Solid. It's a fun stage, that's for sure! Luckily, Black Friday and XMas is coming up and you should be able to score some deals in the next couple of months, especially for your big ticket items... :naughty:
I am definitely looking forward to Black Friday. I don't necessarily like the time frame that I would be installing (since I'm outdoors) but I would definitely like the prices. I'm trying to keep everything around 5k this go around. Then I can slow down and do little stuff when I get some time to wrench.
Exhaust system looks like it will be a necessity. I have a slight tick so that will likely be a shorty DT set with high flow cats from Magna and then a walker SS setup. $1500.
Leaning towards a Dobinson 2" front end (torn about the shocks, I'm very familiar with the Bilstein 5100 setup and ran that for years without issue. Very good ride on the 3rd gen). Front bumper is a necessity.
Again Dobinson on the rear with the 2.5" variable spring rate for empty rear ends. I am planning a rear bumper which would probably knock .25" out and then if I was towing I could expect another .25" to .75" drop.
Total on the suspension is right at $800 with either the Bilstein shocks or the Dobinson ( I like the Dobinson rear shocks a little better but I really like the idea of adaptability up front to after the bumper is on to get the right ride height.
Lights will be the black housing set on Cramazon from Anzo or Akkon and an HID hi/low setup from Morimoto with the improved glass. ($400). I was very spoiled with these in my 3rd gen and the stock setup in the 4runner pales with my 3rd gen.
I'm really leaning towards Coastal Off-Road for everything armor since there is a price savings and it gives me the chance to customize in the build without going through any great lengths to do so. Total for Front/Rear bumper and a skid plate set is just under $1500 and I would be getting around to welding them up throughout the winter. Hardest part would be ensuring that they don't rust quickly but some thick primers and a good topcoat will likely take care of that issue. (another 100 bucks)
Tires are going to be a Falken Wildpeak A/t3 I think. At $172 a tire that puts me under $900 for a full set with the warranty. Not bad. Still looking though. There's also a Grabber Apt at $179 a tire that's interesting. I've enjoyed my grabber AT/2 although those are not very available in the 18" rim size.
Stereo upgrade will be a step by step improvement type movement. I'm starting with an Android HU (Atoto off Cramazon) and if that doesn't fit the bill I'll go on and put in a small 5 channel amp and replace the speakers. Android runs about $260 and the rest of the system is another $500 with the new amp. Everything has to fit in the stock locations. I'm not doing crazy interior mods just to get a stereo in. Wiring is always KnuKonceptz (their wiring is awesome).
Dash cam will be $200 bucks from Cramazon. I've had a great experience from Rexing and it's really not that hard to add in plus plenty of good feelings of having a dash cam.
Weather Techs are a necessity for any 4runner in my opinon. Still shopping around to beat the $300 mark but if I must I must.
I'll be adding one of the new slick 6 or 8 gang panels at some point. I only want to do the wiring once so I imagine that I will have 3 for lights (plus the fog lights) and then I'm going to do an auxiliary back up light set mounted in the rear bumper. The stereo comes with a backup camera too which will be a plus.
Rain Deflectors are a want and provide a tiny project for the future.
I want to paint the calipers and that's another small project for the future.
For towing I'll be adding a brake controller with the stock harness but that can really wait till next year. It's not a must have at the moment.
Inclement weather lighting (for my country roads) will be covered by a smaller light bar setup (Amazon most likely after re-sealing them and fogs will be converted to a projector setup from morimoto.
Mud Flaps - still looking for a larger set but I haven't run into any that really grab my attention. I custom made the set for my 3rd gen out of some semi flaps.
There will be lots of pictures on the wiring portion. I am particular about this stuff and I've never had a big problem with any kind of stock wiring overload because it is all separate. Thankfully even with the big ol v8 in there I can go with a group 31 battery and I have enough 0 ga laying around to do the big 3 upgrade along with it.
The nice thing about the 4th gen is that a lot of the upgrades that I did to my 3rd gen are present from the factory. I don't see a whole lot of upgrades beyond this coming down but this should keep me busy for a while.
