Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build

[Dirtco]

write up, please?

Sorry, it was the end of the day and I was in a hurry to get home. I didn’t take any pictures or measurements. The light is a standard truck or trailer LED back up light, I had to cut a hole in the plastic panel to fit the light and grommet. I thought that there was going to be more room behind the panel, but there wasn’t much and it was a very tight fit. There was only one spot where the wiring pigtail would fit, so I had to fit the light around that spot. I got lucky and it looks good in that location, but if I did it again I would use one or two small surface mount LED’s.

Where do you guys get those LED's?

I bought them from Superbrightleds.com. If I was going to do it again I would use these for the hatch LED Marine & Boat Products : Waterproof Marine LED Flood Light . I just ordered a few for rock lights and they are awesome; small, super bright (for the size), and only one watt!

 

[Dirtco]

No Problem! haha I am totally going to take you up on that... In the next couple of years I want to start doing some longer trips down to the US of A. First I have to keep watching your build to make plans for when I jump to 35's, your the guinea pig! Such an awesome build and all your work is sooo clean.

And nice hatch LED's, I've done the same. An awesome mod!
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/retrospectphoto/5668891004/" title="Illuminated 2 by RickaShay24, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5027/5668891004_a60475f8f5.jpg" width="333" height="500" alt="Illuminated 2"></a>

Sound good! Thanks, I'll keep you updated on the 35"s :

 

[Dirtco]

Amazing build.

Thanks, I looked at your build several times to get ideas!

wow, great build so far. Great pictures and timeline. You have skills!!

Thanks man, lots of practice

DROOL......... I wish to purchase your vehicle.

Well it’s not for sale, but you could build your own!

 

[Dirtco]

I got a good start on the front bumper; the winch mount had to be built first so I got to work. My front bumper is going to be a lot like the one I built for the Turbo 4Runner, but I wanted the back side of the winch mount to be open for extra air flow to the radiator and transmission cooler. That required a lot of extra bracing and reinforcement. Like the Turbo 4Runner, I tried to angle everything to give it a more aggressive look.

Pictures for reference

I didn’t take many pictures during the building process, but here are a couple I snapped along the way

And here it is mostly completed, I made a few modifications after these pictures

 

[Dirtco]

And here it is after I welded it on the 3/16” 2x3” crossmember

 

[t4r4life]

my god your welds are so tits, i love it! god its like welding porn lol

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Note to self: MUST. LEARN. TO. WELD.

The bumper on your old rig was USDA Prime!! Looking forward to seeing some Black Angus or some Kobe on this one. :hungry:

 

[fightman80]

I'm loving every post you put up man! BTW, I found a thread somewhere at Yotatech a while back of your Turbo 4Runner.......that was one great thread! You should post it up here so we can all get a proper look at your 1st gen!

 

[Dirtco]

my god your welds are so tits, i love it! god its like welding porn lol

Note to self: MUST. LEARN. TO. WELD.

The bumper on your old rig was USDA Prime!! Looking forward to seeing some Black Angus or some Kobe on this one. :hungry:

I'm loving every post you put up man! BTW, I found a thread somewhere at Yotatech a while back of your Turbo 4Runner.......that was one great thread! You should post it up here so we can all get a proper look at your 1st gen!

Thanks guys! I still have a lot work left, but I'm really happy with the progress!

Fightman80, here is a link to the Turbo 4Runner build: DIRTCO's 1986 4Runner Build-Up Thread - YotaTech Forums . It's a long thread, but there's a lot of good info in it.

 

[Rc4r]

One day this will be just as lengthy right?

 

[JWaldz]

damn.. did you poop a virgin cus that sh1t is tight!! Sick ass welds

 

[rickashay]

I cant wait for more photos of the bumper all finished....Hurry up already.

 

[Dirtco]

One day this will be just as lengthy right?

I'm sure it will be close

damn.. did you poop a virgin cus that sh1t is tight!! Sick ass welds

Thanks man!

I cant wait for more photos of the bumper all finished....Hurry up already.

Pictures are coming soon! ...

