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

[slapdappy]

Try and find this stuff, it works much better, even works in fishing reels:
Super Lube Synthetic Grease with Syncolon Multi Purpose Lubricant 3 oz: Science Lab Cleaning Supplies: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

It is good stuff. My choice for 4R driveshaft, snowmobile front and rear suspension zerks, trailer wheel bearings.
http://www.amazon.com/Super-Lube-41..._sbs_hi_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1728ED0SMNXR6MTTEK8D

 

[BigFishAllDay]

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!

Thanks, City Rider! It's good to see you around here again. I appreciate the input on the rear suspension. I was always impressed with your rig as well, and just had a look at your build thread on ExPo via the link in your sig... Whoa! What's the story with the RCSB Tundra? Do you have a S/C on that thing yet?

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 GOING TO MAKE it to the Jambo this year and look forward to meeting you.

(Fixed it for you)

Right on, Drew! I'm glad to hear that you'll be at the Jambo (hopefully). It'll be good to put a face with the name and do some wheeling. I definitely like the bumper better with the changes in place. Thanks, as always, for the feedback.

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

Thanks! When I ordered it I started studying Glade's bumper, but I didn't realize how much work would go into changing the design until I had it in my garage.

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

The plan for now is to offer it for sale locally. If I can't find a buyer at a reasonable price, it may end up on '97 sometime down the road.

It is good stuff. My choice for 4R driveshaft, snowmobile front and rear suspension zerks, trailer wheel bearings.

Duly noted.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

While I'm here...

I stole an idea from [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] (it probably won't be the last time), and added a little protection to my rear shocks/lower mounting bolts. I drag these things on rocks almost every trip out, and they were getting a little ugly.

So, I straight up copied Dirtco's post here > LINK , right down to the 1.25” .120 wall tubing, although I didn't have the fancy DOM.

Old and new...

And a quick test fit on the 4Runner...

Also, [MENTION=1795]sschaefer3[/MENTION] I got that bolt on the rag joint replaced with factory hardware. Thanks again for the heads up.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Hmmmmm....

And what's with all the 1" 16ga CREW tubing cut at 22.5' angles?

 

[JBurt]

Exocage!

This should be good. Different swing out?

 

[blcktpgsr]

This gonbe good! :gossip:

I'll be back in half an hour....

 

[TCMach]

New swing out. New latch to get rid of the auger. I'm interested to see what you come up with. I've got the swing out off my truck at the moment. Got some drawings but no parts or solid ideas yet.

I did talk to CBI about what happened to my bumper. Pictures, video, description the whole nine yards. They are sending me some kind of gusset kit that they use on their new bumpers. Curious to see what it looks like.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Exocage!

This should be good. Different swing out?

Exocage... no. Probably not ever. Different swing out, absolutely.

This gonbe good! :gossip:

I'll be back in half an hour....

I wish I could finish anything in half an hour.

New swing out. New latch to get rid of the auger. I'm interested to see what you come up with. I've got the swing out off my truck at the moment. Got some drawings but no parts or solid ideas yet.

I did talk to CBI about what happened to my bumper. Pictures, video, description the whole nine yards. They are sending me some kind of gusset kit that they use on their new bumpers. Curious to see what it looks like.

Yup. Yup. I'll show CBI how to make a "bombproof" tire carrier. Maybe they can take some notes.

 

[TCMach]

Wrap up and installed pics coming soon.

Your gonna finish your rack before I do. And mines been in the garage since last year! Hahaha looks killer man can't wait to see how it finishes up

 

[tS_kStin]

Exocage... no. Probably not ever. Different swing out, absolutely.

I wish I could finish anything in half an hour.

Yup. Yup. I'll show CBI how to make a "bombproof" tire carrier. Maybe they can take some notes.

Still a little ways to go. I'd like to say thanks to [MENTION=120394]tS_kStin[/MENTION] for the great idea to create the corners without a bender. That was probably my biggest hurdle to getting this project off the ground. Once I saw his thread the wheels started turning in earnest and I put the plans in motion.

