Rich's 2006 V6 SR5 4WD
- Thread starter telum01
- Start date
I haven't updated this in a while. One of my dogs had to have major surgery twice in two months for a very aggressive tumor. Plus I had surgery for a benign tumor. And life just beckons more than I care sometimes. But, here goes:
I installed all the lights from [MENTION=67365]Whitebeauty[/MENTION] and they worked out great. Much brighter with a clean, white light. Makes the whole vehicle seem more classy, and the fog lamps are a beast - tons of visibility with those.
I rigged up a Home Depot Special oil catch can a long while back to see if it'd collect anything, and it has. Lots. So I'm in the process of having a custom bracket made. If anyone else is interested I'll put some kits together - I did this for my Aston and it came out amazing and has been very popular with V8 Vantage owners.
I have a bunch of parts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed: UCAs, brake lines, seat warmers, some other stuff. I just need the time to install it - too much going on!
As soon as the weather starts to get nasty I'm going to see about getting some better A/T tires. I've got H/T on right now and they just don't cut it in the snow. But they've got a bit of tread left on them so I'll run them as long as I can.
In the meantime, I've done a few events in my Aston. The last one was Supercars on State Street (Harrisburg, PA), which we did to raise money for breast cancer research. On the way to the event, a buddy of mine hosted a charity breakfast, raising money for brain cancer research.
And since this is obviously a 4Runner forum, here's my pups and I camping :wave:
I installed all the lights from [MENTION=67365]Whitebeauty[/MENTION] and they worked out great. Much brighter with a clean, white light. Makes the whole vehicle seem more classy, and the fog lamps are a beast - tons of visibility with those.
I rigged up a Home Depot Special oil catch can a long while back to see if it'd collect anything, and it has. Lots. So I'm in the process of having a custom bracket made. If anyone else is interested I'll put some kits together - I did this for my Aston and it came out amazing and has been very popular with V8 Vantage owners.
I have a bunch of parts sitting in my garage waiting to be installed: UCAs, brake lines, seat warmers, some other stuff. I just need the time to install it - too much going on!
As soon as the weather starts to get nasty I'm going to see about getting some better A/T tires. I've got H/T on right now and they just don't cut it in the snow. But they've got a bit of tread left on them so I'll run them as long as I can.
In the meantime, I've done a few events in my Aston. The last one was Supercars on State Street (Harrisburg, PA), which we did to raise money for breast cancer research. On the way to the event, a buddy of mine hosted a charity breakfast, raising money for brain cancer research.
And since this is obviously a 4Runner forum, here's my pups and I camping :wave:
Last edited:
I finally got around to installing my Light Racing UCAs. They're nice and beefy compared to stock, pretty impressed by them given their price-to-heft, and likewise a bit surprised by the build of the OEM UCAs.
Also put on some extended brake lines while I was at it. Only did the fronts, though. Still need to do the rears, but those aren't much of an issue with my current lift height.
And I finally got around to doing a proper installation of my oil catch can.
I offered these up a while back but nobody seemed interested. Some half-informed guy spouted off some irrelevant info that might have scared some people off, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. And, most importantly, yes it's effective. Here's the oil I drained from it today:
If not for the catch can, that oil would have gone into the intake manifold. No, oil catch cans aren't just for forced induction engines. I have one on my T4R and I have one on my Aston Martin. They both collect oil.
I still need to install my seat warmers and since temps have been dropping so much lately, maybe that's what I'll do this weekend!
Also put on some extended brake lines while I was at it. Only did the fronts, though. Still need to do the rears, but those aren't much of an issue with my current lift height.
And I finally got around to doing a proper installation of my oil catch can.
I offered these up a while back but nobody seemed interested. Some half-informed guy spouted off some irrelevant info that might have scared some people off, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. And, most importantly, yes it's effective. Here's the oil I drained from it today:
If not for the catch can, that oil would have gone into the intake manifold. No, oil catch cans aren't just for forced induction engines. I have one on my T4R and I have one on my Aston Martin. They both collect oil.
I still need to install my seat warmers and since temps have been dropping so much lately, maybe that's what I'll do this weekend!
Haven't updated this in a while so here's a ton of stuff...
I lost both of my dogs to cancer a couple months ago so I've fallen behind on just about everything. Rosco was 8.5 yrs old and Layla was 8 yrs old. I lost them both just 5 days apart. Needless to say, I shut down.
I had to take a week off from work because I quite literally couldn't function. Even after that, I still wasn't okay so I decided to over-book myself to keep busy and then underwent some extensive retail therapy.
