Lindenwood's 2002 SR5 Build Thread

[Lindenwood]

Going up for sale, Nov 2018
Need to buy a Tundra so we can live in a travel trailer, heh. (see page 4).

Update Sep 2018
I swapped in stock coils up front on the top perch of my bilsteins, and some 890s in the back. Mostly to get a softer ride, but I also wanted it a bit lower. Now I am about 1.5" over stock up front, and about 1.75-2" over stock in the back.

I also got ceramic tint done all around, added a dometic fridge, and a Gibson exhaust!

June 2018

Complete:
-33s + full-sized undermount spare
-Front Bumper / recovery points / Winch
-Gas tank skid
-Puma On Board Air
-Drawers and sleeping platform
-Satin gray paint!
-Welded-on 4xInnovations Sliders
-CS-144 Alternator (140Amp), Big 3 wiring, and Dual Batteries.
-Ceramic window tint
-Dometic fridge
-Gibson exhaust

Functional but incomplete:
-Front Skid (needs another plate that covers the oil pan)
-Rear bumper / swing out (just needs finishing plates for aesthetics).

Sometime in the future:
-Wire my dash blower to my 2nd batt (have parts, just need time).
-Replace fuel pump (preventative mx).
-5.29s and dual TrueTracs.
-Might re-do my swingout rack to fold up and out of the way.
-Maybe some aftermarket audio.

[Original Content]:
While I was out of town for a while for work, I kept sending my wife pictufes of stuff I wanted to do to her 2016 TRDP. She just wanted to stop at a 2" lift and 33s, rather than the aggressive armor and such that I was showing her. So, fed up, she said "why don't you buy your own damn 4Runner?" Eight days later, my '02 was sitting in the driveway!

The first thing she did, before I ever got back, was buy and install one of those hood bug deflectors because I mentioned I liked them .

A huge thanks goes out to all the community members who posted great writeups and information on how to tackle this beast! I got back Friday the 10th, and by Friday the 17th, the following was done:

Maintenance
-Oil Change
-Air filtrr
-SeaFoam in fuel and vac lines
-Diff / TCase fluids
-2x Trans Drain and Fills (200mi apart)
- Lubed driveshafts (stopped my clunk!)
-2x O2 Sensors
-Fuel Filter
-Plugs and Wires
-Cleaned MAF and TB
-New PCV

-Timing Belt / Water Pump / Thermostat (got lazy and had a shop do these for $350 in labor since I already had all the parts.
-New rotors and calipers (I was going to do a TBU, but one of my calibers was seizing and my tire shop caught it so I had them replace them)
-Plugs / Wires and Fuel Filter in the mail.

Wheels and Suspension
-16x8 American Racing aluminum wheels (21lb) with 4.5" backspace.
-285/75r16 Milestar Patagonia tires (amazingly quiet for an MT, and balanced with <5oz per tire).
-Toytec Boss rear shocks with Superflex springs
-Bilstein 5100s with Eibach coils
-Toytec Diff Drop
-Rear Anti-Sway bar removed

Coming soon (next couple weeks)
1) Cargo Drawers / fold-out sleeping platform.
2) Build a panhard drop setup
3) Diff breather relocation (parts in the mail)
4) Install my Puma 12v air compressor
5) Probably start on my bumper builds so I can remove the rear bumper to fit my 33"s

I was going to hold off on the gears and diffs for a bit, but I just drove 250 miles to see my brother. Pretty quickly, I started disabling Overdrive because even these mild rolling hills of the SE caused the converter to unlock at least once per minute, and a full downshift every 2 or 3 minutes. 5.29s will have me at 3k rpm at 78mph, which is as fast as I will drive. I know it is a bit extreme with only 33s, but I did the same thing with my old Samurai on 31s, and it was great to me. Plus, my rig will be both less aerodynamic and 500+lb heavier than stock, so I'll take the extra highway pep. Finally, one day I might jump on the 35" train, and I'll be all set!

All the crap I ordered while I was away (my wife did not enjoy this!)

Current as of 20Mar 2017 (first week of ownership):

Off the showroom:

Overall goal: A capable overlanding rig. Mine will be more of the workhorse while hers will hopefully stay classy enough to not feel out of place in a valet lot. But, for most outdoor trips we will still take both vehicles, especially if we have friends along, because she has slowly gotten more and more into the actual wheeling aspect of offroading!

 

[the walrus]

Nice work! Wheels and tires look great.

 

[pogi_T4R]

info on the tires?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tjaguilar]

Nice! You heard "Why dont you get your own...." from the wife then BAM! Dont have to tell you twice haha. Looks good!

 

[Lindenwood]

info on the tires?

I did some digging and found generally positive reviews, and I have used imported tires before with no issues. I have had Treadwright Mud Claws on two different vehicles, and the ride was harsher in both cases and they were much louder than these Milestars.

