*Fred_Runner Build*
- Thread starter cbelisle
- Start date
cbelisle
Member
ryananderson05
New member
I enjoy reading your build. I just bought a 06 white Sr5. Keep up the good work...
Also I am going to steal a few of your ideas! The phone mount is genius.
Also I am going to steal a few of your ideas! The phone mount is genius.
cbelisle
Member
Been a while since I posted anything. First I got some LFD crossbars for my stock roof rack. These replace the factory crossbars that are attached with plastic hardware, and have a lot of options for mounting a variety of things. The crossbars come with all the hardware needed, but I picked up some security bolts for peace of mind.
I got a Rhino Rack awning, and was able to bolt the brackets to the crossbars (although I did have to drill a hole in the crossbar for one of the bolts).
Besides the awning, I've mounted my hi-lift and also a surfboard to the bars, and they've been great. Highly recommended.
Speaking of the awning - it's rad. I don't have any pictures, and have only set it up once, but so far so good. Quality is great, and I like that everything is anodized black, even the bolts.
Mounted a fire extinguisher under the driver seat. From what I've read, this is very effective, and I'm a big fan of the size. Let me know what you guys think of this Element E50 extinguisher.
This weekend I clocked a good amount of time on the front suspension with the help of a buddy. I replaced the LCA's because I was noticing some wear in the bushings, and also the outer tie rod ends on both sides, as one had a lot of play in it. I got Mevotech LCA's, with the intension of rebuilding my OEM arms and putting those back on next time the front end is apart. For the end links, I went with Moog. Besides that, I got some bumpstops from DuroBumps and they look great. Much bigger than stock, and a progressive rubber. Only a few miles on them, so no feedback yet, but excited to try them out.
Lastly, a shot from the Lost Coast Road. Awesome drive, and pretty easy. I needed 4wd, but not low range.
I got a Rhino Rack awning, and was able to bolt the brackets to the crossbars (although I did have to drill a hole in the crossbar for one of the bolts).
Besides the awning, I've mounted my hi-lift and also a surfboard to the bars, and they've been great. Highly recommended.
Speaking of the awning - it's rad. I don't have any pictures, and have only set it up once, but so far so good. Quality is great, and I like that everything is anodized black, even the bolts.
Mounted a fire extinguisher under the driver seat. From what I've read, this is very effective, and I'm a big fan of the size. Let me know what you guys think of this Element E50 extinguisher.
This weekend I clocked a good amount of time on the front suspension with the help of a buddy. I replaced the LCA's because I was noticing some wear in the bushings, and also the outer tie rod ends on both sides, as one had a lot of play in it. I got Mevotech LCA's, with the intension of rebuilding my OEM arms and putting those back on next time the front end is apart. For the end links, I went with Moog. Besides that, I got some bumpstops from DuroBumps and they look great. Much bigger than stock, and a progressive rubber. Only a few miles on them, so no feedback yet, but excited to try them out.
Lastly, a shot from the Lost Coast Road. Awesome drive, and pretty easy. I needed 4wd, but not low range.
cbelisle
Member
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/312589276" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>
Winter in California hasn't sucked. Took a trip to Big Sur a few weeks back with a couple buddies and it was all time! All the stills here were shot on 35mm film.
000187560018 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187560017 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187560011 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187560007 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187570032 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187570024 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187570023 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187570009 by colin belisle, on Flickr
000187570008 by colin belisle, on Flickr
Also had a super small leak in the radiator, so I went ahead and replaced that, the hoses, coolant, thermostat, and added in an external trans cooler while i was at it. This is a B&M 70255. I was able to make a bracket out of aluminum for the passenger side mount, and used an existing bolt to mount the drivers side. Stoked on the outcome, and it should keep the trans nice and cool for trips in Death Valley and such. Just need to clean up the zip ties and add some type of protection where the hose could potentially hit the body.
IMG_9363 by colin belisle, on Flickr
IMG_9368 by colin belisle, on Flickr
Winter in California hasn't sucked. Took a trip to Big Sur a few weeks back with a couple buddies and it was all time! All the stills here were shot on 35mm film.
