Fred_Runner Build

cbelisle · Sep 25, 2017

As of March 2019:

Hey everyone, after a long time debating what vehicle to get, and what aspects I cared about most, I finally pulled the trigger on an 07 SR5 4Runner. His name is Fred.

This is going to be a slow build, but I want one place where I can document the progress, and hopefully get some good feedback from you guys.

Here's Fred
SR5 4x4
V6
113,xxx miles

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DSCF7187 by colin belisle, on Flickr[/IMG]

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I've already got a laundry list of things I want to do, some very simple, and others not so much.
- Phone holder - I've seen many ways of people doing this, but I haven't been thrilled on many of them. I'm thinking something along the lines of a magnetic holder somewhere on the center console. I also don't want to drill into the dash or console anywhere, so that limits my options.
- Lights behind LCD (both are out) - Looks to be very easy. I ordered some bulbs online and I'm attempting to reuse the housing. It'll save a few buck.
- BT adapter - Just ordered the GTA kit
- LF door lock actuator - This door is acting up, and won't always lock with the fob. I've heard some people have just replaced the motor, so I'll try that first as it's much cheaper.
- Map light mod
- Remove Running boards
- Leveling kit - Debating between 5100's all the way around, or forking out a bit more cash and doing the 5160/6112. Either way, I want to bump the front up around, and keep the back more or less where it's at.
- Cargo Storage - Still figuring out what i'm doing here, but I want some storage, along with being able to put my MTB bike inside the car (fork mount). I also want to be able to fold the back seat down and insert a sleeping platform.

That's the long list i've got, and already started on a few of the easy ones. Let me know if you have any insight on how I should go about some of these things. I'd appreciate your thoughts on the suspension, and also the lock actuator, as I'm not sure if the motor is the issue.

Colin

cbelisle · Sep 25, 2017

Well, I got the phone holder figured out.

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I picked up a magnetic phone holder that was intended for a vent. I chose this one because of the adjustable ball head. I found an old cigarette lighter and pulled out the innards. Then took off the vent mount on the phone holder and applied a liberal amount of glue on the inside to attach the two. Here are the results.

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f5000sl · Sep 25, 2017

Looks nice. Your list will definitely keep ya busy.
I put bikes in mine (drivers side for 2 reasons.
1) Its the smaller (width wise) of the split seating
2) I blocks less of the rear view

That said, the roof is fairly short inside, so without a dropper post, any med or larger bike will likely rub the headliner (without a front wheel).

I end up just putting the bike inside and using a bungee to tether it to a anchor or the o-$hit handle and it works just fine.

Can't wait to see what you come up with, enjoy the new rig!

cbelisle · Sep 29, 2017

Well, I got a few more things done. Ordered some replacement bulbs for $1 and reused the mounts. Worked great, and saved a few bucks. Bulbs are smaller than I thought, but they work out great.

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I also did the Map light mod which was another easy one, and it's well worth the 30 minutes.

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Very happy with the Toyota floor mats, especially since the driver side came with clips so it can't slide around.

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Lastly, I got the GTA bluetooth kit installed. Didn't realize how much appreciate BT until I got the 4R. I mounted the mic in the driver side center air vent as well. Works great, and you can't see it. Only downside is you can't completely close off the vent.

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cbelisle · Oct 1, 2017

The chrome on this car is... well... not my favorite. I thought about doing the classic storm trooper method, but I'm not sold on that either. I looked into color-matched parts too, and that's far from cheap, even when going used. So, I decided to keep most of it, but tone it down in a few spots. I removed the center bar in the grille and did a handful of coats with Plasti Dip. I'll also be doing the license plate panel black too, but keep the badge chrome.

DSCF7274 by https://www.flickr.com/photos/117684868@N08/

cbelisle · Oct 15, 2017

Little update. Couldn't be happier with the truck. It's enjoyable to drive, does everything that I need it too, and is begging to go on a trip. The plan is to do a Death Valley trip sometime next month.

Since the last post, I got some wheel spacers installed, and it looks SO much better. Honestly, it looks stock, but in a good way. Like it was meant to be like that. No lift yet, but I don't have any rubbing, and as far as I can tell, it's only affected my gas mileage by .5 mpg. Also, I got some new speakers for all 4 doors. I went with Alpine Type-S components up front, and 3-ways in the rear. They sound great - much better than the stock paper speakers.

Today I also had a bit of time so I installed some lighting in the cargo area. I installed one small LED in each of the rear mirrors, and then a switch near the 12V outlet in the back. The full writeup can be found here.

It ended up costing $22 and taking a couple hours to get all the wiring done correctly and everything mounted nice and flush.

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Also the total chaos box in the back isn't UCA. Some 5th gen rear springs are in there that my buddy gave me. When I get around to lifting/leveling the truck, they should give me a bit more stiffness while only providing 0-.5" of lift.

Next small mod will be the rear diff breather extension. Then suspension!

cbelisle · Oct 23, 2017

This past weekend I started on the cargo area. I have a few things in mind that I want the cargo area to do.
(1.) Carry a bike. I work at a Specialized which is a bicycle company, so hauling a bike inside the car is necessary for security reasons, and it's just nice to keep it out of the elements on long drives.
(2.) Storage. I want at decent sized drawer that can carry my day-to-day tools, bike stuff, and anything else. And then when I go camping, I want my stove, gas, and dry food to fit in the drawer.
(3.) Sleeping platform. I want this to convert into a sleeping platform that my wife and I can sleep on. It'll be tight, but the idea of sleeping in the car sounds awesome.