You can get them on Ebay or Amazon for about $700 per set.

My wife is really envious of them so we will be adding a set to her TRDP in the relatively near future as well (maybe for Christmas! Sshhh).

 

[Lindenwood]

Got my o2 sensors in and so far 70 miles with no code. Still, having already gone 150 miles on that tank (about 80 of which were at 75mph), I showed 21.5mpg last fillup. I am going to reset the EFI system this weekend after I replace my plugs and wires, replace the PCV, and clean my MAF and TB.

Also pulled the door panel and lubed up the window mechanism. Much quieter now!

Out camping with my wife and her TRDP! We are sleeping in her rig tonight because she still has more room until I get my cargo box built. Also, in her own words, "I don't want someone to sneak up and steal my truck!"

She is also complaining now that hers doesnt look as tough as mine, so she's asking for 35s now .

 

[johnbyebye]

Got my o2 sensors in and so far 70 miles with no code. Still, having already gone 150 miles on that tank (about 80 of which were at 75mph), I showed 21.5mpg last fillup. I am going to reset the EFI system this weekend after I replace my plugs and wires and clean my MAF and TB.

Also pulled the door panel and lubed up the window mechanism. Much quieter now!

Out camping with my wife and her TRDP! We are sleeping in her rig tonight because she still has more room until I get my cargo box built. Also, in her own words, "I don't want someone to sneak up and steal my truck!"

Mine sounds like a dying giraffe. What did you lube it with?

 

[Lindenwood]

Mine sounds like a dying giraffe. What did you lube it with?

Having never heard a dying giraffe, Id say your assessment sounds like mine .

It was very much an "ugh, Im going to try to fix this now" situation while we are chilling out in the woods. I only had a can of silicone spray, so I used that. Took me all of 8 minutes to pull the door panel, hose down all the moving parts I could see, and pop it back together. Doesn't sound brand new, as it still has a low, minor vibration during doward movement, but it sounds 10 times better than before! I will probably pull the panel again and actually pull out the mechanism and lube it with grease or oil. But, this will keep it going until then.

 

[AntleredRuin]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I36IFvFIcE4
Dying Giraffe here

 

[Lindenwood]

Yup, that is about it!

Was able to finish fuel filter replacement, plugs and wires, PCV replacement, cleaned my MAF and TB, and did the cargo storage compartment expansion mod.

I will hopefully get to start on my cargo box build this weekend as well!

Snuggly stowing my ARB Snatch strap, 65' winch extension, tree saver, jumper cables, 5000lb ratchet tie-down, and a couple nick-nacks like a tire repair kit.

 

[Unner]

Nice build! I like how fast it's moving! I remember your thread asking about buying a 3rd gen.

Overall goal: A capable overlanding rig. Mine will be more of the workhorse while hers will hopefully stay classy enough to not feel out of place in a valet lot.

A well built vehicle can be very classy. I'd rather pull up to a nice restaurant or whatever in my built '01 4Runner with 218k miles than my girlfriends '13 Sonota. I've never let anyone valet my 4Runner though. I don't have a high enough trust level for that...

 

[Lindenwood]

Nice build! I like how fast it's moving! I remember your thread asking about buying a 3rd gen.



A well built vehicle can be very classy. I'd rather pull up to a nice restaurant or whatever in my built '01 4Runner with 218k miles than my girlfriends '13 Sonota. I've never let anyone valet my 4Runner though. I don't have a high enough trust level for that...

Haha very true, on all counts! Valeting is a sonewhat extreme example as we are far too laid back to enjoy those kinds of places very often, but I definitely noted exact mileage the few times I did!

So, I suppose the big difference is "well-built" then! I am basically spending what I would have on fancy bolt-on bumpers, sliders, and armor for her rig (say, 8k total) on this build for my 3rd gen. Since it is my own rig, I am generally a form-follows-function guy, so I don't care if my rig looks a little "rugged" with tube bumpers and a hi-lift bolted across the hood. But, if she is going to take the time to put on a "little black dress," I am not sure she would love pulling up to a nice hotel or restaurant in such a rig haha.

 

[Lindenwood]

I also managed to get my 33" spare to fit behind the stock bumper! Not important in the long term since I was going to jist build the bumper around the spare anyways, but I was excited to be able to actually mount it! Allowed me to sell my factory wheels and tires as a set with the spare.

 

[Lindenwood]

Started on the cargo storage box! I was planning on making both "wings" hinge upward, but honestly I will probably just build a solid top for the driver's side because it is easy enough to get your hand in there to reach stuff behind the wheel well.

 

[xxJAMxx]

Did you paint the rear bumper yourself? Whats paint did you use?

