Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build

[the great him]

Man I say fix that door(s)... The moment you start letting things like that go, it snowballs. Next thing you know your gonna be OK with putting it on its side and driving it till it self-rights... Not cool keep the sexual magic alive with your runner

 

[4Running Daily]

Man I say fix that door(s)... The moment you start letting things like that go, it snowballs. Next thing you know your gonna be OK with putting it on its side and driving it till it self-rights... Not cool keep the sexual magic alive with your runner

I actually agree.

 

[T4R2014]

Man I say fix that door(s)... The moment you start letting things like that go, it snowballs. Next thing you know your gonna be OK with putting it on its side and driving it till it self-rights... Not cool keep the sexual magic alive with your runner

+1 on this. Then again, I just hate seeing beat up 3rd Gen's in general. Autumn Blaze is a rare color too.

 

[EatonKyleH]

I'm curious if you are leaning toward an LT kit and if so, which in particular?

or...

Will you most likely be mining the ore from the mountains and hammering glorious control arms over the flame in traditional Dirtco fashion?

 

[Jedrattle]

I love your rig. I like how you use it. I say long travel and dual cases. I picked a Camburg lt kit and I love it. I don't slow down for much anymore :bounce:

 

[rickashay]

So, you may ask yourself, “What does this this have to do with the 4Runner?”

The Tacoma has 4 doors and a bed, 4wd, and it fits the whole family comfortably. That means that the 4Runner is just a toy now! I need to drive to and from the trail comfortably (including Moab) but tire wear, commuting in the snow, and fuel MPG are not much of an issue anymore. And since the body is not straight anymore, and it’s just a trail rig, that opens up some more options as well. (Insert the mad scientist laugh here )

Sweet Baby Jesus I like where this is going.

Congrats on the Tacoma Jeremiah! Hope your doing well. We've got no snow up here to speak of so I'm envious of your Colorado weather, despite the carnage on the truck!

 

[Dirtco]

Did i just hear 36s?? :hail:

Those tires are going to be sweet! You think you'll have more of an issue fitting the width of those tires or the height?

You sure did! At least that’s the plan as of now. I agree that the width might be more of an issue than height; it’s really going to take some serious trimming to make them fit.

I call dibs on your LD CV axles!

Haha! If I do go LT I will try to replace the axle bar with a Tundra bar and reuse the inner/outer joints. I’m pretty sure most driveline shops should be able to swap them out.

smart man on not attempting to tow your 4Runner with the Taco.
I towed my Trekker a few times on my flatbed behind my '05 Taco TRD DC. It towed it fine but my full size tows it much better. The 4Runner probably out weights my Trekker by 1500 lbs or more Though I wish I could have kept the Taco and traded in the missus's Camry on a tow rig.

You need an ARB or other plate bumper on the Taco, Tube bumpers just look funky on the '05+ Tacomas.

congrats on the cool new DD

Thanks! I really enjoy driving the 4Runner, and would rather drive to and from the trail; it’s just not practical for commuting, and I really needed a truck.

The ARB’s look great on the Tacoma’s, I would run one if I found a good deal. I have a few custom ideas I’m tossing around, but it’s still too early to say what I’ll come up with.

I feel you on really not wanting to swap it, especially if money is tight. Aside from weak cv's, the stock ifs works really well for less than serious rock crawling.

Fwiw I just put 37" pitbull rockers on my truck and they drive butter smooth up to and past 80 on the highway without any balancing attempt at all.

I love rock crawling, but I spend more time exploring and snow wheeling in this rig. If (or should I say when) I build a dedicated crawler I would rather start with a different platform, more buggy based and more tubing.

 

[Dirtco]

Man I say fix that door(s)... The moment you start letting things like that go, it snowballs. Next thing you know your gonna be OK with putting it on its side and driving it till it self-rights... Not cool keep the sexual magic alive with your runner

I actually agree.

+1 on this. Then again, I just hate seeing beat up 3rd Gen's in general. Autumn Blaze is a rare color too.

I totally agree with you guys! I want to fix the damage more than anyone on here, but money is tight right now.

I had to make a very hard decision between using the 4Runner for my 80+ mile a day commute (and having to de-mod the 4Runner a little in the process). Or, buying a dedicated daily driver that meets my rural commute needs, but in the process putting the 4Runner on the back burner until funds catch up.

I chose the latter, because it keeps the 4Runner as a toy and lets me do what I want as funds become available. I need tires now, so the price difference between sizes is not a major factor. Once I got rid of the sway bars the tires started rubbing at full compression, so it was only a matter of time before the flares and cladding went away to make more room.

As for the body damage; I would like to fix it, but it’s towards the bottom of the list. If I have to choose between tires and a body shop bill, I choose tires. Down the road I would like to get some replacement doors and paint them to match. I would also like to add a little more rear body panel protection.

