I found "The One", 2001 Sport Ed. TRD SC'd

[T4R2014]

Glad to hear you made it through the storm in one piece. I can't imagine what it must be like out there. I hope you and your family can get back to normal soon. The emblem is found on early 90's 2nd Gen 4Runners and Pickups. Thanks for the compliment on the grille.

No problem. And thanks man. My area wasn't hit too bad aside from a bunch downed trees and having to wait 3 hours in line for gasoline. I saw some other parts of the state as well as the city and it was quite a shocker.

Back on 4Runner's, bummer to hear about the CV.

 

[4ever4running]

4ever4running, thanks man! I appreciate the feedback on the grille. Regarding the emblem, you'll love this... I paid $3.99 at the local U-Pull it yard. For that price, I just went ahead and bought two in case something went wrong w/the 1st one. If you want one, send me a PM and maybe I can grab one for you... there were a few left last time I was there.

Wow $3.99 I'm sold! Sent you a PM.

 

[Fishwerks]

BFAD, what an inspirational build! Everything on this rig is incredible, and your documentation is much appreciated.

How do you like the bedliner on your flares? I am considering bedlining my bumpers, but I'm not sure about it.

ahem....Lotus axles.... ahem. :naughty:

Oh and I agree with rickashay, it would only be right!

 

[1985taylor1925]

4ever4running, thanks man! I appreciate the feedback on the grille. Regarding the emblem, you'll love this... I paid $3.99 at the local U-Pull it yard. For that price, I just went ahead and bought two in case something went wrong w/the 1st one. If you want one, send me a PM and maybe I can grab one for you... there were a few left last time I was there.

Wow. Is that an exclusive deal for 4ever4running? Because, if you were able to pick one up for me as well, I would buy it in a heartbeat. And I would willingly pay you something extra for the trouble! Thats a great deal

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Looks good man! If I could suggest 1 thing? That grill would be perfect, if you seperated all the letters on the emblem, and secured each one seperately. You'd have to get rid of all the connecting plastic, but it would look really sweet if you did it! I've seen someone on Tacoma world do this very thing.... Made it look amazing!

Anyway, aside from that, it turned out AWESOME!

You mean like this??? Yeah, I thought about it, but it would have been a pain in the ass to mount the letters. I already had the emblem painted and ready to go, cutting it would have left gaps on sides of the letters that I wouldn't like, and frankly, I like it better with the letters conjoined by the black material inbetween. I think it makes the emblem "pop" better against the silver, and it looks more like a factory piece.

Taco-world is definitely a great place to get some ideas on this mod. I spent some time over there checking out grille builds before I dived into this one. Thanks for the feedback, Fightman.

ahem....Lotus axles.... ahem. :naughty:

I'd love to get my hands on a set of those things. But for $1000 + shipping for the pair???? :lmao: My truck needs to be re-geared ($1400) and/or IPT valve bodied ($600) and/or skid-plated-up ($500) before it needs those axles. I can put up with changing them out if I break one for now.

No problem. And thanks man. My area wasn't hit too bad aside from a bunch downed trees and having to wait 3 hours in line for gasoline. I saw some other parts of the state as well as the city and it was quite a shocker.

Back on 4Runner's, bummer to hear about the CV.

Those gas lines are nuts. The CV is no big deal, just part of the "Lifted 4Runner Experience", as I see it.

Wow $3.99 I'm sold! Sent you a PM.

Replied. Got you covered.

BFAD, what an inspirational build! Everything on this rig is incredible, and your documentation is much appreciated.

How do you like the bedliner on your flares? I am considering bedlining my bumpers, but I'm not sure about it.

Oh and I agree with rickashay, it would only be right!

Thanks man! I appreciate you checking it out. The documentation is there to help others, but I use this thread as a place to store things that I'll refer back to in the future, so it helps me alot just to maintain it.

