maxdef Build Thread

[maxdef]

After much lurking for 2 years, I decided to make a thread of my own to share what I have done with my 4runner and hopefully help people out! Until I learn to make this all look nice, I'll get the essential work out of the way and share the stats, mods, and special powers (spoiler: none). This has been a long, strange trip learning how to wrench and learning lots about how these fun machines work, and just how much a stiff suspension can takeaway from that.

2005 V6 Pacific Metallic Blue 4x4, bought at 168k mi, currently 195k mi

Original:
Bilstein 5100 front/rear
OME 884 front coil/Toytec Superflex rear
SPC UCA
265/70/17 BFG KO2 (E-rated, I was a fool then)

Current:
Dobinson IMS59-50220 front shocks/GS59-705 rear
OME 884 front coil/Toytec Superflex rear
Dobinson UCA
255/75/17 BFG KO2 C-rated

RCI front/gas tank skids
RCI sliders
Rokmen rear lower trailing arms
Dobinsons rear upper trailing arms

Front sway bar relocation
Prothane poly sway bar bushings front/rear (replaced back to OEM rubber)
Skyjacker extended rear sway bar end links
Energy Suspension front bump stop/Durobump rear
Added rear differential breather to gas cap

After a year of ownership (~175k mi), I got new OEM radiator, water pump, steering rack et al, brake pads/rotors, and Powerstop red calipers. All new fluids over the year, as well as lots of disassembling, cleaning, and discovering new projects.

 

[aemravan]

Let's see some pics now!


also, if you're looking for Icon rear's, I am looking to get rid of my Icon 57810CP rear shocks. (2.5 shocks, remote reservoir and adjust valve) that I installed this June. Let me know if interested

 

[delstele]

Yessir sounds cool... We need pic's!:typing:

 

[maxdef]

After a solid road trip, it was time to get new tires. Old style KO2s were on it, and so I decided to stay with that. I was in over my head as I didn't know whether to get C or E rated tires, and the Costco guy told me E if I'm going camping.. While they were an improvement over the older, dry-rotted tires, I've come to dislike the harshness of them across 15k miles driven.

The first mod I did was learned from these very forums (like all the mods I've learned)- Prothane sway bar bushings front and rear. A nice upgrade from before where there were some somewhat worn Moogs, and I got to learn the joys of grease guns and why mechanics shops smell the way they do. Cleaned the throttle body, MAF, and installed a new PCV valve.

I had the aftermarket remote start removed after an issue where it wouldn't turn off and I was frantically trying to shut it off while cracking up with my brother at the situation.This was the picture I was sent of the wiring job/rat's nest sitting under the steering wheel:

 

[maxdef]

Well, the fun continues. About a month ago, I started getting some intermittent hesitation. While I have a v6, I find that it has been fun to drive and has power needed to get around. Something changed recently where it sometimes more labored when accelerating and even holding speed. The RPM wouldn't be noticeably higher for the conditions, but it felt like I had to press the pedal more, even in the 25-50mph range. This has occurred infrequently ie 1 or 2 out of 10-15 drives, but I could tell when it was off and couldn't gauge any other differences to replicate.

Additionally, I've had some intermittent water sounds. Essentially just a quick rushing sound upon start, and maybe once or twice while warming up over the next 2-3 minutes. I got a coolant funnel from the store and did 2 separate 20-min burps, heat on high, etc. I was suspicious that the overflow hoses were getting old or maybe a bad OEM cap that I got last year. New stuff came in and I got them on (hoses were very tight in comparison) but opening up the rad cap left me a little worried...

I scooped a little of the glitter out with a small flathead:

My radiator (Denso), water pump, coolant hoses, and rad cap (all OEM) were replaced last summer, about 8k miles ago. Compression at that time held overnight. That gunk appeared in the rap top after one ~40 minute drive the other day. I had been watching how to coolant level changed under the cap for the past week or so, and it was normal coolant until I looked tonight. My reservoir level has practically been the same for the past year (I look way too much) though it looks like I lost a little recently. Any ideas?

 

[maxdef]

-Finished swapping window weatherstrip trims, with the rear passenger windows the last ones. Each one had some level of broken rubber from the inner seal/flap fall down to the inside of the door pinch. I made sure the drain holes were good, wiped everything down, and added some silicone to the window tracks.

