So I just received my '99 4Runner from Michael Hooper over Thanksgiving break, and I've been meaning to join the forum and do a build thread as soon as I had the pleasure of driving it again. I have to start off by thanking all the dedicated members of this forum for keeping me sane during the four months I had to go without my Yota. Although the build threads and discussions sometimes made it tough to bear, it really helped me decide what direction I wanted to go when I finally did get her back.
Enough bearing my soul, on to the truck. She is a 1999 Desert Dune and Silver Limited with the rear E-Locker and I think just about every other option you could get from the factory. I am the second owner, buying it with 190k and finally deciding to do the motor swap with 280k. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the factory V6 or auto trans. I wouldn't have thought twice about going another 50k with routine oil and transmission fluid changes. The biggest influence in my decision to do the swap was I finally saved a large sum of cash after two military deployments, I really wanted a diesel SUV (for a myriad of reasons), I couldn't justify spending close to $60k on a BMW or VW, and I really really wanted to keep my truck.
So four months and close to $17k later, Michael Hooper delivered a beautifully completed 1999 4Runner with a 40k mile 1KZ-TE with a FMIC mated to a 50k mile automatic transmission. He did a significant amount of work to the rest of the truck (too much to list) to include swapping the 4.33 gears with 3.90s. All I can say is that this is the way this truck was meant to come from the factory. I have plenty of torque at 2k RPM, and with 265 ATs I'm consistently getting 26 mpg (hand calculated), with a high of 27.3 mpg. I do drive conservatively but even driving like an idiot with all the new found power I got 24.5 mpg.
For immediate additions, I've already purchased a Sonoran Steel 1.2 kit, as well as Mickey Thompson Classic IIs, and 285s are on the way. I know my days of seeing 27 mpg are going to be a distant memory by the end of the month but the build must continue. The end goal is a surf/snowboard/concert mobile and I plan on scouring the forum for inspiration. Again, thanks for having me and thank you for being such dedicated Yota fans! Some pics to hold you over (sorry they are a little dark).
Enough bearing my soul, on to the truck. She is a 1999 Desert Dune and Silver Limited with the rear E-Locker and I think just about every other option you could get from the factory. I am the second owner, buying it with 190k and finally deciding to do the motor swap with 280k. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the factory V6 or auto trans. I wouldn't have thought twice about going another 50k with routine oil and transmission fluid changes. The biggest influence in my decision to do the swap was I finally saved a large sum of cash after two military deployments, I really wanted a diesel SUV (for a myriad of reasons), I couldn't justify spending close to $60k on a BMW or VW, and I really really wanted to keep my truck.
So four months and close to $17k later, Michael Hooper delivered a beautifully completed 1999 4Runner with a 40k mile 1KZ-TE with a FMIC mated to a 50k mile automatic transmission. He did a significant amount of work to the rest of the truck (too much to list) to include swapping the 4.33 gears with 3.90s. All I can say is that this is the way this truck was meant to come from the factory. I have plenty of torque at 2k RPM, and with 265 ATs I'm consistently getting 26 mpg (hand calculated), with a high of 27.3 mpg. I do drive conservatively but even driving like an idiot with all the new found power I got 24.5 mpg.
For immediate additions, I've already purchased a Sonoran Steel 1.2 kit, as well as Mickey Thompson Classic IIs, and 285s are on the way. I know my days of seeing 27 mpg are going to be a distant memory by the end of the month but the build must continue. The end goal is a surf/snowboard/concert mobile and I plan on scouring the forum for inspiration. Again, thanks for having me and thank you for being such dedicated Yota fans! Some pics to hold you over (sorry they are a little dark).
