Project GG35

[seank]

It's Thursday evening, how about an update?

So I'm finding that more and more if I don't do something on my runner every couple days I start to get twitchy. This morning I was very twitchy. At 7 AM I found myself with a free hour so instead of reading, even though it's fundamental, I went and spent an hour and a half in the garage. "doing what?" you ask. Well taking a sawzall to a perfectly good and reasonably straight 4runner of course!

I realized yesterday that I was avoiding driving her to the grocery because I was rubbing so bad on the fenders trying to navigate around poorly parked Priusi and knew the next thing I had to do was cut a *****. So the first thing I did this morning, after properly placing jack stands and removing the front wheels, was mark off exactly 2" all the way around the front fenders. Then I got a sweet forearm workout cutting my 4runner. She didn't bleed, and thankfully neither did I.

It came out better than I expected, so I'm happy. However, she is good from far but far from good. I managed to stay within my cut line in all but two places and will take it closer with a flap disc before welding in some reinforcement rod. Then I'll get some putty and smooth everything out. I thought about painting a black "flare" on but decided I really like it all white, so that's going to be a challenge. :shrug:

In other news I need to order some screw and bolt extractors to fix the ones I snapped off. I have concerns with the tiny size of the lug nuts I got from Amazon, will post pictures tomorrow. I'm leaking gear fluid from the front diff, as expected. The brake wobble is really really bothering me, gotta order some Tundra parts. And the drivers inner PS boot puked some juice up when I jacked her off the ground, also expected.

And also, I love driving this thing around town.

Picture time!!

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[hour]

:rockon: those tires look great. You're stealing my title of 'guy with most tire protrusion on a 3rd gen 4runner in Denver'

Lemme know if you ever need a hand with anything or a tool, I seem to have acquired 10 of everything at this point. Or we can just fling gravel on eachother

 

[TheHoneyBadger]

I remember the hack job i did on my heep in highschool... This came out way nicer! Looks good.

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[seank]

My kinda thread.

Because reasons.

Keep it up.

Thanks, Trover! I'm trying (to keep it up)!

:rockon: those tires look great. You're stealing my title of 'guy with most tire protrusion on a 3rd gen 4runner in Denver'

Lemme know if you ever need a hand with anything or a tool, I seem to have acquired 10 of everything at this point. Or we can just fling gravel on eachother

Thanks, hour! The tires are freaking huge, stupid huge. And the pictures don't even do justice to how far they stick out, gotta be at least 6". I looked at the gap between the tires and UCAs against this morning and I think they'll clear (yay, 4" BS) so I'm toying with taking the spacers off this weekend.

And I might just take you up on that offer! Throwing gravel at the very least! Your rig looks really good, I'd love to check it out up close.

I remember the hack job i did on my heep in highschool... This came out way nicer! Looks good.

Thanks, Badger! I'd like to say it was nerve racking, taking a saw to perfectly good body work, but it wasn't. Don't know if it age or the fact I've been thinking about it for like six months, but once I decided to do it I was able to jump right in. Having the marking gage was very key though; drawing a straight line by hand would have seriously stressed me out.

 

[seank]

Ok, I'm looking to pull the trigger on a TBU upgrade. With somewhere around 90 lbs worth of un-sprung wheel and tire at each corner I think it's a safety issue. But I have two questions before I drop a lot of cash:

Amazon or Napa?

On Amazon I can get the get the Power Stop calipers others have had good luck with, no core charge, pads and rotors for $372. I WILL have to pay tax thanks to the damn depot they opened in February near the Airport.

With Napa I can get everything local with more proven parts for $449 but that includes a $55.56 core per caliper, so all said and done it would be $338 before tax. But I don't necessarily need it same day because...

Question 2, extended/ss brake lines?

Do I need them? I know lots of people install them, but there seems to be no length issues. However, I have not flexed out yet so I don't know. I have a ss extended line for the rear already.

Follow up, where have people ordered extended front ss lines from and been happy? FWIW I'm going to go look at Wheelers in a minute.

Screenies:

Amazon cart:
13wl_amazon by seank13, on Flickr

Napa Cart:
13wl_napa by seank13, on Flickr

 

[90goldtsiawd]

I went the Amazon route but with different parts:

13WL Calipers(no core charge)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EOBN5IK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $199.18 w/ free shipping for the pair

Toyota OEM Shims- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTIBFQG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $44.84 w/ free shipping

Toyota OEM Pads- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SL4XAU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $71.54 Prime shipped.

Brembo Rotors(listing is for 1 so you need 2)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BZPS9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $62.14 x 2 = $124.28 w/ free shipping


Total I paid was $444.89 no core charge. I've got a little under 1k miles on these so far without any issues. I'm lifted 4" with 33s and it stops great. I've also got SS front lines and SS extended rears from Toytec: SS-4RFBL - Stainless Steel Front brake lines for 96+ 4Runner. Don't forget to use their coupon code: 521600. $63.99 plus shipping before the discount code.

