Merlin's new to upgrading and having fun doing it thread

[merlin12]

hay KidVermicious, hone: it appears that i need your advice, cuz i might be going down a dark path... or something like that, i have some ideas of stuff i want to do to my 4Runner and maybe you could help me determine what are good and bad ideas to do. :decision:

some things that i am working on now:
-front grill mod
-air box hole mod
-replacing strut stabilizers
-remounting the brush bar

some ideas that i am planing on doing but have not started yet:
-costume back bumper
-new bigger tires
-new exhaust system
-roof rack + lights
- taking the rust off the under side
-rock sliders

what do you think Quatre Coureur? or anyone else, am i going down a dark path?

 

[merlin12]

grill

i pulled this off today and am going to paint it and put a mesh grill on it.

 

[KidVermicious]

hay KidVermicious, hone: it appears that i need your advice, cuz i might be going down a dark path... or something like that, i have some ideas of stuff i want to do to my 4Runner and maybe you could help me determine what are good and bad ideas to do. :decision:

Well, ok, here's what I think. I posted this on another forum a while back, it seems to apply here.

Modding is fun. Making your truck more capable or just more "you" is a time and money consuming hobby that can rapidly get in the way of actually using your truck for it's intended purpose, if you let it.

Having said that, I would propose to you that the perfect "Utah Terrain Vehicle" is what you've already got. Your stock truck can go over 99% of the places you can legally drive in Utah right now, and that includes some things that don't really look like roads. I'm pretty big on letting form follow function - I mod my truck as much as I need but as little as I can get away with to make the truck go where I want it to go, and my truck looks good. Not because I've got a blingy thousand dollar roof rack or a nice set of wheels, but because it looks like it's owned by a guy that uses it. I think you should avoid things like the Satoshi mod or the ISR removal that just change the aesthetic but don't add capability to your rig. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in the appearance of your ride, but if all you're doing is changing the appearance/sound, then you're all bark and no bite, and you're taking away from the stock reliability of your rig. Do the upgrades you need to in order for the truck to function how you want it, and let the appearance take care of itself, you know?

A good set of tires to get you in and out. Rock sliders and maybe a rear bumper to protect your panels from sneaky granite. A CB or ham radio for trail and emergency communications. A well stocked tool bag, a spare CV shaft, recovery gear in case you get in trouble, these are things that make a rig look good to me. I see those things and I have respect for the owner of that rig, I know he uses it and I know he makes thoughtful choices in order to be prepared for what he might run into.

I know some guys are big on the visual mods, but consider that most of those guys think a graded dirt path is "offroading" and get a thrill from splashing through a puddle. Look at the build threads of the guys that actually use their trucks, and see how many Satoshi grills you can count . Don't worry so much about the mods - wheel your truck first, get a feel for where it can take you and what you need to go further. Form will follow function.

I don't know what QC was referring to, but I would call things like your wonky brush bar and that satoshi grill you're working on a "dark path" because they don't actually add anything to your truck. They're a waste of time as far as I'm concerned, suitable for posers who are more concerned with image than function. It's your truck, but if you're modding just for the aesthetic then you don't want to ask me, because I think that's a waste of money. If you're modding for function, my advice would be don't, not yet. Rock the stocker for a year, and then think about mods once you've got a better idea exactly what mods you need to make the truck go where you want it to go, and let form follow function. That's my advice.

Let me know if you wanna get your truck dirty - be happy to show you what things like sliders are for.

 

[merlin12]

hay thanks guys

hay thanks guys for all the advice. i am going to find some trails that i can take my 4Runner out on and start doing that before i do any of the bigger mods to see what will benefit me most, and for the mods that i have been doing most have been for some reason or another besides just aesthetics, my brush bar i put on because a last year a bird smashed one of my lights and shattered that light, so i got that to protect my lights the other stuff was just for fun, just because i have been having fun with the project and with my projects i seem to go a little over board like just look at my last project

so ya i am one of the go crazy and do to much stuff guys, lol
:gun4:

 

[4Runnin Tahoe]

Well, ok, here's what I think. I posted this on another forum a while back, it seems to apply here.