 

[Dirtco]

Suspension Update…

As you guys know, I was having issues with the front spindle contacting the coil at full droop. I contacted Steve at Sonoran Steel, he said I needed more weight on the truck and that it was setting too high, allowing for more droop (all the details and pictures can be found a page or two back, it’s a long story). There’s also a lot of good info on my Yotatech build, starting here: Dirtco's 1999 4Runner Build-Up Thread - Page 11 - YotaTech Forums

Last weekend BigFishAllDay contacted me; he noticed a banging noise in his front suspension and after reading my thread he checked his front coils for any sign of contact. Well his 4Runner is doing the same thing as mine, but he has an ARB front bumper, winch and sliders. So it seems that the weight of the 4Runner really has nothing to do with it, the fact that my 4Runner sat taller just made the problem more pronounced and constant. Both of us think that this is a more common issue than Steve says, and I really feel that if you have the SS1.2 kit (at the 2.5” front setting) you need limit straps, period!

More info can be found in this thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...bumps-w-ss-1-2-lift-your-thoughts-please.html

We discussed several different options to solve the problem, but only one seemed to be a 100% fix and not create more issues in the process. That was limit straps.

I had already bought limit straps before BigFish contacted me, for the following reasons: to 100% solve the spindle/coil problem, to reduce stress on the bushings with the weight of the 35’s w/ heavy beadlocks, and reduce some stress on the CV’s from drooping too far. I got them installed, but I still need to go wheeling and see if everything works the way it should.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

It looks to me like they will work out perfectly.

In that second shot, I can tell you've got them adjusted right to the MM before the spindle hits the coil, and judging by the angle on the UCA it looks like there's still at least a couple inches of droop there too.

It's going to be very helpful when I install mine having seen a clean install of this setup. Thanks again for helping me think through it, and for suggesting a great solution.

Also, I like how you've set it up with plenty of adjustment range so you can dial it in once you figure out how much those things stretch.

Tits, man. I can't wait to get mine on and say goodbye to the "clunk".

 

[Dirtco]

I also replaced the rear bump stops, I had a set off the old green 4Runner that were 1 ½” taller. They are still a progressive rate bump stop (really comfortable) and they should stop the travel right before the tire rubs the inner fender.

Here’s the old set that are included with the SS 1.2 kit, they are starting to compress as the tire rubs.

And here’s the new set, at full compression they should be the same as the above pictures. I might get a slight amount of rubbing when I’m really flexed out but I think it will minimal (I don’t mind a little trimming). I am loosing a small amount of up travel in the rear suspension, but I feel the 35’s make up for that. Also, I’m not building this for rock crawling; it’s a trail/expedition/snow wheeling 4Runner that will see some rocky trails. I don’t mind taking the easy line or bypass, I’ve run all the hard lines in my last two rigs.

 

[Dirtco]

It looks to me like they will work out perfectly.

In that second shot, I can tell you've got them adjusted right to the MM before the spindle hits the coil, and judging by the angle on the UCA it looks like there's still at least a couple inches of droop there too.

It's going to be very helpful when I install mine having seen a clean install of this setup. Thanks again for helping me think through it, and for suggesting a great solution.

Also, I like how you've set it up with plenty of adjustment range so you can dial it in once you figure out how much those things stretch.

Tits, man. I can't wait to get mine on and say goodbye to the "clunk".

Those pictures were taken before I adjusted them, I had to tighten them up a lot more. It's crazy how much pressure there is (I'm very happy I got the quad wrap Ploy Performance straps)! I have not gone wheeling yet, but I did rally it over some speed bumps and the "clunk" is gone!

Thanks for all the links and info, it really helps having two people looking at an issue to find a solution. Let me know if you have any questions, the install is pretty easy but it takes a little time to adjust them.

 

[Dirtco]

I also finished the front bumper! It took a couple long days, (there were a few times I thought about pulling the trailer in the shop and going to bed ) but it’s done! I still need to wire the winch and install my Master-Pull winch rope but I’ll take care of that later this week.

I didn’t take any pictures during the process but here is how it turned out…

Fender clearance

 

[Dirtco]

Supports

 

[Dirtco]

The new winch in it’s home; I decided to cut the lower bar out of the grille for some extra room. It brought the bumper/winch in towards the vehicle a good 3”- 4”.

And the Poly Performance fairlead