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

[BigFishAllDay]

Are you glad you went with the BL?

I've been quite happy with my 1" BL combination with the same Sonoran Steel kit and 285s. I also replaced all the body mounts with poly but I doubt this is necessary for everyone and few seem to have done it.

Yeah, I'm still happy with it. Both front and rear bumpers have a perfect gap off the body, and it keeps the CBI off the rear quarters for the most part. I need to contact Steve @ SS and get a set of his poly rear body mounts to finally resolve that issue, I think.

BTW, there is very little of the original SS 1.2 kit left under my rig... the diff drop, panhard bar, rear brake lines, rear bump stops, and the rear sway bar brackets. The rest has been changed out.

The longer bolts you used for your spacer are fine. It is the one at the top of the picture in the coupler I am talking about.

The bolt that clamps the coupler tight. Very top of that picture.

Ahhh! That clears it up for me. I accidentally destroyed the factory bolt when I was exploring options for lengthening the steering shaft. I loosened the bolt, then pulled the splined section out of the joint as far as it would go, not realizing that the bolt went through a notch in the shaft. I then attempted to fully remove the bolt, not realizing that shaft itself was now jammed against the bolt threads. By the time I got the bolt out, all the threads had been chewed off.

I'll grab a new one at my next opportunity. Thanks for the info.

 

[SCRunner12]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! You never cease to be an amazing source of information and help. I postponed my install this last weekend because I didn't fee comfortable installing it without the new bolts. Thank you again and I can't wait to see the new bumper.

 

[JBurt]

Great work as usual.

One question though, what made you decide to switch bumpers? I remember that the air bag guarantee with the arb was one of the deciding factors for that bumper. Did you find anything that changed your mind?

 

[Mistaken]

Great thread!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Monticello Box Canyon

Last weekend my Wife and I made it out for another run with the NM TW group. Toyotacolin and [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] came up from southern NM to join the run, and we ended up with a pretty nice group of rigs. The trail that we ran is nothing technical, but there are a lot of fun, shallow water crossings and some great scenery.

On the way home I took a back road that allowed me to hammer the new Icons on ~40 miles worth of rough washboard road with large dips, holes, and puddles of standing water. I ran them pretty hard and was able to go much faster, much more comfortably than I ever could have on the old setup. I'm pretty impressed with how they ride, but like most people who have upgraded their front setup, I am now much more aware of the opportunity for improvement in the rear.

The new [MENTION=17736]AddictedOffroad[/MENTION] front bumper is on, and I really like it. It completely changed the look of the rig (for the better, I think), while improving the approach angle significantly. I will always have a soft spot for the ARB, but I'm glad I made the change.

Big thanks to [MENTION=85218]Toyotacolin[/MENTION] for the great photos that you see below. If you want someone to make your rig look sexy, he's the man for the job. All of the higher quality linked images you see below were taken by him.

Fog on the highway heading out of town... this is a RARE sight in NM.

At the meeting point...

IMG_7621 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

Brought the new mutts along for their first trail ride... they had a blast.

We all did the splish, splash thing...

IMG_7632 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7645 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7663 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7674 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

Then it was on to the top of the box canyon. Things got more scenic the higher up the canyon we went...

IMG_7717 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7719 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7735 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

IMG_7745 by Captures by Colin, on Flickr

Some of us hiked up to the warm spring that is the source of the stream.

Then it was time to head out and test the Icons...

And finally, back on pavement at the VLA (Very Large Array) Observatory on the Plains of San Agustin... (It's an interesting place > Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

 

[EatonKyleH]

Dang the rig looks great! I really dig the change up.

And as always Colin's photography is absolutely top notch.

 

[TCMach]

I dig the new bumper! Really changed up the look.

I feel you on the back end issues too. Good coilovers ride so well that the back just feels junky. I'm thinking outboarding the rear shocks could help because it gets them into a more efficient geometry. But then you run into rubbing the shock body

 

[Fishwerks]

The addicted bumper looks bad ass, I like the change.
[MENTION=85218]Toyotacolin[/MENTION] nice photos as always.

 

[cdrewferd]

Great update on the front of your rig. Can't wait to see what you come up with for the rear suspension.

