North Shore 4runner build

[bmodo16]

Finally able to post up and get a build thread started. Trying to get it rolling before I forget what I've done to it so here goes.

97 Runner SR5 - 170,924 mi
Updated Pic 2/23/2017

Suspension:
-Rear: OME 891, Sonoran adjustable track bar, Rough Country shocks
-Front: Rough Country struts, stock coils, Daystar 2.5 spacer combo, 1" Sonoran diff drop
-LBJs replaced (Mar 2018)

Tires:
-265/75R16 Cooper AT3 with matching spare.

Interior:
-Carpet removed when I got it
-LED interior lights
-Red LED dash lights
-Kenwood stereo
-Generic walmart seat covers
-Storage platform
-Ultragauge
-Paranoid Fabrication Single Din switch panel
-Tablet mount

Exterior:
-Stubby antenna
-Yellow tinted LED pods (removed)
-4 ft Firestik
-Home made roof basket
-Projector retrofit with HID's (upgraded to 55W H1 May 2017)
-LED spot lights
-18" LED bar
-CBI Ditch light brackets
-LED spot lights for ditch light brackets with amber covers

Engine:
-New alternator (Jan 2016)
-Deck plate mod
-Trans cooler (Tru-cool 4544)
-Snorkel
-Tuneup (Mar 2018)

Armor:
-Home brew rear bumper
-Home brew sliders
-CBI Tacoma MOAB 1.0 front bumper
-Tire carrier

Misc:
-Rear solid brake line replaced (Dec 2015)
-Extended rear brake line (Dec 2015)
-Fuse block
-Differential breather extension
-7 pin trailer connector

Needs to be done:
-Rear cross member/upper control arm mount needs some rust repair

Plans:
-Skids

The pile of parts:

Snagged the Runner from my dad a few months ago and started working on it at his house. Just brought it home last week and it runs great! Got about 23 MPG coming down I95. There is a decent amount of rust that needs some work, but on the same note, alot of it is clean too. Sprayed everything today with PB so I can start putting the lift in. I need to cut the rear bumper off so I can order metal to start making the rear bumper and sliders. Hopefully more updates to come tomorrow!

 

[bmodo16]

Cleaned up the main post a bit. Got down to the shop today and cleaned up some rust on the rockers and drivers floor pan and sprayed some rust converting paint. Made my way to Home Depot to grab some new cutoff wheels and sawzall blades to cut my rear bumper and hitch off. Bolts are just spinning. Thursday I should get back to the shop and start finishing my rockers and get the dead weight cut off the back so I can get real measurements for the new bumper in the works.

 

[Mandelbaum]

What product are you using to treat the rust?

 

[bmodo16]

Been doing a little prep and using rustoleum rust reformer. Worked well on my plow truck.

 

[bmodo16]

Small update. Went down to my shop today to change the oil in my trailblazer and got a little side tracked.

Cut my rear bumper off a few nights ago and ended up installing the rear half of the lift today. OME 891's, Rough Country shocks, adjustable track bar and removed the sway bar. Went from 35" to 38 1/4" in the rear.

I'll edit the post in a bit with pictures.

 

[4runnerfly]

Nice rig, looks like with a bit of work could be a real beast.

 

[bmodo16]

That's what I'm hoping for. I'm trying to keep it low scale for now. We'll see how that turns out though haha.

 

[Zerocool112]

Nice 4runner man im excited to follow this build!

 

[bmodo16]

Nice 4runner man im excited to follow this build!

Thanks!

Update: Ordered an Ultra Gauge today, will be in some time next week. Also ordered a short list of parts. Tru-cool trans cooler, LED pods, some toggle switches, relays, and a fuse block.

I also got some yellow lense tint for the LED pods because yellow is supposed to cut through dust and fog better. I figure Ill pull the lenses out, tint 'em and then bolt them back together. If it doesnt work as expected, Ill take the tint off.

Tomorrow Im going to go finish trimming the foam I sprayed in the rockers and lay some bondo. Then its time to start gutting the dash and see what kind of mess I have going on in there. Might end up with a new head unit if I cant find the issue with this one. Next week its supposed to warm up here and Im going to finish the lift. Were going from snow today to 60's mid next week. More updates to come this weekend I guess!

