G.I.G.'s Build Thread

[G.I.G.]

Shrockworks Rock Sliders

I installed my Shrockworks sliders with the help of a friend today. This is definitely a 2-man job, so I'm glad I waited until I could enlist the help of a friend.

As you probably already know, the stock step tubes are very flimsy and will buckle under even a little pressure on a trail. Below are a couple of pics of the stock step tubes, illustrating how much abuse they took while they were on there.

Installing the sliders were a PITA. I followed the directions, had the appropriate tools, and had an extra set of hands. Still, this ended up being an 8 hour job that easily could have take less than 2. Let me explain....

The front U-brackets on both sliders do not line up well on either side. Towards the front of the vehicle, the frame gets wider and curves in slightly before it curves up. Shrockworks designed the slider so that the front cross member is angled back slightly. It would have been much more efficient if they just moved that cross member back about an inch/inch and a half and kept it straight, as there is nothing on either side that would get in the way and would make for a much more efficient design.

We tried moving the sliders further forward, further back, but still came up with the same problem with the front U-bracket: we could not get the bolt through to the other side. Plus, since the frame widens, when you jack the sliders into place, the frame pushes the U-bracket outwards so instead of looking like |__| it ends up looking like \__/ so you cannot get the bolt through to the other side. Shrockworks does make the front U-bracket wider and supplies a longer bolt for the front, but it was not wide enough. I don't know if it was the frame on my particular 4Runner or the sliders Shrockworks sent me or a combination of the two, but from searching this forum and others (including Toyota120), I am not the first person who has encountered this issue.

We ended up making a trip to Ace Hardware to pick up a thinner bolt (1/4 inch) and bent it slightly so it could make it through to the other side. This is a bit of a shortcut, but the middle and rear bolts are so rock solid, I don't feel like this will compromise the integrity of the sliders. The bolts basically hold the sliders in place. Most impacts are going to be pushing the sliders towards the frame, and not pulling on the bolts themselves.

Regardless, we got them on and I am pleased with the end result. I drove my 4Runner around after the install and everything seems to be very tight and I did not hear anything wiggle around. I will get under it again here in the next week or two to re-torque everything once I've put some miles on it, but I don't think these sliders are going anywhere.

I'm happy with the final result, but the true test will be on the trails. From everything I've read, these should hold up great.

 

[G.I.G.]

Odyssey 34R-PC1500

Nothing too exciting here, but after hitting 90k miles I decided it was time to proactively part ways with the OEM Panasonic battery. The Panasonic served me well, but there were a few warning signs that it was going south. I wanted to make sure I had a strong, reliable battery going into the winter months last fall so I replaced it.

I was looking at the Diehard Platinum batteries, which are apparently the same exact battery as the Odyssey's, but they don't come in all of the same sizes. I was considering a larger battery that would have required a few, minor modifications. However, I don't run a lot of accessories requiring additional capacity so I opted for a drop-in replacement. Despite the slightly smaller size, the Odyssey has more CCA's than the stock Panasonic. So far, the Odyssey has performed great, even in extremely cold conditions.

 

[norseman]

I used an OEM Tacoma fog light switch in one of my blanks next to the center diff lock switch to give it a clean, factory look. I spliced into the center diff lock switch so the Taco switch would illuminate with the rest of the gauges when the parking lights or headlights are turned on.

Can you go into more detail about how you taped into the center diff wires to backlight your aux light switch? My understanding from looking at the FJ forums is that you would use a T-tap on the Green and White/Green wires on the RR Diff Lock switch. However, we don't have a RR Diff Lock switch but we have other switches taht are backlite, such as the DAC, AC 115V, RSCA OFF, Center Diff Lock or traction control (VSC).

Thanks for your input.

 

[sn0wrunner]

[MENTION=14378]G.I.G.[/MENTION]! I know it's been a while since you've posted, but since this thread has been revived how the heck are you?

I noticed in the pic you posted of the Upper Control Arms (back in 2010) that your top plate spacer is actually installed incorrectly. It should sit underneath the coilover mount, not on top. Now I didn't read the post, but I wanted to make sure you were aware. Usually the 885's with the top plate spacer will sit too high anyways, maybe that's why you put it on top so it wouldn't provide any additional lift? I guess if you're happy with the way everything is set up you don't need to do anything because it's not hurting anything the way it's installed, but if you want an additional 1/2"-3/4" of lift in the front we can get together and put that on properly. You would want an alignment afterward though. Either way... Just wanted to say hey! Hope all is well.

 

[G.I.G.]

Can you go into more detail about how you taped into the center diff wires to backlight your aux light switch? My understanding from looking at the FJ forums is that you would use a T-tap on the Green and White/Green wires on the RR Diff Lock switch. However, we don't have a RR Diff Lock switch but we have other switches taht are backlite, such as the DAC, AC 115V, RSCA OFF, Center Diff Lock or traction control (VSC).

Thanks for your input.

Correct. I think any of those switches that are backlit will work. I'll try to snap a pic behind the panel sometime in the next couple of days and post it so you can see what I did. If memory serves, it was a green and white wire, but I will confirm.

