Mstudt's SR5 Build & Adventure Thread

[theesotericone]

I'm also adding an ARB compressed under the hood.

It's worth it. I've only had mine mounted up for a month or so now and I've used it a lot. It;s not as fast as a tank but it's fast enough to not make me want anything else. Plus, it'll run my lockers eventually.

Nice to see you back on track with the rig.

 

[MStudt]

I got done what I thought I would today, but I was still hoping to be further along. I only had about 3 hours to spend on the platform today, and I'll be back at it around 6 am tomorrow. I'm hoping to finish off the metal frame tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be able to get started on the wood portion.

The rear section has two drawers that are 34" long. The driver side drawer is 18.5" wide, and passenger side is 17.5" wide.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Really enjoy your build Mike. As much as I like my 4runner I have never worked on it at 6am.

Sorry to hear about the Rover. My brother's good friend is a mobile Rover mechanic in South Florida. He has more work than time, working six days a week.

 

[MStudt]

Really enjoy your build Mike. As much as I like my 4runner I have never worked on it at 6am.

Sorry to hear about the Rover. My brother's good friend is a mobile Rover mechanic in South Florida. He has more work than time, working six days a week.

I don't want to be working on my 4runner at 6 am, but getting a couple extra hours a light really helps.

I'm so bitter about Rover's right now it's not even funny. Rover's can be great cars if they're property maintained, and they can also suck with all the little issues that come up. a Had I foreseen this happening I would have dropped an LS 5.3 in it, and called it a day.

 

[psraff]

My projects today were long overdo. I was able to knockout my TBU, and replace my fan clutch. The TBU took me about 4 hours from start to finish. I replace all the brake line from the engine bay to the calipers. I replaced the upper hard lines with new OEM's. From those to the calipers I used Tacoma soft lines. I purchase the Stoptech kit that came with rebuilt calipers, and new pads. I also purchase Stoptech slotted rotors. ]

Where did you get you Stoptech kit from and how do you like it now that you've had it for almost a year? I've got the 190mm calipers but ready to upgrade to the 230s. I've tried 2 different kits (calipers, pads, and rotors) from Amazon and neither will ship to Alaska. Getting frustrated. .....

Do you still have their model / kit numbers?

Love your page BTW! Wish I could keep mine up to date.....

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

 

[MStudt]

Where did you get you Stoptech kit from and how do you like it now that you've had it for almost a year? I've got the 190mm calipers but ready to upgrade to the 230s. I've tried 2 different kits (calipers, pads, and rotors) from Amazon and neither will ship to Alaska. Getting frustrated. .....

Do you still have their model / kit numbers?

Love your page BTW! Wish I could keep mine up to date.....

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

I actually got mine from Amazon.

After a year a using them I'm not overly impressed. I need new rear brakes, and I'm sure once those get changed out things will improve.

 

[MStudt]

Day 2 is complete, and I still haven't had a full day of work yet. I wasn't able to start today until about 12:30 do to having to move a little this morning, and I called it a day at 8 pm. Tomorrow will be my first full day of work since today's full day was a bust, and I plan on starting around 8. I need to finish the front lids, side compartments, and extensions.

Today I managed to complete the rear section, and the front is about 75% percent done. The rear looks a little off, but it really isn't. I'll get some more pictures tomorrow once all the metal work is done, and painted. I'll make sure to get some pictures of how this mounts as well.

 

[MStudt]

The metal frame is complete, and painted. This ended up taking a bit longer than I had hoped, and that was do to running out of wire for my welder. As of now the welding is completed, but the wood portion will have to wait. The 4runner is now loaded up with our load to clear out the house. Come Sunday will be working from the inlaw's shop until everything is finished.

 

[MStudt]

Looks like I'll be starting over right here due to Photobucket issues.

With the recent events, and deciding to take the 4runner on our upcoming adventure we decided to update it some. First thing was building a new platform to allow for more storage space.

Metal Framing

Finished Platform

 

[MStudt]

The platform is 72" in length, and weighs about 110lbs empty. The rear drawers are both 34" in length, and pull out 28". The front has two flip up lids, two small side boxes, and two 1 gallon Rotopax under the front lip.

Today I'll be moving onto removing the rear bumper, and getting to work on the rear axle, I found out last night that I have a leaking axle, and need to replace 1 axle seal I also need to replace the drum brakes. At the same time I'll need to remove the rear bumper since my new 4xInnovations bump will be here tomorrow.