I should be getting a few hundred this week from plowing for the city so thats going to building the bumper and sliders. I was going to build a wrap around but I think for saving a few pennies right now Im just going to do the rear and add on to it later. Might be moving to Cali so Im trying to save money for that. Any one have pics of a 3rd gen with just the rear done and the sides open?

 

[JudeThaddeus]

Nice license plate and runner! I also have a Jade Mica 97 and live in NH.

 

[bmodo16]

Nice license plate and runner! I also have a Jade Mica 97 and live in NH.

Im actually in Mass, picked it up from my father and didnt bother pulling the old plates yet. Drove it back on a Mass repair plate. Nice to see some local guys active on here though.

 

[bmodo16]

Productive day out in the cold today. Pulled my grill so I can install the trans cooler when it comes in. Might prep for the Satoshi mod too.

I ended up finally gutting my dash too. I had mice or something living back there so I wanted to clean it out. Im sick of the urine smell. Theres marks from it dripping down the front of the glove box. Air bag looks to be intact though so I think im good. Also decided to mess with my radio, its not working and Im not sure why. If I hit the reset button it kicks on for a second and shuts off. I can hear a relay somewhere behind the dash click, but nothing after. Im doing some research on that now. If it comes down to the deck being back I might switch to a double DIN with a screen.

Pulled out the drivers seatbelt and ordered a new one from the dealership.

Finished trimming the foam in the rockers so I can finally coat in bondo. It was a little cold and is supposed to warm up this week so Ill lay the bondo during the week and then the rockers are getting a nice coat of bed liner as well as the bottom portion of the doors and probably around the fender flares.

Broke out the shop vac and cleaned most of the cabin and under the hood from leaves, pine needles and droppings. Cleaned out my air box of leaves and acorns.

I should have a lot of parts coming in tomorrow (I love Amazon Prime) and throughout the rest of the week. My goal is to have body work and small mods done by the end of the week and hopefully get the front half of the lift installed next weekend. Metal should be getting ordered soon for the bumper and sliders too. Got a lot left to do, but Im hoping the rest goes quickly. Still need to think about tires, spacers and maybe new rims since I dont have a spare.

 

[bmodo16]

Had another busy day today and got a few smaller items done and started a big one.

Installed my new stubby antenna. Havnt tested yet because my radio is still crap, but that should be fixed soon.

I mounted my new fuse block and ran my power wire today but didnt connect it yet. I need to pick up a new positive battery terminal tomorrow that has the multiple ports for audio equipment.

Mounted my new switches in the dash and my LED pods, which unfortunately need to be moved somewhere else. I didnt realize the bumper wasnt as uniform as I thought. I need to rethink this I guess.

The big ticket item for today is that I started the lift on the front end. I pulled both front struts (after a bunch of fighting with studs spinning and what not) and then rebuilt one of them. Im using new struts, top spacers and preload blocks, new bushings and the old coils. If Im not happy with the final product I will see how much I need to gain before getting coils. Im hoping I can roll with the stock ones for now.

Thursday Im going to rebuild the other strut, install the diff drop and install the struts. I also still have parts rolling in. Im hoping my ultragauge will be in as well as my trans cooler. Im just playing the waiting game with those. I cant wait to mess around with the ultragauge though, I checked their page again the other day after I ordered it and really want to test out what it can do with the 4runner.

Almost forgot, replaced the air filter too. Not a big thing, but the mice had taken a few small bites...

Didnt take a whole lot of pics, but heres what I got.

 

[bmodo16]

Had a couple hours at the shop today. Finished the lift and diff drop in crunch time before going to pick my kid up from school. Im super excited about that. Also managed to wire in the fuse panel and install my deck plate. The last part arrived today, drivers seatbelt from Toyota.

Next on the docket is to install the trans cooler, body work, install seatbelt, wire my lights, fix the radio, and build my bumper and sliders. On the reasonable side, my next trip down to the shop Im going to do the body work and remount my lights and run the wiring for them. Planning on ordering metal tomorrow.

Im sure I am forgetting stuff right now, but it'll come to me.

Edit: Pics added!

 

[bmodo16]

Well, it's been another productive day. I mounted my trans cooler last night and ran the lines today. Got it fired up, shifted through the gears, and didn't have any leaks. I'm pretty pleased with it.