000187560018 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187560017 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187560011 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187560007 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187570032 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187570024 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187570023 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187570009 by colin belisle, on Flickr000187570008 by colin belisle, on FlickrAlso had a super small leak in the radiator, so I went ahead and replaced that, the hoses, coolant, thermostat, and added in an external trans cooler while i was at it. This is a B&M 70255. I was able to make a bracket out of aluminum for the passenger side mount, and used an existing bolt to mount the drivers side. Stoked on the outcome, and it should keep the trans nice and cool for trips in Death Valley and such. Just need to clean up the zip ties and add some type of protection where the hose could potentially hit the body.
IMG_9363 by colin belisle, on FlickrIMG_9368 by colin belisle, on Flickr
Last edited:
cbelisle
Member
thanks!
They are the ARB's. I got them from Morris4x4 I think because there was a really good deal going on.
rickashay
New member
Awesome build thread. Simple, effective, and without all the Instagram bling that everybody thinks they need on their rigs.
On the photo side, are you always shooting in 35mm film or just that last set? I always enjoy your photos and thats pretty rad your shooting with film. What body are you shooting with?
On the photo side, are you always shooting in 35mm film or just that last set? I always enjoy your photos and thats pretty rad your shooting with film. What body are you shooting with?
cbelisle
Member
Thanks man! I'm a big fan of super clean and simple ha! Just the last set was shot on film. I mostly used my Nikon AF which is a simple point and shoot, with Portra 400 film. Makes you think about the shot a lot more than just firing off a couple hundred frames on digital.
cbelisle
Member
Thanks man! I guess I forgot to mention or post a picture of it, but I recently installed Baja Designs Squadron Sports for my fog lights. I got the clear lens combo setup, and its awesome. Obviously can't use them on the street, but they work great for going off road. I did the fog anytime mod, so i can run my bights too. Might consider HID's at some point, but no light bars in the near future.
JVC8790
New member
That's the one thing that I'm disappointed about on the front end of the Pre-Facelift 4th Gens, there isn't an easy way to adapt aftermarket fog lights without them looking weird. I love how clean and simple yours is. I come from a European OEM+ type background so clean and simple has always been my favorite.
Whytey
New member
Any tips or photos of how you mounted the BD in the fog light spot?
Been wanting to do this for a while.
cbelisle
Member
Hey, I'll snag some pictures later on this week, but I did this:
I got the Tacoma kit, it was incredibly easy to install, took maybe a half hour. Just had to drill one hole in each fog pocket and then connect everything up. If you want the exact part number for the kit, let me know.
I have the Squadron Pro lights, and they put out a TON of light. I have the mixed flood and spot lens, so it throws a low-wide beam and then a spot down the road.
That said, if I was going to do it again, I might use the Squadron Sport lights. I pretty much cannot use my lights on the road if anyone else is around because they're too bright. My friend at Baja Designs uses the Sports and he can run them full time. Ultimately, I guess the choice depends on what you want to use them for. I wanted them for off road use only, so I'm good.
You can see where I had to drill a new hole further back in the fog pocket to mount the Baja Designs lights. I then sprayed the whole pocket black.
It took me a solid hour, but I triple checked the measurement for drilling the hole, hit it with a few layers of black spray paint, and then got them aimed correctly.
cbelisle
Member
Couple big additions to the runner. First off are some 5th gen trail wheels along with some Falken 255/80r17 tires. Decided on this combo for the great price, and also weight. The tires are a hair over 50lbs, and i've always been a fan of the trail wheels, especially the all silver ones.
Secondly is the Rigd Ultraswing. Because I carry a bike so much, a swingout has been on the list for a while, and when the Ultraswing came out, I knew it'd be perfect. All the other swingouts sit pretty low, so the departure angle is terrible, and being able to move to a full size spare is great for peace of mind.
DSCF1430 by colin belisle, on Flickr
The details.
I had to install .75" wheels spacers because the +15 offset trails wheels paired with the 255's rubbed the JBA UCA's at full lock.
