Kmurt's 2001 T4R

[Kmurt]

2001 Toyota 4Runner SR5 4x4
Imperial Jade Mica
3.4L/Auto/4:10 Gears
211,000 miles

Intro
After periodically viewing this site and realizing how reliable and simple these 4Runners are, I decided to buy a 3rd gen 4Runner. Luckily for me I bought my moms, who bought it brand new back in 2001. I've been riding in this 4Runner since I was 8 years old, now it's mine. The purpose of this 4Runner is currently a daily driver and occasional offroader, but one day to become a second vehicle that will take me on adventures.

Current picture 9/2/2018
20180628_143836

Oldest picture a could find (~2014)
IMG_0742

Suspension
-OME 880 Front
-OME 906 Rear
-Bilstein Tundra 5100 Front and Rear

Upgrades and Mods
-B&M Trans cooler
-Tundra 231mm brakes
-Stainless steel brake lines
-4xInnovations rear swingout bumper
-Addicted Offroad Front Plate Bumper

Will continue to update thread...

 

[Gasper Jaspers]

Nice looking rig! Keep us posted on what you do next!

 

[Kmurt]

Undercarriage Clean Up
To sum things up, I really hate rust. The 4Runner was garaged kept its entire life up until 2013, then got kicked outside to park to allow new cars in the garage. Thankfully it had car washes in the winter and wasn't too neglected so the rust on this NJ 4Runner isn't too bad. The pictures were all taken about 2 years ago (2015) and now I only have to touch up spots here and there. I oil spray the whole undercarriage before every winter and it has been holding up great.

What I started with.
20150524_174622 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20150523_150450 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20150523_150300 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20150523_150245 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

Wire wheeling.
20150525_085607 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

My helper.
20150524_165449 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

After a couple coats of primer and Rustoleum paint.
20150526_152508 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20150601_150021 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

And finally, some oil.
20161112_152009 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20161112_152213 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr
20161112_152145 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

 

[Kmurt]

Stereo Upgrade and Scangauge Install
Listening to the stock radio everyday wasn't going to cut it for me. Decided to change the front door speakers, headunit, and add a 12 inch sub. These items are a must for me because I enjoy listening to my music. I had two Ford diesel pickup trucks (7.3's)prior to owning the 4Runner. The Scangauge is one of the best diagnostic tools I've used and they were a must when owning a diesel because monitoring temps are important. Works well in the 4Runner too and is a peace of mid to have.

-Pioneer head unit
-Infinity Primus 6502is front door speakers
-Sound Ordnance M-1500 Amp
-Sound Ordnance 12 inch sub

Out with the old.
20150605_092506 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

In with the new.
20150607_184400 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

I should have just installed my Scangauge at the same time, but was in a rush. So here is how that setup looked for about a year. Annoying, messy wire.
20150607_184414 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

All cleaned up. Minor trimming of the plastic was done to install.
20160213_143848 by Kyle Murtha, on Flickr

 

[Kotrin]

Very cool and nice clean-up. I sometimes wonder about the heavy salted area's that get that much salt. They must have a unsigned contract with new vehicle companies (I swear its a conspiracy).

 

[electroCrunch]

That's cool you've known the 4Runner since it was new. Nice rig. Keep up the good work.

 

[superdve]

Excellent work Kyle. I live in Detroit and just got my 3TR4 from Arizona to get a head start on rust. I will prepaint it before I take it out in the salt and it gets "Krown Oiled" before any salty use.

 

[rkymtnman]

NICE WORK on that undercarriage. That really looks sweet and cleans it up nicely.

Are those gears stock? I didn't think the 4r with autos came with 4.10s but I guess I really have no idea.

Sweet ride for sure.

 

[superdve]

NICE WORK on that undercarriage. That really looks sweet and cleans it up nicely.

Are those gears stock? I didn't think the 4r with autos came with 4.10s but I guess I really have no idea.

Sweet ride for sure.

My 02 SR5 has 4.30s in it. And I had to check that like 3 times! I think 3.90s are stock and 4.10s are available with the 265 tire option.

 

[superdve]

The Scangauge is one of the best diagnostic tools I've used and they were a must when owning a diesel because monitoring temps are important. Works well in the 4Runner too and is a peace of mid to have.

