Mc1337sauce's (Modest) 1997 4Runner Build

[CremeBrulee]

Wonderful

I recently picked up a set of the same wheels that you have on your truck. They do a wonderful job of setting the vehicle apart from the others.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Posted a YouTube video a couple days ago detailing the fix for the turbo to downpipe exhaust leak. I know most people won't find it of much use (maybe some entertainment value if you're bored), but I figured I'd post it since it may help out others with boosted 3RZs. The truck has been running great since the fix, and I've been ripping on it fairly hard to ensure everything is functioning properly now. So far so good, but I will post an update if anything changes.



In other news, I got the brackets for the spoiler about halfway done, and I should have it mocked up in a few days here at which time I will start figuring out what I'm going to do about painting it.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

I've been working on the truck a heck of a lot lately when the weather isn't too hot, and I've gotten quite a bit done...we've already gotten up to nearly 120 degF a few times this summer, though, so working on cars can get pretty miserable.

First off, I have had a pull when braking that has been getting progressively worse, with old pads being the suspect. I figured while I was replacing the front pads, I'd upgrade to stainless lines all around while at it. I ended up going with StopTech lines since I've had excellent experiences with them in the past, this time being no exception, and I used OEM pads with Pentosin DOT4 fluid as I always have. With everything fresh, the brakes feel a whole heck of a lot better - a lot smoother than before, and nice and stiff. Here's a couple pics showing the lines and fluid I used:





I also shot videos showing the process of replacing the pads and lines. I have the rear line and brake pad videos finished and uploaded, and I should have the front line video done later this week. Here's the ones I have finished at the moment:





I also got my spoiler brackets bent up this morning...they came out damn good considering I don't have any proper metal working tools. I used my milling table to rough cut them out of 20g (IIRC) 1020 steel, then filed them to shape and bent them using my vise and some wood blocks. They fit just like the OEM brackets should as far as I can tell. I made a couple changes to the final design, so I will update my drawings and upload them here soon in case anyone needs to make the same brackets in the future. Here's what they look like before any paint...I may need to slightly widen the portion where the bracket is folded over in order to accommodate for the thickness of paint as well as paint protection film I will be applying to the truck, but they are done for the most part.





I should have some more updates coming fairly soon, so stay tuned!

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Just a really quick update, I got the video for front brake line replacement uploaded a little while ago. Here it is for anyone interested:



I definitely recommend the StopTech lines if you are in need of replacements, they are half the price of OEM lines, fit like they are factory, and the brake feel is definitely improved over rubber lines. The spoiler is going to be painted and installed soon and at that point I will start working on my headlights, so stay tuned for more build action coming soon!

 

[Mc1337sauce]

And as promised, here's the drawing for the lower spoiler bracket in case anybody needs to make one in the future.



You can also click here for a printable PDF version of the sheet. If you print it at 100% scale (1:1), you can cut out the template on the right side of the sheet if you plan on cutting out the brackets manually. Hopefully someone finds this information useful!

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Well, no progress on the spoiler or headlights since other things got in the way...dangit!



When I did my brake lines I noticed one of my PS rack boots was torn, so I ordered a set. Pulling apart the front end to take care of those, I quickly realized new OTREs and LBJs were necessary, so I took care of that over the past couple days. I made a video covering the replacement of all of those items, which I should have edited and uploaded in a few days. I took a couple steps not shown in other videos that made the job much easier, so it might be worth a look if you are planning on doing front suspension work in the future.

Stay tuned for more soon (unless more things break, lol)!

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Finally got the OEM rear wing installed! Pics below...next up, retrofit!

Fresh back from paint:


Cutting some clear protective film for under the brackets and legs:


Getting the new connectors wired up for the brake light:


Wing-side harness done:


Installed!

 

[StreetCreeper]

Finally got the OEM rear wing installed! Pics below...next up, retrofit!

That actually looks good! You say OEM so is that one of those Hilux parts?

 

[Mc1337sauce]

That actually looks good! You say OEM so is that one of those Hilux parts?