 

[dtc81]

I thought the saying was something like "chicks dig body damage"!? That's a great looking Tacoma, and will definitely be a perfect DD. I'm hoping the 4Runner gets the LT treatment.... It's still my favorite 4Runner out there. I Borrowed many ideas from this rig! Can't wait to see where the build continues.

 

[Dirtco]

I'm curious if you are leaning toward an LT kit and if so, which in particular?

or...

Will you most likely be mining the ore from the mountains and hammering glorious control arms over the flame in traditional Dirtco fashion?

Hahaha, You crack me up Kyle! I suck at mining, so I’m guessing Camburg or Total Chaos. I’ll need to do some more research once I get closer though. I know enough to make a plan, but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.

I’ve been looking at LT for a while now, but the 4Runner was my daily driver and the winter road conditions around here would destroy that kind of suspension, now that I have the Tacoma that’s not an issue.

I love your rig. I like how you use it. I say long travel and dual cases. I picked a Camburg lt kit and I love it. I don't slow down for much anymore :bounce:

Thanks man! That’s exactly what I’m looking for, I would love to cover more ground in a day and not slow down for every little bump along the way.

Sweet Baby Jesus I like where this is going.

Congrats on the Tacoma Jeremiah! Hope your doing well. We've got no snow up here to speak of so I'm envious of your Colorado weather, despite the carnage on the truck!

Thanks Addison, it should be quite the trip! I love the Tacoma so far, it’s nice having a daily driver that’s also lifted and feels like the trucks of my past, without the headaches of a trail rig.

I thought the saying was something like "chicks dig body damage"!? That's a great looking Tacoma, and will definitely be a perfect DD. I'm hoping the 4Runner gets the LT treatment.... It's still my favorite 4Runner out there. I Borrowed many ideas from this rig! Can't wait to see where the build continues.

I don’t know about that saying, I’ve had some pretty beat up rigs! Actually the wife took it better than I thought she would, she was surprised that it took so long with all the wheeling I do.

I really hope to go LT travel too! It’s not cheap though, so it’s going to take some time to save up some money. Thanks for following the build!

 

[Dirtco]

A few small updates...

The street tires that were on the Tacoma were not going to cut it for my winter commute, and I wasn't going to to buy tires for the bling 18" wheels that were on the truck. So I ordered some 17" Method NV wheels and 285/70R17 Goodyear Duratracs. I had to dip into the savings, but I should be able to sell the bling wheels/tires that were on it, and I still have the the 18" VW wheels and tires that i'll sell too. I would have rather spent the money on the 4Runner but the daily driver is more important; I have to get to work, and the 4Runner is pretty much just a toy now.

It's amazing what some wheels and tires will do for a vehicle!

 

[ARC]

Taco looks 1 million times better now.

 

[Dirtco]

-Disclaimer-

This is where things are going to take a major turn in the build thread; when it's all said and done it will be awesome! But remember, it's always darkest before the light and there is going to be a whole lot cutting to implement my plan.

You have been warned...

Half the clips were broken on the d/s front fender flare after the tree incident, so I marked the fender location and removed it...



Then the cladding "fell" off...







Front and rear clearance, as of now

 

[T4Rex.]

Damn I can't wait!! Keep cutting!! 40s!!!

 

[Rockdawg84]

You've SR5'd your limited. Love it. It's amazing how much easier big tires fit without all that plastic. Looking forward to where this is going.

Taco looks great BTW.

opcorn:

 

[jjamesyj]

the taco look a ton better with the new wheels and tires. i actually test drove that truck a month or so ago. was at a dealer on broadway wasent it?

 

[Dropzone]

fill in all the old trim holes and you will be good to go.
personally i like it a lot better without the trim

 

[TCMach]

So it begins!!! I'm excited! :bluejump:

 

[Dirtco]

You've SR5'd your limited. Love it. It's amazing how much easier big tires fit without all that plastic. Looking forward to where this is going.

Taco looks great BTW.

opcorn:

Thanks Sam! The flares and cladding helped to hide the previous trimming, but it was only a matter of time before it wasn't enough. I've been thinking about this for a long time, just waiting for the right time.

the taco look a ton better with the new wheels and tires. i actually test drove that truck a month or so ago. was at a dealer on broadway wasent it?

Yep, that's the one, small world! It's amazing what wheels and tires will do for a vehicle!

fill in all the old trim holes and you will be good to go.
personally i like it a lot better without the trim

That's the plan, fill the holes, and use bedliner to cover the lower section were the flares/cladding was.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

If you're shopping for a brand of bedliner to use I recommend monstaliner. Painted my whole t4r in it . Best to install it in warmer temps though or you are going to need heat lamps. Gotta keep it above 70 for 12 hours or so.