RAZsRunner Build

[RAZsRunner]

Hey Guys,
Here is my 97 SR5 5 Speed v6 Radiant Red 4Runner as she currently sits. Below Ill try to update as I figure out how to make this 4Runner everything I hope and know it can be.

 

[RAZsRunner]

Ive been snooping around here for several months and all the intel Ive gathered has been incredibly helpful so Ive decided to let yall know what Ive got going on.

Not only am I new to the forum but also pretty new to doing my own mods and maintenance but I have recently found that the satisfaction of doing it all yourself is just to much to pass up. Ill be learning as I go so stay patient with me!

Luckily after my wedding and all of that craziness settled down I was able to turn some much needed attention its way.

I started by refinishing the wheels with a Metallic Gray Duplicolor, the Duplicolor wheel clear, and lots of elbow grease. I would love to replace these with some Procomps eventually but until that happens these will do.

Kinda wishing I would have gone with a sport hood but it never occurred to me at the time unfortunately.

 

[RAZsRunner]

I then had that lovely unpainted front bumper to deal with and it was either get it painted or go ahead and upgrade to the ARB I wanted anyway. It was an obvious decision really... Me and my new CAT mechanic father-in-law got it installed and looking pretty in a couple hours. So stoked with how this bumper looks on the truck!! Its made me decide to really go all out for the red with all black accents look.

I also took some time at work and did the running board delete. Much better!!

 

[RAZsRunner]

I had been doing lots of research on all of the mods I would like to do and one of the main ones is the Satoshi Grill mod. I debated on weither or not to go red or black with the grill but decided on black finally. Grabbed the dremel and got to cutting!

I filled in the holes left with some plastic filler and got to sanding once it dried.

I really wanted the expanded aluminum I used to be held really well so I ended up epoxying 8 bolts to the back of the grill. (Picture only shows 7 but I added one after this.) Keeps it super solid!!

Rattle canned it black and installed while I was waiting for my 69 FJ grill emblem to arrive. This little lady helped quite a lot

 

[RAZsRunner]

Satoshi Grill mod done and dusted!! I am so stoked with how it turned out! Love doing these kind of mods!

I need to get rid of these street tires and get a lift. Duratracks are certainly on my radar

 

[Son-Uva-Driller]

Great looking truck. I just Started my own build a couple of months ago. Definitely go with the Duratracs, they are great tires. We use them on all our offroad work trucks (1 ton Dodge Ram 3500's) and I just put a set on my T4R! Your write up on the Satoshi Grill Mod has convinced me to do mine as well, looks awesome!

 

[Darrie]

Well done on those rims - grey color looks excellent - get the tire guys to be extra careful when the new shoes go on.

 

[D Farms]

[MENTION=68703]Darrie[/MENTION], im jealous of your ifs flex.

also I cant wait to see your new flare caps!

 

[RAZsRunner]

Great looking truck. I just Started my own build a couple of months ago. Definitely go with the Duratracs, they are great tires. We use them on all our offroad work trucks (1 ton Dodge Ram 3500's) and I just put a set on my T4R! Your write up on the Satoshi Grill Mod has convinced me to do mine as well, looks awesome!

Thanks man! You should totally do it. Tracking down the parts I needed was the hardest bit really.

Question: How high are you lifted to fit those 33" duratracs?

 

[RAZsRunner]

also I cant wait to see your new flare caps!

I know! Ive only had the gap for about a month and its already driving me nuts

 

[RAZsRunner]

Ive been having some mechanical issues with my clutch, brakes and starter. The 4runner was running great and these all just came out of no where. I guess thats what you get with a vehicle thats about to turn over 200k miles. Me and the father-in-law replaced brake master cylinder and booster which fixed the brakes. Next I replaced the clutch master and slave which took care of that issue. My starter has been clicking sometimes when I go to start it. I have researched and determined that this is a pretty common issue and can be fixed by replacing the contacts inside the starter so Ill be doing that as soon as my dealership gets them in. Ive been resigned to a few push starts which I cringe at every time. Just doesnt feel healthy for the truck.