 

[Lindenwood]

The previous owner painted the bumpers. It is pretty faded, but honestly doesn't seem any more special than flat black or even a "charcoal" grey rustoleum. I didn't care because I won't have them for long anyways.

 

[Lindenwood]

Next phase complete for the cargo box! Made a fixed extension for the driver side, got the hinged piece in place on the pass side, and finished reinforcing it with my L-brackets.

Next steps:
1) Mount my Puma compressor on the folding wing (won't fit behind the larger driver side fender, and Id like to keep as much weight as possible off the driver side).

2) Finish the front-fold-out sleeping portion.

3) Either find some bins that fit snugly, or build some (considering bins instead of drawers so I can leave camping stuff packed in them and then simply slide them in place when we leave).

 

[Lindenwood]

All the construction is complete on the box and sleeping platform, save for a little trimming on the fold-out portion to clear the compressor's foot when hinging it out to access the cargo panel.

Next steps:
1) Carpet (grabbing some from a friend now).
2) Build the drawers
3) Buy a basic full-sized air mattress!

 

[Lindenwood]

Another deployment, a move, and $50,000 in home renovations and I finally have enough free time to play again!

Built most of my front bumper today! My Acetylene tank had apparently leaked at some point, so I used this $80 HF MIG welder that I had stashed away. The welds arent pretty, because not only do I strongly prefer O/A welding, but I hadnt MIG'd in about 12 years. Still, they arent terrible and should hold up just fine.

I have some plates to add to aesthetically blend the bumper with the body and headlights, but the actual structure is complete. The winch isnt actually wired up, partially because I still need to install my upgraded alternator. I might do that this week, though!

The bumper is made up of 3/16" 3x2 angle iron, boxed in, that I bought for like $10 a few years ago. The winch tray was $40. The plate will probably be the most expensive part unless I can find a good deal this week from a welding shop or something. OnlineMetals has what I need for about $49 shipped, though, so I might just go with that.

I also need to add some D-ring plates, but I will likely find somebody to weld those on because I domt have the capacity to weld anything of the appropriate thickness.

*edit*

And yes, that is my hi-lift on the hood . It is affixed by two long 3/8" bolts that go through the hood hinge. I eventually want to find some thick rubber blocks for the spacers between the jack and the hood, but for now I made some spacers out of wood and painted them black. Ghetto? Sure! But it works .

 

[Lindenwood]

I made a lot of progress!

1) Got my OBA working and built a hose system to inflate and deflate all 4 tires at once. I need to work out another deflation setup because it takes about 30 minutes with no jntervention. However, my Puma compressor filled all four of my 33s from 15 to 40 PSI in 9.5 minutes, all at the same time! I also routed the quick connector into the bumper so I can just pop the hose connector onto the bumper and go!
I will likely redo the whole thing in 1/4" line because it is a little cumbersome with all this 3/8" hose.

2) I finished the front bumper and got to test it by pulling my friend's XTerra out of a few mud pits, as well as a large tree that had fallen across the forest trail. However, as careful asI was, I got a kinked line on one of the pulls so i will probably be replacing it with a synthetic line.

3) Finished my slide-out drawers. They are not attached with slides, mostly to save the money and hassle, but they are easy enough to remove and replace that I am okay with it. One complete drawer will be dedicated to baseline camping gear, which doesnt need to be extensive given we will be sleeping inside the vehicle.

4) The front skid plate is functional, but it only goes down to roughly the front of the LCAs. I need to get some more material to finish back to the crossmember, and then make up a gas tank skid as well.

5) I am now done with the functional aspects of the swing-out bumper. Aesthetically, I will probably plate out the ends to streamline it a bit more with the body, and maybe replace the plywood of the draw with diamond plate or so mething. But, structurally it is now sound; when in place, it would take about 4500lbs of force in the center of the tray to bend it down. When swung away, it would theoretically start to permanently deform with around 250 lbs hanging off the end, or 500lbs in the center. That is more, of course, than I intend to load on there, but I might add some additional bracing in case the kid decides to hang off the end of it one day.

I decided to run a swing-out tray and leave the spare underneath so I could take modest trips with 4 people and our 3 dogs without putting stuff on the roof (I tried a roof rack on my wife's TRDP and hated hauling stuff up and down from there). I sized it to fit our cooler, 7gal water jug, and either 2x jerry cans or a 2nd water jug, as required. I originally thought Id make the tray fold up, but I figured it wasnt worth the hassle and it only takes 3 minutes to remove if I dont like having it on there daily.

I also thought about a hitch-mounted tray, but in order to keep it high enough to not lose clearance Id have to make it swing-out anyways. Plus, eventually we want to get a small camping trailer.

I also ordered some 4xInnovation weld-on sliders which should be here in a couple of weeks!

More pics to come!