I got a new Kenwood headunit, so I was able to fab up a backup camera that goes in front of the hitch wedge on the swing.
The guys at Rigd designed the swingout with an offset hitch in order to clear the side of the vehicle, but the bike rack I have looks funky when offset, so I got a hitch drop bracket that moves the hitch 6" back to re-center it. This also extends the hitch perfectly so the bike rack clears the spare. It's rated to a crazy amount of weight, so there isn't any wobble or flex in the entire setup.
New cutting board that takes place of the old piece of plywood I had in the drawer, and I cut some grooves in it with the table saw so it'll nest on top of the drawer when in use.
DSCF1453 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1433 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1431 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1436 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1439 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1440 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1441 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1444 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1445 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1448 by colin belisle, on Flickr
DSCF1450 by colin belisle, on Flickr
Overall I'm stoked with this setup. Haven't taken it off road yet, but the extra clearance from the 33's will be awesome, and not having to pull the bikes and rack off every time we setup camp is going to be great. Last big thing I have to do is install some new springs. I got some 2" dobinson springs for the back, but they are made for additional load, so it should bring the back up .75-1" and get rid of the wallowing sensation i have now due to the heavy spare/swing out, and then some 650lbs springs for the front, so I can reduce the preload, and gain a bit more lift.
Secondly is the Rigd Ultraswing. Because I carry a bike so much, a swingout has been on the list for a while, and when the Ultraswing came out, I knew it'd be perfect. All the other swingouts sit pretty low, so the departure angle is terrible, and being able to move to a full size spare is great for peace of mind.
DSCF1430 by colin belisle, on FlickrThe details.
I had to install .75" wheels spacers because the +15 offset trails wheels paired with the 255's rubbed the JBA UCA's at full lock.
I got a new Kenwood headunit, so I was able to fab up a backup camera that goes in front of the hitch wedge on the swing.
The guys at Rigd designed the swingout with an offset hitch in order to clear the side of the vehicle, but the bike rack I have looks funky when offset, so I got a hitch drop bracket that moves the hitch 6" back to re-center it. This also extends the hitch perfectly so the bike rack clears the spare. It's rated to a crazy amount of weight, so there isn't any wobble or flex in the entire setup.
New cutting board that takes place of the old piece of plywood I had in the drawer, and I cut some grooves in it with the table saw so it'll nest on top of the drawer when in use.
DSCF1453 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1433 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1431 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1436 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1439 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1440 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1441 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1444 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1445 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1448 by colin belisle, on FlickrDSCF1450 by colin belisle, on FlickrOverall I'm stoked with this setup. Haven't taken it off road yet, but the extra clearance from the 33's will be awesome, and not having to pull the bikes and rack off every time we setup camp is going to be great. Last big thing I have to do is install some new springs. I got some 2" dobinson springs for the back, but they are made for additional load, so it should bring the back up .75-1" and get rid of the wallowing sensation i have now due to the heavy spare/swing out, and then some 650lbs springs for the front, so I can reduce the preload, and gain a bit more lift.
Whytey
New member
Couple big additions to the runner. First off are some 5th gen trail wheels along with some Falken 255/80r17 tires. Decided on this combo for the great price, and also weight. The tires are a hair over 50lbs, and i've always been a fan of the trail wheels, especially the all silver ones.
Secondly is the Rigd Ultraswing. Because I carry a bike so much, a swingout has been on the list for a while, and when the Ultraswing came out, I knew it'd be perfect. All the other swingouts sit pretty low, so the departure angle is terrible, and being able to move to a full size spare is great for peace of mind.
Looks awesome! One of my favourite builds!
I've been looking at the RIGD Ultraswing but for that money I can get pretty close to a Coastal Offroad rear bumper... Can'y completely decide!...
LOVE your rear drawer system. Gotta be the cleanest one so far and I hope to do something similar this spring.
I'm a big fan of the Trail Wheels as well. I ended up painting mine black as i prefer the look even more.