The bedliner on the flares took some time to grow on me. I hated it at first, but mainly because the bumpers were done too and that was too much. Now that it's just the flares, it's fine, and I get nothing but compliments on it. I'd have to say I like it alot.

Wow. Is that an exclusive deal for 4ever4running? Because, if you were able to pick one up for me as well, I would buy it in a heartbeat. And I would willingly pay you something extra for the trouble! Thats a great deal

Not an exclusive deal, but definitely dependent on supply. I went back to the yard and they had ONE left. Since 4ever4running asked 1st, it belongs to him. I'll keep you in mind for the future, though.

 

[tyr0981]

wow, i'm a little late to the party obviously.... but i've been contemplating building a winch bumper for a couple of years now, but haven't because i'm not exactly a master welder / fabricator.....

i think this ARB will work beautifully! and is reasonably priced too! not the 1k$ + price tag from ShrockWorks.... looks awesome man!

:hatsoff:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I've got a couple updates to post, and alot of work coming up, so I'd better get this in the thread while I've got a second.

First things first, I got to know my CV's. I've removed two of them on prior occasions, but never R&R'd. Now I've removed 3, installed 1, and re-booted 3, and I think I've got it down.

Here's some helpful links for anyone doing this job...

RE-Boot thread by Kball - Great thread

-and-

The best write-up on a CV R&R

NOTE: All three of the CV's I have pulled have been retained by a 35mm axle nut. My 36mm socket, that I got because some people say they are a 36mm axle nut, remains unused. I believe the people w/36mm axle nuts are dealing w/aftermarket CV's & hardware.

YOINK! My axle seal was looking a little dirty.

Ah, there's my problem.

Axle seal, all cleaned up...

Hello Tripod Joint... your needle bearings are pretty cool.

CV removed & cleaned, ready for new grease & re-boot.

I had to quit for the night after I got the CV pulled & cleaned, so a tip for others... cover the opening on the diff if you put the job on hold.... you don't want dust/contaminants getting in there. A paper towel & rubber band work great.

You have two options from Toyota as far as boot kits go:

Inner & Outer Kit, Part # 04438-35060, $35.19....

Inner on the left, outer on the right... the grease that goes w/each boot sitting below it.

OR... You can go with an "Inner Only" kit. On both of my 4Runner's CV's, the inner boot is the only one in rough shape. Both outers are good. On both of my spares only the inner needed attention as well, so I got 4 of these inner kits instead.

Toyota Part # 04438-35040, $21.97....

Slide the inner clamp on over the shaft, then the inner boot, then slide the tripod joint onto the shaft & line up the match marks (that you made sure to make BEFORE you removed the tripod joint)...put the C-clip back on.

Fresh grease in the boot on the tripod side...

And the other half in the inner cup...

Make sure you burp the air out, and tighten the clamps w/the joint extended to it's stock length.

The clamps for the inners are easy peasy... no special tools required. They have a stiff section that you simply fold over, then bend the retaining tabs down.

Done and done... That's a happy CV..

Here's an easy method for keeping the brakes applied while you break the Axle Nut loose (if you're working by yourself). Get a closet rod that is extendable (this one screws in for shorter, out for longer) and prop it between your steering wheel and the brake pedal... viola!

Don't forget the Anti-Sieze lube on the dust cap...

Done and done...

While I was down there, I removed the stock bolt on the lower shock mount and replaced it w/the extended bolt & spacer that comes w/the Sonoran Steel Limit Strap kit... the straps will be easy to throw on w/this done.

Last but not least, I took my two junkyard spares...

And stripped them down, cleaned them, checked the internals for wear and tear, and re-booted them too. They were both in great shape w/over 200K miles. Now when the passenger side goes I can just swap in a fresh OEM axle, re-boot the one that comes out, and rotate it into the spare pile.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I also built some replacement upper links for the rear axle. I got into this project mainly as an experiment, and to get some practice with the welder, but they ended up coming out pretty nice so I'm going to install them and see how they do.

