

Awesome video. Makes me somewhat embarrassed being proud of things I've been able to get my 4Runner through. That stuff is crazy. I think I'd be calling for a spotter trying to pull into the trailhead.

Keep doing what you're doing. :rockon:

Thanks man! It's all about getting out and enjoying the trail, it doesn't matter how hard the trail is. :)
 
Moab Video was great. Looking forward to the Colorado winter wheeling videos:thumb:

loved this shot
 
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Hey Jeremiah, off topic, but how did you like your first gen? How does it compare to your 3rd? I'm considering getting a designated trail rig and a 1st gen is at the top of the list.
 
It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to login and catch up with stuff on the site. I apologize to anyone that has sent me a PM or has “mentioned” me. I’ve been extremely busy with moving into the new house, getting unpacked and catching up on firewood before it’s too late. I didn’t have Internet service for several weeks, and I literally just got satellite TV service yesterday.

Having said that, I will try to get caught up on things in the next week or so.
 
Hey Jeremiah, off topic, but how did you like your first gen? How does it compare to your 3rd? I'm considering getting a designated trail rig and a 1st gen is at the top of the list.

I love the 1st Gen 4Runners! For off road enjoyment they are number 1, period.

Don't get me wrong; the 3rd gen is the perfect all-around daily driver, trail and expedition rig. It's the perfect multipurpose 4Runner, and I love my 4Runner, but if I had to choose a trail only rig it would be a 1st gen.
 
Like I said above, I have been extremely busy moving into the new house but I will try to get this thread up to date.

Before the move I had to get the wife's 4Runner ready for the longer commute, so I bought the Toytec Boss coilovers, installed them on my 4Runner and installed the Tundra/Bilstien struts on the wife's 4Runner on a lower setting. Below is a quote from her 4Runner's build thread explaining why...

First in line was the suspension; it was seriously clapped out, and the rear suspension only had an inch before it hit the bump stop cones. Driving through dips, speed bumps, and potholes was a painful experience. I went back and forth on what suspension I wanted to run under it; at first I was going to run all OME, but I was concerned about the ride and lack of adjustability. For just a little more I could step up to other options. I didn’t need a full blown Icon mid-travel set up, I just wanted something that rode nice for the wife.

As most of you know, I’ve had issues with spindle to coil contact on my 4Runner with the front Tundra/Bilstien combo at the 2.5” setting. I installed limit straps to “fix” the problem, but I lost suspension down travel in the process. Lately I’ve been doing a lot of exploring and expedition style travel, and the lack of down travel has been noticeable. I decided to order the Toytec “Boss” kit, install the coilovers on my 4Runner (more on that later), and install the Tundra/Bilstien struts on the wife’s 4Runner at a lower setting. Having the coils at a lower lift height should solve the coil/spindle interference, and in all honesty I doubt she will be wheeling this rig. The main reason for the lift is to refresh the suspension, run a slightly larger tire, and gain some ground clearance when we get large snowstorms.
 
I've only taken the 4Runner out a couple times since the Jamboree in August and that was just behind the house for a couple hours to explore. Just some easy dirts roads.

We had a pretty good snow storm come through a week or so ago and I decided I needed to get my wheeling fix in! It was still on the edge of hunting season so I knew there would be more traffic on the trails and the snow would be tracked up, but if I could get far enough back I figured I might be able to get some fresh powder.

Working my way up the trail



The first of several mishaps: I finally got to the area where the deep snow is, and I'm follow my normal track through the trees. Everything is covered in snow and I'm just cruising along, until the 4Runners sinks, bad. This is my snow wheeling trail and I have never been up there so early in the season, I broke through the ice into a giant mud puddle or small pond. I was able to back out but it took several attempts and it turned the 4Runner into a giant "mudsicle". It was only 5 degrees outside and all the mud froze instantly to everything, including a few pounds in each wheel.







 
I continued on, and as I gained elevation the snow got deeper





I finally got to the top of the ridge, the furthest I have made it up the trail in the snow. The snow was deep, and there was nothing to winch off of, so I turned around to check out another trail.





 
I backtracked a ways and made my way down another side trail that I have never been on. Several miles in I ran into a down tree and had to turn around, I didn't have my chainsaw and even if I did it was too cold and the tree was to large to mess with it.





On the way back tragedy struck (ok, not really, but it still sucked). My tires are getting pretty wore down, especially for snow wheeling. I was going around a tight turn and I slid off the road into a tree, which broke the mirror off and put a good dent/scratch in both driver side doors. I knew it was only a matter of time, but it's a bummer. (Pictures in the next post)
 
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