His roof rack build thread can be found here: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/188748-full-length-roof-rack-build.html

I also found these threads very helpful in the brainstorming/design process:

[MENTION=55891]Bandit Runner[/MENTION] > http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/125705-bandit-runners-roof-rack-build.html

[MENTION=53541]Socco[/MENTION] > http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/150263-socco-builds-roof-rack.html

[MENTION=75720]my92t4r[/MENTION] > http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/188475-homemade-full-rack.html

[MENTION=68079]drabbits[/MENTION] > http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/146262-fs-full-length-roof-rack-3rd-gen-late-2nd.html

As with most welding projects, the primary lesson that I have learned is that if you ever find yourself wondering why fabricators charge the prices they do for the products they produce, you should just go in the garage and build one for yourself. When you're all done, you'll understand why.

Wrap up and installed pics coming soon.

Nice work! That is one thing I wish I would have done it put more support under the expanded metal, didn't know how much it would dip down. I think the hardest/ most annoying part was getting all the vertical pieces all the same length with the half circle cut to fit the tubing, that and keeping the warping down to a minimum. Have fun, keep going. Excited to see the progress!

 

[TBuzz]

Looks great Nick and very low profile! Interested to see how you finish it off. Nice job leaving clearance for your hands to work the install, looks like you thought of everything.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Your gonna finish your rack before I do. And mines been in the garage since last year! Hahaha looks killer man can't wait to see how it finishes up

Well, it's not a race, right? I'm trying to work through the remainder of the large projects that I have planned for my build by the time summer rolls around (and by year end at the latest). My goal for next year is to not do a single mod on this thing, and limit all garage time to maintenance only. The time/money saved in the garage will be spent on more trips. That's the plan anyway.

Nice work! That is one thing I wish I would have done it put more support under the expanded metal, didn't know how much it would dip down. I think the hardest/ most annoying part was getting all the vertical pieces all the same length with the half circle cut to fit the tubing, that and keeping the warping down to a minimum. Have fun, keep going. Excited to see the progress!

Thanks! Your rack turned out great as well. I tested mine to make sure it was as strong as I wanted it to be by mounting it and standing on top, right in the middle of the rack. It sagged maybe 1/4", and I weigh 190lbs. That's more than I plan to put up there, so I'm calling it good.

Mine is going to stay a flat rack, so I won't be adding the vertical pieces or the top hoop. The warping was a pain in the rear, though. When I burned in the cross bars and set up the main frame, it looked like a taco when I was done. I had to flip it and jump on the center a few times to flatten it out again.

Looks great Nick and very low profile! Interested to see how you finish it off. Nice job leaving clearance for your hands to work the install, looks like you thought of everything.

Thanks, Chris. You can see now why I wasn't able to get to the phone. My Wife took the kiddo to her Grandparents house, so I had a few precious days to myself to get some things done. I was in the garage buckling down.

Low profile is what I was after. I'm not a fan of big obnoxious racks and the flat style will allow me to carry all sorts of things (lumber, ladders, boat/canoe, 4x8 sheets of wood, coolers, gas cans, you name it). There will be a couple dozen tie down points so I should be able to secure just about any kind of load. The flat style will also minimize the MPG hit by keeping the wind resistance to bare minimum. I doubt I'll even see a difference from stock when the rack is unloaded.

 

[cdrewferd]

That rack is looking good. Are you going to mount any camp lights or a light bar to it?

 

[4-Ripcord]

Mighty fine looking rack, Nick. You have become quite a good welder.

How are the 4.10 gears with all the weight you have added? Thats one thing I am very surprised you haven't changed out.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

That rack is looking good. Are you going to mount any camp lights or a light bar to it?

Thanks, Drew. I have no plans to mount lights on the rack at this point, although I do have plans for lighting upgrades in locations other than the rack. I'm kind of old school... my camp lights are either a Coleman lantern, a fire, or a maglight/headlamp.

Mighty fine looking rack, Nick. You have become quite a good welder.

How are the 4.10 gears with all the weight you have added? Thats one thing I am very surprised you haven't changed out.

Thanks, Jim. Regarding the gears, you must have missed this post a few pages back...

Also, I finally found a friend for the lonely guy in the left bucket. The friend needs a little bit of work, and then they can play together. Time to call ECGS.

The rear e-locker has 4.88's in it, and is ready to go. The front is fully functional with 4.10's. All I need to do is call ECGS and place an order for a 4.88 front w/an ARB, then send them back the spare front diff as a core. At that point I can install the re-geared diffs at my leisure and keep my factory set on hand. I just counted my slush fund, and it's a few bucks shy of $1500. I'm not sure what's holding me up, especially in light of the fact that you get a free compressor with the purchase of an ARB locker through June 15th.

