Formidable 2002 Thundercloud Sport TRD Supercharged Version 2.0

[Formidable]

Formidable 2002 Thundercloud Metallic Sport Edition Version 2.0.

Purchased 3/31/2020. Too good to pass up. 120k miles WA vehicle. Zero rust. Impeccably maintained. Came with TRD supercharger, Boss headunit, snorkel, scan gauge and boost gauge.

Performance:
-TRD Supercharger
-TRD headers
-ARP exhaust manifold studs
-Magnaflow Overlander exhaust
-URD 2.2” pulley
-URD crank pulley
-URD tensioner pulley
-URD 7th injector
-AFE pro dry intake filter drop in
-Airaid modular intake silencer delete
-Champion radiator
-Intake deck plate mod

Suspension:
-Toytec Ultimate 3” coilover lift
-Toytec 1” body lift
-Toytec differential drop
-Sway bar drop spacer
-Icon UCA with delta joint
-Eim Keith Panhard Correction Kit

Armor/Recovery/Trail Gear:
-Addicted off-road front bumper
-Warn VR EVO 10S winch
-4xinnovations sliders
-Custom stainless engine skid
-Shrockworks trans, transfer case, gas tank skids
-Bud Built stainless rear diff skid
-Nguyenworks dual swingout rear bumper
-Sherpa Matterhorn roof rack

Current wheel setup:
-SCS BR6 Stealth Blue 17x9” offset -38
-BFG 285/70/17 MT KM3

Prior wheel setup:
-Fuel Shok Gunmetal 17x10” offset -18

Lighting:
-BX Built LED headlight retrofit
-Depo LED tail lights
-Diodedynamics 18” Stage Series light bar

JDM:
-Hilux Surf 185 Power Rear Mirror Spoiler
-Revier LED third brake lights x 2, (spoiler and hatch)
-Revier LED side mirrors
-BRIDE Vorga seats with carbon aramid backs
-Billet aluminum TEQ badge

Maintenance:
-Valve cover reseal 127k
-Replace radiator 127k
-Knock sensors and harness replaced 129k
-Intake manifold gaskets replaced 129k
-TRD supercharger oil and gaskets replaced 129k

Audio:
-Kenwood DMX4707S with backup camera
-Focal front separates
-Focal rear coaxials
-Audio control 300 watt amp
-Kicker 10” CompRT sub
-Qlogic box
-Noico 80 mil and 315 mil sound deadening

Instagram: Formidable_4runner

Retired 2002 Thundercloud Sport Build Thread

 

[Formidable]

Performance:

The 3.4L is anemic... period. The TRD supercharger makes this truck drive like a normal car. The smaller pulley, URD 7th injector, crank pulley, and TRD headers help to address the negative impact that heavier wheels, tires and armor have on this truck’s performance. This 4runner will never be a race car... BUT... it can be made to perform like a normal modern day vehicle while retaining its off-road capabilities.

-TRD supercharger
-URD 2.2” pulley
-URD AIC
-TRD headers ceramic coated
-ARP stainless studs PN# 400-8027 and 400-8007
-Magnaflow Overland exhaust ceramic coated
-AFE intake filter
-Deck plate mod
-Airaid modular intake resonator delete
-Champion radiator

 

[Formidable]

Suspension, Wheels & Tires

Suspension: I had Toytec adjustable coilovers on my prior 3rd and 4th gens. One thing to keep in mind... Their 650 lb springs are a must. For weight and also for ride. The 4runner has more rolls in the corners than Costco has in the bakery section. The 650 lb springs help to reduce the body roll and I love the stiffer ride. Huge improvement. The Toytec 1” body lift allows me to run 33” tires with zero rub on the front mud flaps and minimal rub on the fender extensions, (addressed with trimming 1 cm off the infero-medial aspect of the portion of the bumper extending into the fender). Highly recommended. UCA’s are a must to dial in alignment following the lift and also to eliminate the contact the stock arms have with the coilovers during full articulation. If you’ve had aftermarket UCA’s in the past you know how much of a pain they are when dirt, grime and corrosion start eating away at the ball joint. Icon’s delta joint are sealed. I ran them on my prior trucks with zero issues. Highly recommended.

