Kurtis T4R Build Thread

[Kurtis]

Kurtis' 97 Build Thread "Jolly Rogers"







Specifications:

• SR5
• 3.4L 5VZ-FE
• 5SPD
• Supercharged

Mods:

• 39.5xR16.5 Iroks
• 16.5 TW H1 Re-centered
• 5.38s
• Front and Rear ARBs
• 14" Front, 16" Rear ORIs
• Atlas 4 Speed
• Tom Wood's Drivelines (1350)
• 1" Body Lift
• Custom Winch Bumper
• POS SmittyBilt 10,000LBS X2O Winch
• Custom Rock Sliders
• Flowmaster 40 Series
• Custom Full Skids
• Sport Hood
• ARB OBA System
• Interior LED Swap
• Caged
• F-150 Fuel Tank

We bought a 2002 4x4 3.4L Auto with 96k in December 2010. After we got it I wanted to mod it really bad but the wife said no. I got away with the Deckplate Mod and ISR. I will do a tranny cooler within the next year. I've had my 94 Toyota Truck for a while now and decided it was time to move on to a modding a 4Runner.

The 02 will remain the street queen/family vehicle.

EDIT: Or we still start chopping parts off of it too. Whoops....


1994 Pick-Up - 22RE 5SPD -

• SAS'd
• Locked Front and Rear
• Dual Cases
• Roll Cage
• 5.29's
• 36" SS TSL
• Brand Spankin' New 22RE w/ RV Cam
• Centerforce Clutch
• Home Brew Exhaust

We were in the middle of selling the truck when we found the new 4Runner. We found it 5 hrs away. I flew there and drove it back on a Wednesday.

1997 T4R 5SPD 3.4L Factory Locking Rear Diff. with 200K and it was completely unmolested. It even had the factory stereo. The miles made me nervous at first but after driving it and giving it a good inspection; I could see it was well taken care of. When I drove it for the first time I couldn't believe it. It felt just like new. The under body isn't too bad. There is rust on the replaceable stuff, like exhaust and its mainly surface rust.

Right corner light is broke but clear ones are on their way to my doorstep.

There is, of course minor dings here and there. A lot of them will buff out.

First things first: Tires sucked. We replaced them with 265/75R16 Toyo M/T (a little rubbing)

I also did the Deckpate Mod and ISR.

We are stoked to start a project over again and thrilled it's a 4Runner.

 

[PitbullRescuer]

Nice, looking forward to the build. I love the color on the '97

 

[Kurtis]

I thought silver was my favorite on the 4Runners. But now, I'm not so sure...

 

[Gerdo]

What a nice looking Taco.
I love the space of wheeling in a 4runner.
Are you going to be happy with just a 3" lift?
That is where I started and built from there. I'm now pushing ~3.5" in front and ~5" out back (the 861s are new and will settle a little)
If so, I have some used 891s for sale.
Good luck on your build.

 

[Kurtis]

My wife and I decided to go a different route than a straight wheeler/rock crawler. We will use it mainly for trails and expedition so I am expecting a 3in lift to do the trick.

 

[Kurtis]

Here is a little update:

Just some small stuff now but we are going to be lifting it before long and will build a custom winch bumper (yes, with a winch) in late January/ Early February.

We got our clear corners the day before the Christmas Tree Run. I am still waiting on other people's pictures from the run. If there are some good ones; I will share. I told everyone I got stuck on purpose to make it easier to get the trees on the roof. :

Since I quit smoking 6 months ago, it made all too much sense to put a Cobra 19 there instead.

I also fabbed my own antenna mount. This booger is going no where.

In time there will be more. I've modded vehicles before but the 4Runners seem to have a special bug about them. I don't understand it.

-Kurtis

 

[Hepar]

I thought silver was my favorite on the 4Runners. But now, I'm not so sure...

I love my silver, but this color always catches my eye when I see one. Maybe it's only up here, but you don't see them that often.

Great looking build thus far.

 

[Kurtis]

Another small update:

I completed the Satoshi Grill Mod last night. I still need to go back and spray out behind the grill. I left the chrome for now. When we get our bumper I will paint it black. I will also be placing the grill mesh with some better stuff when I find it. Over all I am very happy with it.

I went shooting today. ( Yes, I am a gun owner and I do practice regularly.:gun6 I took some trails and got a few shots.

Need that new suspension really bad. Will be going with OME 883 and 891 and 1inch BL. Hopefully soon...

 

[Kurtis]

I got the 1 inch body lift in the mail on Saturday and in the truck the same day. No more rubbing! OME Med 883 and 891 coils OME 90004 front shocks, 60027 rear shocks will be here Wednesday. They should go in Thursday or Friday!

 

[Kurtis]

That nice FedEx man left this on my porch Wednesday.

Had to cut the top nut off the front driver side shock. Other than that, it was a smooth install. The ride is pretty stiff but we will be adding weight to the truck. It should soften a bit. My buddy and I will be building a winch bumper hopefully next month.

This truck is our BOV (Bug Out Vehicle) so we will be taking a slightly different approach with it. A lot of off road gear will carry over. Which is good because I also enjoy off road very much.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

 

[fightman80]

Looks good man! First time I've seen this thread....and loving what you're doing with it now!

 

[Kurtis]

Holy thread resurrection... So, its been a while. I've been deployed again and finally came home to get some work done on the 4Runner. I have secretly been working on my winch bumper. He are the pics.

3 Coats of primer and 3 of Duplicolor Bed Liner.

My POS phone camera does no justice but here is the switches for driving lights and fogs.

I used a normal 2 position ON/OFF Toggle with a launch the missle cover. For the winich IN/OUT I used a stupid expensive momentary DPDT switch. I still need to label them. I wanted to keep the controls in reach of my right arm since I steer mainly with my left.

I still need to get shackles for it.
Here is the final product:

My buddy Tom is the one that did all the metal work. I did all of the electrical work. One thing is for certain; I will have the only plate bumper ever built by Tom.

Tomorrow she gets an alignment and I will have to weld on the new 40 series Flowmaster. I will try to get some non-poser pics this weekend.

Kurtis

 

[Ilovemy97Limited]

What type of steel did Tom use? Those welds look awesome too. I've been thinking about making my own, and I love the way yours looks, but that is far from novice level. How much have you dumped into steel (cost wise)?

 

[Kurtis]

We used a couple partial 1/8" sheets. It could be done using 1 sheet.The mounting plate for the winch is 1/4" plate. I'm not sure what the cost was for all the materials because he had most of it around the shop with the except of the frenched in fogs.

 

[Whitson Metalworks]

Bumper looks great! Good thread resurrection for sure.

 

[Kurtis]

Bumper looks great! Good thread resurrection for sure.

Thanks. The bumper took a lot longer than expected but turned out great.

 

[jmildoc]

That bumper looks good!!! did the bedliner paint cover up the seams or did you just weld and grind them down?

 

[Kurtis]

We had to grind down the exterior weld other wise it would look like something out of Mad Max. The bed liner did a great job at covering the imperfects of the metal and a lot of the slag but if I did it all over again I would let it dry for a full day before I even looked at it again.

 

[Ilovemy97Limited]

Would you be mad if I attempted to copy it? I believe that is the meanest looking bumper, but it's simple and not overwhelming

 

[farmerjon]

That is one sick bumper!! I really like how you designed it and the spaces for the auxilairy lights and the winch and everything...

You guys did great work!