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

[Road Bull]

Those look like pretty perfect snow wheeling conditions man. How did you like the Cooper STT Pros in the snow? What did the young pup think of all the snow?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Love the snow pics! looking good Nick :bigok:

Thanks, Sam! I've been following your thread, and the new bumper turned out great. I like your version with the flat top, it looks very clean.

Those look like pretty perfect snow wheeling conditions man. How did you like the Cooper STT Pros in the snow? What did the young pup think of all the snow?

One of the best days in the snow that I've experienced, for sure. The Coopers did well enough.. it seemed like the Duratracs on the FJ had better bite in the snow. I didn't air down much, only went to 18 psi.

The real game changer was the front locker. I was cruising right up sections of trail where the FJ had to use a lot of skinny pedal. Had the 4Runner locked up F/R most of the day and it was awesome to feel it claw through the deep stuff.

The dog was not impressed with the snow, he preferred that we both stay in the rig with the heater running.

 

[B4Him2Day]

Looks Great!

I got the chance to do some work on the 2001 this week, and I got the Sonoran Steel 1.2 installed, did the AndyMod 2.0 (to disable trac/vsc), and took off one of the badges on the tailgate.

The lift was a lot more difficult that I expected, taking 2 days by myself being meticulous, but there was definitely a learning curve to it. The hardest parts were getting the front lower shock bolts in, installing the extended brake lines, and getting the lower eyes on the rear shocks onto the mounts. On to the pics.

Before the lift (pass side):

After the lift (pass side):

Before the lift (driver's side):

After the lift (driver's side):

CV Angles... before:

And after the diff. drop:

Front lift complete... Prerunner style with the ass hangin' low:

Almost done on the rear...still had to get the extended brake lines in and hook up the panhard bar...

And Viola!!! Done.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I ended up getting about 4" of lift on the front and 4.5" in the rear. It should come down a bit after an alignment because it has some positive camber up front, and the rear springs will settle. Also, it came at a perfect time because I found that both of my rear shocks were toast once I got them off the truck.

I took before and after measurements from the center of the hub to the fender, and from ground to fender on both the front and rear... these measurements are lift only, no tires, and we're taken immediately following the install so they do not reflect any settling in the new springs.

FRONT:

Driver's Side, Before: Ground to fender = 33", center of hub to fender = 18 7/8"
Driver's Side, After: Ground to fender = 37", center of hub to fender = ???, forgot to measure

Passenger's Side, Before: Ground to fender = 33.5", center of hub to fender = 19 1/8"
Passenger's Side, After: Ground to fender = 37 1/8", center of hub to fender = ???, forgot to measure

Based on these measurements, the front gained about 4 inches of lift. It also appears that the factory coil on the driver's side had sagged quite a bit. Both front shocks were also going bad.

REAR:

Driver's Side, Before: Ground to fender = 34 3/8", center of hub to fender = 20.25"
Driver's Side, After: Ground to fender = 38 7/8", center of hub to fender = 24.5"

Passenger's Side, Before: Ground to fender = 34 3/8", center of hub to fender = 20.5"
Passenger's Side, After: Ground to fender = 38 7/8", center of hub to fender = 24.5"

Based on these measurements, the rear gained about 4.5 inches of lift. These measurements were taken without the spare tire mounted under the vehicle.

It was slightly raked before, but picked up an additional 1/2" of front to back rake from the lift. The amount of rake didn't end up where I thought it would be, and that's a good thing. I'll take more measurements down the road to see how the springs settle out.

EDIT 2/19/11:

I just measured it after installing the sliders, these measurements are with 285/75r16 GY Wrangler Duratracs installed as well (previous measurements were on 265/70r16's)... Ground to Fender........

Front Driver/Pass. sides: 38"

Rear Driver/Pass. sides: 40"

Very nice. Great job, really appreciate you adding the before/after specs!

 

[B4Him2Day]

This is quite the Thread! Question...

I read early on that you bypassed the stock Radiator Tranny Cooler and added a separate one with the nice Tranny Temp gauge. Did this cause any hill climb high temps or slow ride temp rises? I knew you would have great experience with this question! Thanks.

 

[habanero]

Looks like a good trip, truck looks good, pup looks like he's getting big.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Very nice. Great job, really appreciate you adding the before/after specs!

Thanks. I did a much better job of documenting things early in the build than I do now.

In the future, please do everyone a favor and remove the majority of the photos/text from the quote if you are quoting a long post like that. All of the repetitive content clutters up a thread fast.

I read early on that you bypassed the stock Radiator Tranny Cooler and added a separate one with the nice Tranny Temp gauge. Did this cause any hill climb high temps or slow ride temp rises? I knew you would have great experience with this question! Thanks.

I currently have TWO external trans coolers plumbed in series (the TRD trans cooler and a B&M 70264), and have bypassed the stock cooler. I have to work hard to get my trans temps above 150, even in the summer. Under the most abusive conditions (ie driving in deep sand, uphill, on a hot day in 4 low) they never run above 210, and only for brief periods. Temps can be managed through gear selection and paying attention to torque converter lockup as well. An OBD2 interface (SG2, torque app, etc) is handy for monitoring things in real time.

Looks like a good trip, truck looks good, pup looks like he's getting big.

