Hawkmanjr's Maintenance/Build Thread 'Ruby'

[hawkmanjr]

Hey guys and gals! I've been creeping on T4R for years now, and the time has finally come to post my very own build thread!

Background
I've always wanted an off-road-capable vehicle. I have always wanted the assurance that if the weather gets really crazy, a vehicle needs to get unstuck/recovered, or whatever imaginable SHTF scenario, my vehicle would be up that task. 4Runners have always appealed to me--when the wife and I first started thinking about getting one, we were thinking of getting a 5th gen in a few years. Well after a few months of saving and some honest looks at our budget, we realized that a 5th gen would be a LONG way away. I've always liked the rugged look of the 3rd gen, and we agreed that we would start saving for one.

I should mention that my first and only vehicle has been a 2004 Honda Accord V6 6-speed. The thing has been great, it is quick, fairly agile, and a pleasure to drive. I find it interesting how many folks on here also started with a 'sporty' car before coming over to the T4R crowd


Sorry about the crappy photo. Dad's '98 M3 in the back

The Rig
So my wife and I've been looking for a 4Runner for a little over a month. Searching Craig's List everyday, checking Autotrader, responding to PM here, etc. About 4 weeks in, within the same week, two 'Runners that were listed close to us (less than 2 hours away) for a *great* price both got snagged by someone else in a matter or hours :rockthrow:. Needless to say, we were growing weary of researching, talking to the owner, asking questions, and the dang thing got bought after I decided to drive down the next day and take it for a test drive.

So, we found a nice red '99 on CL (167k miles) listed for $7500 in Austin, TX. Everything looked pretty good, and the mechanic that I had look at it was enamored with the car and told me if I didn't buy it he would. We promptly offered $8k if everything checked out (the owner mentioned that she had two people scheduled to look at the car...the day she listed it...). Long story short we drove down to Austin, bought the dang thing, went to IKEA and bought a desk for my wife, and drove back up all in time for supper (well, not really...).







I LOVE the Duratracs, they look so much better in person than on the web. Now I can understand why people buy these tires for aesthetic reasons

As you can probably tell, this thing needs some elbow grease to get it in 'really nice for a 17 year-old truck' condition. All the water in Oklahoma contains generous amounts of calcium (among other things...), and thus water spots are common after a hose-down. Thus, I *really* need to detail this car on the outside (wash/clay bar/polish/wax). As there are many paint chips, and the paint currently looks dull, paint correction will be a big part of me getting this 4Runner looking nice. Any tips/pointers in this area would be greatly appreciated.

Philosophy of Use
To borrow a Nutnfancy term (Nutnfancy is a big outdoor/gear/gun/knife channel on Youtube--awesome content), the POU (philosophy of use) for this truck will be above all, my DD. Its secondary role however, will be a weekend trail/camping/get us home alive rig. We intend to drive this car for years and years--I would love to see this thing break 400k miles. As such, the majority of the work on this vehicle will be maintenance and preventative maintenance. The mods that I will do will be fairly light and should be able to stand the test of time. I would like to 'over-build this rig in the sense that, I always want to be a little more prepared than I perhaps 'need' to be just in case. Because of this, I will tend to lean more towards armor, recovery gear, and redundancy in general (2 is 1, 1 is none) when it comes to mods/extras.

Plan of Attack

Phase 1
Initial Phase = Items that are primary, and need to be installed/performed first before anything else.

1. Sway Bar Bushings. Funny story--driving the car from Austin to OKC was fairly normal, no weird noises/lights/smells from the 4Runner. A couple days afterward however I noticed a clunking/creaking sound in the front suspension. I researched and found a host of possible causes. This is what I found when I climbed underneath to take a peak.


Doh!! No front sway bar bushing!! Interestingly enough, a shop had recently replaced both the front end links (with Moog links -.-) and sway bar bushings. The other front bushing looked new, so I suspect the other must have not been tight enough or just managed to escape somehow. Bought some Energy Suspension bushings that showed up at the house today!