-I ordered Dobinson UCAs and got an alignment after install. I was coming from SPC UCAs and had no real opinion as they worked. I had no intention of swapping this part, but it turned out the ball joints were kinda worn to the point where some groove had formed. I'll eventually cut the boot off to see the internals. Swapping to the new ball joint definitely eliminated a lot of the looseness I'd feel in certain conditions. The tech had issues with the specs though- he said if he bumped up caster past 3 degrees, he would lose the toe. He put it the best he could after a few adjustments/test drives, but it has left my steering wheel slightly off-centered. The day after the alignment was a 10 hour drive, and I found out very quickly that the alignment was not great. Lots of correcting back and forth with a loose feeling as if the rack would change direction before the steering wheel flinched.

<a href="https://ibb.co/mTbQgb7"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/7Cj7LjF/Post-UCA-install.jpg" alt="Post-UCA-install" border="0"></a>

 

[bigmoose]

I have a question on your lift. First of all, I did the same thing with the 5100's, OME 884's, and Toytech Super Flex in the rear.

How much lift did you get in the front with the 884's ? With mine, on the bottom (stock) 5100 setting, I got 24 1/4 inches measuring from the center of the hub to the bottom of the fender. This was over 5 inches more than stock and I had severe CV axle angles. I ended up going back to the factory springs at the 3rd setting on the 5100's and not using the OME 884's. Just curious how the 884's are working out for you.

 

[maxdef]

I have a question on your lift. First of all, I did the same thing with the 5100's, OME 884's, and Toytech Super Flex in the rear.

How much lift did you get in the front with the 884's ? With mine, on the bottom (stock) 5100 setting, I got 24 1/4 inches measuring from the center of the hub to the bottom of the fender. This was over 5 inches more than stock and I had severe CV axle angles. I ended up going back to the factory springs at the 3rd setting on the 5100's and not using the OME 884's. Just curious how the 884's are working out for you.

I did a quick measure and it looks like I have 23 1/4" on driver front and 23 1/2" on passenger front. I'm surprised you got so much lift. Do you have any additional weight on the front? I bought the car with a diff drop and have decided to leave it, and I also replaced my axles with CVJ 9808 TR for lifted use.

 

[bigmoose]

Thanks for measuring your lift. I'm not sure what happened when I installed my lift. I did the driver's side first and then the passenger side and then removed the passenger side and reinstalled it, thinking I must have done something wrong. It just came out too high.
I also installed both CV axles and JBA uca's at the same time. I really wanted to do it right and not have to use the factory springs as they had near 100k miles on them. I have too much rake now with the rear 3 inches higher than the front. I need to figure out how to get the front 1 inch higher. I can live with a 2 inch rake as I carry extra supplies and also tow a RV trailer often.
Anyway, I like where you are going with your 4runner and look forward to your updates.

 

[maxdef]

Early on, I noticed the wear on my rear lower control arm bushings. I read around and came across Rokmen brand LCAs. The description inspired confidence and they were local so I ordered and installed. The weight of these is easily twice the OEM version. The bushings looked good and install was pretty easy. Note: if doing this job, only do one side at a time and don't shift the axle while a side is off so that things stay aligned for easy reinstall. I had to use ratchet straps around a bar on my rock slider to get it back in position.

Post install, I could tell right away that things felt more controlled in the rear going over uneven surfaces on the road. It was the first of many future bushing/control arm fixes.

 

[maxdef]

Tensioner pulley swap

I recently ordered an OEM tensioner but wanted to swap the tensioner pulley for now while I muster the energy for a full tensioner swap. This was the last of the pulleys to swap after I did the idler pulleys a couple months ago. Naturally, I went to finish unbolting it by hand and automatically started turning it in to tighten (reverse thread bolt here). A simple job complicated by odd angles. The old pulley bearing was definitely worn and it spun with little resistance, making a soft crunchy noise on each rotation.

 

[T4ROB]

Nice rig, how are you liking the RCI sliders?

 

[maxdef]

Nice rig, how are you liking the RCI sliders?

They've been wonderful steps this whole time. They came with when I purchased the truck, but I wouldn't have bought them myself. While recent life has cut down my offroad excursions, I hadn't needed the sliders to save my rocker panels (I'm ok with that), but I consider them a nice insurance policy and necessary component for people to get in and out of the car! One day I'll run some puddle lights near them and some grip tape where I step for when it's wet out.

 

[Hi-desertT4R]

-Finished swapping window weatherstrip trims, with the rear passenger windows the last ones. Each one had some level of broken rubber from the inner seal/flap fall down to the inside of the door pinch. I made sure the drain holes were good, wiped everything down, and added some silicone to the window tracks.