Thanks, Hab. The puppy was 9lbs when we got him on 11/1 and I weighed him at 27lbs a few days ago. He's going to be a tank.

 

[owyheerat]

The dog was not impressed with the snow, he preferred that we both stay in the rig with the heater running.

This made me laugh...too funny! Nick great pics, I always look forward to your posts!

I didn't comment when you initially posted your trip report (before this one), but I wanted to commend you for being a good dad and making it a priority to spend time with your family. Well done! Also, I absolutely love the pic of your youngest daughter on the front bumper as a 'hood ornament'

Take care and Happy New Year!

Durwin

 

[DNAPKIV]

Jealousy

So jealous after just the first page of this thread. That is a ton of work, time and money put into this and Im sure its a part of the family. I bought my 2001 about 4 months ago and have been looking into some things that have to be done. Great write up and pictures. You sir are a star.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

This made me laugh...too funny! Nick great pics, I always look forward to your posts!

I didn't comment when you initially posted your trip report (before this one), but I wanted to commend you for being a good dad and making it a priority to spend time with your family. Well done! Also, I absolutely love the pic of your youngest daughter on the front bumper as a 'hood ornament'

Take care and Happy New Year!

Durwin

Hey Durwin, thanks for checking out the post. The dog has gotten used to the snow since then... he's a big fan of it now. Thanks for the encouragement on the fatherly duties. Family time is the best time, and I can't wait to get these girls more involved in the outdoor activities I love.

Speaking of, I got my 6yo in a kayak for her first river float last weekend. Take care, and I hope 2019 is great for you as well.

So jealous after just the first page of this thread. That is a ton of work, time and money put into this and Im sure its a part of the family. I bought my 2001 about 4 months ago and have been looking into some things that have to be done. Great write up and pictures. You sir are a star.

You've got it all wrong man. My rig and I are old news... plus I have baby tires on my 4Runner. Real men run 35's on this forum now. out:

I was just telling my wife the other day how my 4Runner is like an old dog that I hope never dies... it is a part of the family. Thanks for the compliments, for checking out the build, and for taking the time to comment.

Since I'm here I ought to post a recent picture... the 4Runner and some mountains last Saturday.

 

[Taylor20]

Definently no "old news". Even years after getting hooked on 3rd gens, I still look at your build for inspiration. Fact: when I'm about to mod something, I generally see how you and a few other OG's did it.

I recently bought the same front mud guards you did and still need to install them.

I'd love to see more updates from you on here, even if its just of somewhere your rig went.

 

[Bandit Runner]

Love the graphics stripes you put on the 4Runner. Very nicely designed.

 

[Dreadnaught]

Wow!

Took me 20 minutes to read about this beauty. VERY impressive!

 

[poleclimber63]

Wow, definitely not old news!! I love your 4R! I've been following your mods and adventures for some years! Hard to believe your daughter is 8 now. Maybe she'll be asking to borrow it in a few years--- I don't doubt your 4R will still be in the driveway in 8 yrs....
I've had 4 co-workers acquire 3rd gens over the last 5 or so years and I always refer them to this site and your thread on the TBU. I still own my 98' 4R, and I don't see a time where I'll ever let it go. After I sold my boat, my Wife asked me why I don't sell the 4Runner, my response was, how am I going to get you to work in a snow storm?? That worked.
After my son went through an Eclipse (x2), Civic SI, he finally embraced Toyota (he liked my 02 Celica). He just picked up a 94' Celica. We have some work to do on it--- here we go again!

The latest pic of my 4R:

 

[Road Bull]

Hey man, hope all is well with you and the fam. I believe I will be going back to 285/75/16s in the nearish future. I was wondering how you still feel about your Cooper STT Pros. I am currently running them in the 315/75/16. I was considering trying the ST Maxx this time too, but prices are all over the place on pretty much all tires atm.

 

[Back4More]

Rest in Peace man

Read about your passing on another forum and was sad to hear that. You have been a helluva contributor. Rest in peace BFAD.

 

[rickashay]

Heard about the bad news a few months ago. Such a shame. Nick was a legend in the 4Runner community. I had hundreds of interactions with him and even chatted with him on the phone a few times. I'm bummed I wasn't able to meet him in person when I drove through New Mexico several years ago despite our best efforts. Sad to see him go, especially so young and with a family as well.

Thanks for all your contributions Nick. RIP

 

[BrianSD_42]

I’m extremely sad to read this. I don’t keep up with T4R as much lately definitely was taken by surprise. RIP Nick.

 

[quicksilvr]

Oh man. This is so sad to hear. Nick is the ONLY person that I called on the phone to talk to about a supercharged 4runner….having never met him. He will be missed. RIP Nick.

 

[octanejunkie]

I’m extremely sad to read this. I don’t keep up with T4R as much lately definitely was taken by surprise. RIP Nick.

Don't be a stranger, man.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

 

[Hepar]

I dropped off this forum when the bots got super bad. Not much after I dropped off social media as well. I haven't received any notifications from t4r.org in well over a year and just got one that referenced this thread. Absolute shocker to read. Never met in person, but we had several interactions via chat or phone. Especially when I added a S/C. Was always extremely helpful and so generous with his time.

Can anyone tell me what happened? You can send me a private message.