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

[BigFishAllDay]

Decisions, decisions....

I got to playing with a photo of my 4Runner in MS Paint (who needs photoshop?), and put together a few photos to give me an idea of what it would look like with the color scheme I have envisioned for it. I edited the photo progressively to see what it would look like in stages. Right now the front/rear bumpers and fender flares are Rhino-Lined and color matched to the rest of the vehicle. I'm thinking of getting the color changed to black for the flares and rear bumper, and getting an ARB or equivalent for the front.

As it sits right now....

With fender flares re-done in black...

Now do the rear bumper too...

And add an ARB front bumper...with black rear bumper...

 

[Maritimer]

I love this vehicle. Having a northern 2001 with bumper rust, I'd take yours in a heartbeat, with that Rhino stuff and everything.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I'd leave the body alone for the most part and avoid the rhino liner and just go with better armor (bumpers and sliders) if your going to take it off road but it looks in such good shape it would be a shame to mess with the paint.

I'd first get it lifted and get better tires,then sliders.

 

[bigtimeweb]

I'd leave the body alone for the most part and avoid the rhino liner and just go with better armor (bumpers and sliders) if your going to take it off road but it looks in such good shape it would be a shame to mess with the paint.

I'd first get it lifted and get better tires,then sliders.

+1

The color scheme is so slick and clean already.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Thanks for the input guys. I have a Sonoran Steel 1.2 Lift sitting on my kitchen floor, I've just been so tied up with work and other things that I haven't had a chance to get it on the vehicle. Hopefully I can start on it tomorrow and get it finished up by early next week.

RE the tires, I keep going back and forth between 265/75 Duratracs w/the stock wheels (to avoid clearance issues w/the A-arms), and 285/75's with aftermarket wheels. I don't want to use spacers because I don't want to have issues with tire shops not wanting to work on it. Also, I'm hesitant to go with 265/75's because I think they'd look a bit small with the SS 1.2. Then I get to thinking about wheels, and I don't want to do black because it's become so trendy, but on the other hand it looks so good. Anyway, decisions decisions.

 

[fightman80]

Great find man! I'm jealous as hell!:cry2:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

The TRD supercharger kits come with badging that the previous owner didn't install on the truck, so I took a look on ebay and found a guy selling a set of install instructions and the complete set of badges from a supercharger for an FJ. The badges are the same, so I picked them up and put them on my 4Runner earlier today. I liked the sleeper look, but I'm gonna try these out and see if they grow on me. For $14, I couldn't go wrong.

I put them in the same location on the front doors as the "Sport Edition" badging found on 2002 models. I think they look pretty clean in that spot, and it's hard to tell they didn't come on the truck from the factory.

As soon as I get a chance, I'm going to remove the "Toyota" badge on the lower right hand side of the rear hatch. I think it looks out of place and throws off the balance of the rear end.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I see you Rhinolined your flares and bumper and painting them body color made a world of difference since black would've hurt the overall look;very nice job.

As far as the rear badging,I suggest removing the TOYOTA completely and replacing it with one of those nice TRD badges that mimic the OEM badges. I think having a badge at each corner will make the rear look a bit cluttered and I like badges but 4 is too much IMO.

Like this:
New Chrome Logo 3D Decal Emblem---TRD: eBay Motors (item 120611516132 end time Sep-19-10 05:10:11 PDT)


Here's the original listing for TRD emblems
http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?...ges&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p4506.m270.l1313

 

[BigFishAllDay]

RonMAIDEN,

You must have missed it earlier in the thread, but I bought the vehicle with the Rhino Liner already applied. The previous owner had it done and it's been like that since the day I brought it home. I was simply considering changing the color of the existing liner to black.

Also, RE the TRD emblems, thanks for the links. The one you linked to looks a little cheap because the lower half loop on the "R" is thinner than it should be. I am familiar with those emblems though, because I have one on the front grille of my Supra. I may go that route eventually, and if so I'll find a badge like the one on my supra that looks completely OEM.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Doh,I guess I did miss it but it does look better body color than black.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

In anticipation of a vacation I have coming up.... (I only have to work 4 days over the next 7 weeks!).... I went on another parts binge today and called URD. I talked with Gadget for about an hour about what I wanted out of my 4Runner, and ended up ordering:

-URD Additional Injector Controller with Timing Calibrator
-190 LPH fuel pump
-Innovate DB Wideband A/F Ratio Guage (Blue LED)
-2.2" Supergrip Pulley
-A new set of Denso IK22 Iridium Spark Plugs

This should round out everything I want to do with the supercharger. So in the next 7 weeks I've got to install the Sonoran Steel 1.2 Lift sitting in my kitchen, all of the stuff listed above, the boost and trans. temp guage, and the lotek pillar pod. Lots of work ahead.

Next up will be getting some wheels/tires on it, then pulling the valve body and shipping it off to IPT.