2. Replace radiator. I am taking 0 chances with the pink milkshake, bought a Koyo 1998 radiator and will install this weekend.

3. Vacuum out interior. The previous owner had 2 German Shepherds (God bless 'em) but they shed EVERYWHERE. My wife literally spend 45 minutes at a carwash vacuuming out the hair. Just picked up a little ArmorAll wet/dry vac that is supposed to be great for vacuuming out vehicle interiors, so we'll give that a shot.

3.5 Replace fluids (namely oil, tranny, and diffs)

4. New battery. The old one is not looking good, and startup times are slightly longer than I would like. Going to swap it out for an Optima Yellow Top.

5. The Big 3 electrical upgrades.

6. Replace PCV valve.

7. Clean throttle body and MAF sensor.

8. Lube driveshaft

Phase 2
Secondary Phase = Not crucial, but will definitely want to do these sooner rather than later.

1. Rust eradication (undercarriage). The undercarriage on this thing is VERY clean. only small little bits of rust here and there. Even so, I want to kick its butt and eradicate it before it becomes and issue.

2. Tranny cooler. No chances will be taken with the pink milkshake. 'Nuff said.

3. Sliders. Probably will go with Stubbs HD-SKO sliders. I was somewhat surprised at the lack of views/posts on the thread(s) (sorry author...) about adding grip tape (skateboard deck tape) to sliders to make them much safer and more functional as a step. I always imagined using sliders as steps, and had wondered if they might be slick when painted. P.S. If you can weld and you live less than 4 hours from OKC, I will gladly treat you and your significant other to a nice dinner if you will weld these up for me! I would help as much as I could of course!!

4. Rear diff breather install

4.1 ISR delete

4.2 Deckplate mod

5. Spark plugs + wires

6. Paint wheels graphite grey (these look sick).

7. 5-star as spare tire with a full-size Duratrac?

8. Aftermarket recovery points. I remember there is a guy on here that sells a bolt-on metal piece that acts as a recovery point (forgive my ignorance). Would definitely want to pick these up while I am still running the stock front bumper.

9. The factory A/C control unit is somewhat functional, but needs to be worked on. I don't trust my electronic knowledge enough to open it up and resolder joints, so I will likely ship it to someone and have them fix it up.

10. Window tint. I've heard ceramic window tint is hot sh** (figuratively), and I'd definitely want to tint the windows to eliminate heat in the summer and help keep wayward eyes away from whatever is inside the 'Runner.

Phase 3
Tertiary Phase = Not urgent, but would be nice to have later on

1. Skid plates. Again, more armor = mo betta

2. Satoshi grill mod (probably will pay SRQ-Runner for a Raptor-Style grille like Unner has [that thing looks great!] as I am not great at fabbing even simple-ish stuff).

3. Weathertech floor mats. Seems like a good investment.

4. Aftermarket head unit. Probably a <$100 Pioneer.

5. Tundra brake swap when appropriate (previous owner recently replaced the front pads and turned the rotors).

6. A pair of Rigid Industries Dually or similar rugged-ass bright lights. Probably will get the 'Driving Light' pattern. These will definitely happen.

7. Shrokworks front bumper. This is the best-looking front bumper in my opinion. Expensive, but nice. If/when I get this bumper, a Smittybuilt wench will follow.

8. Suspension. Not a big fan of getting a big lift (>2" would be okay, but I would definitely not want a 3"+ lift right now), the rear shocks were replaced recently, so I am not yet willing to spend $1k on upgraded suspension. One day though I'd like to run the Tundra TRD fronts and OME's in the rear (906's??) with Billy 5100s all around...

Final Thoughts
If you've made it this far, I sincerely thank you for reading this. Please let me know if you have any thoughts, concerns, or just think I am a complete idiot. If you live nearish OKC I'd be totally be down to hang out/help wrench/go 4-wheeling/whatever!