With everything moving along nicely we're aiming at being on the road next week. We still don't have much of an idea on where we're going besides Colorado, or how much time we'll have. What started off as a 1-2 year trip might only end up being a 1 month trip. We may be relocating to Oregon by mid August, and we should know that by the end of the week.

 

[JBurt]

That turned out great. I like the expanded metal in the storage. Light and keeps everything in place.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

We may be relocating to Oregon

Bad news- we're full here! [emoji12]
That rear setup turned out awesome man. Nice work.
What did you use for the surface? At first I thought it was laminate flooring. Then I saw the cut-outs, and that made it look like plywood, but the finish looked too smooth and laminate-ish to be stained plywood! Whatever it is, it looks great.

 

[MStudt]

Bad news- we're full here! [emoji12]
That rear setup turned out awesome man. Nice work.
What did you use for the surface? At first I thought it was laminate flooring. Then I saw the cut-outs, and that made it look like plywood, but the finish looked too smooth and laminate-ish to be stained plywood! Whatever it is, it looks great.

Surely there's room for just 2 more people?

It's actually peel and stick vinyl flooring that I hand cut around everything. I used a little 3M vinyl adhesive to help keep if in place better.

 

[MStudt]

Today I was able to get rear end prepped for the new bumper. Getting the old bumper off was pretty easy with the exception of one bolt. I was also able to clean up the frame, and get it painted. In addition to that I was able to address the leaking rear axle, and get the driver side pulled apart.

While I'm working on the driver side of the axle I might tackle the passenger side as well. I'm not sure if I'll be able to find these parts locally or not so this project may have to wait for a few days.

 

[99_RRdifflock]

Wow, one slick looking platform!

 

[MStudt]

We had quite a bit delivered yesterday, and now have even more to get done. I should have the bearings for the rear shafts tomorrow, and will drop those off on Saturday to get pressed in. I'm hoping to have them back on Monday, and if that's the case I'll also get the rear brakes installed.

Yesterday our new bumper, tires, and springs showed up.

 

[MStudt]

So, things have changed again. On Friday we'll be starting our 4 week adventure to Oregon. We need to be in the Eugene area by the August 15th to find somewhere to live by the 20th, and start work on the 21st.

I'll have some vehicle updates a little later.

 

[theesotericone]

So, things have changed again. On Friday we'll be starting our 4 week adventure to Oregon. We need to be in the Eugene area by the August 15th to find somewhere to live by the 20th, and start work on the 21st.

I'll have some vehicle updates a little later.

Wait. Your letting a new job and life get in the way of a 1-2 year road trip? I've been there and I can tell you, for me at least, it was worth it. I can road trip my ass off once I retire. Best of luck with the new city and the new job.

 

[MStudt]

Wait. Your letting a new job and life get in the way of a 1-2 year road trip? I've been there and I can tell you, for me at least, it was worth it. I can road trip my ass off once I retire. Best of luck with the new city and the new job.

Yeah, and for the right reason we hope. My wife basically found her dream teaching job, and is committed for 12 months. We figure if it ends up being a total bust then we'll leave next summer to start traveling.

If it ends up being a good thing then we'll stay. Plus we wanted to end up in Oregon when it was all said and done.

 

[MStudt]

Over the last week we've done an overhaul on the 4runner. We started with cleaning up, and painting the entire frame including the gas tank skid. Next we paint the old 4xInnovations front bumper at the same time we painted the new 4xInnovations rear bumper. We'll we worked on the bumpers I pulled both rear shafts, ordered parts, and took them to a machine shop for new bearings to be installed. Once those were back we install new drums and shoes, and bled all four corners. Next was installing some CaliRaised LED pods on CBI ditch light brackets. Next came installing our ARB compressor, Blue Sea fuse, Blue Sea breaker, and switch on aluminum panel I made. Last night we finished the suspension by adding some Toytec Superflex springs, and today we finished with installing the bumpers.

Here's what I remembered to take pictures of along the way.

The newly painted frame. While we couldn't get everything we did the best we could given the time frame. We spend a good 8 hours wire wheeling, chipping, cleaning, and painting everything.

Next was installing the new bumpers. Both were painted with Herculiner due to availability to us, durability, and cost. The rear bumper has the optional fold down cooking tray.

Here's the fuse panel setup that we mounted to the driver side fender.

Here's the ARB compressor mounted to the passenger side wheel well.

I still need to put my RCI skids back on, swap the jerry can holder, mount the propane tank, put the shower on the roof, and pack. These plus more need to be done by noon on Friday.