m4gery
New member
Hi all!
My buddies have been bugging me on and off to start a build thread on the Runner, so here it is.
Story time:
Been around Japanese cars all my life. Mom's had a 3rd gen since 2000, drove my father's FJ40 for several months in high school, fell in love with yota 4wds. We also owned Subarus, owned and maintained my 06 wrx since new, and a 2004 baja turbo.
Fast forward:
Sold the Subarus, it was time to consolidate and buy something more reasonable for what I wanted to do (pull trailer occasionally, interior space for future family, etc)
*******Mods to date 2016.24.12*******
-DIY Full Length Roof Rack
-Foxwing 270* Awning
-Tuff Stuff 4x4 RTT
-FN f(x) Pro Wheels 17x8
-Toyo Open country 285/70r17
-Bilstein 5100s 2.5" front/1.75" spacer rear
-42" LED Light Bar
-Diy Drawer system
-Various Plasti-Dip work
Enter 2010 BWP SR5:
It was in great shape for being a Pennsylvania truck, body had zero dings or anything, just a couple paint chips, and the rust wasn't bad at all. Picked it up in June with 92k miles on it.
Mod: Get rid of those horrible side steps
Mod: Lets do the RTT thing
Ordered a tough stuff RTT after hearing about their great customer service, and it was reasonably priced, so I figured why not, looked similar to so many other brands out there (I've read they come from the same factories)
Lets see how fast I can deploy this baby - 3:11 seconds till sleep-able! Pretty great!
Mod: Lets build a full length roof rack
I'm reasonably handy with fab type stuff, so I figured instead of waiting weeks and weeks on a pre-fabbed rack from Gobi, Baja, or otherwise, I challenged myself to buy all the tools and materials and build one myself for less than I could buy one for:
**if I would have had to buy a tubing bender, I would have been a few hundred bucks over a Gobi, but luckily I had a buddy with a JB2 bender he'd let me use**
It's Jigging time:
First step: Cutting tube clamps to hold the frame, that will be adjusted for level and squareness in the jig:
Next: Gluing the saw horses down, starting the jig framing: I measured centers on all the boards, 3x checked my measurements, and screwed everything together with decking screws.
Next: Check level every chance you get!!!!
Next: Drill tubes for plug welding
Next: Coping stand-offs in the drill press - This was rather sketchy, even with a decent carbide tipped holesaw - I eventually used a proper coping jig
It's a good idea to practice welding a little before you start welding on your project:
My buddies have been bugging me on and off to start a build thread on the Runner, so here it is.
Story time:
Been around Japanese cars all my life. Mom's had a 3rd gen since 2000, drove my father's FJ40 for several months in high school, fell in love with yota 4wds. We also owned Subarus, owned and maintained my 06 wrx since new, and a 2004 baja turbo.
Fast forward:
Sold the Subarus, it was time to consolidate and buy something more reasonable for what I wanted to do (pull trailer occasionally, interior space for future family, etc)
*******Mods to date 2016.24.12*******
-DIY Full Length Roof Rack
-Foxwing 270* Awning
-Tuff Stuff 4x4 RTT
-FN f(x) Pro Wheels 17x8
-Toyo Open country 285/70r17
-Bilstein 5100s 2.5" front/1.75" spacer rear
-42" LED Light Bar
-Diy Drawer system
-Various Plasti-Dip work
Enter 2010 BWP SR5:
It was in great shape for being a Pennsylvania truck, body had zero dings or anything, just a couple paint chips, and the rust wasn't bad at all. Picked it up in June with 92k miles on it.
Mod: Get rid of those horrible side steps
Mod: Lets do the RTT thing
Ordered a tough stuff RTT after hearing about their great customer service, and it was reasonably priced, so I figured why not, looked similar to so many other brands out there (I've read they come from the same factories)
Lets see how fast I can deploy this baby - 3:11 seconds till sleep-able! Pretty great!
Mod: Lets build a full length roof rack
I'm reasonably handy with fab type stuff, so I figured instead of waiting weeks and weeks on a pre-fabbed rack from Gobi, Baja, or otherwise, I challenged myself to buy all the tools and materials and build one myself for less than I could buy one for:
**if I would have had to buy a tubing bender, I would have been a few hundred bucks over a Gobi, but luckily I had a buddy with a JB2 bender he'd let me use**
It's Jigging time:
First step: Cutting tube clamps to hold the frame, that will be adjusted for level and squareness in the jig:
Next: Gluing the saw horses down, starting the jig framing: I measured centers on all the boards, 3x checked my measurements, and screwed everything together with decking screws.
Next: Check level every chance you get!!!!
Next: Drill tubes for plug welding
Next: Coping stand-offs in the drill press - This was rather sketchy, even with a decent carbide tipped holesaw - I eventually used a proper coping jig
It's a good idea to practice welding a little before you start welding on your project:
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