heyoceanfloor
New member
This is an awesome build, loving all the customization and niceties on the interior. I wish I had welding skills (or a welder, or a place to weld...)
Krypto's Camping/Expedition Build
- Thread starter Kryptoroxx
- Start date
Kryptoroxx
New member
Thanks! I just happened to move into a place that had a 2 car garage. I have done my time in apartments though so I feel your pain.
Kryptoroxx
New member
Here's a night shot of the lights! Very pleased now. Got the switches in this morning.
Kryptoroxx
New member
Well I had a busy weekend but it was productive as well. I knocked out all the maintenance that I had coming with lbjs and otrs. I did the tacoma set and felt the reduced turning radius but honestly I didn't think it is that big of a deal. Now it feels like my old tacoma lol. Also added the OME 906 springs to the rear and I am fairly satisfied with the lift on the 4runner. I have 99 coils up front and the ome 906s gave me about an inch of rake (with all of my junk loaded up in the back....around 150lbs??). Kind of shopping around for new shocks but there is no pogo stick action anywhere so it's not a rush. I really love the feel of the stock shocks so I wish they just came in a longer variety. I think some extra dampening up front would be nice with some 5100s but I am not sure I even need the tundra springs. I have a 4 banger that weighs a LOT less so I would assume that even using a lower perch would be harsh and over 2" of lift (my goal).
*I should probably post some pics huh*
:worthless
*I should probably post some pics huh*
:worthless
RockenAlex
New member
Can you elaborate on this? I've never heard of the "Tacoma set" I'm assuming you mean the OEM Taco LBJ's and OTR's but where can I get more info on this idea.
Thanks!
Kryptoroxx
New member
So the theory and claim is that the tacoma lbj is larger than the 3rd gen 4runner. If it is larger it isn't by much but anything is an improvement if you ask me. There are many different opinions on this. Along with the lbj you have to install the outer tie rod from the tacoma. The attachment from the 3rd gen will not work (too small) the otr from the tacoma is certainly larger however it is not a part that goes out often anyway. Now the steering stop on the tacoma is larger than the 4runner so the turning radius is changed however I did not find it to be that big of a detriment to the handling of the 4runner. It still turns nicely but you can fix that problem with a grinder if you like. There's a thread I got all the information from but I am currently on my phone. Tacoma lower ball joint in the search engine should bring it up.
Kryptoroxx
New member
So an unexpected sale caused one more item to be built. I got the snorkel for 110 shipped. Honestly it was a nightmare to set up and it was time consuming to install and I had to modify it to work with the ditch light mounts.
I also did the Metra taco whip mod so now I have a permanent antenna instead. Reception is great with the Metra though.
I also had to modify the time capsule intake I made lol. A few parts from autozone made that wasy but time consuming.
So now I have a snorkel powered 3rz lol.
Only thing left is to find some pre-filter and stuff it in back of the snorkel top.
I also did the Metra taco whip mod so now I have a permanent antenna instead. Reception is great with the Metra though.
I also had to modify the time capsule intake I made lol. A few parts from autozone made that wasy but time consuming.
So now I have a snorkel powered 3rz lol.
Only thing left is to find some pre-filter and stuff it in back of the snorkel top.
Kryptoroxx
New member
Here's a side view during the day that shows the new springs. My buddy says they're about dead even but I also have a lot of junk in the back so a little forward rake.
Kryptoroxx
New member
Cbi off road makes them. Well made and easy to install imo as long as you are mechanically inclined. The wiring was more frustrating for me than the install actually.
BattleWagonActual
New member
John, I must say its been quite the time watching your Runner go from the truck I used to curse for taking "MY" parking spot between our houses to where it is now. Even though I helped you with some of these and have watched you first hand on most, reading the thread definitely motivates me to hurry up on mine now. Give me a week or two and yours might not be the big boy on the block, lol. Good thread man, keep it up.
Kryptoroxx
New member
Thanks man! You have helped quite a bit and if I can lend a hand I definitely will. It all depends on when we get done with work for the day. You have a lot of good ideas and I'm looking forward to watching your truck develop.
MojaveMadMan
New member
Love the inside/rear hatch lights. I totally got the idea from your build a few weeks back and didn't even realize it was your build until I looked over it again today, haha. Getting ready to hook all mine up some time this weekend if I can find a spare hour or two.
For your welder, I highly suggest you upgrade from flux core to some sort of shielding gas. You will be amazed at how much better and cleaner it works. You can use straight C02 or "Mig Mix" which is 75%/25% mix of C02 and Argon. Honestly in a home setting you won't notice the difference between the two. I really suggest grabbing a 20lb bottle of C02. You can buy them for just a couple hundred bucks and like I said, huge improvement. I ran out of shielding gas a few months ago and tried to use flux core for fun and I couldn't even weld, haha. It is so hard compared to shielding gas. Plus a cool extra; if you get a 20lb bottle you can easily set up an easy mount in the back of your 4runner and then use it to fill up tires after a day on the trail. You can fill them up so many places, not just a gas supply. NAPA, keg stores, party stores, all kinds of places will fill your C02 tank. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions at all!
Great build, keep it up!!!
For your welder, I highly suggest you upgrade from flux core to some sort of shielding gas. You will be amazed at how much better and cleaner it works. You can use straight C02 or "Mig Mix" which is 75%/25% mix of C02 and Argon. Honestly in a home setting you won't notice the difference between the two. I really suggest grabbing a 20lb bottle of C02. You can buy them for just a couple hundred bucks and like I said, huge improvement. I ran out of shielding gas a few months ago and tried to use flux core for fun and I couldn't even weld, haha. It is so hard compared to shielding gas. Plus a cool extra; if you get a 20lb bottle you can easily set up an easy mount in the back of your 4runner and then use it to fill up tires after a day on the trail. You can fill them up so many places, not just a gas supply. NAPA, keg stores, party stores, all kinds of places will fill your C02 tank. Shoot me a PM if you have any questions at all!
