Extreme 3rd Gen Build! Insane!

[NotKewl]

This is truly fantastic. I mean you've literally built a new truck. How do you suppose the little 3.4 will handle those tires? What about weight - do you think you've made the truck significantly heavier?

Not much actually. The rear axle alone weighs 550 lbs. Each tire/wheel weighs 150lbs exactly (I've weighed them). That's 850lbs alone. The front axle alone weighs 400lbs add tires wheels and that's 700lbs for a total of 1,550 lbs of "unsprung weight. Plus the links too. About 100lbs So 1,650 unsprung weight. The engine compartment has been lightened with the reduction of sheet metal, so too has the body. The total sheet metal actually weighs more than the amount of tubing I have added (which is only aprox. 700lbs) The most weight comes from the glass and interior seats and panels, wiring, electronics, and so forth, which have all been removed. My best estimate of the current total weight (given the weight per foot of 1.5" and 1.75" DOM tubing) is about 4,000 to 4,500 lbs. The stock weight for this vehicle is about 3,975 lbs, so not much added so far. I plan to take it to the scales soon. I'll load it on my trailer and take it to a truck stop to weigh my truck, trailer, and the 4Runner, then remove the 4Runner and weigh the truck and trailer again. The difference will be the weight of the 4Runner.

As for the 3.4, the good rule is OVER axle and UNDER power to keep from breaking things. It will do just fine. My trips around the neighborhood so far have been quite peppy. It's all about the gearing, not the horsepower. Bigger tires need lower (higher numerically) gearing.

 

[NotKewl]

Oh - Chimera. That's right.

How about Fluffy Sara?

HA! Nice name! Saw a great bumper sticker my buddy got for his Jeep. Shows a picture of a lifted Jeep and states... "Lift it, because Fat chicks can't jump."

 

[eatpasta]

HA! Nice name! Saw a great bumper sticker my buddy got for his Jeep. Shows a picture of a lifted Jeep and states... "Lift it, because Fat chicks can't jump."

haha

Because of the high lip of the seats in my Jeep combined with the lift, if you cant do at least two pull-ups, you aint gettin in my Jeep anyways.

:nono:

My three year old loves it - it's like his jungle gym! The other day at OSH there was a car load of kids that were suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper jealous as he was climbing in and they were getting into a Minivan.

 

[NotKewl]

haha
My three year old loves it - it's like his jungle gym! The other day at OSH there was a car load of kids that were suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuper jealous as he was climbing in and they were getting into a Minivan.

Ha! Yeah my kids love climbing all over this thing. My oldest daughter said it was like the monkey bars at school.

 

[eatpasta]

Ha! Yeah my kids love climbing all over this thing. My oldest daughter said it was like the monkey bars at school.

Mobile monkey-bars.

Hey, I can dig it

 

[Unner]

Not much actually. The rear axle alone weighs 550 lbs. Each tire/wheel weighs 150lbs exactly (I've weighed them). That's 850lbs alone. The front axle alone weighs 400lbs add tires wheels and that's 700lbs for a total of 1,550 lbs of "unsprung weight. Plus the links too. About 100lbs So 1,650 unsprung weight. The engine compartment has been lightened with the reduction of sheet metal, so too has the body. The total sheet metal actually weighs more than the amount of tubing I have added (which is only aprox. 700lbs) The most weight comes from the glass and interior seats and panels, wiring, electronics, and so forth, which have all been removed. My best estimate of the current total weight (given the weight per foot of 1.5" and 1.75" DOM tubing) is about 4,000 to 4,500 lbs. The stock weight for this vehicle is about 3,975 lbs, so not much added so far. I plan to take it to the scales soon. I'll load it on my trailer and take it to a truck stop to weigh my truck, trailer, and the 4Runner, then remove the 4Runner and weigh the truck and trailer again. The difference will be the weight of the 4Runner.

As for the 3.4, the good rule is OVER axle and UNDER power to keep from breaking things. It will do just fine. My trips around the neighborhood so far have been quite peppy. It's all about the gearing, not the horsepower. Bigger tires need lower (higher numerically) gearing.

I'm no expert, but couldn't you just weigh the 4Runner on the scales? :bounce:

This thing is looking good. Can't wait to see some action shots/videos!

 

[NotKewl]

I'm no expert, but couldn't you just weigh the 4Runner on the scales? :bounce:

Thanks! Yes, I plan on doing that tomorrow after the test runs. I drive right by a truck stop with scales, so I'll go get weighed. This is just my best guestimate based on my calculations and weighing of individual parts. I'm curious to see how off (or close) I am.

 

[NotKewl]

Loaded up for the first time!

I spent the day mounting the harnesses and the seats for the very last time. Annnnnnd like an idiot, I painted everything BEFORE I welded in the harness mounts in the rear. :frusty: Well that's what happens when you get in a hurry.

Got them in finally, and then..... and THEN, I loaded it on the trailer for the first time in six months! By my calculations, the duration of time I've had this thing in my shop is 6 months and 25 days exactly. However, since I didn't work on it all day every day, the actual amount of time I spent on this so far has been 99 days exactly to today. That's only 1,192 hours of work. I've taken exactly 15 days off of work during this time so far too. That's pretty damn fast! :trophy:





That is such a beautiful sight. It brings a tear to my eye and, well, some swelling in my... uh... you know where! :rockon:

 

[NotKewl]

First Test Run - Success-ish!

