Toyotacolin
New member
Nice build thread! I even saw my truck in a few of pix! I think I might have to start one of these build threads soon!
NateMob's "DD" Build
- Thread starter NateMob
- Start date
NateMob
New member
Yeah those turned out really good! Hopefully have some more soon, maybe even some video footage. :eyebrows: Thanks for stopping by.
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Thanks Marc, the skids are great. I don't hesitate to recommend them!
Whats up colin? Thanks dude, you are going to have a sweet build soon also! I need you and Heather to get some more action shots for in here!:wave:
After only having the sliders on for a week i wasnt happy with the finish on them. So i decided they needed some clear coat to help with cleanup and to have some sheen like the rest of my bodywork. I wiped them down with some alcohol and then sprayed them with a couple light coats of Rustoleum Clear Enamel. Supposed to be more durable than regular clear.
I also added some grip tape to protect from scuffs and also to protect the wife and i from busting ass when the bars get wet. Instead of getting grip tape from a skate shop i found precut adhesive strips at Lowe's. They come in packs of 8 for less than $3! Great deal and i think it turned out as good as black griptape on silver sliders can look.
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SCRunner12
New member
Nice work and I like those Savage skids. Where did you get that grip tape at? I have some I've been meaning to put on, but it's way too wide and kind of a pain to cut.
NateMob
New member
Thanks Robert, i picked it up at Lowes but have also seen it at Home Depot. It is conveniently sized, i only cut a couple strips to make it work around the kickout. The rest i just peeled the backing and stuck it down, seems to have a pretty strong adhesive.
Nate
NateMob
New member
Saw this great looking Sport Edition at the gas station yesterday, i would really like a sport hood one day. Anyway, thought i would share.
These guys werent really pleased to have me any where near them! They looked hungry!
Cut this plaque out at work on the water-jet a few days ago for a SNCO retiring soon. Its mild steel that i finished with various grits of sandpaper discs before colorizing with our oxy rig.
These guys werent really pleased to have me any where near them! They looked hungry!
Cut this plaque out at work on the water-jet a few days ago for a SNCO retiring soon. Its mild steel that i finished with various grits of sandpaper discs before colorizing with our oxy rig.
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Toyotacolin
New member
You know I was thinking the same thing, when I got them, the guy did half-ass job painting them and now they have started to rust all over, so I'm going to do that soon too.
NateMob
New member
Next time i see the truck I am going to talk to the owner and see what kind of $ it would take to have him swap hoods. Good luck with the repainted sliders!
Yours are going to look great too, its about time for your truck's transformation!
Thanks again Jay, youve got a great build going also! Keep me posted on the Superflex coils.
Build update coming next.
Nathan
BigFishAllDay
New member
I read through this whole thread when you first posted, but I had to go over it again to get myself up to date. This 4Runner is coming along fast! That's a great mod list so far, and all quality parts.
It looks like you guys have alot of fun down in southern NM. How long will you be stationed in Alamo w/the A.F.? Nice work on that plaque too, that turned out pretty sweet.
It looks like you guys have alot of fun down in southern NM. How long will you be stationed in Alamo w/the A.F.? Nice work on that plaque too, that turned out pretty sweet.
NateMob
New member
Thanks dude, means a lot coming from you. Post below about Xterra.
Thanks a lot buddy. Its coming along really well so far, got some more big things coming in about a month. :nod: Would really like to switch the HH140 to a gas setup soon but we will see. I really like where we are right now and i would love to spend many years to come in NM. Hopefully at least another couple years.
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NateMob
New member
Been doing a little maintenance lately. Had the oil changed and the driveshafts greased, except the rear slip where i broke the zerk off on the gas tank skid.:moping: Installed OEM LBJs just for peace of mind, the originals had zero slop or play in them after 128,000, BUT, i predict the next 100,000 miles to be much harder though! Install went easy as cake, a 2-jaw puller worked awesome on the TREs as well as the LBJs.
A few weeks back i was trying a very "optional" ledge and slipped off my line and came down pretty hard on the frontmost skidplate. Kissed it pretty good and ended up tweaking the skid and the weaksauce front crossmember in the process. No good photos of the twisted crossmember.
I think the hit just below the E is what tweaked everything.
Tough to tell here but the driver side is about half an inch higher.
This one shows the skid bend and how it deformed. 3/16" steel BTW.
I was never thrilled about how all the aftermarket skids out there mount to the weak front crossmember, but i didnt think i would twist it as easily as i did. I knew something needed to be done as this truck will see much more skidplate lovin'.
I cut a piece of 1/4" thick, 2" wide flat bar and notched, bent and welded 4 bends in it to mirror the shape of the factory crossmember. I ground about halfway through the steel where i wanted the bends, bent to desired angle, then layed a couple welds down to fill and strengthen the bends in their new shape.
I cut a couple gussets for the front and then welded another piece of 1/4" plate along the backside to stiffen everything up.
After going back and forth on whether or not to cut out the factory crossmember i decided to keep it and incorporate it into the new mount setup. I manipulated it close to the factory location and sandwiched the skidplate between the new crossmember and the old one to form what i think is an extremely strong solution to the problem. Then used grade 12.9 cap head bolts to hold everything together after welding the new crossmember just forward of the factory tow attachment holes. The teeth were added just for fun. :girl:
This was my first real project with my new Hobart Handler 140, its still setup for flux core at the moment but would like to switch it to a MIG setup in the future.
Also ordered a little something today that i cant wait to have in a few weeks.