First, I went down to the yard and bought a couple of panhard bars from 2nd Gen 4Runners, and a few spare upper links from a 3rd Gen.

I cut the panhard bars up to see what I was dealing with. Turns out they are constructed from 1.125" OD x 0.125" Wall HREW tubing.

Next, it was time to cut up the upper links... The center section is a roughly 1/2" solid steel rod.

New material VS. old material...

All welded up. Longer than stock by 1/4". Yay.

Until I remembered the upper links that I got from the yard were from a 2wd, and the 2wd links are roughly 5/8" shorter than 4wd links. DOH! 4wd upper links on top, and 2wd upper links on bottom.

I need a welding table...

BTW, I notched the tube using the "Chop Saw" method... I did it with an angle grinder though... If you're interested, here's a link. Read up and get "edumacated". Who needs a gosh darned tube notcher?

Excellent article on notching tube WITHOUT a tube notcher on Pirate4x4

So the first one I built was basically the same length as a stock 4wd upper link. Oh well, it gave me a great excuse to chop it up w/the angle grinder and check the quality of my welds. Turns out they were solid. Great penetration, and complete fusion of the parent metals.

Take 2, compared to stock 4wd upper links...

More welds...

I jigged them up while I welded them using a 3/8" extension on one side (which is a very tight fit in the bolt hole) and a stock bolt on the other side.... to ensure that they were the exact same length.

Yes, I welded them with the bushings in place. :nono: Luckily, though, the bushings seem to have made it out in one peice. They burnt a little on the edges, and I got some melting near the weld, but after they cooled they feel just as flexible and resilient as stock bushings. I'm sure the heat has damaged them to some degree, but they'll hold up for awhile. When they're done I'll replace the bushings w/the ones from my stock arms. These bushings do not seem to be available for purchase from either Toyota or aftermarket part suppliers.

The new uppers are exactly 3/8" longer than stock, which should be about perfect for correcting the pinion angle on my rear diff (based on conversations w/someone who's running adjustable Toytec uppers...cough, cough.. Dirt... cough... co.)

 

[BigFishAllDay]

OK, just a few more things...

I picked up some rear LCA skids from Toytec. They're a quality product, and I can't wait to pull my LCA's, drop some welds on 'em, and install them on the 4Runner. I took a few pictures while I test fit them on a spare rear LCA.

Lots of rear suspension link fun coming to this thread in the near future...

I also ordered in a set of these.... OEM Tokico Black 80 Series LC Shocks... hopefully they'll stiffen up the rear a little bit and settle down the bounce from the OME 861's.

The next update should include:

- New upper rear axle links installed, w/Toytec Skids on lowers
- Sonoran Steel & Poly Performance Limit Strap setup on the front
- OEM LC 80 Series Shocks out back
- Corrected pinion angle on rear diff

.... and who knows what else.

Last but not least, any thoughts on this?

 

[Qyota]

Sweet work. Which Hobart model is that? Do you recommend it? Are you using gas or flux core wire?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I thought it was pretty funny when I showed my Wife these posts... RE the wheels, she says:

Oh my gosh!! Those are hideous!!! They look like mexican rims.

 

[LittleCaesar]

BFAD,

It all looks real good. I believe your welding acumen is greater than you even realize. With that much room in your driveway to weld, save your pennies (easy to say with a baby!) and buy a cart for the 140 to move everything around. Then just make a dedicated table.

I just put a large punch in my rotor while aiming to tighten/loosen the 35mm bolt.

Speaking of brakes, have you ever run the 231s without the bottom anti rattle clip in it? I found that my braking improved without the bottom clip being used, if only marginally.

Good luck with the suspension. I kind of like the look of those rims.

 

[Brilliant]

I thought it was pretty funny when I showed my wife these posts... RE the quote below, she says:

You wife was spot on, not liking the rims.