Keep up the nice build!
cbelisle
Member
Thanks man! Yeah, I can see that being a tough call. For me it was easy because I really want to keep the weight down as much as possible, and the Ultraswing only being 60lbs, it was an easy decision for me.
How did you go about painting your wheels? I've been dabbling with the idea
Berty_K
Member
Couple big additions to the runner. First off are some 5th gen trail wheels along with some Falken 255/80r17 tires. Decided on this combo for the great price, and also weight. The tires are a hair over 50lbs, and i've always been a fan of the trail wheels, especially the all silver ones.
Secondly is the Rigd Ultraswing. Because I carry a bike so much, a swingout has been on the list for a while, and when the Ultraswing came out, I knew it'd be perfect. All the other swingouts sit pretty low, so the departure angle is terrible, and being able to move to a full size spare is great for peace of mind.
The details.
I had to install .75" wheels spacers because the +15 offset trails wheels paired with the 255's rubbed the JBA UCA's at full lock.
I got a new Kenwood headunit, so I was able to fab up a backup camera that goes in front of the hitch wedge on the swing.
The guys at Rigd designed the swingout with an offset hitch in order to clear the side of the vehicle, but the bike rack I have looks funky when offset, so I got a hitch drop bracket that moves the hitch 6" back to re-center it. This also extends the hitch perfectly so the bike rack clears the spare. It's rated to a crazy amount of weight, so there isn't any wobble or flex in the entire setup.
New cutting board that takes place of the old piece of plywood I had in the drawer, and I cut some grooves in it with the table saw so it'll nest on top of the drawer when in use.
Overall I'm stoked with this setup. Haven't taken it off road yet, but the extra clearance from the 33's will be awesome, and not having to pull the bikes and rack off every time we setup camp is going to be great. Last big thing I have to do is install some new springs. I got some 2" dobinson springs for the back, but they are made for additional load, so it should bring the back up .75-1" and get rid of the wallowing sensation i have now due to the heavy spare/swing out, and then some 650lbs springs for the front, so I can reduce the preload, and gain a bit more lift.
This is awesome. I have a very similar setup and want to go with 255 80r17 tires. Did you have any other rubbing with the setup (fenders, bumper, etc)? Also have you check if it fits in the stock spare location?
Whytey
New member
Yes that's a fair point. Living in Canada I get hit a little harder on buying things stateside. Coastal offroad is Canadian at least so that helps a bit.
Still deciding whether to drive across the border and pick up an Ultraswing or just to go full out.
I pretty well followed this thread:
How to: Paint your Wheels! - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum
1. Clean wheels
2. Sand wheels with 320 grit
3. Tack Cloth wheels
4. 2 coats of primer
5. 4 coats of paint
I went with Duplicolor Satin Black and love the look. I did not do any clear coat on mine and in the last year they have held up pretty well. They are my summer wheels so only see snow and salt during the shoulder seasons but no issues so far.
I kept the lug nuts silver and run the wheels without the center caps. Put a layer or two of black paint on the center of the hubs to blend in a little better (rear only if I remember correctly. Fronts have a black cover piece.
cbelisle
Member
Yes that's a fair point. Living in Canada I get hit a little harder on buying things stateside. Coastal offroad is Canadian at least so that helps a bit.
Still deciding whether to drive across the border and pick up an Ultraswing or just to go full out.
I pretty well followed this thread:
How to: Paint your Wheels! - Toyota FJ Cruiser Forum
1. Clean wheels
2. Sand wheels with 320 grit
3. Tack Cloth wheels
4. 2 coats of primer
5. 4 coats of paint
I went with Duplicolor Satin Black and love the look. I did not do any clear coat on mine and in the last year they have held up pretty well. They are my summer wheels so only see snow and salt during the shoulder seasons but no issues so far.
I kept the lug nuts silver and run the wheels without the center caps. Put a layer or two of black paint on the center of the hubs to blend in a little better (rear only if I remember correctly. Fronts have a black cover piece.
Right on, thanks! looks great. We'll see if I ever find the time to do it haha