 

[seank]

I went the Amazon route but with different parts:

13WL Calipers(no core charge)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EOBN5IK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $199.18 w/ free shipping for the pair

Toyota OEM Shims- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KTIBFQG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $44.84 w/ free shipping

Toyota OEM Pads- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004SL4XAU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $71.54 Prime shipped.

Brembo Rotors(listing is for 1 so you need 2)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BZPS9C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s03?ie=UTF8&psc=1 $62.14 x 2 = $124.28 w/ free shipping


Total I paid was $444.89 no core charge. I've got a little under 1k miles on these so far without any issues. I'm lifted 4" with 33s and it stops great. I've also got SS front lines and SS extended rears from Toytec: SS-4RFBL - Stainless Steel Front brake lines for 96+ 4Runner. Don't forget to use their coupon code: 521600. $63.99 plus shipping before the discount code.

Thanks, for the reply! I decided to go the Amazon route as well. I was going to do the Callahan calipers, but then the price on the Power Stop went down $80 to $129 for the set, couldn't pass that up. I also got the Raybestos pads cause they're just pads I don't see the need to go OEM. I did go with the Brembo rotors though.

Then I ordered the Toytec brake lines and threw a set of rear bump stop extensions in for good measure. Out the door for all of it, $469 shipped. Whoops.

FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT THE TBU, LOOK HERE: POWER STOP 13WL CALIPERS FOR $129 ON AMAZON:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DGRQYSQ

 

[1da4]

Love this build so far. Wish I could justify 35's.. haha,
you will love the TBU though, It was one of the first things I did, there was a good amount of brake power increase but I just loved not having constantly warped rotors anymore :clap2:
Keep it up man, looking forward to more

 

[seank]

Love this build so far. Wish I could justify 35's.. haha,
you will love the TBU though, It was one of the first things I did, there was a good amount of brake power increase but I just loved not having constantly warped rotors anymore :clap2:
Keep it up man, looking forward to more

Thanks, man! I appreciate the kind words!

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[seank]

So I went out to the garage as planned this morning to install the new radio. Man, what a mess inside that dashboard. Because of the rats nest of wires and outdated add-on technology wedged in random places it took a bit longer to wrap up, about an hour.

I started by following the "clock fix" thread to remove the center trip. Guess what, no screws holding it in! So I all had to do what pull the climate control panel and remove the various connectors. Then there was 6' of RCA cable just jammed in there with a bluetooth hands free module. I folded up the RCA cable and zip tied it and threw the bluetooth thing under the bench.

Then I yanked the old mic cable. I probably could have reused, but I didn't want the taint of the old junk. It had been sitting right above the steering column, so of course I had to pull the lower drivers dash panel to install the new one. I wanted to put on the headliner but just didn't have the time. I folded up and zip tied the excess behind the radio.

Then I had to add a connector for the amp remote. All I had were 10-12 gage connectors so I folded over the wires on both ends and crimped.

Blah blah hooked up the radio harness blah blah trim connectors blah blah profit.

"But wait, Sean" you say "what up with the RCA cables and amp remote?" Well the PO had a big 12" Alpine sub he threw in when I bought it. I immediately took it out as it's crook bait and was just sliding around the cargo area. But the door speaker kinda suck, and I like bass, so I threw it back in and used a ratchet strap to keep it stationary.

At this point I'd already taken one break to hop on a conference call, this ended at 8:41. I had 19 minutes until my next call at 9:00 so of course I took the time to pair my phone, find a good playlist and take a test drive completely missing my meeting. Woo!!

Unfortunately no pictures today, just the feeling of being a pimp.

 

[seank]

FOR ANYONE THINKING ABOUT THE TBU, LOOK HERE: POWER STOP 13WL CALIPERS FOR $129 ON AMAZON:

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DGRQYSQ

FYI, they're back up to $209, found this out when I sent the link a coworker this morning.

 

[seank]

Note to self: Research manual transmission temperatures and how to monitor. Also, change your damn gear oil, Sean.

 

[seank]

The other day I said I was concerned with the size of the lug nuts I got off Amazon for holding my 94.4 lb per corner wheel/tire combo on my rig. This is why:

20160617_092000 by seank13, on Flickr

What do you all think?

Also, here's a pic I took of my 4runner in front of my other baby, the 2002 VW GTI 337. The pic was taken right after I put the new wheels/tires on and before I removed the front bumper and trimmed the fenders:

IMG_20160609_164609 by seank13, on Flickr

And the current status of recent and near term planned tasks:

gg_status_20160620 by seank13, on Flickr

 

[Rockdawg84]

you don't need to worry about the lugs. they just happen to be different styles, shank for the stock wheels and cone for your new wheels. you will not have a problem at all.

 

[Prime.]