I also remounted my LED pods and got them all wired up. The coloring is a little weird with the yellow tint, but they work. They are super bright for an Amazon special. In the process I got half of my dash back together. Last night I ended up pulling my blower motor and it was about 1/2 full of acorns too.

Got the final bolt out of the seatbelt after welding a bolt to the stripped out head. I need to go get a new one tomorrow and hopefully get some metal too. I really want to start working on the bumper.

Lastly I got about half of my bondo work done. I ended up running out while doing it. I thought there was more in my can than I had. Oh well.

Time for some more pics. Also, all of the other posts are updated with pics and the main post has been updated to include all current work.

 

[bmodo16]

Got some more work done yesterday. I finished the rocker on the driver side and got it coated with bed liner. I have most of the bondo done on the passenger side, but it should be finished tomorrow and painted.

I finally got the grave digger cut off the rear too and started prepping the frame to coat before I start the bumper. Im waiting to hear back a quote for material. Heres what I put in the order:
6' - 2"x5"x1/8" rectangle tube
6' - 2"x4"x3/16" angle
20' - 2"x2"x1/8" square tube
4'x4' sheet of 1/8"

I still havn't quite decided on a final design, but this should cover it. I already have weld through d-ring tabs and a receiver for the bumper.

I'm also jumping on the DTD tire deal. Not sure what tire I want to go with and its the last day of the sale. I talked the wife into letting it slide since I have a tire that wont hold air and the lift went in... Im thinking of going 265/75R16 AT's since I might be moving to Cali for work and will most likely need to pull a small trailer. Let me get some input please! Stock tires I went from 35-37.5 ground to fender and rear was 35-38.25.

 

[bmodo16]

Its been a slow week. Started my rear bumper and the new tires came in. The bumper SHOULD be done tuesday as long as my wife doesnt interfere again... Hopefully I can get my tires mounted this week too. Heres some pics.

 

[Scramble]

The truck's coming along nicely. I see the NE rust like we all have. I recommend rinsing out the frame rails & then applying an encapsulator. A lot of dirt gets in there, holds moisture & rots the frame from the inside out.
Good luck with her.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/216533-please-rinse-out-your-frames.html

 

[bmodo16]

The truck's coming along nicely. I see the NE rust like we all have. I recommend rinsing out the frame rails & then applying an encapsulator. A lot of dirt gets in there, holds moisture & rots the frame from the inside out.
Good luck with her.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/216533-please-rinse-out-your-frames.html

I thought I took the time to reply to this... Thanks! I was reading through that thread a day or so before you mentioned it. Its on my list of things to do.

Well, heres todays update. Bumper got put on yesterday. The center section atleast... Heres some pics for everyone. Next is the wrap arounds and body work on the passenger side. After that all I have left to do is get a new radio, reinstall my blower and dash pieces get my tires on, alignment and then it should finally be ready for registration and inspection...

 

[bmodo16]

Im a little past due on an update I think so this will be a couple of weeks worth of small updates. First off, my seatbelt is finally in. I know its small, but when I finally register this is big to me haha. I got my dash back together yesterday finally. I ended up going with LED dash bulbs after replacing my stereo. I went with a Kenwood deck on a whim hoping my old deck was the problem and it ended up being that. Dash lights are all red LEDs now. I also replaced the map, passenger and cargo lights with LEDs too.

For external work, I got my LED pods aimed and they work awesome! Not my first pair of them but I am pleased with how they came out with the yellow lense tint. It makes a slightly funny color but it will work.

I sort of fixed my rear glass too. My dad had disconnected the motor because the glass wouldnt go up with the switch. He thought it was a bad switch but after testing it yesterday, its functioning properly. I can make the glass go down, but not up with the switch but the glass goes up with the key so I reconnected everything. Something is wrong somewhere between the switch and motor, any ideas where to check first?

I also started mock up for the wrap arounds on the bumper. I need to finish body work before I can make that though.

Im calling around right now looking for some 2" square tubing for sliders. Hopefully I can get a good quote to jump on it. I wont make it down to the shop for like 2 weeks so the next update wont be for a while. I just wanna drive it! Still needs the tires mounted and balanced too. Im tired of putting air in the bad tire every couple of days. I'll get some pics up in a bit as well.