 

[blcktpgsr]

That looks great. Can't go wrong with Addicted Offroad for sure. I thought all the time you were gone, you were making your own bumper. And you are certainly capable of it...but I know how time consuming that could be, not to mention you have the lil kiddo running around, hard to focus on a project like that.

Great update on the 4Runner, buddy! :hail:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Dang the rig looks great! I really dig the change up.

And as always Colin's photography is absolutely top notch.

The addicted bumper looks bad ass, I like the change. Toyotacolin, nice photos as always.

Thanks, guys. Colin is a good guy to have along on a run just for the company, but the fact that he can make your rig look like it's in a magazine shoot is a nice side benefit.

I dig the new bumper! Really changed up the look.

I feel you on the back end issues too. Good coilovers ride so well that the back just feels junky. I'm thinking outboarding the rear shocks could help because it gets them into a more efficient geometry. But then you run into rubbing the shock body

Yup. I've already started investigating some options for upgrades. The money pit is never filled.

Great update on the front of your rig. Can't wait to see what you come up with for the rear suspension.

It'll be awhile before I get to it, as I have a few other things that I need to get out of the pipe. Thanks for checking things out!

That looks great. Can't go wrong with Addicted Offroad for sure. I thought all the time you were gone, you were making your own bumper. And you are certainly capable of it...but I know how time consuming that could be, not to mention you have the lil kiddo running around, hard to focus on a project like that.

Great update on the 4Runner, buddy! :hail:

Thanks, Ervin! I have to say that I am surprised that you of all people did not notice the subtle differences between this bumper and every other Addicted bumper. Take a closer look. I didn't make my own, but I definitely made this one unique, and that took a fair amount of time by itself. I'm very lucky to have a Wife that understands my need to get out in the garage and lose myself in the focus that comes with modifying our rigs.

 

[blcktpgsr]

Thanks, Ervin! I have to say that I am surprised that you of all people did not notice the subtle differences between this bumper and every other Addicted bumper. Take a closer look. I didn't make my own, but I definitely made this one unique, and that took a fair amount of time by itself. I'm very lucky to have a Wife that understands my need to get out in the garage and lose myself in the focus that comes with modifying our rigs.

Wow...lookin back now, I see what you did different. You've encapsulated the open concept winch base and replace the turn signals with a series of eagle eye LED's. For a minute there, I thought I was looking at a different version of the Addicted bumper.

Major props....It definitely has your name written all over it...it's "u-Nick"!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Wow...lookin back now, I see what you did different. You've encapsulated the open concept winch base and replace the turn signals with a series of eagle eye LED's. For a minute there, I thought I was looking at a different version of the Addicted bumper.

Major props....It definitely has your name written all over it...it's "u-Nick"!

I posted a preview photo of the work I had done to the bumper a few pages back and not one person seemed to notice the changes I'd made. This weekend when Nate and Colin were checking it out, they didn't notice either, which really surprised me because Nate had one of these bumpers on his 3rd gen.

I can't take credit for the idea, as I actually stole it from Glade (Addicted Offroad's lead fab guy). When I first saw the bumper on his personal rig, I knew that I wanted to do the same with mine.

He has his winch set further back to accomodate the LED bar, but otherwise I took a similar path.

 

[4-Ripcord]

Wow that bumper looks absolutely amazing!

To be honest I don't care much for the ARB look, so much improved IMO. Really impressive work modifying it too.

That trip looked so fun! I always wanted to wheel with Colin and Nate, Colin's pics are legendary. Nate's new 4th gen is super fancy.

 

[99Steve]

Looks great , I just order the same bumper with light mounts can you tell me if the mounts are welded on the outside or winch side ?thanks

 

[BigFishAllDay]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! You never cease to be an amazing source of information and help. I postponed my install this last weekend because I didn't fee comfortable installing it without the new bolts. Thank you again and I can't wait to see the new bumper.

Glad I could help, man. You're welcome!

Great work as usual.

One question though, what made you decide to switch bumpers? I remember that the air bag guarantee with the arb was one of the deciding factors for that bumper. Did you find anything that changed your mind?

Thanks, JBurt. I had a lot of reasons for going with the ARB initially. I like the "classic" tough look and lines of the ARB bumper, I like the full hoop arrangement for protection from impacts with deer, and I like that they were able to give the bumper proper airbag testing and certification (albeit for the Tacoma).