Wheels: I am OCD or CDO in alphabetical order. I can’t stand five spoke wheels on six lug trucks... Five spoke wheels make the truck look off balance when the lugs don’t line up with the spokes. I also can’t stand people that purchase custom wheels only to run spacers to get that aggressive look... This defeats the entire purpose of getting custom wheels. Get the right offset the first time around. Volk TE37’s are some of the nicest six spoke wheels out for this truck. Problem is their conservative offset. With Fuel Shok, I get the balanced look of six spoke wheels, the modern concave look of the TE37’s, the step lip of the TE37X, an outstanding anthracite finish, an aggressive AF offset, ALL for an affordable price. Obviously very impressed with these. Ran them on my 4th gen in 18x9 offset -12. Going significantly more aggressive on this application.

Update: Fuel Shoks replaced with the following:

SCS BR6
Stealth Blue finish all around
Matte gunmetal finish for the spare
17x9” offset -38

Tires: I have run BFG KO2’s, Toyo open country AT, Nitto Terra, Ridge, and Trail Grapplers in the past. All of these are great choices. I wanted to try something different with the KM3’s based on a friend’s recommendation. These have more road noise than the Trail Grapplers. They are also notoriously difficult to balance. One tire is presently being sent back on warranty for being out of round. On the positive side, they look phenomenal... Will see how they perform in the mud but based on the above, I can’t recommend these.

Installed:
-Toytec 1” body lift
-Toytec 3” coilovers with 650 lb springs
-Toytec differential drop kit
-Icon Delta Joint UCA’s
-17x10” offset -18 Fuel Shok Anthracite
-285/70/17 BFG KM3

 

[Formidable]

Armor

-Custom stainless skid from member 22RETHAN
-4xinnovations sliders
-Addicted off-road plate bumper color matched
-Nguyen Works dual swingout rear bumper color matched
-Bud Built stainless rear diff skid
-Shrockworks trans, transfer case, gas tank skids

 

[Formidable]

Lighting:

Installed:
-Depo LED tail lights smoke lens
-Oznium interior LEDs
-BXBuilt custom LED headlights, honeycomb lens etching, matte black housing
-BXBuilt custom corner lights matte black housing
-Diodedynamics 18” light bar amber lens
-Revier LED third brake light smoke lens
-Revier LED mirrors

 

[Formidable]

Maintenance

05/29/2020
127k miles
-Oil change
-Valve cover reseal
-Radiator replacement

09/05/2020
129k miles
-Knock sensors and harness replaced
-Intake manifold gaskets replaced
-TRD supercharger oil and gaskets replaced

 

[Formidable]

Details

-TRD carbon fiber door sill protectors
-TRD supercharger emblems
-TRD off-road decals
-TRD license plate frames
-AJT designs key fobs
-TEQ badge billet aluminum
-Custom matte carbon fiber steering wheel

 

[Formidable]

JDM Parts

Genuine Hilux Surf 185 Power Rear Mirror Spoiler installed. Perfectly color matched @tajcollisioncenter Thundercloud Metallic. The function of the rear mirror drop down is to see the rear bumper while backing up. This part predates the invention of the rear back up camera. The mod is totally unnecessary in this day and age but it is appreciated by JDM enthusiasts and adds a very unique detail to this US spec 4runner. Extremely difficult to find.

Also installed are two Revier LED third brake lights. The one seen is the high mount spoiler version with smoke lens to match the tail lights... The one not seen is the hatch mount version with red lens (seen in the reflection in the final pic). These lights are discontinued and are also near impossible to find.

-Hilux Surf 185 power rear mirror spoiler color matched Thundercloud Metallic
-Revier smoke lens led third brake light, (spoiler mount)
-Revier red lens led third brake light, (hatch mount)
-Revier side mirrors with LED turn signals, DRL’s, and puddle lamps
-BRIDE Vorga seats with carbon aramid backs

 

[Formidable]

Audio

Goals: Primary objective, improve the OEM system, and fill in the missing bass without annoying rattles. Secondary objective, modernize the ride with Bluetooth connectivity, Apple car play, and back up camera. Third objective, reduce in cabin road and tire noise. The following gets the job done.