Also added a bug guard because honestly I just like the look of them on our 4runners. I think it adds a little more balance between the top and bottom of the front end which was looking a little heavy because of the bumper.

 

[CentralFL4Runner]

During this time I was getting the hood taken care of. That was a looooooong time coming and I was super glad to have it painted finally. Kinda wishing I would have gone with a sport hood but it never occurred to me at the time unfortunately.

Out of curiosity did you pay a paint shop to do it, or did you do the hood yourself?

 

[RAZsRunner]

Out of curiosity did you pay a paint shop to do it, or did you do the hood yourself?

I had a local shop paint the hood off the truck.

 

[RAZsRunner]

Recently painted my license plate housing which was pretty dang faded from this Louisiana sun. I thought I would like the gloss black but Im not sure now. Im considering hitting it with bed liner instead. Thoughts?

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I've always thought Radiant Red was a cool color on 3rd gens, and it's rare to boot. The black/red color scheme should turn out great.

I just took a spin through the build and you've done some good work so far. The wheel refinishing came out great (speaking from the position of having done it myself and knowing the work required to get a nice finish).

A few suggestions for some inexpensive changes that would really make your truck pop:

1. Get rid of that black trim on the doors. It breaks of the flow/look of the rig.

2. Get your front windows tinted to match the rest.

After that, put a nice set of 285/75's on there and it'll be looking sharp.

 

[RAZsRunner]

A few suggestions for some inexpensive changes that would really make your truck pop:

1. Get rid of that black trim on the doors. It breaks of the flow/look of the rig.

2. Get your front windows tinted to match the rest.

After that, put a nice set of 285/75's on there and it'll be looking sharp.

Thanks for the advice! I completely agree with the trim. It makes the car look longer rather than taller if that makes any sense at all. Kind of the opposite of what I want. Any idea if thats a stock option? I havent seen it on any others. I just hope the holes that are normally there for the cladding on some arent present in my case.

 

[RAZsRunner]

My carpet has always really aggravated me as it has some large stains in places. It really is the only thing in my interior that isnt fairly mint. I decided something need to be done but after seeing the prices for new carpet I knew a cleaning was in order.

Spilled coke?

I removed all of the seats and carpet which was about a 1.5 to 2 hour job. Not to bad.

I went to work with soap and a hose and was able to get almost all of the larger stains out. EXTREMELY happy with the results.

Decided to do the console/cupholder mod while I had everything stripped down. Now the beverages can road trip just as happily as me and my wife!

Had enough wire to move the switch pretty easy to the left of the steering wheel.

Absolutely hands down the most worth while mod I have done so far. So incredibly easy your kidding yourself if you dont do it. If you get the right parts, which I did, it bolts right in.

 

[RAZsRunner]

Finally got some proper tires! I was very concerned with rubbing so I played it safe and went with 265/70/17 BFG KO2s. I think they are absolutely the perfect size for a currently unlifted 4runner. Not a bit of rubbing but it is close at full lock going right on the passengers side. Very glad I didnt go with a bigger size.

Just realized i never mentioned the Tundra 17s I put on as well. Sold the stock 16s and bought these for not much more. Very happy

 

[RAZsRunner]

I had some pretty severe fading on my fender flares. I had considered taking them off completely but the paint beneath had been scratched pretty badly due to slight vibrations of the flares. I decided to apply Monstaliner to the flares, rocker panels, rear bumper, and license plate valence. I used the roll on method with the provided rollers. Application was super easy. Prep work consisting of sanding and cleaning thoroughly took more time than anything. I should have taken some process pics but I forgot unfortunately. I would strongly recommend Monstaliner to anyone. Super easy





You can see the fender flare caps I purchased from DFarms in this picture. Applied filling primer and sanded them down before Monstalining




Ill be doing coating my grill and mirrors as soon as I have the time.

 

[stell4r]

Looking really clean. I like the look of the bedliner on certain parts. Been thinking about doing that on my front and rear bumper sections where they are currently chrome but peeling and/or dented.