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

[poleclimber63]

The '97 has never been my Wife's vehicle, and neither will the Tacoma. That would be lunacy! My Wife is actually not a terrible driver, but she has had two small accidents in the last year. She is forbidden from driving the '01 unsupervised, and the same will go with the Tacoma. I let her drive the '97 because I don't have as much time in it.

She has her own 4Runner, a 2000 SR5 with some basic mods.

Based on your comments about too many vehicles, I think you can understand why the '97 will be moving on. I hope that my Daughter will like spending time in the garage with me, and I'd be ecstatic if she got into wrenching. Any time that I can spend with her will be good time, I'm sure. They definitely grow fast, and I'm getting stoked that she's getting big enough to start hiking and fishing with me.

I'm happy for you that you're getting some quality time in with your kids before they head off to college and get sucked into the land of women and booze.

Wow, you must have a huge garage! 3 4Runners! And now a Taco! Yup, hard decisions! I thought I had a lot of vehicles parked around our place! At the moment, I've got 7 vehicles out front and in the driveway! A work truck, my Wifes' Lancer, the 4Runner, my m sons's Eclipse, my Corolla(used by my y son for School), my oldest sons' Accord and his soon to be wrecker fodder 89 Mazda with a blown tranny.... if no one takes it in the next week, it's leaving on a flatbed...$350 investment and some elbow grease, over 3 yrs... not bad.
I'm happy for you in that you'll be able to teach your little girl how to fish and enjoy the outdoors! You live in such an awesome part of the country, which allows easy access to the great outdoors. I remember taking the kids bike riding and camping, they really loved it, and so did my Wife and I. When they hit 13, it was no longer cool to hang with Mom and Dad! Luckily, now that they're entering their 20's, Mom and Dad actually know something! Enjoy every moment! Luckily, 2 of 3 still want our company! I get to build computers with my youngest and wrench with the middle...wow!

Luckily, only the oldest has discovered booze and girls. Unfortunately, his colitis and booze don't mix (thank god for universal Canadian health care...) and he hasn't found THE right girl...

If I get the chance to do my suspension this Spring, I'll get my sons' help and post a thread with pics!

 

[Toyotapro1]

What is the part number for the TRD headers for the late model years like this? All i seem to locate are late 90's Tacoma and T100.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I went out with [MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION] and did some wheeling in the 4Runner...

This climb got really sketchy when I decided inadvertently to do it with the center diff (T-case) unlocked and both F/R axle lockers engaged.... Oops!

This guy almost went ass over teakettle on this climb... He was sweating.

I decided to go up this and broke my first CV. I popped it right at the top as I was making the last foot or two of the climb. After swapping it out in less than 30 minutes, I think I'm convinced that I need a DeWalt cordless impact wrench like the one Chris had.

Belly skid for the win...

After Chris and I swapped the CV...

The new 295/75 BFG KO2's stuff/clear well...

4Runner kissing a rock...

One big ass Taco...

Scenery....

Crazy ass line that you would think only the big rigs could go up...

Chris thought otherwise... (and did it pretty much without a spot, just a lookout on my part for signs of major trouble)

The end.

 

[Kowitz]

Damn, awesome pictures. At this point, I don't ever see myself doing runs like that, but it sure is awesome to see what these rigs are capable of!

My view points will likely change, because I have issues not modifying vehicles I own!

Amazing pictures!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Thanks, Kowitz. Many of the photos, especially those of my rig, were shot by [MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION] , so the credit is not all mine.

In fact, he's the one who really knows the area and has been showing me around. If you want to see some even crazier stuff, go check out his thread.

 

[4runner_dreamer]

Hey, [MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION], do you have some sort of set up for your fishing poles in the truck? I've been through your build thread a couple of times and I don't think, or remember seeing, any kind of set up. I will be doing a butt load of fishing this summer and am trying to come up with different ways to securely and creatively secure my poles.

Excellent work on the Runner too, man! Throughly enjoying your build!

Nate

 

[Tundra9er]

Man that's one awesome 4Runner....wish i could half the things you've done. Nice photos as well. Mines a grocery getter for the most part but it's nice to see what they are capable of with enough time and effort.

 

[Fishwerks]

Looks like a good run! How are you liking the new BFGs? What prompted the switch to 295s?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Hey, BigFishAllDay, do you have some sort of set up for your fishing poles in the truck? I've been through your build thread a couple of times and I don't think, or remember seeing, any kind of set up. I will be doing a butt load of fishing this summer and am trying to come up with different ways to securely and creatively secure my poles.

Excellent work on the Runner too, man! Throughly enjoying your build!