Yep, it's off of a Hilux Surf SSR-G. It's the one JAOS (now discontinued) and Burtman replicated, but the OEM one clamps on (I'm vehemently opposed to drilling into unmolested sheet metal on this vehicle). You can find them fairly regularly on Yahoo Auctions Japan, but they're not exactly cheap to import over here. I got lucky and got it from a forum member for a good price missing the lower brackets, which I made (detailed a page or two back). It's one of my favorite visual mods you can do on a 4Runner, and it's super unique...never seen another one outside of the forums.

 

[Hrettig]

I saw your ad in the classifieds, but I prefer turbos on imports. I want to keep my engine relatively stock anyway, at least until it is rebuilt in the (hopefully) distant future. GLWS though!

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Got the video of the wing install finished and up on YouTube, embedded below. I will be test-fitting the aftermarket JDM headlights this week and ordering retrofit parts if the fit is to my liking. Stay tuned!

 

[Alikazam]

Wing looks great! you have way more patience than me haha.

As a side note, I chassis dyno'd my 4runner again, still on stock computer after running it at 5psi for the past 1.5-2 years and I'm now running amsoil with extended oil change intervals. at 10k miles out of 15k on this oil change and at 249k miles on my 4runner total she put down 167 whp, 195 wtq. Still on the stock computer and unmodified KO Racing enforcer kit with 46 trim t3/t4 turbo with stock cat and stock exhaust, at 5psi. One thing the 2rz dyno sheet on the website car did have was an electric fan removing the clutch fan. I plan to remove my clutch fan and go electric as well so I'll make sure to dyno after and post results.

Keep up the good work! your 4runner is coming along nicely.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Wing looks great! you have way more patience than me haha.

As a side note, I chassis dyno'd my 4runner again, still on stock computer after running it at 5psi for the past 1.5-2 years and I'm now running amsoil with extended oil change intervals. at 10k miles out of 15k on this oil change and at 249k miles on my 4runner total she put down 167 whp, 195 wtq. Still on the stock computer and unmodified KO Racing enforcer kit with 46 trim t3/t4 turbo with stock cat and stock exhaust, at 5psi. One thing the 2rz dyno sheet on the website car did have was an electric fan removing the clutch fan. I plan to remove my clutch fan and go electric as well so I'll make sure to dyno after and post results.

Keep up the good work! your 4runner is coming along nicely.

Thanks for the complements man! I definitely feel you on the clutch fan - here in AZ during summer, once it kicks on full blast, the power loss is unbelievable, even more so once my truck gets heatsoaked. None of my FI vehicles, stock or modified, can stand up to the ridiculous 115+ degF summer days here.

I'll definitely be curious to see the dyno results once you've done the e-fan conversion, since that's something I've thought about doing myself. Is there a pre-engineered kit for these trucks, or are you setting it up yourself?

 

[Alikazam]

Thanks for the complements man! I definitely feel you on the clutch fan - here in AZ during summer, once it kicks on full blast, the power loss is unbelievable, even more so once my truck gets heatsoaked. None of my FI vehicles, stock or modified, can stand up to the ridiculous 115+ degF summer days here.

I'll definitely be curious to see the dyno results once you've done the e-fan conversion, since that's something I've thought about doing myself. Is there a pre-engineered kit for these trucks, or are you setting it up yourself?

I got a couple of SPAL 11" fans and thermal switch kit, though I'm thinking one will probably be enough. We put 1 pusher version of the fans I bought on a 400 awhp all trac celica and it kept it cool by itself. No shroud or anything and only basically covering half the radiator. I'll let you know the results when I get them! There is a pre-made kit out there by someone but it's pretty expensive and I don't think the fans perform as well as the SPAL fans do.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

I got a couple of SPAL 11" fans and thermal switch kit, though I'm thinking one will probably be enough. We put 1 pusher version of the fans I bought on a 400 awhp all trac celica and it kept it cool by itself. No shroud or anything and only basically covering half the radiator. I'll let you know the results when I get them! There is a pre-made kit out there by someone but it's pretty expensive and I don't think the fans perform as well as the SPAL fans do.