 

[farmerjon]

Good work BFAD! Liking the suspension updates, even if they aren't all "glitzy" and exciting... I need to reboot my CVs at some point as well. They bug me, I have a torn outer boot.

Those wheels do look a little ricey... Usually, one's wife is right sometimes. Unfortunately.

 

[4ever4running]

Damn dude you've been busy! Nice work on getting the CV boots replaced (which reminds me that I definitely need to find some spare CVs because its only a matter of time before I rip another boot)

Very nice work on the upper links, especially the welds. I have always wanted to learn to weld so I commend you for just buying a welder and diving right in.

Finally, you should absolutely get some new rims and sell me your old ones :bigok:. In all seriousness, I think you should stick with the ones you have now, they tie everything together.

 

[Qyota]

Thanks for the link on the Hobart 140. I just bought one! That is a great deal, and I've wanted a welder for a long time.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Sweet work. Which Hobart model is that? Do you recommend it? Are you using gas or flux core wire?

Thanks for the link on the Hobart 140. I just bought one! That is a great deal, and I've wanted a welder for a long time.

I see you went back a few pages to the post where I bought it and located the answer to your 1st question on your own. The good old Hobart Handler 140, indeed. I bought an 80 cu.ft. tank of 75/25 Argon/CO2 mix to go along with mine, also some gloves, a welding blanket, some solid 0.30 wire and an auto-darkening helmet. All the welds I've done so far were done using 0.30 wire and shielding gas. I've yet to try it with flux core. From reading the manual and the setup chart on the door, Hobart intends for the user to employ flux core wire when welding thicker metals (3/8" - 1/4"), and shielding gas for the thinner stuff.

I love the welder so far. I had it set up in under an hour, and was laying down decent beads with it in under two hours. Just use the setup chart on the door to get the right voltage & wire speed settings and go to town. I find that I usually have to slow the wire speed down just a tad from what they recommend.

Congrats on your purchase. I checked the link and it looks like the price went up. When I got mine it was only $389.

It all looks real good. I believe your welding acumen is greater than you even realize. With that much room in your driveway to weld, save your pennies (easy to say with a baby!) and buy a cart for the 140 to move everything around. Then just make a dedicated table.

I just put a large punch in my rotor while aiming to tighten/loosen the 35mm bolt.

Speaking of brakes, have you ever run the 231s without the bottom anti rattle clip in it? I found that my braking improved without the bottom clip being used, if only marginally.

Good luck with the suspension. I kind of like the look of those rims.

LC, the plan @ this point is to use the welder to build a cart. I've already got most of the material, just need to find the time. Thanks for the feedback on the welds, I think they're decent, but I need alot more practice.

I've been running both top & bottom anti-rattle clips on my 231's since they were installed. Maybe I'll try it without the bottom one next time I change pads.

You wife was spot on, not liking the rims.

Thanks for the input man, you've got solid taste in vehicles.

Good work BFAD! Liking the suspension updates, even if they aren't all "glitzy" and exciting... I need to reboot my CVs at some point as well. They bug me, I have a torn outer boot.

Those wheels do look a little ricey... Usually, one's wife is right sometimes. Unfortunately.

It can't all be "glitzy" and exciting, now can it? The Toytec skids are a little exciting though, right? Another vote for NO on the wheel swap, check!

Damn dude you've been busy! Nice work on getting the CV boots replaced (which reminds me that I definitely need to find some spare CVs because its only a matter of time before I rip another boot)

Very nice work on the upper links, especially the welds. I have always wanted to learn to weld so I commend you for just buying a welder and diving right in.

Finally, you should absolutely get some new rims and sell me your old ones :bigok:. In all seriousness, I think you should stick with the ones you have now, they tie everything together.