 

[Scramble]

Good looking truck! Congrats!
If I may... on your Phase 1 list you should add OEM Ball joints, timing belt & water pump. They are just as important as a new radiator/tranny cooler. Move the big 3 mod down to Phase 2, it's more of a mod than a necessity. My current DD is a 2009 Black Accord EX-L Coupe & before that was a 2001 Silver Accord EX Coupe, great cars.
Welcome!

 

[hawkmanjr]

Good looking truck! Congrats!
If I may... on your Phase 1 list you should add OEM Ball joints, timing belt & water pump. They are just as important as a new radiator/tranny cooler. Move the big 3 mod down to Phase 2, it's more of a mod than a necessity. My current DD is a 2009 Black Accord EX-L Coupe & before that was a 2001 Silver Accord EX Coupe, great cars.
Welcome!

Doh! You are completely right! The TB was done at 109k, so I will plan to do both the TB and WP around 175k-180k. And I completely left out the LBJs, those are definitely to be included in Phase 1. Thank you!

 

[hawkmanjr]

And Now...The Real Work Begins

Apologies for the long lapse in updates, I was preoccupied finishing up the semester and doing work on Ruby!

Sway Bar Bushings Replacement

Shortly after I received the new Energy bushings in the mail I set to work installing them. Not long after I got the old bushings off did I realize that the old bushings have one bolt that is completely removeable (like most any bolt...), and one bolt that is welded onto the bracket, and is secured with a nut (the nut is what you take off to take off the bushing and bracket). SO, a trip to the hardware store was in order to buy a couple bolts, as the new Energy bushing brackets are a more typical design that require two bolts to secure it. Wish they would've provided the hardware :/
Old bracket

New bracket+new hardware

Make It Clean

My wife and I spent cumulatively about 2 hours vacuuming the interior to rid it of the dog/human/insect hair. We were somewhat successful, I picked up this ArmorAll wet/dry vac and it did a good a job as any decent wet/dry vac Amazon.com: Armor All 2.5 Gallon, 2 Peak HP, Utility Wet/Dry Vacuum, VP205: Home Improvement. I am thinking about shampooing/power washing all the interior carpet one day, seems like a good thing to do as that carpet currently contains 17 years worth of grime and...fluids...hopefully none of the bodily variety hwell:


I also gave this thing a hand wash, a half-assed clay bar job (did the whole hood and most of the front quarter panels, but it just didn't seem to be doing that much good, so I did the rest of the car quickly), and waxed the hood before throwing in the towel. I'm not sure if I am completely incompetent when it comes to auto detailing (very plausible), but I can never seem to get decent results--the paint always seems to look the same after a hand wash as it does after a hand wash, detail with quick detailer spray, and wax. Not sure if this has anything to do with the age of the paint or what, but I think for now I will just stick to hand washes until someone can show me the ways of auto-detailing.





Lots more to come soon!!

 

[hawkmanjr]

Quick Note About Floor Jacks

So I went to purchase a floor jack and a couple jack stands from Harbor Freight, all my research indicated that a solid 2-3+ ton jack with 18+ inches of lift would be sufficient. Thus, I bought the following jack (part# 61253) and a couple of 3-ton jack stands. ~20" should be plenty of lift to get a stock-height 4Runner off the ground right? 3 ton Low Profile Steel Heavy Duty Floor Jack with Rapid Pump®



Wrong!! After getting it set under the 4Runner a few days later, I quickly found out that this jack maxed out before the front tires even came up off the ground. I repeat, the floor jack listed above WILL NOT lift our trucks high enough without some wood/etc.