I don't know what QC was referring to, but I would call things like your wonky brush bar and that satoshi grill you're working on a "dark path" because they don't actually add anything to your truck. They're a waste of time as far as I'm concerned, suitable for posers who are more concerned with image than function. It's your truck, but if you're modding just for the aesthetic then you don't want to ask me, because I think that's a waste of money. If you're modding for function, my advice would be don't, not yet. Rock the stocker for a year, and then think about mods once you've got a better idea exactly what mods you need to make the truck go where you want it to go, and let form follow function. That's my advice.

Let me know if you wanna get your truck dirty - be happy to show you what things like sliders are for.

This makes me wanna go out and rip out all my mods...but not really, cause I spent a lot of money on those....plus, how will people know I sometimes rarely not really off-road?
All joking aside, I really like what you said, and OP if you have the self control that most of us do not have, I would follow this man's advice.

 

[merlin12]

the new grill

 

[merlin12]

mud flaps!

 

[merlin12]

i did that air intake deck plate mod today and i reset my ecu and did not feel much of a change but i think the truck sounds better and has a little better response time, but i am talking about barley noticeable.

 

[merlin12]

what i started on a rainy day

pulling in the 4Runner in to my friends garage to get out of the rain :smow:

no bumper while working on the mounts of the brush bar

cutting off mount points because they are going to get remounted

my friend welding

what a real man's garage should look like...

going to work on the bumper more tomorrow this is just what i did today and wanted to make a update to show you what was going on


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[merlin12]

not much to show today, most of the day was drilling and cutting and some welding, but tomorrow i am hoping to finish the job. arty:

 

[merlin12]

the next day

after we welded the mounts on we started to clean the old paint off

at one point there was three of us grinding on that bar...

 

[merlin12]

i fount a nice guy on ksl that was selling the rear light guard so i got those and started painting the primer on the brush guard and the new light guards

:rockon:

the bottem of the brush bar is going to have some mesh mounted on it after i am done painting.

 

[Quatre Coureur]

Well, ok, here's what I think. I posted this on another forum a while back, it seems to apply here.



I don't know what QC was referring to, but I would call things like your wonky brush bar and that satoshi grill you're working on a "dark path" because they don't actually add anything to your truck. They're a waste of time as far as I'm concerned, suitable for posers who are more concerned with image than function. It's your truck, but if you're modding just for the aesthetic then you don't want to ask me, because I think that's a waste of money. If you're modding for function, my advice would be don't, not yet. Rock the stocker for a year, and then think about mods once you've got a better idea exactly what mods you need to make the truck go where you want it to go, and let form follow function. That's my advice.

Let me know if you wanna get your truck dirty - be happy to show you what things like sliders are for.

Well u can't say we didn't try...

 

[_#1_]

That brush guard makes me smile every time I look at it . I would think this truck will turn out great based on merlin12 enthusiasm.

 

[merlin12]

Well u can't say we didn't try...

its true i can see where you guys are coming from and i think for some people that is good and for others like me... well im going to do some crazy stuff and have fun doing it. and i invite all of you to see what i do and help by telling me your ideas and thoughts so we can all have fun on the journey that is my 4Runner and the fun we will have with it :dance:

 

[merlin12]

That brush guard makes me smile every time I look at it . I would think this truck will turn out great based on merlin12 enthusiasm.

thanks, i have had some time on my hands lately so i have been doing what lots of people do when you no longer have a job... work on there truck lol

 

[merlin12]

just put the first coat on the brush guard and after a day of drying am going to do a few more coats and add some snazzy to it :fear:

 

[merlin12]

o and i think there has been some misunderstanding on how long i have had this 4Runner, it seems like some of you think i just got it but i have owned it for almost 3 years now, i am just about to pay it off :dance:

 

[merlin12]

new mesh grill

hear we go!

i took out the chrome part of the bumper to help with air flow and it looked funny with if behind the mesh, i was planing on removing the chrome bumper and making my own bumper soon but i kind of like the cut that i have done with this one, i think i am going to keep the chrome part and rhino line it.

 

[merlin12]

now that the sun came out i took some better lite pitchers.

:worthless