As busy as I can be w/a newborn in the house, that's for sure. Thanks for the compliments Jimmy! Welding is one of those things that it's hard to picture yourself doing (it was for me anyway) because it seems like it would be a difficult task. So far it has not been too challenging, but I've yet to attempt vertical welds, upside down welds, out of position welds, etc. I think the difficulties that arise will probably be situational, along w/the challenge of continually improving my technique.

3rd vote NO on the wheel swap, Check!

 

[rickashay]

Damn, BFAD! This thread and all it's glory continues.... it's an overload of USEFUL information.

The CV re-boot page bookmarked for future use and I love how you always include OEM part #'s.

The rear UCA's look excellent, nice moves on making something beefy from other parts. Also stoked to see those Toytec skids welded up on the rear LCA's.

Wheels: you may poke fun at me because I have 28" tires, however, I must now return with my opinion on your "Mexican wheels." hahaha DONT DO IT!

In all seriousness, I love your current setup, but I'm also biased cause my "cool" set of wheels is nearly identical. If your itching for a wheel change though, and want to get away from the black wheels (I think more people are going to start going with something other than black...again) I'm not going to lie, some OEM Silver TRD FJ wheels would look fantastic on your rig (SSuShi's wheels). Or if you could get a hold of some gunmetal Tacoma TX Pro "Beadlock" wheels? I'm just thinking out loud, but your lucky enough to have a silver truck - you can rock almost any wheel finish and it will still look great!

 

[4-Ripcord]

I didnt realize how inexpensive the reboot kits were. I think I am going to do that do a few of my spares as well!

Nicely done with the control arms, you're getting pretty handy with that welder. Good luck on upside down+tight spaces, those are a b*tch! My bumper brackets would have been so much nicer had I been blessed with more room. Those LCA skids are nice!

With the wheels, if you are looking at switching it up take a look at the SCS wheels. They just signed up here as a vendor here and have some nice stuff! Good prices too.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Damn, BFAD! This thread and all it's glory continues.... it's an overload of USEFUL information..........Or if you could get a hold of some gunmetal Tacoma TX Pro "Beadlock" wheels? I'm just thinking out loud, but your lucky enough to have a silver truck - you can rock almost any wheel finish and it will still look great!

Thanks Senor! Like I keep saying, I maintain the thread as a reference & documentation tool for myself, so I'm glad that as a side benefit you guys are finding it useful as well. It's handy to have your own spot on the web to store links, info, part #'s, etc.

RE the wheels, the one thing that will probably prevent me from ever going to something new is the specs on the existing setup. 16x8 w/4" BS. There simply are not many wheels in 16x8 size that have 4" BS. The vast majority (TRD FJ's included) are 4.5" BS. The few others that do have 4" BS don't agree with my sense of style and/or value. Gotta stick with what works I guess.

I didnt realize how inexpensive the reboot kits were. I think I am going to do that do a few of my spares as well!

Nicely done with the control arms, you're getting pretty handy with that welder. Good luck on upside down+tight spaces, those are a b*tch! My bumper brackets would have been so much nicer had I been blessed with more room. Those LCA skids are nice!

With the wheels, if you are looking at switching it up take a look at the SCS wheels. They just signed up here as a vendor here and have some nice stuff! Good prices too.

Yeah, they're not bad at all. Also, from what I've seen, most people are tearing only the inner boot. The outer boots seem to hold up pretty well. That makes it even cheaper because you can go with the "Inner Only" kit.

The only thing I didn't like about the OEM Inner/Outer Kit is that the outer boot in that kit (in the event that you need it) is made of a different material than what you will find on your CV's. It seems that Toyota changed over to a harder, thinner material and got rid of the flexible rubber boot that came from the factory on the outer joint. I'm sure they wouldn't sell it if it didn't hold up to the wear & tear, but I just like the flexible rubber boot better.

I like those SCS wheels, but not enough to make the jump, plus, as I was telling Rickashay, the specs don't work for me (4.3" & 4.5" BS). The welding is just going to be a learning process... I'll take it as it comes.