First step was to get a solid base for everything. I used cardboard to create a template for the base, and then transferred that to some 3/4" plywood. I then painted it black to keep it stealth looking, but also help seal it from moisture. I then did some test fits to see where the fork mount for the bike needed to go, and also drilled the mounting holes. Once that was all set, I got some rubber mat from Home Depot along with some 3M adhesive spray. The mat is mounted on the side where there won't be a drawer, and I left excess mat on the back so it'll roll out over the back seat where the rear tire will sit, in hopes that it'll keep the car cleaner. Lastly I added an aluminum edge protector on the front to keep the mat from delaminating, and to protect the plywood from abuse. I also added a thin piece of aluminum painted black on top of the mat at the back to keep it from delaminating as well.

I see this as part 1 of a 3 part process. Next will be making a drawer that'll sit on the right side where there isn't the mat. Still have to figure out the height I want it. The final part will be creating the sleeping platform. There'll need to be one removable piece to sit over the bike mount area, and then a second removable piece that'll sit over the back seats (which i may remove for camping trips).

Lots more to do, but i'm pretty happy with it so far.

wtmtnrunner · Oct 23, 2017

Looks good!

Seems like you are well underway to a great buildup!

cbelisle · Nov 25, 2017

Finished up the cargo area. Stoked how it came out - now for the suspension!

DSCF7697 by colin belisle, on Flickr

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... and lastly a shot from our trip outside yosemite.

DSCF7597 by colin belisle, on Flickr

for more shots check out the IG

Legender · Nov 25, 2017

That’s a really nice job on that cargo area. Very clean and professional looking. Enjoy the ride and the build.

T4RNightHawk · Nov 30, 2017

I gotta say I dig your photos. I see you're using a fuji x100t. Is it just that good or do you know photography and all that?

Chewbaccam · Nov 30, 2017

T4RNightHawk said:
I gotta say I dig your photos. I see you're using a fuji x100t. Is it just that good or do you know photography and all that?

I'd say it's half and half- he composes the photos really well, but Fuji also has some great color profiles that make photos look really gorgeous.

That 4R is set up really nice. I dig the cargo set up in the back.

cbelisle · Dec 1, 2017

T4RNightHawk said:
I gotta say I dig your photos. I see you're using a fuji x100t. Is it just that good or do you know photography and all that?

Thanks man. I really do love my x100. I do some photo stuff for work, and use a Canon 5D for that, but the x100 is my day-to-day camera. All the shots have been adjusted in Lightroom, which is similar to photoshop. Photos straight from the camera look great though.

Chewbaccam said:
I'd say it's half and half- he composes the photos really well, but Fuji also has some great color profiles that make photos look really gorgeous.

That 4R is set up really nice. I dig the cargo set up in the back.

Agreed. Fuji has some great colors out of camera. Thanks man!

cbelisle · Dec 8, 2017

The lift! Finally got everything to do this and had the help of a couple friends. We knocked it out last weekend, and it only took 4 hours to do the whole truck! I did assemble the front struts beforehand, so it was all plun-n-play.

Fronts: Bilstein 6112's set at the lowest setting - 1.9"
Rear: Bilstein 5100's + 5th gen 4Runner springs + 10mm spacers on both sides

Before:
Front: 19" // 18 7/8"
Rear: 21" // 21"

After:
Front: 20 3/4" // 20 3/4"
Rear: 22" // 22"

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Heading out to Big Sur this weekend, so we'll see how it plays out, and snag some photos too!

Also got my sleeping platform dialed in. Couple shots here, and more to come from this weekend.

DSCF8006 by colin belisle, on Flickr

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RedRumt4r · Dec 8, 2017

i want to put a 06 grill on my 04 but.....

i dont want to cut the grill and re work it. I want to cut the bumper. to accommodate the new grill. Has anyone dont this vs hacking up an 06 grill? I tried to search but couldnt find anything.

thanks

BigFishAllDay · Dec 9, 2017

Nice work so far. Out of curiosity, what did you pay for "Fred"? He looks to be in really good shape.

cbelisle said:
I removed the center bar in the grille and did a handful of coats with Plasti Dip.

I really like the look of this style grille. I thought long and hard about doing exactly the same thing before I found a cheap OEM grille on craigslist that I could cut up for a satoshi type grille. Did you have any broken mounts on that center bar when you removed it? Both grilles that I have disassembled had broken mounts near the ends.

cbelisle said:
Since the last post, I got some wheel spacers installed, and it looks SO much better. Honestly, it looks stock, but in a good way. Like it was meant to be like that.

Agreed, 100%

cbelisle said:
Finished up the cargo area. Stoked how it came out - now for the suspension!

Nice work on the cargo area. It's cool to see how different people customize the layout to meet their needs, and even more so to see one that is tailored to very specific needs... ie bike/sleep/storage.

cbelisle · Dec 11, 2017

BigFishAllDay said:
Nice work so far. Out of curiosity, what did you pay for "Fred"? He looks to be in really good shape.

I really like the look of this style grille. I thought long and hard about doing exactly the same thing before I found a cheap OEM grille on craigslist that I could cut up for a satoshi type grille. Did you have any broken mounts on that center bar when you removed it? Both grilles that I have disassembled had broken mounts near the ends.

Agreed, 100%

Nice work on the cargo area. It's cool to see how different people customize the layout to meet their needs, and even more so to see one that is tailored to very specific needs... ie bike/sleep/storage.

Thanks. I paid just about 14 for Fred - a deal in my book, especially in the SF area. There were a couple broken clips on the bar, most likely from being 10 years old. I was able to super glue them back together. Thanks man!

cbelisle · Dec 11, 2017

Big Sur

Took Fred out for a weekend in Big Sur along with a couple buddies. Rad views, weather, and roads. New suspension was perfect, and the sleeping/cargo setup was dialed.

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