A few weeks back i was trying a very "optional" ledge and slipped off my line and came down pretty hard on the frontmost skidplate. Kissed it pretty good and ended up tweaking the skid and the weaksauce front crossmember in the process. No good photos of the twisted crossmember.
I think the hit just below the E is what tweaked everything.
Tough to tell here but the driver side is about half an inch higher.
This one shows the skid bend and how it deformed. 3/16" steel BTW.
I was never thrilled about how all the aftermarket skids out there mount to the weak front crossmember, but i didnt think i would twist it as easily as i did. I knew something needed to be done as this truck will see much more skidplate lovin'.
I cut a piece of 1/4" thick, 2" wide flat bar and notched, bent and welded 4 bends in it to mirror the shape of the factory crossmember. I ground about halfway through the steel where i wanted the bends, bent to desired angle, then layed a couple welds down to fill and strengthen the bends in their new shape.
I cut a couple gussets for the front and then welded another piece of 1/4" plate along the backside to stiffen everything up.
After going back and forth on whether or not to cut out the factory crossmember i decided to keep it and incorporate it into the new mount setup. I manipulated it close to the factory location and sandwiched the skidplate between the new crossmember and the old one to form what i think is an extremely strong solution to the problem. Then used grade 12.9 cap head bolts to hold everything together after welding the new crossmember just forward of the factory tow attachment holes. The teeth were added just for fun. :girl:
This was my first real project with my new Hobart Handler 140, its still setup for flux core at the moment but would like to switch it to a MIG setup in the future.
Also ordered a little something today that i cant wait to have in a few weeks.
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farmerjon
Senior Member
Very nice build! I'm impressed on all the work you've done thus far! I like the teeth on the crossmember skid/support, that's a unique touch.
Also curious about how the Xterra compares to the 4Runner in your experience? Was looking forward to reading your response and then you PMed it to Hepar. That is, if you don't mind my asking...
Also curious about how the Xterra compares to the 4Runner in your experience? Was looking forward to reading your response and then you PMed it to Hepar. That is, if you don't mind my asking...
NateMob
New member
Thank you very much Jon! haha thanks on the teeth, just trying something to make it a bit different. Since you asked about the Xterra also ill just post my thoughts here.
Mine was an 06, and i loved it. It was a Knight Armor colored OffRoad edition so it came with an electric rear locker and a couple other offroad aids that functioned pretty well. The first thing i did was remove the rear sway bar, I stuffed a set of 255/85/16s under the stock suspension and wheeled it and never rubbed! It was a beast of a truck. It drove really well, the factory Rockford Fosgate system sounded great, tons of power on tap and i still got 17-18 MPG overall with the 33.4" tires. If i could go back to any of the vehicles i have owned in the past and kept, it would be the xterra hands down. Great offroad capabilities and very well mannered on the street. I pretty much gave it away because of my commute at the time was lengthy and i needed something for all the miles of pavement i was covering. I really like my 4Runner but i dont have quite the same feelings for it as i did my xterra, YET!:thumb3: Any specific questions you have let me know.
This past weekend we went out with a small group and had a nice scouting session for an upcoming trail ride at the end of March. We were up in the Don'a Ana mountains above Las Cruces NM. Lots of loose climbs and ledges.
We had a 1st gen Taco, 2nd gen Taco, an FJ, and my 4Runner. No good action shots but some okay ones of the area and our little group.
Absolutely beautiful day.
Afterwards i could tell where i was rubbing the firewall after lowering my Icons recently so i adjusted them up another 1/4" and adjusted my LR UCAs to give me some extra room between the tire and pinchweld/firewall. Lets hope it works, tires are too expensive to chew up on body seams. Rocks are another story. :nod:
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eddiebx
New member
NateMob
New member
Thanks Eddie, thats a good idea on the teeth! I thought about putting a bit of red on a couple of the teeth.
Back on President's day i pulled the trigger on a CBI Hybrid rear with tire carrier:reddance:, I talked to Nathan this past week and he said it should ship by the end of this upcoming week! Ill detail the options and how i ordered it when it shows up. Not sure if the 890s are going to be up to the added weight so i may be swapping those out soon. Guess we will see.
Also picked up a 1st gen rollbar for $25 up in Albuquerque, its in perfect shape. Not sure if i am going to use it or not, i dont know if i want to give up the cargo space. :help:
BigFishAllDay
New member
Hey, Nate! I just realized I never replied on the NM owners thread regarding this weekend. It looks like we'll be in town this weekend, but I'm sure by now you already decided to take the VW up here for the gas mileage.
Did you make a stop over at U-Pull it for the roll bar?
Congrats on the purchase of the CBI as well. I'll can tell you right now, though, that those 890's aren't going to cut it.
Did you make a stop over at U-Pull it for the roll bar?
Congrats on the purchase of the CBI as well. I'll can tell you right now, though, that those 890's aren't going to cut it.
LINY4Runner
New member
this build thread is off to a nice start...i'm subscribed
TCMach
New member
Nice truck man! Your gonna love the hybrid rear. I love mine and I get compliments all the time.
Question for you though. Why didn't you cut out the front crossmember? Was it not bent up enough to mess with the mounting holes? I ask because my crossmember is bent enough that the passenger side mounting hole does not even come close to lining up. I've resorted to running an open eye bolt over the crossmember and then through my skid.
Question for you though. Why didn't you cut out the front crossmember? Was it not bent up enough to mess with the mounting holes? I ask because my crossmember is bent enough that the passenger side mounting hole does not even come close to lining up. I've resorted to running an open eye bolt over the crossmember and then through my skid.
