Fire's Build

Yea I'm debating getting some normal bulbs for the cluster and climate control panels..... With the stock setup there's just no good way to do the LED's without getting custom.
 
I followed your build before on your Taco and remember seeing it on maybe Tacomaworld i think it was....sad to see it had to go, but hey 4runners rock too, look forward to seeing the progress on this new ride!!!:frog:
 
JLRSR5 said:
I followed your build before on your Taco and remember seeing it on maybe Tacomaworld i think it was....sad to see it had to go, but hey 4runners rock too, look forward to seeing the progress on this new ride!!!:frog:
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Thanks! Yes it was a sad say watching it leave here for the last time, however the bright side is I get to start all over from scratch again. Half the fun of owning modified vehicles is actually doing the mods and I was pretty much running out of things to do to the Tacoma.
 
So decided to spend a bit on time on the runner today. Got the oil changed and then decided to get started preparing things for the giant wiring job that's ahead. I'm a bit of an electronics nut, in my previous Tacoma I had something to the effect of 14 switches so obviously I was in need of more spaces on the runner. For starters I added a 3 gang panel on the lower left of the dash and I'm also working on another panel as well, pics of that later.

Also note the locker switch, scored that at the local junk yard yesterday evening! :D

IMG_20111022_132515.jpg~original


The blue switch cover is just temporary until I get the actual switches for it, that was just a left over from the Tacoma.
 
So we added another one to the stable this weekend. We managed to sell our Jetta for a good price which allowed us to pick up one for the wife as well. She's super happy!

It just so happened that the one I could find and really liked was the same color, cheesy I know but that's how it turned out. lol

IMG_20111107_071653.jpg~original
 
4-Ripcord said:
Wow, you really go all out on everything you do don't you? haha, nice '00 limited my friend.
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Yea well the wife has been bugging me for a 4runner for over a year now, so once I had one it was only a matter of time. We sold her Jetta for a good price and basically just swapped vehicles. She's happy and I have something I can actually work on. Only thing wrong with this one is the buttons for the ac/ heat controls are kind of finicky. They don't always respond when you push them. Just need to figure that out and she'll be good to go.


We we're kind of limited on color choices to since I wanted to try and find a Limited for her, but hate most of the two tone color combos. There are a few that look decent but most I wonder what they were thinking.

Hers will stay basically stock though with the exception of a few items so we can tow the camper with it. It has a hitch but I'll need to add the 7 pin connector, brake controller and a trans cooler for sure.
 
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Hey man, Like the tacoma. But i think you'll find that the runner will out wheel a tacoma any day. LOL. :) great start on the thread.
 
I have a question for you not related to the 4runner (although I do like it and will follow the build). What is the make/model of your pop-up? Have you done any mods to it? And do you like it? I am in the market for one myself.
 
Running4life said:
I have a question for you not related to the 4runner (although I do like it and will follow the build). What is the make/model of your pop-up? Have you done any mods to it? And do you like it? I am in the market for one myself.
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It's a 2003 Coleman Bayside Elite. So far I have done a few things to it such as an axle flip to raise it up some, added a second battery and a second propane tank, and made some baffles for the fridge to help it cool better. It's still pretty new to us as we've only used it a handful of times now but we couldn't be happier with it. It is one of the larger popup models made thus also meaning its one of the heavier ones however having the extra room inside is well worth it. The kitchen area is what they call a "kick out", which you can kind of see in the picture how it sits out on the top then the dinette table is a slide out on the backside, also being a 12' box it sports king size beds on both ends.

The only major draw back to the Coleman campers is that they are no longer made which means parts can be a bit hard to come by, however the only 2 major things that are Coleman specific are the step door and lift mechanism, pretty much everything else can either be sourced from a generic camper company or if your handy made yourself.

We made the jump from normal tents to a roof top tent and then to the camper. All I can say is the camper is the way to go. I can setup and tear down just as fast as I could our ground tent, but having all the amenities is great! We're actually getting ready to go out for our last trip of the season this weekend.
 
So here's the rest of the project I knocked out...

Installed the 3 antennas I needed, 1 for the CB, 1 for the ham, and 1 for the phone booster.

IMG_20111109_163505.jpg~original


Then I also installed some external speakers for both the ham and cb just like in my previous Tacoma.

IMG_20111109_163518.jpg~original
 
That's one clean way to add a CB to your ride. I like. Look forward to the mods. Taco was sick too and I'm not a huge fan of the 2nd gen Taco's.
 
Nice rides! Cool matching hers and his haha. Oh and as for the sticky ac/heat buttons. take them off and spray some electrical contact cleaner onto where the switch makes the change. Or you can soak the parts in some iso like i did with my friends 4R. Works like a charm now.
 
Hepar said:
That's one clean way to add a CB to your ride. I like. Look forward to the mods. Taco was sick too and I'm not a huge fan of the 2nd gen Taco's.
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Thanks... The CB will be the typical ash tray mount since I already have a nice Cobra with a few mods... :police: However I've found that without an external speaker my deaf ears can't hear it and what good is a radio without a good antenna.

I'll get around to putting the dual band in later but wanted to get all the antennas out of the way at once.
 
Shawn5800 said:
Nice rides! Cool matching hers and his haha. Oh and as for the sticky ac/heat buttons. take them off and spray some electrical contact cleaner onto where the switch makes the change. Or you can soak the parts in some iso like i did with my friends 4R. Works like a charm now.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. So do you mean to spray like where the plastic button makes contact with the actual button on the circuit board? I took it totally apart the other day but couldn't really see where anything was messed up or dirty so I just put it back together before I broke it. lol
 
Nice work so far! Also in reference to your sticky/unresponsive climate control buttons it is normal. The limiteds have the digital climate controls and they are very finicky. I have to press mine hard at times and sometimes they don't work at all. Shawn's suggestion was for the a/c heater controls like in your sport. I wouldn't spray anything into the climate control as it might short circuit the system. There are people/companies that can fix the refurbish the climate controls for around $150 if you want. There was a thread about it a few weeks ago.
 
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