Nate

Hey, Nate! I thought back through all of the trip reports, and I could only think of one picture that shows how I carry rods. What I've done is stretch bungee cords between the grab handles above the rear seats, creating a place for the middle of the rods to rest. The reels / handles of the rods rest on top of my cargo box. I take another bungee cord and loop it from the cargo tie down at the base of the box, up and over the rod handles, then back down to the cargo tie down. That keeps the handles of the rods in place. So far I've never had the rods move around, it's easy access to get them out, and I can stick a 9 foot fly rod fully assembled into that spot (tip touches the top of the windshield). Also, the rods do not interfere with passenger head room.

The best pic I have is the one below. Thanks for the compliment on the 4Runner.

Man that's one awesome 4Runner....wish i could half the things you've done. Nice photos as well. Mines a grocery getter for the most part but it's nice to see what they are capable of with enough time and effort.

Thank you! Even if you never get around to doing this sort of thing, you can be damn sure your 4Runner will handle anything you throw at it and still get you home in one piece.

Looks like a good run! How are you liking the new BFGs? What prompted the switch to 295s?

They hook up nicely on the rocks, but I still can't say otherwise. I got the BFGs just to try something new. I've had three sets of Duratracs now and always stuck with them because of the winter/snow performance they offered in addition to the sticky rubber for rocks. Now that the KO2 is out, it's getting awesome reviews in all the same areas as the Duratracs, which was enough for me to try a set.

As far as size, I got these through the DT 100 off 400 promotion, and they weren't offering 285/75's during that sale. I checked the specs on these and they are 33.4 new vs. new 285 Duratracs at 33.1. I decided I'd go with a true 33 that will stay 33" or better as it wears. The increase in size is barely noticeable, but I figured why not?

 

[Unner]

Truck looks fantastic as always Nick! Quick question, what do you use to hook the winch line up to the stinger?

 

[sschaefer3]

Our 2012 4Runner has KO2's great tires. My kids 1997 4Runner has 255/85/16 KM2's nice as well. But my 2001 4R with Marlin Ultimate has MT/R's, my Ftoy has MT/R's, My Military truck has MT/R's and my M1101 Trailer has MT/R's.

Try those some time.

http://www.sonoransteel.com/Summit/GOPR0055.MP4

(The file is 800 mb)

No I did not need a spot on Black Bear the dude just happened to be standing there. Note how smooth the crawler takes it down, 100 to 1. Stock is 56 to 1 and I still have a 225 to 1 crawl. With all 3 down. I have been telling Tbuzz to get a crawler.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Truck looks fantastic as always Nick! Quick question, what do you use to hook the winch line up to the stinger?

It's top secret. I might start my own company founded on that product, and I don't want anyone to cop my idea. :tape2:

Our 2012 4Runner has KO2's great tires. My kids 1997 4Runner has 255/85/16 KM2's nice as well. But my 2001 4R with Marlin Ultimate has MT/R's, my Ftoy has MT/R's, My Military truck has MT/R's and my M1101 Trailer has MT/R's.

Try those some time.

No I did not need a spot on Black Bear the dude just happened to be standing there. Note how smooth the crawler takes it down, 100 to 1. Stock is 56 to 1 and I still have a 225 to 1 crawl. With all 3 down. I have been telling Tbuzz to get a crawler.

I've noticed that you're a fan of the MTR's. They have always been on my short list... maybe the next round. The KO2's got torn up pretty bad on that last trip and it wasn't even a full day of wheeling. We'll see how they look after summer is over.

I'm sure BB was a piece of cake with the crawl box... you probably didn't even need your brakes much. (note: I have not downloaded/watched that video yet)

 

[Unner]

It's top secret. I might start my own company founded on that product, and I don't want anyone to cop my idea. :tape2:

Darn. Looks like I'll just bust out the packing tape and super glue. That should hold it on there good! :tea:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Summer is coming, and I've been spending some time getting the '01 ready for wheeling season.

In the past week I've done the following:

- Change oil & filter
- New air filter
- Cleaned MAF sensor
- Updated the tune on the URD AIC/FTC (dropped overpressure setting >0.5 and added a little more fuel at high boost levels)
- Calibrated wideband 02 Sensor
- Pulled spark plugs for inspection, looking good
- Purchase and re-boot OEM CV axle to replace spare
- Got my CB up and running again, hasn't worked in over a year...blown fuse.
- Installed Wheelers Superbumps up front
- Swapped over the 130A alternator from the Tacoma
- Swapped over the Warn M8000s from the Tacoma
- Re-organized rear storage box, eliminated unused items
- Mounted hi-lift base to rear bumper swing out
- Added some fishing stickers
- Added an ARB Tire Repair kit to tool box
- Picked up an OD green Trasharoo... and will someday post a picture of actual TRASH inside.

