Mason's Build Thread

[MasonT4R]

why did you run the bolt from the bottom up. id be scared if i ever lost the nut the bolt would come loose and i would loose my tire carrier. just thinking.

Hows the sliders and rear bumper when flexing? any problems with the bumper touching the body.

Build looks great man, i like the color.

Thanks man. It's been a lot of fun building it. The sliders and rear bumper haven't been rubbing anywhere that I've noticed but I also took a hammer to some spots for clearance as well. If it ever does start to rub somewhere you will probably get a PM from me about some spacers.

The bolt thing was kind of interesting. There wasn't really any official instructions on assembling it so I googled around to see how people were running it. I ended up finding about an even mix of up and down. It has been awhile but I want to say I saw a vehicle on Savage's website showing it ran up like that so I went with it. It is also a lock nut otherwise I'd feel pretty nervous running it that way. So far it hasn't budged.

 

[Sje1124]

Great looking 4Runner man.

 

[MountainBiker]

Sorry about your submarine adventure! Perhaps I missed it, but what stopped your forward momentum?

Other than needing to extend the Auto Trans breather, any other tips for waterproofing?

 

[MasonT4R]

Sorry about your submarine adventure! Perhaps I missed it, but what stopped your forward momentum?

Other than needing to extend the Auto Trans breather, any other tips for waterproofing?

We didn't properly scout the puddle. Figured it was like the other ones we had run into but longer. As it turned out mudders or someone with huge tires had been in there and completely rutted out the track so the bottom fell out from underneath me. My cute little 265's couldn't find anything to grab hold of and I sat down on the differentials.

It was a stupid mistake made my a guy who was too busy living in the moment. The whole trip was a blast irregardless but I should have been doing a better job of thinking things through. We did much better as a group after my incident.

As far as preparing for water crossings I would read this multi-part article from Central Overland. It does a great job of covering water crossings.

Water Crossing 101: Part One - Central Overland

3rd Gen specific I would check to make sure all your breathers are raised, not just assume they are because you read it on the internet. I'm running a snorkel with definitely saved me in the mud puddle as my air box was in the water but for almost all the rest I've run across it has been unnecessary.

 

[MountainBiker]

3rd Gen specific I would check to make sure all your breathers are raised, not just assume they are because you read it on the internet. I'm running a snorkel with definitely saved me in the mud puddle as my air box was in the water but for almost all the rest I've run across it has been unnecessary.

Thanks! I just got the same snorkel you have, not because I expect to use it regularly(or even ever), but to protect the engine when things go wrong!

 

[MasonT4R]

Speaking of my mud puddle adventure I got a salvage transmission put in last week. Came out of a rolled 4Runner with 130k. She's running much better but the 1st to 2nd gear shift still seems funky. Haven't further troubleshot it yet.

In other news I picked up some CBI ditch light brackets to mount up my Rigid Duallys my wife got me.

FYI you can run the ditch lights with the Hilux snorkel (but from my understanding it doesn't work with the ARB Tacoma snorkel). It does touch the snorkel but doesn't apply a lot of pressure.

While the weather was nice and I was working on 4Runner I made some mounts to lower the rack when I'm running it. It lowered the rack by 1 1/4" and feels stronger than with the factory rack. I also swapped out my Rotopax mounts for locking mounts.

 

[llennium]

Runner is looking great Mason. Hate to hear about the transmission, it must have happen just before we ran across you on the trail. Hopefully you can get it back to normal with minimal funds.

Will be looking for you on the trails again.

 

[MasonT4R]

Runner is looking great Mason. Hate to hear about the transmission, it must have happen just before we ran across you on the trail. Hopefully you can get it back to normal with minimal funds.

Will be looking for you on the trails again.

Thanks! You actually came across us as we had stopped because it had overheated for the first time. The guys pulled me up the trail a little ways and we started flushing it right there on the trail.

Hope you guys had a good weekend. I'm ready to get back at it!

 

[ranbar02]

Nice thread. Great pictures. Looks like a lot of fun.

 

[llennium]

Thanks! You actually came across us as we had stopped because it had overheated for the first time. The guys pulled me up the trail a little ways and we started flushing it right there on the trail.

Hope you guys had a good weekend. I'm ready to get back at it!

We ran into a couple issues ourselves (buddies Trailblazer overheating) but it was an over all good trip. Next time you head out let me know, if you have room for some tag alongs.

 

[MasonT4R]

Solved my transmission issue! The mechanic who swapped transmissions for me didn't reconnected the throttle position cable! It didn't cause huge issues but the shifting felt odd. Reconnected the cable completely straightened out my issues.

That big open spot in the bumper needed to be filled so I bought a winch!

Superwinch Tiger Shark 9.5 with synthetic line.

Me being the dork I am, immediately had to put it in! This weekend I'll actually get it installed.

With my new winch I figured I needed a new recovery kit! I probably went overboard but I saw this over on Expo and really liked the idea. Includes a strap, gloves, winch controller, snatch block, and two 7/8 bow shackles.

 

[Sje1124]

Nice! I just ordered a winch my self. Hope to have it installed before Disney.

 

[cdrewferd]

Nice recovery kit. Where did you see that on Expo?

 

[MasonT4R]

Nice recovery kit. Where did you see that on Expo?

BigWapiti's build (he used to have a 3rd gen).

Bigwapiti's 2011 Tundra build...'BIG NAMBE' - Page 15 - Expedition Portal

Dude, nice start! If you ever get around to it, I feel like there'd be more than just me who'd be interested in a write-up on how you wired those footwell lights -- did you tap into the little rubber button in the driver door frame?

Thanks!

It is simple enough that it is probably not write-up worthy. I simply provided the lights with 12v and used the rubber button switch circuit as a ground. When the doors open the circuit closes and the lights come on! Good luck!

 

[fo' runnin']

Here's some video of Mason's killer rig!


The Overland Adventures - High Water Mark Route - Ozark National Forest

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gz-hQxRP9mw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gz-hQxRP9mw&hd=1

 

[llennium]

Here's some video of Mason's killer rig!

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C6BjeSlpQGw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Awesome video. It's great when someone takes the time to document the trip.

 

[MasonT4R]

Here's some video of Mason's killer rig!


The Overland Adventures - High Water Mark Route - Ozark National Forest: http://youtu.be/C6BjeSlpQGw

Dang you! Just came here to post this.

 

[fo' runnin']

Dang you! Just came here to post this.

Muahahaha

 

[Sje1124]

Great video. I'd love to go on a trip like that.

 

[fo' runnin']

Great video. I'd love to go on a trip like that.

Thank you! It was a blast!