Please do keep me posted on the results, it sounds like your setup might be something I'd want to do to my truck, though I think I would be inclined to run a push-pull setup since I do have to idle in traffic in 110+ degree heat here regularly - you wouldn't believe the IATs I see here, even in stock vehicles. I'd love to get rid of that clutch fan at some point though, and additional cooling would be more than welcome.

 

[1997T4R]

nice clean build keep up the posts

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Haven't posted an update in quite a while, but not much has been done to the truck. Right after I finished up installing the Surf spoiler, I swapped out the Zenki (96-98) headlamps and corners for Kouki (99+) ones; headlights are OEM from a 2002 4Runner, corners are imported OEM from a Surf. I also put on a new aftermarket grille to tide me over until I have some more parts to get painted along with my OEM grille, although I may just tackle that respray myself with some proper paint.




I also took some time and built a Tamiya Surf model, painted in Desert Dune to match my truck.




At this point, most of the parts I want for this truck are ones that are very hard to come by, so I am planning on simply purchasing them when they become available for a price I'm willing to pay and working on further installs at that point. Because of that slowdown, and because I needed a test vehicle for a thesis project at my university, I picked up another car - 2002 Lexus GS300 Sport Design, 1 owner, under 100k miles (although I'm about to roll over that soon). Some very interesting things will be happening with this car in the near future (stay tuned to my YouTube channel here if you are interested in following that project), and I'm stocking up on cosmetic parts for once that thesis project is complete, but for now, here are some shots of it with the Runner; you can also see those new headlamps and corners in the first pic.





This truck is definitely still my favorite vehicle I own, so there will most certainly be more updates in the future, though when I can't say for sure. Until then, thanks for reading!

 

[UnderFire]

Ballin, I used to not like the GS that much but its grown on me a lot, I may even like it ad much as the UCF20 LS400s. Is it getting an Aristo conversion?

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[Mc1337sauce]

Ballin, I used to not like the GS that much but its grown on me a lot, I may even like it ad much as the UCF20 LS400s. Is it getting an Aristo conversion?

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The GS is definitely an awesome car, great balance of comfort and sporty driving dynamics.

I'm actually not planning on doing a cosmetic Aristo conversion since this happens to have the fairly rare Sport Design package, with the black interior wood, a different grille, black pearl emblems, etc., although if I happen across a set of black pearl Aristo emblems, I'd definitely rebadge the car at that point. As far as performance is concerned, it may get a good old Aristo GTE swap at some point, but for now, I'm doing something a little bit different for that thesis project, though boost will definitely still be involved.

A UCF20 is definitely on my list of Toyotas to add to the collection - certainly my favorite big-body sedan to come out of Japan in the 90s. I'd love to pick up a few others, too - 100 Series LC/LX, 120 Series GX, JZZ30 Soarer, JZA80 (MKIV) Supra, and a GZG50 Century (V12). I need more space before I can collect any more cars though. :lol:

 

[UnderFire]

The GS is definitely an awesome car, great balance of comfort and sporty driving dynamics.

I'm actually not planning on doing a cosmetic Aristo conversion since this happens to have the fairly rare Sport Design package, with the black interior wood, a different grille, black pearl emblems, etc., although if I happen across a set of black pearl Aristo emblems, I'd definitely rebadge the car at that point. As far as performance is concerned, it may get a good old Aristo GTE swap at some point, but for now, I'm doing something a little bit different for that thesis project, though boost will definitely still be involved.

A UCF20 is definitely on my list of Toyotas to add to the collection - certainly my favorite big-body sedan to come out of Japan in the 90s. I'd love to pick up a few others, too - 100 Series LC/LX, 120 Series GX, JZZ30 Soarer, JZA80 (MKIV) Supra, and a GZG50 Century (V12). I need more space before I can collect any more cars though. [emoji38]

Your list is really short compared to mine lol. I've got more than enough work on my hands right now though. Didn't know that you could ever get the lexus with the black wood grain, I love the looks of that stuff in the 4th gen runners and Yukon Denalis. Would definitely have it in my 3rd gen if it existed.

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