Still need to do the following to get completely up to date on maintenance:

- Drain/Fill F/R diffs... the Lucas 85w140 is too thick, I'll be going back to 75w90 up front and 80w90 in the back.
- Remove, apply blue threadlocker, and set proper torque on DS LBJ bolts.
- Set proper torque on DS CV axle nut.
- Inspect and if neccessary, replace, UBJs on SPC UCAs.
- Lube driveshafts
- Yearly alignment
- New windshield

Some pictures...

The post mortem on the broken CV... outer bearing cage exploded, and the star had cracking/damage in several places.

A tiny set of gloved hands found themselves curiously attracted to the shiny ball bearings...

A side benefit of breaking the CV was that I now have spare CV axle parts... These two will be cut down to create plugs for the wheel bearing and the front diff ( a la [MENTION=67615]Dirtco[/MENTION] ) and carried in the rig in case I ever have issues with the diff.

I always planned on cannibalizing one of my spare CVs to create these plugs in the field if I had to, but that would be a huge mess, so I figure it's better to make some out of the spare parts.

Alternator swapped from the Tacoma. The 4Runner needed it more than the Taco.

Warn M8000s swapped from the Tacoma. The Taco got the Smittybilt XCR8 Comp. I prefer the better winch on the rig that gets wheeled harder. I retained the in cab controls, of course.

Sidenote: BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN SPOOLING YOUR WINCH CABLE, especially if you're doing it by yourself. I was re-spooling the cable on this thing and the end of the line caught me by surprise and pulled my hand into the fairlead. Fortunately there was no hook on the line, just the tube thimble. I was wearing heavy welding gloves and the thimble caught my glove as it got sucked in, completely blowing out the section covering my right pointer finger and knuckle, and tearing the skin off the side of my finger between the knuckle and the first joint. Had I not had the gloves on I'm fairly sure I would have lost my finger.

It was a stupid mistake on my part in that I wasn't paying close enough attention, and I should have waited for a second set of eyes/hands to help me with the process. It scared the shit out of me, though, and gave me a whole new respect for the ruthless power of an electric winch. I now understand why they place stickers all over them showing hands getting smashed and fingers amputated.

Never let your guard down, folks.

Wheelers Superbumps up front... I anticipate that these may be problematic and have to come back off. They sit very close to the lower limit strap bracket and I'm concerned that they'll put rotational force on it during compression and eventually loosen the lower shock mounting bolt/nut. If so, they'll be coming off. I don't want to run them on the rear of the LCA because they would interfere with removing the CV axle, and would have to be removed for a field repair.

Mounting solution for the Hi-Lift base... on top of my tire carrier, on the bracket I added during the rebuild.

I also got all my small spare parts, adhesives, fuses, etc organized in a fishing tackle box, which makes them much easier to find/remove from my storage box.

Last, new fishing stickers... (CO version on the opposite side)

 

[Volcom]

Sidenote: BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL WHEN SPOOLING YOUR WINCH CABLE, especially if you're doing it by yourself. I was re-spooling the cable on this thing and the end of the line caught me by surprise and pulled my hand into the fairlead. Fortunately there was no hook on the line, just the tube thimble. I was wearing heavy welding gloves and the thimble caught my glove as it got sucked in, completely blowing out the section covering my right pointer finger and knuckle, and tearing the skin off the side of my finger between the knuckle and the first joint. Had I not had the gloves on I'm fairly sure I would have lost my finger.

It was a stupid mistake on my part in that I wasn't paying close enough attention, and I should have waited for a second set of eyes/hands to help me with the process. It scared the shit out of me, though, and gave me a whole new respect for the ruthless power of an electric winch. I now understand why they place stickers all over them showing hands getting smashed and fingers amputated.

Never let your guard down, folks.

Ouch! I'm glad you've still got all 10 fingers. Can't wait to get some wheeling in with ya this summer!!

 

[shouldbeasy]

If anyone wants to be freaked out about fingers and hands around moving items just google 'degloving'. Enough to scare anyone to be careful.

I was taught that if you wouldn't stick your penis in there, don't stick your hand in there!!!

Glad you made it out unscathed - the older I get the more I think that there is no replacement for experience.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Moab: RT 2016

Round three for the '01 in Moab...

I got some trails checked off that have been on my wish list since the first trip:

-Trifecta (Poison Spider Mesa > Golden Spike > Gold Bar Rim)
-La Sal Pass

Also, took the rig up Moab Rim as far as the Z-turn, where I parked it and rode passenger the rest of the way after watching [MENTION=95069]TBuzz[/MENTION] nearly go over sideways.

All in all a good trip, with no breakage and lots of good wheeling & company.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

On the way home I took the long route and did some fishing near Ridgeway, then went through Ouray to see some mountains, and finally caught up with TBuzz again in Durango for a second day of fishing.

Tbuzz bringing saltwater flats style fishing to the southern rockies...

 

[JBurt]

Love the pics. Moab is in my list.

What you posted makes what we did with the socal group did today look like daycare.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Nice fish! Beautiful scenery!