 

[G.I.G.]

[MENTION=14378]G.I.G.[/MENTION]! I know it's been a while since you've posted, but since this thread has been revived how the heck are you?

I noticed in the pic you posted of the Upper Control Arms (back in 2010) that your top plate spacer is actually installed incorrectly. It should sit underneath the coilover mount, not on top. Now I didn't read the post, but I wanted to make sure you were aware. Usually the 885's with the top plate spacer will sit too high anyways, maybe that's why you put it on top so it wouldn't provide any additional lift? I guess if you're happy with the way everything is set up you don't need to do anything because it's not hurting anything the way it's installed, but if you want an additional 1/2"-3/4" of lift in the front we can get together and put that on properly. You would want an alignment afterward though. Either way... Just wanted to say hey! Hope all is well.

Hey [MENTION=21950]sn0wrunner[/MENTION], good to hear from you! That is a very astute observation you made. We actually installed it this way by design and a little bit out of necessity....

I didn't have the OME front springs and shocks pre-mounted when we went to install it, so when we were in the process of doing the install, we realized the studs were too long. I had a spacer lift in the front previous to the OME lift and I believe the studs were longer to accommodate the spacer. Since the nuts are capped, we couldn't tighten them down enough on the mount. We had two options at that point: cut/grind down the studs so the nuts we had would work, or just move the spacer to the top to accommodate the longer studs and not do any cutting/grinding. As you can tell, we chose the later option and it seems to be working out well. I realize that the spacer being on top of the mount doesn't provide any lift. I'm basically using the spacers like big washers I actually like a little bit of rake on my 4Runner and the OME lift sits perfect IMO. So when I've got it loaded up with gear or if I'm towing, it will sit level rather than sag in the rear.

I'm not sure how long the OME shocks typically last, but when I go to replace the shocks I'll probably redo the fronts with the appropriate length studs so it's a "proper" install without the spacers on top.

 

[sn0wrunner]

Gotcha. That makes sense. Glad to hear everything is going well. Let me know if you want to hit a trail sometime!

 

[t4runn]

Cool truck!

 

[G.I.G.]

Can you go into more detail about how you taped into the center diff wires to backlight your aux light switch? My understanding from looking at the FJ forums is that you would use a T-tap on the Green and White/Green wires on the RR Diff Lock switch. However, we don't have a RR Diff Lock switch but we have other switches taht are backlite, such as the DAC, AC 115V, RSCA OFF, Center Diff Lock or traction control (VSC).

Thanks for your input.

Sorry for the delay in getting back to this. I just dropped my bottom dash panel to snap a quick picture. It's not the greatest, but you can see the style of splice I used. It was hard to see the wire I spliced into on the center diff lock button, but I believe you are correct with the green and white one. I spliced it into the third lead down on the Tacoma fog light switch. It worked like a champ. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Smokedspoon]

Really excellent build thread!

Do you rub at all (even at full turn) with the 285's and spacers?

 

[G.I.G.]

Really excellent build thread!

Do you rub at all (even at full turn) with the 285's and spacers?

Thanks!

I get a little bit of rubbing if I'm in a tight turn AND going over a bump, but it is very rare. It happened more when my tires where new but now that they have 55k miles on them, the tread has worn down to a point where it almost never rubs.

I followed J.A.'s instructions on trimming the front fender when I added the wheel spacers. It's all done on the inside of the wheel well, and isn't really noticeable from looking at the truck from the side. I had to tweak it a little bit after I did the initial trimming, but I've eliminated about 98% of the rubbing.

Toyota 4Runner Wheel Spacers

 

[G.I.G.]

RCI A-arm Skids

It's been a while since I've updated this thread but I've added a few upgrades over the summer....

The first was set of A-arm/lower control arm skids from RCI Metalworks. The fit and finish is great, and it only took about 20 minutes to install them.

 

[G.I.G.]

Stealth Customer Series Wheels + Duratrac's

It was coming time to replace my Goodyear Silent Armor's and because Goodyear doesn't make the Silent Armor's anymore, I had to consider other options. The Silent Armor's where the first tire I've ever owned that I would have definitely bought twice. Goodyear replaced the Silent Armor with the Adventures. While they share a lot of the same characteristics, the Adventures just looked too tame for me. They actually look like the old GSA's. I'm sure they are great tires, but I was looking for something more aggressive, so I decided on the Duratrac's.

I had read about Stealth Custom Series wheels here and on other forums, and I really dig the looks of their wheels. As the name implies, "Stealth" Custom Series Wheels are more understated and clean looking than a lot of the aftermarket wheels you find. Plus, they are designed specifically for Toyota trucks. They have a hub-centric design and the perfect offset for our trucks. With the 285/70/R17 Duratrac's and the SCS wheels, they have the perfect stance for me.

I was on the fence between gun metal grey and flat black, but when I saw the limited run of Stealth 6's in flat black with the machined lip, I knew they would look great on my Galactic Grey Mica 4Runner. Vin at SCS is also great to work with. I highly recommend them!

Stealth Custom Series

 

[The-last-hitman]

nice!