Since then, a few things have changed:

First, the primary route that I use to travel to our family cabin has been widened, and the risk of hitting a deer along the 60+ miles of road that I was concerned about has gone down considerably. Before, the trees/brush grew right up to the roadbed and they could jump out without any warning, making it just a matter of time before I hit one of them. Now they have cut back a 30-40 foot clearing on either side of the road, so the deer are visible and can be much more easily avoided. There will always be a risk, but I don't feel like the event is imminent as I once did.

Second, I've developed a better feel for how I'll be using the rig. That happens to include a fair amount of rock crawling, and the ARB was seriously limiting my approach angle. When I was in Moab with [MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION] the last time he was breezing through obstacles with no front clearance issues on his Addicted bumper, while I was getting hung up and having to take less optimal lines. The front of my ARB has several gouges from driving it into rocks and ledges, which I often had to do to get the front end up various obstacles.

As far as the airbag guarantee, I never really took it as a "guarantee" because the bumper was designed for and tested on the Tacoma. I took it more as a matter of probability that the airbag would deploy as it should. The airbag sensors are accelerometers, and my main concern was a faulty deployment during a low speed bump (i.e. bumping a rock, stump, ledge, etc while wheeling). This has proven to be a non issue, as I have hit the ARB hard, with no deflection in the mounts, and have not experienced an airbag deployment. The results should be no different with a solid mount (a mount without the crumple zones found on the ARB mounts).

I drive this vehicle very cautiously when I am in traffic due to the amount of time and money I have invested in building it. I rarely use it to commute, and most times it only comes out of the garage for a road trip/wheeling trip. I feel the risk of an accident in this vehicle is greatly reduced by the nature of the its use, and have become more comfortable with having a front bumper without the crumple zones.

The nail in the coffin for the ARB was that I got the new bumper for 50% off the normal price thanks to having won a raffle at the Jamboree in CO last August. I have liked the Addicted bumper since I first saw it, and getting one for such a great price helped me get comfortable with cutting it up and making it even better.

Great thread!

Thanks!

Wow that bumper looks absolutely amazing!

To be honest I don't care much for the ARB look, so much improved IMO. Really impressive work modifying it too.

That trip looked so fun! I always wanted to wheel with Colin and Nate, Colin's pics are legendary. Nate's new 4th gen is super fancy.

I know you were never a fan of the ARB, and there are some things that we'll never agree on (ie Backstreet Boys VS. NSYNC :caked, but I definitely agree that the new bumper looks much better.

Monticello is definitely worth the time. Again, it's nothing crazy, but sometimes that kind of trail is just as fun. You should be seeing more of Nate's rig and Colin's photos in my thread as the year goes on.

Looks great , I just order the same bumper with light mounts can you tell me if the mounts are welded on the outside or winch side ?thanks

Thanks! The light tabs are welded to the outside of the front tube.

 

[shouldbeasy]

I love my outboard shock mounts - one thing is that I would make the hoops long enough to mount the reservoir on, and also try to tuck them up high enough for a 12" shock.

And of course, you'll have to run a spacer to move the rear wheel out, I don't think an offset correction will get you enough room.

As it sits right now, my rig has a 10" travel shock and only 2" of compression when loaded up. I need to adjust my hoops to be taller and then go with the longer shock to compensate. Lots of rubbing will commence.

Fox bump 2.0 cans in the 3" travel size stopped the constant bottoming out of the shocks, I couldn't take it anymore and man am I glad I added them. Without a sway bar it still wants to lean over but it's predictable and quite stiff on the last 1.5" of the shock as it gets in to the bump stop. I bought them too long as I know that those 12" shocks will end up on it some day...

Love your rig, keep all of the pictures and write ups coming. You belong to the core group who keep this site moving in the right direction. We can't let the 3rd gen pride die!

 

[cdrewferd]

Love the changes to the front bumper. If it came from Addicted that way then I'd have a harder time not ordering it. I'm hoping to make it to the Jambo this year and look forward to meeting you.

 

[Fishwerks]

Damn, I noticed the turn signals but didn't realize how much work you put into the bumper. Well done!

 

[01KY4R]

Should we look forward to seeing the ARB put on the '97?