Salty Dawg Build Thread

[Circes]

1998 Toyota 4Runner 4x4 SR5
White
3.4L V6 5VZ-lFE
5 Speed
E-Locker

Most recent picture: September, 2017

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Upgrades:

Armor:

- 4X Innovation DOM sliders, W/ kickouts
- Savage Offroad rear bumper
- Savage Offroad full skids

Suspension:

- About that...

Wheels and Tires:

- BF Goodrich T/A K02 265/75R
- Stock rims
- Tundra brake upgrade

Interior:

- Husky floor mats, front and rear
- Coverking custom seat covers
- LED map/cargo conversion
- Cargo box expansion

 

[Circes]

My boyfriend and I were on the hunt for a 3rd Gen 4runner for several months before we discovered Salty. It took a while because we wanted an unmolested vehicle with relatively low miles (sub 200k), a V6, 4x4, e-locker, and manual transmission.

We eventually found our truck on the T4R classifieds. We just had to fly out to Utah! They salt the roads there, so we do have some small rust issues to take care of (hence the name Salty), but the Runner was extremely well cared for.

Before we left Utah, we drove to the local dealer and had them print out a stack of service records. The major services and repairs included:

The timing belt and water pump were replaced at 75,000 miles.
A new factory clutch and return spring were installed by Toyota at 120,000, and a new factory starter replaced two months ago.
The truck has been regularly serviced at the local Toyota dealer.

Here's a few photos of it stock:

 

[Mgizler]

Very nice. I want a 5-speed so bad!

 

[rkntoy]

Nice.

 

[the walrus]

Nice! Seeing that first pic really makes me want to hit some trails today.

 

[Circes]

Before driving home, we picked up a small set of tools from Harbor Freight (just in case), and had some cheap front tires installed. The old ones were worn, so we wanted to play it safe.

The truck got us from Utah to CA without a single issue....except the brakes. They sucked. More on that in a moment.

In the meantime, enjoy these cheesy photos. And yes, they were taken in a construction yard. BF had to pull off in the first dirt patch he saw and get to flexing.

 

[Circes]

Running Board Delete

First things first, running board delete. Much better.

 

[Circes]

Tundra Brake Upgrade

Stock brakes. F* these things.

Winning.

It should be noted that we used Napa calipers. They did not clear our stock wheels, so some grinding may have taken place. But just a smidge.

 

[Circes]

Slider Install

What dis?

Looks cool.

Angles.

I helped. Dog for scale. Not pictured? My beer.

Thankfully we have talented friends.

#weldporn

Done! Well, sort of. Still need paint. Do you guys prefer to paint your sliders once installed or before mounting?

 

[Circes]

Painting the sliders

Painting is fun. Not. If I had to do this again, I would have painted the sliders first, then welded them on. Our friend who welded the sliders suggested waiting, he's done a few sliders, and he says they often get scuffed up during the welding process. I think retouching some scratches would have been way easier than painting on the truck.

Anyways..

First step is head to the store. I picked up acetone, sand paper, several cans of Rustoleum Self Etching Primer and Semi-Gloss enamel paint. If you don't have a fancy mask, make sure to get one.

Here's how the sliders looked before I cleaned them. I put latex gloves on (apparently oils from your skin can **** shit up) and went to town with the acetone.

After the first pass, the sliders were looking clean!

Then I hit them with sand paper to scuff up the surface. This apparently helps with adhesion. From here, it was time to triple check my masking job, and get to painting.

 

[Circes]

Some of our friends were headed out to Shaver Lake in the Sierra's to do some mellow wheeling, so they invited us to tag along. To get ready, we pulled the trailer hitch off the truck (it drags....ask me how I know) and bought some new tires.

I wanted to hold off on the tire purchase until later into the build, but didn't want to risk off roading on some cheap Big-O-Tire special.

After doing some reading, we went with Bridgestone KO2 T/A in a 265/75/16. According to the TR4 community, that's as big size you can go without rubbing.

Tire sizes vary wildly by manufacturer and apparently the BFG's run on the smaller size. #themoreyouknow

And yes, I know our rims look like crap. IMO, that's a cosmetic issue. It will eventually be addressed, but getting all the mechanical stuff sorted is way more important.

 

[Circes]

For our first wheeling trip, we ran the Bald Mountain OHV trail by Shaver Lake. There's an easy way to get up there and a not so easy way....our friends are dicks.

Things started out mellow enough.

But quickly grew steep and ledgy.

Salty don't care.

He handled everything with style.

While we were busy playing on the little stuff, our friends with real rigs were doing man things.

Watching our friend clear this in his Commanche was a highlight.

And then he pulled this move off!

Such a fun weekend. Not pictured are the abandoned mine we snuck into and some swim holes. I was too busy having fun to snap pictures.

 

[daniresch]

Nice progress and work, digging the pictures!

 

[Circes]

Interior LED Light

During our last camping trip, we discovered the interior lights were pretty dim. So, I picked up some LED lights. Based on forum recommendations, I found https://www.superbrightleds.com.

They seemed to offer the best bang for your buck. $20 later....



This little 4 LED number (part # 3022-CWHP4-V2) fit perfectly in the rear cargo light.

I didn't take any night photos of them on, but they're super bright. Well worth the cash.

 

[eggmeat]

Awesome build so far! I'm with you it took me forever to find one with the 5 speed, however i didn't want to travel out of state for one so i have no e locker...

 

[Circes]

Husky floor mats + Coverking seat covers

Our floor mats were looking haggard. I was planning on replacing them with generic rubber mats.

As luck would have it, my friend was trading his old 3rd gen in (don't worry, he bought another one) and was kind enough to trade me his Husky Floor Liners for my stockers. Pretty sweet come up!

I also ordered some CoverKing seat covers. The cloth seats in this vehicle are in remarkably good condition and I'd like to keep them that way.

We have CoverKings in another vehicle and they've been great. To be honest, these covers don't fit as nicely as I was expecting....but they still feel super high quality. No regrets.