Presto! 300 horsepower & the transmission to handle it, Lifted, 33's... then onto the bumper/sliders and possibly an ARB air locker for the rear diff.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

SS 1.2, Andymod 2.0, Slight De-badge

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"

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I Removed the small "TOYOTA" badge on the lower pass side to balance out the look of the tailgate. I thought that one badge just looked out of place.

Before:

After:

And the good old AndyMod 2.0, so I can have a little more fun with the supercharger and burn some tread off these old tires before I get new ones...

Next up: Guages & URD 7th injector upgrade Kit with 2.2" pulley, Wheels, Tires, and Front Bumper!!

 

[brian2sun]

Good work man! Looks great!

 

[quicksilvr]

Nicely done! I'm glad you're doing the engine right and ensuring correct fueling with the supernatural aspiration.


Maybe I missed it....what tires are you going with? Once the tires are on....man, this rig will look complete!

 

[BigFishAllDay]

quicksilvr,

As far as tires, I was sure I was going with Duratracs, but then I found out they only come in an "E" load rating in the 285/75-16 size... I'm not sure if I want an "E" on the truck. I've also been reading that KM2's are actually just about as quiet, and I think they are avail in a "D" in that size.

I considered the BFG A/T's because a guy had some on C-list for a decent price, but I've heard they are less than confidence inspiring in the rain, and I deal with heavy rain here in the summer.

I want an aggressive looking tire, with good off/on road manners, that handles well in the rain, but the kicker is I also need snow performance. Given that, I'll probably go with the Duratracs and just put up with the stiff sidewall.

 

[Hepar]

quicksilvr,

As far as tires, I was sure I was going with Duratracs, but then I found out they only come in an "E" load rating in the 285/75-16 size... I'm not sure if I want an "E" on the truck. I've also been reading that KM2's are actually just about as quiet, and I think they are avail in a "D" in that size.

I considered the BFG A/T's because a guy had some on C-list for a decent price, but I've heard they are less than confidence inspiring in the rain, and I deal with heavy rain here in the summer.

I want an aggressive looking tire, with good off/on road manners, that handles well in the rain, but the kicker is I also need snow performance. Given that, I'll probably go with the Duratracs and just put up with the stiff sidewall.

That thing is looking sweet! I agree. Once tires are on that thing, it's going to look even better. I've had 3 sets of A/T's and live in the rainy NW. Love them.

 

[quicksilvr]

quicksilvr,

As far as tires, I was sure I was going with Duratracs, but then I found out they only come in an "E" load rating in the 285/75-16 size... I'm not sure if I want an "E" on the truck. I've also been reading that KM2's are actually just about as quiet, and I think they are avail in a "D" in that size.

I considered the BFG A/T's because a guy had some on C-list for a decent price, but I've heard they are less than confidence inspiring in the rain, and I deal with heavy rain here in the summer.

I want an aggressive looking tire, with good off/on road manners, that handles well in the rain, but the kicker is I also need snow performance. Given that, I'll probably go with the Duratracs and just put up with the stiff sidewall.

The BFG A/T's bad rap for rain handling doesn't really apply any more. The original A/T's are where that came from...however the newest version (A/T KO) don't have any issues with rain or wet roads. I had 285/75 BFG A/T KO's on my '96, and they were awesome. Only time I noticed anything was when I hit a couple inches of standing water at 65mph. lol.

I would highly recommend the BFG A/T KO's in 285's.


As far as E-load range goes....my BFG's were E's. Didn't seem too stiff to me. I think most people that say E sidewalls feel to stiff are riding on OME lifts....which have a stiffer ride than the SS lifts and the Toytec lifts.


E-range Duratracs or BFG A/T's would both be sweet.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Today I got the wheels/tires on and got the truck aligned... went with ProComp 8069's on the wheels, and 285/75/16 Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs on the tires.

I had to get a new set of lugnuts to install these wheels because the bore on the extended thread section of the factory lugs is larger than the bore of the lug holes on the wheels. I tried several different lugs made by Gorilla including 13/16", 3/4", and spline drives. In the end I went with their lugnut model # 41138ET, which fit the wheels lug bore perfectly, gave me 14 turns of thread engagement, and are a 3/4" drive so I don't have to get a thin wall socket to get them on/off.

Links for the lugnuts:

http://www.gorilla-auto.com/lug.nuts.page_08

And the cheapest price I found on purchasing them:

http://www.brandsport.com/grla-41138et.html

Before:

After:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Details.........

At the tire shop... some before pictures of the whole truck and the way the wheels sit versus the edge of the fender flares (to compare offset before vs. after).

Info on the wheels (straight off the manufacturer's label for anyone who's curious):

Wheels and tires installed, just after alignment... still have to do some cutting....

Time to do some trimming....

Trimming done... no rubbing for now, gotta flex it out and see what happens...

Front offset after:

Overall: