Krypto's Camping/Expedition Build

[Kryptoroxx]

A little bit if progress (if style counts?). I finally finished hand painting my emblems. One was graciously donated by [MENTION=94545]MTD[/MENTION] for giving him the idea. If anyone wants 3d printed emblems his work is definitely top notch.

As I've mentioned I'm ripping the interior out for a massive cleaning and completion which I expect will take several weeks because if work.

Here's the emblems.

I also dragged out some toys I had from a previous hobby to be a part of the whole interior refresh since my speakers have had it.

I wasn't very nice to such collectors items like those esx amps. So I tested out refinishing them. Tonight for giggles I repainted an old premier amp I had and will be using for a garage system. I'm thinking it might be an answer instead of having Steve Mantz do a restore on then to the tune of 300 bucks.

I think it could come out really nicely but I am open to opinions. I also haven't figured out where I will mount these monster amps. They aren't like the old hcca surfboard amps but they weigh about 30lbs apiece so sturdy is good.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

The interior refresh has been underway for the holiday. Lots has been done but there is still lots to do as well.

Intake on the snorkel was collapsing so I used 2 coat hangers to brace it. So far so good.

Good fit for the roll bar.

Here's the rear shelf as it sits.

Then the interior came out.

Lots of cld tiles. I just went around and started knocking on panels. The stuff that echoed got paneled lol.

Then I used the 4runner as an anchor on the 4th of july.

And some pics of the top rack getting expanded metal added and paint. Can't believe I ran out of paint on the last 2 Sq ft of the top!!!

Oh well the roll bar and the rear shelf are getting painted the same color lol. 3 more cans should do it. I am really liking the hammered paint.

 

[Rhoov1]

Great looking build. Nice classic audio gear. If you need anything car audio related hit us up in Old Town Yucca Valley.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

I will certainly do that thanks. I still need rear door speakers and haven't listened to anything in years. I'm not trying to blow anyone out of the water just going for decent sound that I can enjoy rolling down the road.

 

[Tyota89]

Just finished looking through your build, after reading the comments I have decided on getting the hobart 140. Just need to find one that is a decent price locally. Hopefully soon dont really want to pay anyone to mount my sliders.

Really liked all the custom worked put into your rig, might have to steal your eagle eyes LED idea for the hatch. Since we use our real dome light alot. Did you run wires through the interior or along the frame? I might just end up hooking it to the dome light and only doing two they seem bright enough.

Also nice CDT speakers I installed a pair in my buddys mustang I like how loud they got while staying clear. I had a 120.4 esx sold it when a guy offered me 500$ for it when he saw it through my hatch. Really wanted to keep it but couldnt pass up that deal. Glad to see someone not weighing their car down with dynamat. I have used 2nd skin might have to keep an eye out for those discount.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Just finished looking through your build, after reading the comments I have decided on getting the hobart 140. Just need to find one that is a decent price locally. Hopefully soon dont really want to pay anyone to mount my sliders.

Really liked all the custom worked put into your rig, might have to steal your eagle eyes LED idea for the hatch. Since we use our real dome light alot. Did you run wires through the interior or along the frame? I might just end up hooking it to the dome light and only doing two they seem bright enough.

Also nice CDT speakers I installed a pair in my buddys mustang I like how loud they got while staying clear. I had a 120.4 esx sold it when a guy offered me 500$ for it when he saw it through my hatch. Really wanted to keep it but couldnt pass up that deal. Glad to see someone not weighing their car down with dynamat. I have used 2nd skin might have to keep an eye out for those discount.

I picked mine up new for 450....it's nor an awesome price but you then have a warranty with it if it does break. The used ones I saw were usually in the 350 range. Sometimes they had a bottle with them which would be awesome.

For the wires I ran them along the frame and fused a separate lead just to be safe. I know they draw very little for power but they are switched instead of an accessory so at any time I need light I can get it.

The second skin tiles are great! I love them and it's their b stock. All I wanted was to quiet a few things down. 4runner are already pretty quiet but now it should be very nice. Eventually I would like some of their luxury liner but I would like to see how the tiles do on their own.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Just finished putting the roof rack back on along with some of the interior pieces before the storm hit. I don't have any pics but this time I used rubber strips and some permtex black rtv to act as an isolator from the roof directly. Took a short drive and I am happy to report there is no noise from the rack rattle wise. I still have lots to do with the rear shelf so the back interior will not go in till I get that stuff done.

 

[legokcen]

None taken at all. It's a valid point. I could have had ready made parts shipped in about a week or so and it would have been done and over with.

Laser won't slice through 1" stock. To do 1" a water jet is preferred. I contacted nearly a dozen companies with the capabilities but zero responded back.

Sorry to respond so late. I've been following you when I had the time. You can also use a plasma jig, which is what is used for the ones gotten from Trackdecal.com. Those are from 1" plate metal. Then it's put on a milling machine to smooth and put the holes in. Sand blasted and it's perfect. One solid chunk of metal.

 

[Mikey01]

Make friends with someone at the ramp. They can help you weld and they are good people to know.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Make friends with someone at the ramp. They can help you weld and they are good people to know.

Yeah the guys at the ramp are hard to catch and very paranoid it seems. Maybe some day I can make a friend or two up there. Plus they do the diesel thing and don't like toyota because it's foreign.....

Anyway it's all mounted and painted. The noise is gone from the rack which I love. Feels pretty solid. It's all little quieter in the cab too. The exhaust doesn't drone as badly.

 

[Jedrattle]

Looking good. How is the interior noise now?

 

[Tyota89]

For the wires I ran them along the frame and fused a separate lead just to be safe. I know they draw very little for power but they are switched instead of an accessory so at any time I need light I can get it.