The first test run today was a semi-success. It got up the trail head fine, suspension worked flawlessly, transfer case setup worked great, but the final drive gearing really needs to go to 5.36 final drive ratio. The problems started, literally no more than 20 minutes into the ride. The front cross bar (suspension stiffener) was built too close to the top rad hose and POW, busted a hole in it spewing coolant everywhere. Ok, no worries, easy fix. Then going up a steep gnarly hill in area 51, the engine kept stalling due to fuel starvation. Looks like my fuel pickup is too far forward in the tank. So it looks like I'll be shelling out some more $ to Holley for a Hydromat to solve the fuel issue. Other than those minor things it was a great success. I was expecting more to go wrong, to be honest.

 

[JBurt]

Very cool! I'm glad it was relatively hassel free

 

[NotKewl]

Fuel Delivery Issues

I fixed the issue with the radiator hose rubbing by bending the front suspension cross brace up about 20 degrees. Plenty of room for movement now without ever coming into contact with the rad hose. As for the fuel delivery issue, well, rather than spending the ridiculous $700 for the Holly Hydromat that fits my tank size, I decided to complicate my fuel system. I have all the parts I need on the way to install a simple surge tank, which requires another fuel pump and some more lines. The concept is the surge tank is constantly full of fuel so the main pressure pump(s) won't ever suck air. The fuel cell itself is just a reservoir and feeds the surge tank. The fuel is constantly moving (which is why I think they sometimes call it a swirl tank, dunno on that one) pushing air bubbles to the top so they (and excess fuel pressure) can return safely to the fuel cell while keeping the high-pressure pumps under constant fuel delivery. It's either that or vapor lock, but I can't see where that's happening since I'm using all the stock fuel lines to the rails and return and the lines are not near any real significant heat source to cause a change in state.

 

[JWaldz]

Hard to tell it's even a 4Runner anymore haha.. Sounds like a good shake down. It's better to know of things that'll go wrong right away rather than those that take longer to take a dump!! Looks like you're getting things sorted out though. Love the color scheme. I probably would have thrown some navy blue in it, but then again I'm a Broncos fan

 

[NotKewl]

Hard to tell it's even a 4Runner anymore haha..

Yup, it's unique that's for sure, and that's what I wanted.

Sounds like a good shake down. It's better to know of things that'll go wrong right away rather than those that take longer to take a dump!! Looks like you're getting things sorted out though.

Yeah, I'm just hoping that no problems work their way to the surface during trail fest unless it's right at the end. I'm hoping I can get this fuel issue solved so I go out and test again this weekend.

 

[eatpasta]

awesome!!

Man, the amount of travel that thing has it nuts.

I mean, I know it's supposed to have a ton of travel as that's the way it's been designed from the ground up but still.

:rockon:

 

[NotKewl]

awesome!!

Man, the amount of travel that thing has it nuts.

I mean, I know it's supposed to have a ton of travel as that's the way it's been designed from the ground up but still.

:rockon:

And I haven't even reached it's limits yet. I'm wanting to get to a flex ramp somewhere.

 

[eatpasta]

And I haven't even reached it's limits yet. I'm wanting to get to a flex ramp somewhere.

I sent pics of your drive shafts to a buddy of mine who runs a drive shaft shop thinking I could get a rise out of him.

His response via text message was only two words: Rock Crawler

:bounce:

 

[NotKewl]

I sent pics of your drive shafts to a buddy of mine who runs a drive shaft shop thinking I could get a rise out of him.

His response via text message was only two words: Rock Crawler

:bounce:

Yup, cheap and very effective!

 

[NotKewl]

Let the Fixes Begin!

Took the day off to start on the fixes I need to do from the first trail run. Started the new fuel Surge tank install. Waiting for the new Boshe 044 Fuel Pumps to arrive tomorrow. Yeah, dual pumps baby. Redundancy! Meanwhile the new tank is installed and the axles all sealed up so no more leaks! imp:









Also painted and installed the two roof/sunshade panels. They are removable but will keep us from getting a sunburn I guess. Not really water tight, but better than nothing I suppose.


Installed the new racing harness for the driver. This is a certified harness (good until June 2019) so that I (alone, not with kids) can race in the uphill challenge run at Trail Fest. Can't wait to get this beast rocking up the bounty hill climb at full speed!

 

[NotKewl]

Fixed and Ready for Trailfest!

Spent the morning helping my buddy get his Jeep XJ ready for trail fest. I changed out his rear main seal! Then went home and fixed my fuel delivery problem. SOLVED! runs like a dream now, well at least in my neighborhood. I'm going out to test it on the trails tomorrow. Of course, rain is predicted ALL DAY tomorrow, so I made a nice water avoider (a.k.a. roof) using my roof panels and a tarp to fill in the gaps. Of course, it's held together with Zip Ties! Cheap and easy for one day!

 

[NotKewl]

First Successful Trail Ride!

Yesterday morning it rained, and rained, and rained, oh and did I mention RAIN! :violin:
Well, by about noon we were loaded up and ready to hit the trails already soaked. Drove up to Adventure Offroad Park (yeah the one you've seen on PowerBlock Extreme Offroad and Dirt Every Day / Ultimate Adventure). Love that place! And I only live 30-40 minutes from it! Well on a nice dry day, there's not a trail there I couldn't handle. But in torrential rainfall with water literally pouring down the mountain on most trails and the creek overflowing at the base, Green (easy) trails, become Blue (Moderate) trails, Which in turn become Black (Difficult) trails, which in turn become near impossible to do without damage or winching!

I still had a small fuel issue towards the end of our run. When the tank got below 1/2 going downhill you would use up the surge tank sump (.47 Gal) and the other pump couldn't fill it fast enough. I can fix that with a better pickup in the tank.

Here's a map of the trails we hit. Only had to pull cable on one difficult and scary steep hill (Black Trail).














She weighs in at 5,280 lbs So, she got wider, and thicker by about 1,580 lbs.