I like the scan gauge also. I run a Greddy Informeter Touch on my 02' SR5 that I used on my 71' Scamp when I was running the 2J on the JDM ECU. The Greddy doesn't have all the data pids I want so I use Torque Pro when I want more data. I have a Drewtech Mongoose Pro when I really need to run Techstream Pro. That gives you all the factory stuff. Can't beat these Toyotas with a Jeep!

 

[Kmurt]

Very cool and nice clean-up. I sometimes wonder about the heavy salted area's that get that much salt. They must have a unsigned contract with new vehicle companies (I swear its a conspiracy).

I cringe every time I drive in the salt. As a car enthusiast, it sucks living in the Northeast. Hard to find any cars/trucks that haven't taken the abuse of salt.

That's cool you've known the 4Runner since it was new. Nice rig. Keep up the good work.

Thanks! I have a big folder with every maintenance item from day 1. It's definitely nice to know everything about the 4Runner.

Excellent work Kyle. I live in Detroit and just got my 3TR4 from Arizona to get a head start on rust. I will prepaint it before I take it out in the salt and it gets "Krown Oiled" before any salty use.

Thanks! Make sure to keep that thing rust free. It's definitely a tough battle keeping the rust away. Try to hose off the undercarriage if you can in the winter too.

NICE WORK on that undercarriage. That really looks sweet and cleans it up nicely.

Are those gears stock? I didn't think the 4r with autos came with 4.10s but I guess I really have no idea.

Sweet ride for sure.

Appreciate the comment! Yes, 4:10 is the stock gearing on my 4Runner. Says it on the window sticker and I cruise right around 2000 RPM doing 65 MPH.

 

[Kmurt]

Tundra 231mm Brakes
I knew I was going to put on front and rear aftermarket bumpers, so this was a great upgrade to stop all the extra weight. My rear brakes were on their way out and I figured I might as well upgrade my front brakes to the Tundra's and do it all at once. I didn't feel too much of a difference when the Tundra's were on, but once I upgraded the original rubber brake lines to stainless steel, it was a great improvement. I bought the calipers on Rock Auto and everything else is Toyota OEM.

No pics of install, but here they are on. I painted them black.
https://flic.kr/p/P67WcA

 

[Kmurt]

4xInnovations Rear Bumper and Sonoran Steel Body Mounts
Needless to say, the rear bumper needed to be replaced. Surprisingly only two bolts had to be cut out and the rest came out with the helping of PB Blaster. Install was straight forward but definitely need someone to help lift the bumper. I spray canned with some black spray paint from Tractor Supply (can't remember the brand). Would get it powder coated next time though.

Old. Rusty.
20161221_130823

20161221_131025

20161223_121022

20161225_132138

Sonoran Steel body mounts installed.
20170101_084242

Just need the tire carrier...
20170114_090811

20170114_090958

Finished.
20170220_163034

 

[Kmurt]

Addicted Offroad Front Bumper
Like the rear, the front bumper had began showing signs of rust. I must have looked at every bumper option for the 3rd Gen's before deciding on Addicted Offroad's front plate bumper. I'll admit I was a little nervous installing it because it required the front end caps to be grinded off, but the finished product was well worth it.

In the process of removing old bumper.
20180422_091248

Grinding time.
20180422_093221

Glad that is over.
20180422_113254

Pre-paint and cutting of fender plastic.
20180507_081307

Done.
20180628_143836

 

[Kmurt]

Rear Diff Breather Extended Breather Mod
First off, I need to give credit to [MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] youtube channel for helping me with this. It took me a total of 2 hours to do it and will be a peace of mind down the road. Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCGMa4vng_g&t=909s

Old, but still worked after years of road salt and grime.
20180902_090156

Old next to new.
20180902_092434

Started from the top, worked my way down.
20180902_094038

20180902_101155

20180902_101206

20180902_111142

20180902_110939

20180902_110925

20180902_110341

 

[Kmurt]

Roof Rack End Caps
I bought a original Toyota roof rack a couple years back and when I put it on I noticed it didn't have the end caps. Finally got around to replacing them. Very simple, straight forward install.

Part numbers for left and right.
20181102_172140

How the setup was for a couple years.
20181103_091256

New cap installed.
20181103_093633
20181103_093721