-I ordered Dobinson UCAs and got an alignment after install. I was coming from SPC UCAs and had no real opinion as they worked. I had no intention of swapping this part, but it turned out the ball joints were kinda worn to the point where some groove had formed. I'll eventually cut the boot off to see the internals. Swapping to the new ball joint definitely eliminated a lot of the looseness I'd feel in certain conditions. The tech had issues with the specs though- he said if he bumped up caster past 3 degrees, he would lose the toe. He put it the best he could after a few adjustments/test drives, but it has left my steering wheel slightly off-centered. The day after the alignment was a 10 hour drive, and I found out very quickly that the alignment was not great. Lots of correcting back and forth with a loose feeling as if the rack would change direction before the steering wheel flinched.

<a href="https://ibb.co/mTbQgb7"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/7Cj7LjF/Post-UCA-install.jpg" alt="Post-UCA-install" border="0"></a>

What condition are your lower control arm bushings in?After installing my JBA uca’s my alignment shop wouldn’t guarantee alignment because my bushing were toast. I replaced them with Whiteline bushings and my alignment has been flawless.

 

[maxdef]

They're actually brand new OEM LCAs I bought in summer of 2020. A friend suggested that the tech just doesn't know 4x4 type adjustments, which is totally possible. I don't wanna pay another $100 bucks just to find out they can't do any better though. Ironically, it's the worst alignment of 3 that I've had with this truck, yet I've now replaced all suspension/steering parts.

 

[y=mx+b]

They're actually brand new OEM LCAs I bought in summer of 2020. A friend suggested that the tech just doesn't know 4x4 type adjustments, which is totally possible. I don't wanna pay another $100 bucks just to find out they can't do any better though. Ironically, it's the worst alignment of 3 that I've had with this truck, yet I've now replaced all suspension/steering parts.

If you have the SPC arms still, I'd recommend getting new ball joints and learning to align them yourself. The SPCs are especially easy to align because they isolate the caster and camber settings, whereas with the OEM adjustments at the LCA, adjusting the caster cam will have a slight effect on camber and visa versa.

There is a good thread on measuring the basic alignment parameters on TW here: How to do an Alignment at Home | Tacoma World.

 

[maxdef]

If you have the SPC arms still, I'd recommend getting new ball joints and learning to align them yourself. The SPCs are especially easy to align because they isolate the caster and camber settings, whereas with the OEM adjustments at the LCA, adjusting the caster cam will have a slight effect on camber and visa versa.

There is a good thread on measuring the basic alignment parameters on TW here: How to do an Alignment at Home | Tacoma World.

That's a good point about extra adjustment.I'd likely need to replace the bushings too if I went that route, and since I didn't have tools and needed a shop to do it, I figured to buy new ones. I decided to buy Dobinsons as the no-maintenance ball joint/rubber bushing sounded really nice. My SPCs came with the car so they could've been bad this whole time, and I also had issues where grease didn't seem to stay in the boot much at all. The Dobinsons have 3 degrees caster, so are there other reasons than bad alignment settings to explain why I can barely keep at 3 degrees all of a sudden?

 

[y=mx+b]

That's a good point about extra adjustment. I'd likely need to replace the bushings too if I went that route, and since I didn't have tools and needed a shop to do it, I figured to buy new ones. I decided to buy Dobinsons as the no-maintenance ball joint/rubber bushing sounded really nice. My SPCs came with the car so they could've been bad this whole time, and I also had issues where grease didn't seem to stay in the boot much at all. The Dobinsons have 3 degrees caster, so are there other reasons than bad alignment settings to explain why I can barely keep at 3 degrees all of a sudden?

The specs on the sheet don't look abnormal. Maybe look if your LCA cam bolts have shifted when you were on the drive? This would have wacked your alignment up even if it was good rolling out of the shop. I like to use paint marker or something to mark a line on the cams to see if they moved.

 

[maxdef]

It's possible it got out of alignment. The first time they did it, I had to tighten everything to spec after. My focus now is to narrow down new shocks! How are you liking the Dobinsons? I won't be going long-travel as I'm keeping with the same OME 884/Toytec rear coils, but it should make for a good upgrade over 5100s.

 

[maxdef]

An easy project- closing off my cabin air access to little friends. Followed a guide or two on here and had it down in no time. The hardest part was realigning my wipers- I need to get better about marking positions before I dive in!

<a href="https://ibb.co/5nBXvsX"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/Jy5W2rW/rodent-screen.jpg" alt="rodent-screen" border="0"></a>