Ethernectar's '06 4Runner - AKA: "The Red Menace Jr."

[ethernectar]

Greetings,

Glad to be a part of the forum here. So far its been great reading and inspiration.

I bought an '06 Sport Edition (V8) a few weeks ago after trading in an '08 Outback XT. I needed more room, and less stick shift. Was lucky to find a used V8 in great shape, LOW miles and in my favorite vehicle color.

Here it is the weekend I got it.

Just got it back today after a body level/lift (Daystar 2.5/1.5). Minor hiccup at the shop, but they made it right and were stand-up guys. Very reasonably priced. (PM me for local info if you want.) Here's a before/after/before pic.

Last weekend I built a storage drawer for the back compartment,

See the whole build here..

Have a BajaRack ordered to replace the factory rack. And new tires are in the works, all 4 tires are weather-cracked badly.

Future plans... possibly SpiderTracks depending on what tires I settle on, and eventually a bumper.

(Oh, "The Red Menace" was the name of my last truck, a diesel F250 4x4. I think the 4Runner will carry on the name well.)

 

[Jeffrey_VB]

Love, Love, LOVE that color!!! Sweet Runner man!!

 

[ethernectar]

BajaRack!

Ordered a BajaRack and some accessories from TRDparts4U.com (Toyota of Dallas). Had a good price on the rack. Received the rack today by freight - it beat the accessories, which are coming tomorrow by ground.

Here's a pic of it loaded up.

I installed it this eve, took less than 2 hours to remove the old rack, install the mounts, and with the help of a buddy lift the Baja on top of the 4R.

Will post pics tomorrow.

 

[ethernectar]

Here it is installed, sorry just a quick point and shoot photo in the driveway.

The menace gets new tires tomorrow - the ones on it are weather-crazed really badly. Going a little taller, but not wider. Will post comparison pics tomorrow.

Planning on heading up for a drive in the mountains on Sat. so will post some better pics then.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Looks good! I love how it has abit of a curve on top to follow the roof contour lines.

 

[ethernectar]

Goodyear Wrangler ATS - 265/70/17

Goodyear Wrangler ATS 265/70/17s mounted up and looking meaty.

Before/After/Before with the new tires.

And a look at the tread. Won't be doing SpiderTrax with these. Would definitely rub and don't want to start cutting on anything.

 

[ethernectar]

CB Install

Took about 3 hours to install a CB this morning. Mounted it to the BajaRack rear center. An 18' cable is just about perfect.

Had to figure out how to pop out those 'star' plugs, read from Mr Castulucci's great page. I just wrapped some extra ground wire around them and yanked.

Man, those add-a-circuit things are great. Anyone know what the empty spaces are in the fusebox? Are they powered?

Here's the final install. I used industrial adhesive tape to mount the bracket to the center console. Will see how it holds up in CA heat.

Antenna stows nicely when its disconnected.

A few more photos here.

 

[ethernectar]

Went out for a little drive with my dad last weekend. Up around the Dardanelles in the Sierra Nevadas.

 

[ethernectar]

PIAA 5296 520 Clear ATP installed today

Took a little less than 3 hours to install and wire the lights. Inspired by mosha20 at Toyota120.com. Here's a few process pics.

Taped, measured and marked.

Aluminum 'stay' to go underneath

A dab'll do ya

That was the easy part

Relay and everything wired up (accidentally pushed the grommet through though :ybrick

Guts

Not sure how long the double stick will hold. I sanded the blank down flat, but its a little 'rubbery' and not sure the doublestick will hold. Have to look into the Tacoma switch mod I've seen here.

And lastly, a fun shot from a little extra-curricular outing at work.

 

[ethernectar]

Woke up early this morning and tackled the install on my Passport.

Wanted to rout the power cord either up by the mirror or on the dash. I wasn't sure there was switched power up by the dome light so the dash proved to be a simpler idea.

My Sport has the JBL system, so the dash speaker worked out great for routing the wire. You just have to pop it off. I used a putty knife and some blue tape to keep metal off the plastic. I used some s****y copper wire to snake through the dash down to the bottom, took several tries to find a route, but eventually found one.

Ran the wired remote down the center console and tapped into the cigarette lighter. Secured the remote with double-stick inside one of the console spots. Remember to thread all your wires through first.

 

[ethernectar]

WeatherTech's - Grey on Grey

 

[ethernectar]

Took a few days of vacation over in Big Sur. Didn't see much off-road driving, but did find this nice 10 mile track.

 

[Ryco4R]

lovin the salsa!

 

[JayKumar]

Very nice. You sure do have pride in your 4runner. Good to see you did the work yourself as well.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Nice in and out upgrades, sure there'll be alot more seeing that you've been affected by the "mod bug"....Truck looks great!

 

[quicksilvr]

One of my favorite 4th gen's. Great work on all the modifications....they are all very clean and professional. I also appreciate how clean you keep the inside of your 4Runner. :thumb3:


What is your rifle setup? It's slick!

 

[ethernectar]

What is your rifle setup? It's slick!

Remington 700 in 308. Badger Ordinance bottom metal, mags, scope hardware. Manner's stock, duracoat by me, Leupold Mk IV optics. It will shoot down to .25 MOA if everything is right.

 

[ethernectar]

Perkins Bumper arrived yesterday and I had it installed this morning. Happy birthday to me!

 

[ethernectar]

Installed PIAA 510s in the fogs this weekend and relocated the CB antenna to front corner (mounted on the bumper). Skids are here, just waiting on the box of hardware from Demello. Probably put them on this weekend with some help.

 

[driffter33]

Sweet 4th gen. That Perkins bumper is sexy on there: