Road Bull's 2002 SR-5 timeline.

[Road Bull]

Naches / Empty Pocket Crawlers 08/22/19 to 08/25/19 pt.2

Second night camping. This time tried out my 2-man Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow tent. I love this thing. Great 4 season canvas tent. I have this in the bigger 10x10, but the smaller one is much lighter, more compact, and sets up / tears down faster. Did i take any pics of either camp set up? Hell no.

As for the 4runner, what a difference a year makes. Since last year's trip, I added 35s, added a snorkel, added 4.88 gears and rear ARB locker and a Sherpa roof rack. Not to mention, more comfortable camping options. I need to check my air filter, but i feel the snorkel helped keep some of the dust from getting to the filter. The other performance mods made it that much easier to get up, over, and around obstacles.

 

[Road Bull]

Naches / Empty Pocket Crawlers 08/22/19 to 08/25/19 pt. 3

Some cooler pics I snapped.

Total trail carnage:
1 FJ tail light.
1 FJ body scrape from an angry tree root.
1 FJ ring gear. 3 hour fix at camp so he could drive home in front wheel drive.

Done and dusted.

 

[Road Bull]

A couple other pics from a real camera.

I think I have be sabotaging all my pics by reducing the size via pixel. Anyway, I need to figure that out.

 

[papabeach]

Your truck looks great, glad to see you out having fun in it. I really like your wheels/35s...had the same wheels on my old 80 series and would love to eventually be there on the 4Runner but have some other mods to get to first...maybe one day!

 

[Road Bull]

Sherpa rack looks good!

Thanks Chris! I think I got one of the last Matterhorn Mk I racks. I got it mounted and that week saw the release of the Mk II. LOL. I wish I had the new front leveling mounts and extra couple of crossbars that come with the Mk II, but it is what it is.

I am looking forward to incorporating it into my load plan though.

Your truck looks great, glad to see you out having fun in it. I really like your wheels/35s...had the same wheels on my old 80 series and would love to eventually be there on the 4Runner but have some other mods to get to first...maybe one day!

Thanks papabeach! It has been nice to get it to where I want it to be. From here, I plan to make a few minor tweaks. I plan to lower the front somewhere between 1" to 1.5". It might be time for a coilover rebuild. There is nothing wrong at the moment, but I "might" swap springs for other spring rate maybe 650# and take out most of the preload. I also plan on adding my Total Chaos spindle gussets that I have laying around for a bit more structural piece of mind. Then I should be good.

Jumping up to 35s can be a bit of a pain in the ass. But, I seem to be able to crawl over taller obstacles and roll over some things I would have to climb UP with the 33s. I am used to seeing them on there now and it looks "normal" to me, lol.

I don't see how your 4Runner could get much better. Man, that thing is clean! Hard to beat a clean black 4Runner build. 35s are nice, but it is a fair amount of effort for a little more clearance. With your front and rear locker, I bet you are plenty capable in that rig.

 

[Hopeless Diamond]

Good times, really like that area. Was the hill climb shot @ Funny Rocks? We were just there a couple of weeks ago, went up to the right of that path, didn't think I could climb that ledge at the bottom.

 

[Road Bull]

Good times, really like that area. Was the hill climb shot @ Funny Rocks? We were just there a couple of weeks ago, went up to the right of that path, didn't think I could climb that ledge at the bottom.

It was indeed Funny Rocks. That's where one of the FJs broke the ring gear. We were able to limp it back to camp to repair it, so it cut our visit there a bit short. I didn't get a chance to go up, but I would have taken the right side as well. I am less excited about climbing up rock walls. LOL. I imagine that those trails take on a whole new level of difficult when it's rainy. That mud can get slick! And those trees wouldn't be too forgiving when you slide into them.

 

[papabeach]

Thanks papabeach! It has been nice to get it to where I want it to be. From here, I plan to make a few minor tweaks. I plan to lower the front somewhere between 1" to 1.5". It might be time for a coilover rebuild. There is nothing wrong at the moment, but I "might" swap springs for other spring rate maybe 650# and take out most of the preload. I also plan on adding my Total Chaos spindle gussets that I have laying around for a bit more structural piece of mind. Then I should be good.

Jumping up to 35s can be a bit of a pain in the ass. But, I seem to be able to crawl over taller obstacles and roll over some things I would have to climb UP with the 33s. I am used to seeing them on there now and it looks "normal" to me, lol.

I don't see how your 4Runner could get much better. Man, that thing is clean! Hard to beat a clean black 4Runner build. 35s are nice, but it is a fair amount of effort for a little more clearance. With your front and rear locker, I bet you are plenty capable in that rig.

I am curious to hear/see more of your suspension changes. How high is the front now that you want to lower it? I just ordered the TC spindle gussets this weekend...preparing for some more difficult trails. I am still breaking in my new gears so I haven't really played much with the front locker but it was a game changer in my 80 series and I suspect it will be the same here. The next "major" mod will be dual cases...on the wait list currently with Marlin so no idea when this will happen. The only other thing that has crossed my mind is manual hubs but it seems like it would be an extra PITA to swap broken CVs with all the extra parts and all etc.

 

[Road Bull]

I am curious to hear/see more of your suspension changes. How high is the front now that you want to lower it? I just ordered the TC spindle gussets this weekend...preparing for some more difficult trails. I am still breaking in my new gears so I haven't really played much with the front locker but it was a game changer in my 80 series and I suspect it will be the same here. The next "major" mod will be dual cases...on the wait list currently with Marlin so no idea when this will happen. The only other thing that has crossed my mind is manual hubs but it seems like it would be an extra PITA to swap broken CVs with all the extra parts and all etc.

I'll keep you posted about suspension changes. I am currently running OME 861s in the back with Tokico black LC shocks in the rear, and the King extended travel have 600# coils. But, a long time ago I wanted it raised up a bit, but miscalculated. I am running about 23" up front and a little over 24" in the rear. But the fronts have FAR too much preload on the coils. If I am going to make adjustments, it might just make sense to rebuild them. I might consider swapping coil weights at the same time. I want to maintain a lower COG in the front and when I pack for camping, it gets too close to level. If I drop it down somewhere close to 21.5 or 22" up front, this should give me greater flex without all the current preload. So, that is probably my next 50 meter target.

I might add some lights as well. The HID retrofits have been a super nice addition to the runner.

 

[OffRoadRy]

Those 35s look great on that thing. Awesome!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[theesotericone]

Jumping up to 35s can be a bit of a pain in the ass. But, I seem to be able to crawl over taller obstacles and roll over some things I would have to climb UP with the 33s. I am used to seeing them on there now and it looks "normal" to me, lol.

I don't see how your 4Runner could get much better. Man, that thing is clean! Hard to beat a clean black 4Runner build. 35s are nice, but it is a fair amount of effort for a little more clearance. With your front and rear locker, I bet you are plenty capable in that rig.

It all depends on how capable of a rig you want or need. Since going to 35's I've run some trails that I struggled harder on with 33's. I'll be going to 37's for my next set. That's me though. I like to wheel hard trails and break shit. The bigger the tire the easier a hard trail will be. I can't wait to run the Dusy this year with my 35's. I managed it last year on 33's but I still had to stack a lot. Ran the Rubicon last month with a buddy and neither of us stacked at all. Larger is better for the big rocks.

 

[Road Bull]

It all depends on how capable of a rig you want or need. Since going to 35's I've run some trails that I struggled harder on with 33's. I'll be going to 37's for my next set. That's me though. I like to wheel hard trails and break shit. The bigger the tire the easier a hard trail will be. I can't wait to run the Dusy this year with my 35's. I managed it last year on 33's but I still had to stack a lot. Ran the Rubicon last month with a buddy and neither of us stacked at all. Larger is better for the big rocks.

35s do make obstacles easier though. That, and a more aggressive tread can help quite a bit too. I am interested to hear what you think about your 35s for the same trail you ran last year on Dusy. What did you think of Rubicon? How has life been going man?

 

[theesotericone]

35s do make obstacles easier though. That, and a more aggressive tread can help quite a bit too. I am interested to hear what you think about your 35s for the same trail you ran last year on Dusy. What did you think of Rubicon? How has life been going man?

Life's been good. Works steady and my crew is doing 4 10's so I have 3 days off usually. Trucks been running well and I have only broke 2 LBJ bolt sets this year. Oh, and I re-did my diff. I stripped the two bottom nuts and it was leaking so I pulled it and sent it back to ECGS to fix the bonded seal. While it was out I replaced all the allen head bolts with 12.9 and used 10.9 nuts. It'll be an easy fix next time.

As far as the Rubi goes, I thought it was easier then the Dusy. My buddy I did it with thought it was harder. We started on a Thursday morning at Loon Lake at 6AM. We Ran the whole trail in 8 hours. We could have gone sub 7 hours but ran into traffic that held us up on Cadillac Hill.

I lead the whole trail. I got hung up on the exit of Little Sluice and needed a small tug to get off a rock that was on my diff. Other then that I did the whole thing with zero spotting and zero stacking. We took all the hard lines but did bypass Old Sluice since I heard rumors about roof damage. My buddy was in a 2nd Gen DCLB Taco. He only needed 2 spots. We hauled ass and every minute was spent wheeling. In short, it was rad.

I've also done a bunch of other trails like Slick Rock, Swamp Lake, Mirror Lake, Strawberry Lake, and Coyote Lake, Isham Canyon and a few other lesser know trails. I've been beating on the rig and it's mostly been taking it.

The plan is to do the Dusy then try for Fordyce late Oct or Nov. That would be all Big 4 Cali trails in a year. Not bad for IFS. lol

 

[Road Bull]

Life's been good. Works steady and my crew is doing 4 10's so I have 3 days off usually. Trucks been running well and I have only broke 2 LBJ bolt sets this year. Oh, and I re-did my diff. I stripped the two bottom nuts and it was leaking so I pulled it and sent it back to ECGS to fix the bonded seal. While it was out I replaced all the allen head bolts with 12.9 and used 10.9 nuts. It'll be an easy fix next time.

As far as the Rubi goes, I thought it was easier then the Dusy. My buddy I did it with thought it was harder. We started on a Thursday morning at Loon Lake at 6AM. We Ran the whole trail in 8 hours. We could have gone sub 7 hours but ran into traffic that held us up on Cadillac Hill.

I lead the whole trail. I got hung up on the exit of Little Sluice and needed a small tug to get off a rock that was on my diff. Other then that I did the whole thing with zero spotting and zero stacking. We took all the hard lines but did bypass Old Sluice since I heard rumors about roof damage. My buddy was in a 2nd Gen DCLB Taco. He only needed 2 spots. We hauled ass and every minute was spent wheeling. In short, it was rad.

I've also done a bunch of other trails like Slick Rock, Swamp Lake, Mirror Lake, Strawberry Lake, and Coyote Lake, Isham Canyon and a few other lesser know trails. I've been beating on the rig and it's mostly been taking it.

The plan is to do the Dusy then try for Fordyce late Oct or Nov. That would be all Big 4 Cali trails in a year. Not bad for IFS. lol

Good to hear. It seems the slight majority of guys I do trails with these days are rolling FJs. There are a couple DCLB Tacos as well. Fourth gen 4Runners and a couple of 3rd gens usually round out the group. I feel like I have things on easy mode when I see DCLB Tacos trying to make sharp turns in tight trees here. And even FJs and 4th gens are wider than 3rds. Just another great reason to love the 3rd gens.

Where did you break the LBJs? Were they OEM? Sounds like you have been able to get out there at least. This summer has been pretty brutal as far as work schedule. And it doesn't really seem like it is letting up much. I have been trying to squeeze fun in where I can. I spent Labor Day weekend on Vancouver Island in Uclulet. I didn't take the runner, but there are some burly looking trails that I would like to check out someday.

 

[theesotericone]

Good to hear. It seems the slight majority of guys I do trails with these days are rolling FJs. There are a couple DCLB Tacos as well. Fourth gen 4Runners and a couple of 3rd gens usually round out the group. I feel like I have things on easy mode when I see DCLB Tacos trying to make sharp turns in tight trees here. And even FJs and 4th gens are wider than 3rds. Just another great reason to love the 3rd gens.

Where did you break the LBJs? Were they OEM? Sounds like you have been able to get out there at least. This summer has been pretty brutal as far as work schedule. And it doesn't really seem like it is letting up much. I have been trying to squeeze fun in where I can. I spent Labor Day weekend on Vancouver Island in Uclulet. I didn't take the runner, but there are some burly looking trails that I would like to check out someday.

Both LBJ failures where from bolts backing out or shearing. The LBJ's themselves are fine. The LBJ's where OEM and so where the bolts. A few of us have had this issue in the past 6 months. It's a combo of abusing the rigs and re-using the old bolts. Both times I just welded the LBJ to the spindle. I also have a spare set of spindles that I'll do the same thing too. It's not a great solution but once you weld one you might as well go full retard. lol

My second set of LBJ's is Proforged. I'll go through them fast enough that the whole "OEM ONLY" argument is moot for the way I use my rig. They are less then 1/3 the price of OEM. I'll update my thread once I get some real miles out of them. So far they've got 30 miles of hard trail and over 1000 street miles on them. No play at all.

 

[Road Bull]

Fall wheeling.

Heading out with a big group a few weeks back. 4 3rd gens, 3 FJs, a 2nd gen Taco, a 3rd gen Taco, a 5th gen runner, and a bad ass 80 series LC. The three other 3rd gens were pretty sweet. One is 3-linked rear with Jeep springs and even though it was open / open, it was able to maintain traction and crawl over obstacles just fine. The black 3rd gen was locked and a really sweet build with Costal bumpers front and rear. The last was a solid rear locked specimen like mine. All were running 35s. We had a fun weekend before the snows settled in for the season.

 

[Road Bull]

More pics

The morning after camping, we started on our full day of wheeling. A short time into it, i briefly pulled over waiting for others to climb a hill. I realized that i was out of washer fluid. (Something that happens often in winter with the small Sonoran Steel washer bottle relocation kit.). Well I jumped out to throw some water in but noticed my battery was loose and resting up against the timing belt cover!!! The securing hardware had disappeared leaving the top bar flopping around, not securing shit.

I sure was glad to be out with my friends Connor and Matthew and their electrical bag of tricks. At least one ground had pulled out of its connection. We were able to get it sorted, but now I want to find a good battery box so ghat never happens again.

A short time later, the 2nd gen Taco blew up his steering rack and turned back. I was really digging the triple locked LC 80 though. I really wouldn't mind having one of my own sometime.

 

[thezentree]

One is 3-linked rear with Jeep springs and even though it was open / open, it was able to maintain traction and crawl over obstacles just fine.

desire to know more intensifies.jpg

 

[Black798]

desire to know more intensifies.jpg

I am the one that did the 3 link on the rear of that truck and installed all the long travel goodies in the front. Up front it has an open front diff with nitro 5.29s built by myself, BTF 4.5" long travel kit with 2 inch hydro bumps and some other miscellaneous things.

The rear is all one off custom stuff that I designed and built in house. The lower links are totally redone and about 7 inches longer than stock and the upper is the same deal. It has 14x2.5 king shocks that I setup to be pulling around 15 inches of travel. 4 inch hydro bumps and another open diff with nitro 5.29s

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[thezentree]

Whoa, your truck has changed a lot from what I remember. Won't clutter up this thread anymore, but that's pretty sick.