Some of the events I planned were track days in my Aston, so that car took priority for my shopping spree. I ordered new wheels, two-piece brake rotors, brake pads, and did a bunch of random maintenance on it. I also slapped on some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (hnnnggg so good).
The rotors are nuts... 14" in front, 13" in rear. Aluminum hats, asymmetric slotting (supposedly reduces wind noise from harmonic resonance). My hand can fit inside the rotor with my fingers spread wide without touching it. It's massive!
The new pads are probably not as aggressive as the ones I have now, but they'll virtually eliminate the massive MASSIVE amounts of dust I deal with from my current pads. The new wheels will be here in a week or so.
One day I misjudged my garage door (it's a very narrow door with a tight turn-in to enter it) and scraped the side. Luckily, the front half of my car is wrapped in clear vinyl. It's generally $1500 (give or take a $500) to have this done. Worth. Every. Single. Penny.
I didn't have time to have the panels re-wrapped, so I had the damaged section cut out. Nobody notices the missing vinyl. And the white paint you see in the crease between the two panels rubbed off, so there's zero damage to the paint! This, gents, is why we wrap it before we tap it.
Uh, wrap the car before tapping it into buildings.
Before
After
The track days went well, then my birthday happened but I don't remember anything from it - all I know is my phone couldn't hold my liquor. Then this last weekend I went to a weekend getaway at some swanky place called Keswick Hall with the Aston Martin Owners Club. Dr Bez (google him, he's a big deal!) was with us for the weekend, and he ended up autographing my car lol
Last few things about the Aston:
My thermostat has gone bad, so the car is running like sh:t now that it's getting cold out. I've got a new one sitting in my garage, just need to find the time to install it. Also my fuel gauge no longer works - it reads zero fuel at all times. That makes things interesting. Hopefully it's just a grounding issue. If not, it'll be an unnecessarily expensive fix (like most things with this car). And, last thing: Some gratuitous car porn... some random photog snapped a shot of me parking my car at a Cars & Coffee.
Now that winter is upon us, I've been getting ready to continue working on my 4Runner.
The oil catch can I installed is still doing its job, and doing it well. I'm really happy with the bracket I had made for it, looks amazing and it's extremely durable. I'll be changing my oil tonight so I'll drain it and post pics of what it has collected since my last oil change.
I've started looking at my brake system. I have a little pulsation during high-speed braking. Probably just a warped rotor or something, but I want to redo the entire brake system. I'll be replacing all of my brake calipers with Napa remans, and upping the fronts to the SE calipers while I'm at it. I just ordered some EBC USR Sport slotted brake rotors for all four corners (SE's larger size in front) from Summit Racing - they're having an awesome sale on them right now. I need to decide what brake pads I'm going to get, but I'm leaning toward EBC Yellow Stuff. I'll be swapping out my rear brake lines for braided stainless lines when I do everything else (already did the front lines).
I'm also going to be ordering a new set of 32" AT tires to replace the stock-sized HT crap tires I have on now. Not 100% sure what I'll get just yet - waiting to see what Black Friday sales are like. If they're available, I'll also be ordering some Konig Six Shooter wheels to mount up the new tires.
And I still need to install my seat warmers - they've been sitting in my garage since Spring!
I lost both of my dogs to cancer a couple months ago so I've fallen behind on just about everything. Rosco was 8.5 yrs old and Layla was 8 yrs old. I lost them both just 5 days apart. Needless to say, I shut down.
I had to take a week off from work because I quite literally couldn't function. Even after that, I still wasn't okay so I decided to over-book myself to keep busy and then underwent some extensive retail therapy.
Some of the events I planned were track days in my Aston, so that car took priority for my shopping spree. I ordered new wheels, two-piece brake rotors, brake pads, and did a bunch of random maintenance on it. I also slapped on some Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires (hnnnggg so good).
The rotors are nuts... 14" in front, 13" in rear. Aluminum hats, asymmetric slotting (supposedly reduces wind noise from harmonic resonance). My hand can fit inside the rotor with my fingers spread wide without touching it. It's massive!
The new pads are probably not as aggressive as the ones I have now, but they'll virtually eliminate the massive MASSIVE amounts of dust I deal with from my current pads. The new wheels will be here in a week or so.
One day I misjudged my garage door (it's a very narrow door with a tight turn-in to enter it) and scraped the side. Luckily, the front half of my car is wrapped in clear vinyl. It's generally $1500 (give or take a $500) to have this done. Worth. Every. Single. Penny.
I didn't have time to have the panels re-wrapped, so I had the damaged section cut out. Nobody notices the missing vinyl. And the white paint you see in the crease between the two panels rubbed off, so there's zero damage to the paint! This, gents, is why we wrap it before we tap it.
Uh, wrap the car before tapping it into buildings.
Before
After
The track days went well, then my birthday happened but I don't remember anything from it - all I know is my phone couldn't hold my liquor. Then this last weekend I went to a weekend getaway at some swanky place called Keswick Hall with the Aston Martin Owners Club. Dr Bez (google him, he's a big deal!) was with us for the weekend, and he ended up autographing my car lol
Last few things about the Aston:
My thermostat has gone bad, so the car is running like sh:t now that it's getting cold out. I've got a new one sitting in my garage, just need to find the time to install it. Also my fuel gauge no longer works - it reads zero fuel at all times. That makes things interesting. Hopefully it's just a grounding issue. If not, it'll be an unnecessarily expensive fix (like most things with this car). And, last thing: Some gratuitous car porn... some random photog snapped a shot of me parking my car at a Cars & Coffee.
Now that winter is upon us, I've been getting ready to continue working on my 4Runner.
The oil catch can I installed is still doing its job, and doing it well. I'm really happy with the bracket I had made for it, looks amazing and it's extremely durable. I'll be changing my oil tonight so I'll drain it and post pics of what it has collected since my last oil change.
I've started looking at my brake system. I have a little pulsation during high-speed braking. Probably just a warped rotor or something, but I want to redo the entire brake system. I'll be replacing all of my brake calipers with Napa remans, and upping the fronts to the SE calipers while I'm at it. I just ordered some EBC USR Sport slotted brake rotors for all four corners (SE's larger size in front) from Summit Racing - they're having an awesome sale on them right now. I need to decide what brake pads I'm going to get, but I'm leaning toward EBC Yellow Stuff. I'll be swapping out my rear brake lines for braided stainless lines when I do everything else (already did the front lines).
I'm also going to be ordering a new set of 32" AT tires to replace the stock-sized HT crap tires I have on now. Not 100% sure what I'll get just yet - waiting to see what Black Friday sales are like. If they're available, I'll also be ordering some Konig Six Shooter wheels to mount up the new tires.
And I still need to install my seat warmers - they've been sitting in my garage since Spring!
hoto:
wnelax04sr5
New member
the ulrich bez? thats awesome.
so sorry to hear about your dogs, know exactly what its like
so sorry to hear about your dogs, know exactly what its like
One in the same. Really cool guy, very funny and very interesting.
And thanks, even two months later I had trouble making this post. I miss them every day.
I changed my oil a couple nights ago and drained my oil catch can. The contents of the can looked like... hot cocoa. I'm hoping it's just a condensation issue because of the rapid temperature changes we've been having here. Worst case it's the head gasket. I'm not worried about the HG, though, because the catch can collected similar stuff during the Spring when we were having wild temp swings as well. I've been keeping an eye on the temp gauge ever since and it hasn't budged, including on yesterday's 10-hour drive.
Speaking of that horrible drive, at one point I got really bored so I called up [MENTION=85422]FNWheels[/MENTION] and ordered a set of gunmetal Konig Six-Shooter wheels
I'll be scoping out some tires to stick on them this weekend.
Speaking of that horrible drive, at one point I got really bored so I called up [MENTION=85422]FNWheels[/MENTION] and ordered a set of gunmetal Konig Six-Shooter wheels
I'll be scoping out some tires to stick on them this weekend.
I embarked on a 1200-mile Thanksgiving journey so I changed my engine oil and drained my oil catch can before heading out. Gotta love a garage shot - don't mind the mess, I'm in the middle of reorganizing!
Here's what came out of the catch can:
Looked like hot cocoa when it came out, looks like normal oil now that it has settled. I had the same stuff come out in Spring. My immediate concern was coolant getting mixed in from a bad head gasket. However, I believe it's actually just condensation caused by the rapid temperature fluctuations we've been having lately. I was really hard on my engine during my road trip. It ran like a champ and the temp gauge stayed squarely in the middle. So I'm not worried about it. If it looks the same next time I drain it, I'll send a sample off to get analyzed.
My current project is to get the entire brake system redone. All new rotors, pads, calipers, brake lines, and fluid for all four corners!
EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads and EBC USR slotted brake rotors arrived today :rockon:
Upgraded the fronts to the larger rotors of the Sport Edition.
Ordered NAPA remans, included the Sport Edition fronts, and I'll be picking them up on Friday.
Shooting to install everything Friday night!
I've also got new wheels and tires on the way: gunmetal 17x8" Konig Six-Shooter wheels and 265/70R17 General Grabber AT2 tires. Got a set of 5 of each so I can have a full-size spare. The wheels aren't going to be here for at least another week so I have to wait for those to get the new tires on.
Here's what came out of the catch can:
Looked like hot cocoa when it came out, looks like normal oil now that it has settled. I had the same stuff come out in Spring. My immediate concern was coolant getting mixed in from a bad head gasket. However, I believe it's actually just condensation caused by the rapid temperature fluctuations we've been having lately. I was really hard on my engine during my road trip. It ran like a champ and the temp gauge stayed squarely in the middle. So I'm not worried about it. If it looks the same next time I drain it, I'll send a sample off to get analyzed.
My current project is to get the entire brake system redone. All new rotors, pads, calipers, brake lines, and fluid for all four corners!
EBC Yellow Stuff brake pads and EBC USR slotted brake rotors arrived today :rockon:
Upgraded the fronts to the larger rotors of the Sport Edition.
Ordered NAPA remans, included the Sport Edition fronts, and I'll be picking them up on Friday.
Shooting to install everything Friday night!
I've also got new wheels and tires on the way: gunmetal 17x8" Konig Six-Shooter wheels and 265/70R17 General Grabber AT2 tires. Got a set of 5 of each so I can have a full-size spare. The wheels aren't going to be here for at least another week so I have to wait for those to get the new tires on.
Last edited:
I had a custom bracket made for my catch can. Installation is 5 mins.
The catch can is a pretty high-end one (it's the one I originally used on my Aston before going fully-custom with that), but it's extremely well-made and internally baffled. You can get catch cans for 1/3 the price of this one but they're usually cheaply made and rarely have internal baffling.
I can put together a kit for you (catch can, mounting bracket, bolts, hoses, clamps - everything needed for installation). Good thing is it's very high quality and made of aluminum and stainless steel. Bad thing is it's $200 (that includes everything I listed, but most people don't want to spend that much on 4Runner stuff it seems).
Last edited:
I'm just about done with my brakes! I still need to do my rear rotors and pads - the pads will be here tomorrow. Otherwise, everything is ready to go. I've got the rears torn down so slapping in the rotors and pads will be quick and easy.
Upgrading to the larger Sport Edition rotors and calipers was cake. No issues at all there
Upgrading to the larger Sport Edition rotors and calipers was cake. No issues at all there
I changed my spark plugs a week ago. The old ones looked pretty good, and I replaced them with Denso Iridiums.
Just talked to Dustin at FNWheels a few minutes ago - my Six Shooters will be here this week! I have an appointment to have everything mounted up with my new General Grabber AT2's (265/70R17) on Friday
And it turns out I cracked a wheel on my Aston Martin last time I was at the track. Sometimes it holds air, sometimes it doesn't. It had been for a while, but then went totally flat, now it's holding air again. Regardless, i can't drive on it. They don't come with a spare so it's sitting until my new wheels get here. Luckily I already had a set of aftermarket wheels on order and those will be here in two weeks ago.
Just talked to Dustin at FNWheels a few minutes ago - my Six Shooters will be here this week! I have an appointment to have everything mounted up with my new General Grabber AT2's (265/70R17) on Friday
And it turns out I cracked a wheel on my Aston Martin last time I was at the track. Sometimes it holds air, sometimes it doesn't. It had been for a while, but then went totally flat, now it's holding air again. Regardless, i can't drive on it. They don't come with a spare so it's sitting until my new wheels get here. Luckily I already had a set of aftermarket wheels on order and those will be here in two weeks ago.
HokieRunner
New member
Looks great, Rich!! But then again I'm pretty biased haha. If you want a deeper dish look try them without the center caps.
Thanks man, and you should be biased because it was your pics that sold me on the wheels!
I'm pretty damn happy with the look of everything right now. Not even worried about center caps or anything like that. These things look amazing and fitment is perfect - puts the tires nice and flush with the outside of the vehicle.
Btw, your build is pretty damn awesome - one of my favorites by far and lots of stuff I want on my own. Sooooo: Have you had any issues with the dual battery setup or the White Knuckle sliders? Both of those are on my short list, probably getting started on them at the end of the month.
Last edited:
HokieRunner
New member
The sliders are great. Very good quality and you definitely get what you pay for. No problems whatsoever. If you think you'll run skids down the road...be sure to have john at white knuckle mount the center leg back further. otherwise they won't be compatible with the transfer case skid.
Dual battery still have to do the final wiring. will be wrapping it up in January. The tmax is easy to set up though and other people have had great results. I'd wager it's the best value kit out there.