Looking good so far! The 35s seem huge at first but once you get it clearanced and set up right it's totally worth it.

 

[seank]

So this just happened:

Ordered front and rear bumpers, and sliders from 4x Innovations. Ordered the rear with the tire carrier because I will not be adding a roof rack and I use my cargo area for other stuff. Plus the idea trying to a get a 95lb wheel off a roof 7 feet up sounds unappealing.

4x Innovations says it's about a 6 week lead time right now, so I should have everything by end of August with enough time to paint before a Moab trip in September or October.

Not many other updates right now, it's been hot as hell (for Denver) and I've been riding the motorcycles and working a lot.

I did take off the front wheel spacers to check clearance and banged on the firewall a little more. Right now with the Pro-Comp steelies I am clearing the firewall, fenders, UCA and stock calipers. The caliper clearance is REALLY close, not sure if they'll clear the Tundra 231's which I have waiting to go on. Also picked up an Air-Raid off Amazon, currently sitting on the shelf. I still need a new-to-me stock airbox, just being lazy I guess. I think I'm going to throw a snorkle on as well since the fender intake hole is fully exposed to spray from the 35 right now.

Guess I need to get my ass in gear and get some shit done before the heavy stuff arrives.

 

[seank]

Oh my god, I only ordered the bumpers two hours ago and I'm already agonizing over when they'll get here. Damn you, Amazon Prime, for making me so impatient!

Oh wait, it's Prime Day on Amazon, maybe that will distract me for a while...

 

[seank]

So this morning my wife got me up at 4:55 AM and was out the door at 6 AM for a work thing. Since I was up and the temperature was cool I decided to go ahead and install the Tundra calipers, rotor and Toy-Tec SS brake lines. I got started and realized I was out of brake clean when I went to put the first rotor on. It was 7 AM and Napa was open so I headed over. I came home with a case of brake clean, maf and intake cleaner, big bottles of thread locker blue and red, a can of MP grease, shop towels, two new CV axles, and three free hats. Whoots?

Got back home, cleaned up the grease splatter on the drivers side, installed the new CV axle, new brake lines, rotor, caliper then did all the same stuff on the passenger side. Well, I also went to extract the bolt I popped the head off that holds the lower hardline on to the thing whos name I can't remember right now. I drilled the hold, started cranking on it with the extractor bit, and the bit snapped. I shrugged and moved on.

I should mention that I should have been working by noon. I did spend about an hour on conference calls. But by noon I wasn't done. So I kept going.

I jacked up the rear, dropped the stock spare tire and threw with the other stockers, installed the new extended SS rear brake line from Sonoran Steel. Then I spent 30 minutes looking for the stupid one person brake bleeder kit. I couldn't find it so I made a new one. Then I bled the brakes. I did a crappy job. I thought I had nailed it and was patting myself on the back right before I backed out of the garage and the pedal went way too far. So I drove around the block and found it stopped OK, actually better than OK; it stops awesome. The pedal just travels way too far before it gets awesome.

I went to the grocery and got stuff for dinner, bedding the brakes to and from. Then called the Brakes Plus about bleeding the brakes for me. It's right next to the Safelite Autoglass where I just happen to have a 4 PM appointment for a new windshield tomorrow. I asked if they could get me in and they hemmed and hawed about how I'd have to drop it at 8 AM and they wouldn't guarantee it'd be done before 6 PM. So I say "Ok, thanks anways" he says "hold on... OK, if you drop it at 8 AM I can have it done by 4 PM, then I'll walk the key over to Safelite for you." Score! So tomorrow should be a good day.

Next up, ARB compressor and air line for the rear locker.

 

[seank]

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering, on Prime day I ended up ordering a photo printer, Levis, two Dickies work shirts, and reading glasses. hwell:

 

[seank]

So while I was doing the brakes and CV axles yesterday I noticed the driver side ITRE boot was completely split, and spilling power steering fluid, and the frame was shiny. So last night I ordered up a new rack, OTREs, LBJs and bolts from Camelback.

This morning they emailed and said it didn't qualify for free shipping and that would cost an extra $86. For grins I called Stevinson and Mountain Toyota here in Denver to see how much they wanted for the rack; Stevinson $952 and Mountain wanted $776, plus tax from both. Absolutely rediculous prices, and absurd price disparity for being just a few miles apart. So I called and canceled the order with Camelback and re-ordered from Toyota Online Parts. With shipping from TOP I saved about $86 over Camelback and about $666 over the local dealers.

I'm also now officially remorseful. When I bout the T4R I was planning to SAS right off the bat. I reconsidered this and decided to do a "budget build" sticking with IFS. Well, with what I've put into the front end at this point I could have almost paid for a SAS. Add a nice set of UCAs and it'd be even. Oh well, live and learn.

Screen Shot 2016-07-15 at 10.59.26 AM by seank13, on Flickr