I guess I just need to decide if I want this thing double locked or not. I keep weighing the opportunity costs. A front locker that I'll use once or twice a year versus a very capable truck with 4.88's and a rear locker only plus say....

Kimber 1911 or...
A nice AR-15 or...
More backpacking gear or...
Plasma cutter or...
Nice camera or...
A week of fancy fishing or...
... something of that sort.

 

[tS_kStin]

Thanks! Your rack turned out great as well. I tested mine to make sure it was as strong as I wanted it to be by mounting it and standing on top, right in the middle of the rack. It sagged maybe 1/4", and I weigh 190lbs. That's more than I plan to put up there, so I'm calling it good.

Mine is going to stay a flat rack, so I won't be adding the vertical pieces or the top hoop. The warping was a pain in the rear, though. When I burned in the cross bars and set up the main frame, it looked like a taco when I was done. I had to flip it and jump on the center a few times to flatten it out again.

Well thanks! I have had me and 4 other people standing/ sitting up on it averaged of 180ish per person lets say. Mostly all on side or cross support bars and a little where there is no support on the expanded metal but still a decent bit of weight.

I see, I mostly just like how having the top look looks with all the vertical pieces. And the upper supports are nice for mounting my Yakima FatCat to.

My warping was not as bad as I thought it would be but I also was able to use both the top and bottom against each other so there was twice as much to bend when it was time to do the final welds.

 

[rickashay]

Wow [MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION] the rig is looking great. I immedietly noticed the mods to the front bumper and was like OMG. The LED's look like they belong there too. very clean and top notch execution. Maybe I missed it, but are the LED's Eagle Eyes?

It's great coming back here and seeing framiliar names. Some people have moved onto new rigs, but it's cool to see you out and exploring. Love that photo set with you and [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION].

Hope your doing well man, the puppy and your daughter sure are growing up fast!

 

[4-Ripcord]

Thanks, Drew. I have no plans to mount lights on the rack at this point, although I do have plans for lighting upgrades in locations other than the rack. I'm kind of old school... my camp lights are either a Coleman lantern, a fire, or a maglight/headlamp.



Thanks, Jim. Regarding the gears, you must have missed this post a few pages back...



The rear e-locker has 4.88's in it, and is ready to go. The front is fully functional with 4.10's. All I need to do is call ECGS and place an order for a 4.88 front w/an ARB, then send them back the spare front diff as a core. At that point I can install the re-geared diffs at my leisure and keep my factory set on hand. I just counted my slush fund, and it's a few bucks shy of $1500. I'm not sure what's holding me up, especially in light of the fact that you get a free compressor with the purchase of an ARB locker through June 15th.

I guess I just need to decide if I want this thing double locked or not. I keep weighing the opportunity costs. A front locker that I'll use once or twice a year versus a very capable truck with 4.88's and a rear locker only plus say....

Kimber 1911 or...
A nice AR-15 or...
More backpacking gear or...
Plasma cutter or...
Nice camera or...
A week of fancy fishing or...
... something of that sort.

I did indeed miss that post, but very cool! I myself have been mulling over the same decision up front. If I already had a winch like you though, I know what I would do.. hello gun store.

BTW I cannot recommend ECGS highly enough, very well setup diffs that ship extremely fast. The diffs I had that broke were both stockers. After talking with a salesperson there for a bit, they explained how you can tune the tooth overlap for more strength and how OEM diffs are setup with very little overlap to keep it quiet. Something my young ignorant self did not know at the time, but makes perfect since. Had I known that, I would have avoided the situations that broke my diffs in the first place.

 

[TBuzz]

I vote for a locker you will love it. I have some new vids to share both in the rocks and in the snow that may help persuade you. In the rocks it is nice even when not necessary bc you can really finesse the climb. With zero front wheel spin I feel less likely to break when one tire gets in the air..and in the snow well it is like a tank.

 

[Dirtco]

I vote for a locker you will love it. I have some new vids to share both in the rocks and in the snow that may help persuade you. In the rocks it is nice even when not necessary bc you can really finesse the climb. With zero front wheel spin I feel less likely to break when one tire gets in the air..and in the snow well it is like a tank.

Yep, I have to agree. It also gets rid of the weak stock spider gears.