Dismayed, I had to lug the thing (and stands) back to HF, and picked up one of these bad boys (part# 68050) Low Profile Floor Jack - 2 Ton, Rapid Pump® Jack. The extra 5" of reach makes the difference between not even getting the truck off the ground and being able to get the front/rear end lifted up as much as you need. In addition I had to purchase 6-ton jack stands, here (part # 61197) 6 ton Steel Jack Stands because, you guessed it, the 3-ton jack stands I bought also didn't get high enough to support the 4Runner lifted with the high-lift floor jack *facepalm*. What's more is the price difference between the two floor jacks and sets of jackstands was about $55, and the original floor jack and pair of stands were on sale :|

To conclude, if you want to use a floor jack for your truck without using a hockey puck/piece of wood/whatever to go between the jack point (say the frame) and the floor jack itself, it would be wise to pick up a jack with at least 22-24" of travel. From my research, these are relatively difficult to come by. HF was sold out the first time I went by to pick one up.

 

[hawkmanjr]

Then Came the Radiator

Radiator Replacement

From the car's records, it didn't appear that the radiator had been replaced. Seeing as the pink milkshake can be a very expensive occurrence, I thought it wise to invest in a new radiator pronto. I bought the Koyorad A1998 and it fit just fine. Decided to also buy new top and bottom radiator hoses, along with a new thermostat (and stuff for an oil change). Pictured is the 3-ton floor jack and stands I bought from Harbor Freight that ended up not being tall enough for the truck.



The actual radiator replacement process was not difficult and took me about 6-8 hours with an oil change (I took my time). Note that the radiator should be able to come out from the top if all the correct bolts are undone. Also, the Koyo had new brackets, so there was no need to remove the radiator from the mounting brackets beforehand.

 

[hawkmanjr]

Tow Hitch

Tow Hitch Removal

I decided to remove the tow hitch as I want to remove the rust that is on it, and because I frequently see/hear of 3rd gens scraping/scuffing their tow hitch when going off-road. I figure a little less weight and a slightly increased departure angle can't hurt things.

My (factory) tow hitch had 6 19mm bolts that were all pretty snug (read, rusted on). It was at this stage--attempting to remove these bolts, that I snapped 2 Harbor Freight brand 1/2" to 3/8" adapters (to allow a 3/8" drive 19mm socket to fit on my 1/2" drive breaker bar). A few weeks later I tried again with the impact version and snapped that one too. Notice how the adapter sheared off right at the base where it makes contact with the socket.


Morals of the story, firstly, buy 1/2" drive sockets for your 1/2" drive breaker bar. Secondly, if you are going to buy an adapter and plan to use it in higher torque applications, do yourself a favor and go buy a quality part. My dad had a KD-brand adapter and it worked like a charm.

After I got the 3 bolts off of the driver's side, and the 2 bolts closest to the rear end of the car on the passenger side, it was time to get the sixth and final bolt out from the passenger side. This bolt has the misfortune of being located directly above the exhaust. There is not enough clearance to get an impact or a typical straight rachet. It might be possible to use a flexible wrench to get at it, but the most commonly accepted means of removing this bolt is to remove the rubber hanger that mounts the exhaust (near the tail pipe), and then push the exhaust out of the way while you loosen the bolt. This was not a fun chore, and really took some work to simultaneously hold the exhaust and get your breaker bar on well enough to break free the bolt.

After finally removing the last bolt, I realized there was one final thing left to come off before the hitch was free--the wiring harness. Mine was attached by two small bolts, 10 or 8mm I believe. The first one came out fine, but the other one had embedded itself too far into the rubber harness mount to be loosened. I should have been able to simply pull the harness out of the mount, but it was so wedged in there, there was no way to do this without the possibility of breaking the connections. Thus, I went to work with a Dremel, grinding off the rubber mount enough to loosen the other bolt. Below is a sucky picture of the aftermath.



Now that the hitch was finally off, I tucked back the wiring harness and zip-tied it to the frame.



Later on I will strip off all the paint on the hitch, remove all the rust, primer, and repaint.

 

[trovergraywilson]

Welcome, nice truck. Drove a 2006 Accord V6 6-speed for almost 10 years before I bought my 4R. Great color combo on yours.


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