My 2003 V8 Limited Journal

[Dylan780]

Hey guys,

New T4R owner from Edmonton, AB Canada. I come from the JDM world having owned quite a few different cars (Nissan S13/14/15's, Subaru GC8 STI, Forester STI, Legacy GTB, JDM CR-V, NA Miata etc.), but this is my first 4Runner and my first Toyota actually.

My last vehicle was a 2007 CR-V that I imported from Japan. I loved the car but I wanted something that was bigger, could tow a decent amount, looked awesome and had a lot of aftermarket support. That led me to the 4th gen 4Runners.

With my original budget the only 4th gens I could find were clapped out, rusty and had 300 000km - 400 000km on them. So, I decided to put budget aside and just find the cleanest one that I could.

I ended up buying a ONE owner, silver (not my first choice of color), 2003 V8 Limited with 190 000km that was completely stock. Not only was it a one owner car, but he had kept maintenance records from new, which is quite rare these days.

Since buying the car just over a week ago I have ordered / installed the following parts:

Installed

Sony XAV AX3250 head unit (CRUX wiring interface)
Pioneer TSA2000LD2 subwoofer (direct bolt in from stock JBL sub)
2 inch leveling kit
Falken Wildpeak AT4W tires (265/70R17)
Black Rhino Shogun wheels (17x8.5 -10 in midnight blue)
TRD Pro Grill with Raptor Lights
Reverse camera

Ordered / waiting to be installed


As for future plans...I don't plan on going too crazy with the car as it is my daily driver, but I will be doing a sort of camping / adventure / very mild "overland" type build.

Future modifications / plans

Sherpa (or similar) roof rack
2005-2009 OEM LED taillights
Higher rated 7500lb hitch
Dry ice blast and coat the undercarriage
All new suspension arms

Anyways...Here is the car as it currently sits. Hopefully my wheels arrive early next week and I can update with the new wheels, tires and leveling kit installed.

Need to remove the dumb TRD badge the previous owner put on lol.

 

[Dylan780]

Save.

 

[Dylan780]

Save.

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

That's a helluva score right there. I assume the po did the timing belt recently. That baby has a million mile potential being that it's been so well cared for.

 

[Dylan780]

That's a helluva score right there. I assume the po did the timing belt recently. That baby has a million mile potential being that it's been so well cared for.

You bet!

Timing belt, water pump etc. was all done at 160 000km.

The undercarriage is decently rusty (surface, no real rot) from being an Albertan car its entire life but I plan on cleaning that up here shortly and then coating everything.


On another note.....On Friday my wheels, tires and front levelling kit showed up.

Overall it was a very easy install. Soaked everything in PB Blaster the night before and every nut and bolt broke free quite easily. The only issue I ran into was the top hat was SIEZED onto the strut tower. I had to use an air hammer and small chisel bit to break them free.

Took it in for an alignment right after and here is how she sits now.

I also removed the mudflaps from the car as I just don't think they look that great, especially when they are like 2 inches too small for the new tires lol.

I did want to keep the inner portion of the rear mudflap as it does protect the inner rear quarter from rocks and mud etc. So, all I did was cut everything off the mudflap that sat outside the bumper, sanded the edge smooth and re-installed.

 

[4RunnerAquasport]

Good tire and wheel choices. Wildpeaks have a great profile. Fills up the fender wells quite nicely.

 

[Dylan780]

Went and picked up a new 8" subwoofer to replace the blown OEM JBL sub.

I went with the Pioneer TS-A2000LD2 for three reasons: it fits in the OEM location (even the screw holes line up), it is reasonably priced and it had pretty good reviews for a small sub.

This install took maybe 30 minutes, the longest part being removing all of the interior trim to get to the sub.

Overall, the bass isn't anything crazy but it is much more crisp and punchy, not to mention the JBL sub was completely blown and rattled like crazy.

I have front door speakers on order now as well (Kenwood Excelon KFC-XP6902C).

Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of the new sub installed :sobbing:

 

[wampa]

Looks great! I ended up with a silver one too thinking it wasn't my first choice, but I love it now, and I do like how cool it stays in the summer sun (compared to my other cars which are black on black!

 

[Dylan780]

I have to agree, the silver is really growing on me! Plus, it always looks clean haha. My last two cars were black which makes them a nightmare to keep clean.

This is a controversial topic, but I installed a TRD grill with the raptor lights. Some people love it and some people hate it, I have always been a fan of both the TRD grill and the raptor lights (only 3 through, don't like when there is 4).

As with everything else so far, this install was very easy and took maybe 45 minutes with the wiring and everything. I used a fuse tap and ran it from the cigarette lighter as I wanted them to always be on.

 

[Dylan780]

Tackled another project over the weekend.

Painted my front brake calipers as they were completely covered in surface rust.

Very simple process - remove all of the rust with a wire wheel, clean with alcohol, 4 coats of caliper paint followed by 3 coats of high temp clear coat and done.

Some people might not like the pitted / rough look of the caliper but I honestly don't mind. These calipers will eventually start to stick, as they all do, and then I will replace with brand new calipers that will be painted much nicer.