I think I am going to go this route adding a switch will be easier than taping the dome. I finally got to soldering everything all my connections. Just need to ground and order a fuse block for my fog lights and these hatch lights. Thanks again for the idea. My wife is starting to hatch this forum with all the 20$ mods Ive been finding.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Looking good. How is the interior noise now?

Sorry about the long wait but I wanted to evaluate it before I posted up. There is much less noise on the road. The exhaust drone is still there but it is decreased. I haven't put the carpet in the cargo area back yet since I'm working on the rear shelf but I expect a little more improvement. A great way to accompany this would me this luxury liner mat but I'm not really sure the juice is worth the squeeze. You can't hear my tires anymore, the exhaust noise is decreased by a nice margin, and all of the little rattles are gone. Hopefully soon will be coming the long awaited disc brake upgrades.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

A few things that are in the works.

Got these for my birthday! 12 ton Jacks and man do they come in handy.

The beginnings of a ladder. Hopefully nobody from Gobi reads my build page. Otherwise I'd get sued for having a 4runner. Next up I hear they're going after AL Gore because they invented the Internet too.

The best photo of my build.....or approximate worth lol.

Only thing damaged on the tire carrier are the stripped weld nuts on the license plate frame. Oh well I gotta figure out where its gonna go after I get done with this thing anyway

Dropped the panel out to get a good look at where I have to reinforce. Sadly there isn't a whole lot to tie into but the tire carrier and tire itself weigh in at approx 80lbs. Divide that weight by an appropriate number of fasteners and attachment points and you have yourself a winner. With the rest of the reinforcement pics just go along with it. I'm not sure exactly what I'll end up with at this point either. Grab some popcorn.

So I could either stretch the carrier or shrink it. Given the fact that a longer arm makes a greater angle of force I opted to shrink it. I will say it took me longer to set the tire carrier up so I didn't have to hold it than it did for me to make all my measurements and cut up the carrier.

It took me forever to set this up for welding in place. Lots of swear words and thinking about tossing the carrier at the next car driving by. I stopped after I got it tacked up.

 

[derpiful]

Looking slick! Lots of work to make it fit, but I'm sure in the end that will look pretty cool- I can honestly say I don't think I've seen that.

Good luck, can't wait!

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Looking slick! Lots of work to make it fit, but I'm sure in the end that will look pretty cool- I can honestly say I don't think I've seen that.

Good luck, can't wait!

Thanks man! It is tons of work and I'm trying to mitigate the weight and everything. There was one other member that attempted it and apparently it ripped off. Although by his own admission he didn't do any reinforcement at all. That's not my style lol. Here's a few more pics of mocking it up after I was done playing tetris.

It fits fairly tight but I still have to trim on the license plate surround so it's going to get even closer. If I'm lucky people will mistake it for stock lol

Lots of room over here for the ladder too. I have to take leave before I lose it for the rest of the month so there should be some forward progress on everything.

 

[Kryptoroxx]

So a few more problems and solutions. The biggest one being the hinges. They weren't made to be mounted on the side of the 4runner so even though I got a hulluva steal there's more money that must be put into it. I searched for a while. I'm still very new to fabricating in general but I found these and they are my new hinges. At $22 apiece I couldn't go wrong.

Heim Joint - 3/4-16 Shank x 3/4" Hole RH - Fully Loaded

They allow me the adaptability to correct whatever minute curves and lengths of tube I did not fully realize after I finish everything up and it's mounted. It guarantees a good fit and I'm still not busting the budget. I figure if I can come in around 10% of your average tire carrier I will be doing just fine. So far I'm up to $120 with all parts, gas, food, and the price of the tire carrier lol.

I still have to make my order from McMaster Carr so there's hope yet of busting the budget.

 

[Bandit Runner]

So I could either stretch the carrier or shrink it.

Looking good so far!

Some dumb questions:

Can you elaborate on why you had to either stretch or shrink the length of the carrier?

Also, are you going to weld the supports to the inside of the outer sheetmetal? Won't that damage the paint?

Will the ladder attach to the tire carrier, or be stand alone?

 

[JeepKiller]

He's probably making a "gobi-ish" ladder. If he connected it to the swing out he'd have to do some major reinforcement

 

[Kryptoroxx]

Looking good so far!

Some dumb questions:

Can you elaborate on why you had to either stretch or shrink the length of the carrier?

I had to change the length because the contact plate for the carrier sat right on top the handle for the rear hatch. Making it shorter just made more sense for me.

Also, are you going to weld the supports to the inside of the outer sheetmetal? Won't that damage the paint?

No all supports will be internal. I'm sure that it would damage the paint. I'm going to have to look at it more when I drop the window motor and everything out and I'm actually doing the work. If it feels flimsy then I will do something about it. My truck is painted in bedliner anyway so if I damage the paint at least I can repair it in my driveway.

Here's a pic of the side panel support I have drawn up. It's really rough but it will give you an idea of what's going to happen. It basically fills up the space between the rear quarter and the pylon for the corner brace.

This entire piece will be welded however it will be bolted to the interior. The forces at play will just need the plate to stay in place to transfer the twisting from the hinge mounts into the pylon.

Will the ladder attach to the tire carrier, or be stand alone?

Separate. Mounting it to the carrier would create way too much stress on the panels.

He's probably making a "gobi-ish" ladder. If he connected it to the swing out he'd have to do some major reinforcement

It is going to be a Gobi-ish type deal. I couldn't in reality use a Gobi because the clearances are different with my full length and theirs. My rack sits much lower to the roof and gets pretty close to the rear hatch too. The ladder is going to "hang" farther down the rear panel than the Gobi does.