Great build, keep it up!!!
Kryptoroxx
New member
Definitely did not know that about shielding gas! I learned using it but when I ran flux I couldn't tell the difference. It could just be the desert wind blowing the gas off quickly. I priced out renting and decided that it was too pricy for my area. It's 45 minutes or so to the nearest gas supply but I can get co2 easily.
One question would be what size cylinder would a home guy like me need? I weld off and on about once a month and usually have the machine on for less than 10 min on any given project.
Glad you liked the lights! They were much easier than relays to wire up and a great addition. Just make sure you watch the clearance of the mounts. The distance the headboard drops down can be deceiving.
My next project is something I drew up in solidworks. A set of shackle hangers that replace the tow hooks in front and rear. I know there's a guy who makes them but I designed mine out of 3/16 cold rolled steel. Boxing and welding it together should prove as strong if not stronger than the solid steel......as long as my welds are worth a darn. This weekend I'm going to attempt a prototype if I get time. I'm waiting for the arrival of my second daughter. Therefore I have time.....but I don't have time lol.
the great him
Elite Member
nice build, its good to see guys who " go their own" and make their own stuff. i even like how you have made a lot of your own tooling. i wish i was not so stubborn or OCD or such a perfectionist... i probably could of saved myself thousands of dollars if i had done more of my mods from scratch like that. keep up the good work!
MojaveMadMan
New member
It depends on if you want to use it as a tire filler as well. If that is the case a 20lb bottle would be a good size because you can load it up in the 4runner easy. But it will not last too long welding, probably will last as long as one of the small spools of wire. But they are cheap and easy to fill and I like the idea of it being able to be used for the duel purposes. I already owned my welding bottle when I got wise to this idea so now I have one of each...
Kryptoroxx
New member
Thanks!! For the record I am very ocd lol. It's one of the reasons I do my own stuff. I'm sure quality parts are available but I really enjoy designing and building stuff. I only make the tools I know I can produce that will carry accuracy though. A dangerous tool is a dangerous thing.
I will probably not use it as a tire filler at least not long term. I have a york 210 sitting on my shelf in the garage that is going to be blowing a lot of hot air eventually lol. I figured out the mount and the pulley method but I have not gotten the time or funds I need for it. I will use a cs144 alternator (thanks doc2012) and mount a dual combo pulley on that which will allow me to keep my serpentine and keep the v belt on the york. The only other thing to figure out is the mount for the york itself.
Kryptoroxx
New member
So an update just to show where the build is kind of going as the only thing that restricts me more than money is my random thoughts. *Squirrel!* Anyway after much hemming and hawing the pieces I designed for shackle hangers are in the mail to me. I found a small shop that was willing to put up with my small orders as long as my designs don't require any re-working for their laser table.
Also in the mail was a steal of a deal I found with second skin audio. On Tuesday I will receive 40lbs of cld tiles to sound proof the 4runner. Some of this is for comfort but some of it is for safety as well. The 4runner stock insulation is basically cheap filler stuff that would burn extremely easily. What's all of my accessories use? Electricity. What do I want to remove? The stock insulation. The downside to that would be the increase in noise levels. This stuff doesn't burn easily and will also come in handy for a little sound deadening when I get around to doing a modest sound system.
Closer to the horizon is a tire carrier and the F-150 tank swap. I am taking advantage of both of those mods as I hate carrying the tire under the truck and I don't even wheel hard and I can easily scrape the gas tank. All I really need to do is the 2" body lift which will result in the tires looking even more ridiculous but the tires won't get replaced till they are no good. Next set will be 255/85/16. If I can wrap the tank swap in with the brakes I will but that's more $$ I have to talk the wife into.
I was able to get out and test the suspension a little on some local stuff. No pics but I was impressed with the locker and the 906 springs. They are very comfy offroad and on road.
Also in the mail was a steal of a deal I found with second skin audio. On Tuesday I will receive 40lbs of cld tiles to sound proof the 4runner. Some of this is for comfort but some of it is for safety as well. The 4runner stock insulation is basically cheap filler stuff that would burn extremely easily. What's all of my accessories use? Electricity. What do I want to remove? The stock insulation. The downside to that would be the increase in noise levels. This stuff doesn't burn easily and will also come in handy for a little sound deadening when I get around to doing a modest sound system.
Closer to the horizon is a tire carrier and the F-150 tank swap. I am taking advantage of both of those mods as I hate carrying the tire under the truck and I don't even wheel hard and I can easily scrape the gas tank. All I really need to do is the 2" body lift which will result in the tires looking even more ridiculous but the tires won't get replaced till they are no good. Next set will be 255/85/16. If I can wrap the tank swap in with the brakes I will but that's more $$ I have to talk the wife into.
I was able to get out and test the suspension a little on some local stuff. No pics but I was impressed with the locker and the 906 springs. They are very comfy offroad and on road.
Sisente
Member
The weather wasn't agreeing with me today so I did another quick project.
Took me a minute to get them spaced right as the box is very odd for width.
The wife helped me out taking pictures. I tried to get it as dark as possible but the little lights are fairly bright. I have 8 more to mount inside.
All mounted and ready for switches.
What led's did you use for th liftgate? Some that I looked at, put off some heat, and I was a little worried about mounting them in the liftgate plastic.
Kryptoroxx
New member
I used the eagle eye 3w lights. I had the same fear as you do so I went with the 3w instead of the 6w. Great lights though. They are very intense but I think they light the area well.