-Kenwood DMX4707S with backup camera
-Focal front separates
-Focal rear coaxials
-Audio control 300 watt amp
-Kicker 10” CompRT sub
-Qlogic box
-Noico 80 mil and 315 mil sound deadening

 

[Ed_C]

Whoah, you located some TRD headers?

 

[Ed_C]

Purchased the set back from the gentleman I sold my old 2002 sport edition to. It’s already ceramic coated 2000 degree satin grey ice by performance coatings.

That's awesome. Remflex still sells the gaskets for them by the way.

 

[gamefreakgc]

Look into the Deckplate mod and a drop in oiled filter, aFe Power is what I recommended since they made the original TRD performance air filters for Toyota. K&N's take in too much dirt. Those two intake changes will net a combined +18 HP and should run less than $100.

The deckplate mod involves cutting a hole in the air box and installing a marine grade deckplate that is waterproof. By bypassing the snorkel when you're not doing river crossings, you'll gain loads more power. It's probably more than +18 HP for you since that's a long way for the air to travel with a lot of bends. Pop it back in when you do a crossing and the snorkel works just like it's supposed to.

 

[league4]

Cool to see such an awesome and fellow supercharged 4Runner just one town over from me, hopefully I'll see you on the road sometime. I suggest you check out "4Runners of Washington" on facebook if you haven't already too. Just curious, how come you went from a V8 4th gen to a 3rd gen? I was kind of contemplating the opposite move.

 

[Edwin562]

Following because we have identical 3rd gens. except supercharger & snorkel.

 

[Thebeastlives]

Absolutely. I will upgrade the intake at some point, just not sure which direction I will take.



Thanks! Will check them out! I’ve owned 3rd, 4th, 5th gen 4runners and an FJ Cruiser. All generations have their positives and quirks... The reason is primarily nostalgia. I love the third gen. The looks. The interior. A lot of memories. I could not pass up this low mileage supercharged Thundercloud.

I feel the same way about the 3rd gen vs my 4th gen (son vehicle now) wife new 2018 Trd 5th gen and even my Tundra. It just takes me back 25 years driving the 96 limited 4 runner. I just like keeping it running well and even though it doesn't have the power and comfort of the 5th gen. It isn't close to anything that my Tundra offers it is still a love affair I can't explain..lol Even though I would never SC a 25 year old terribly underpowered SUV I do like seeing others doing theirs.

 

[Formidable]

Covid 19 directly translates to more garage time. Thought I could handle body lift and coilovers on my own. Body lift? Yes. No problems. One man job. Coilovers? Nope!

Anyways, installed the following with my friend Ed bailing my ass out!

-Toytec 1” body lift
-Toytec ultimate 3” coilovers
-17x10 offset -18 Fuel Shok Anthracite
-285/70/17 BFG KM3

Of note, installed body lift first. Which was helpful with the coilover install. I encountered extremely stiff steering with body lift install due to tension on the steering shaft. Need to loosen 12 mm bolt on c clamp right above the rag joint to relieve this tension, (once loosened pull shaft to and fro rack). This solved the stiff steering issue entirely. Toytec needs to include this step with their body lift install instructions.

 

[gamefreakgc]

I think I'm more interested in the car in the garage next to it... what is that? I spy an intercooler...

 

[Formidable]

That is my race car. Full carbon fiber bodied Nissan GTR. That build is well documented on Instagram. Link below.

“The Supercar Killer” (@formidable_gtr) • Instagram photos and videos

Both cars are being built for entirely different, but very specific purposes. I attempt to address their strengths and weaknesses with my choice in modifications.

I think I'm more interested in the car in the garage next to it... what is that? I spy an intercooler...

 

[Thebeastlives]

Nonsense! Get the supercharger! With the smaller pulley the pickup is better than the 5th gen.

As much as I love my 3rd gen it will never be better than her 2018 Trd 5th gen. The 5th gen ride especially on a long trip is so much better in every category and still gets 20+ mpg. My Tundra is a beast of a truck yet I drive the hell out of the 3rd gen. I do love watching you guys supercharger a 3rd gen. My 3rd gen will stay stock because even when I 4 wheel with it is fun doing it with this simple basic truck void of any technology.

 

[Jtico]

I really like this build... looks nice.... props