Sam's Tandem build
- Thread starter sam24th
- Start date
sam your 4 runner is not eye pleasing... by that i mean its just uncomfterable to look at... and i dont mean it to be an *** **** but taking off the 3" body lift helped but it still does not look right (its a lift to/ body height/tire size ratio thing ... the truck on the other hand well lets just say its very easy on the eyes
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sam24th
New member
No offense taken, I actually do not like the way it looks now, and I honestly never did. Only reason I really bought it was because of how clean and well maintained the truck was. Figured it'd make a nice starting project instead of some shitty beat up 4runner. Long term plans include a whole new front end (fiberglass), and a long travel setup. I will be moving out west to the desert in 2 years for a job offer I got and plan on bringing it with me.
sam24th
New member
Well initial plans was to order my long travel kit this week, but hell everything is going on the back burner again. Driving up to Bessemer City to pickup a motorcycle I want on Thursday since I couldnt stand to pass the deal up. Anyways I did manage to pull the runner out of the garage and snap a few new photos without the bodylift.
sam24th
New member
Well I recently picked up a new Kayak and had no way of transporting it with my 4runner due to the soft top. So I came up with a new rack for it. Thought Id share what it looks like. Ive already loaded the thing with a lot of weight 520lbs to be exact on the rack and it seemed stable. I only plan on having my kayak ~60 lbs on it plus maybe a cooler for camping. I think the rack is plenty strong. I can still roll up the sides of my soft top and it seems to fit pretty awesome. Not too bad for about 2 days worth of welding and painting. I also have 2 more LED lights coming for the front center section. I only bought 2 at first to test out and I liked it so I ordered 2 more. I'll have 4 total on the front.
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sam24th
New member
Got more of the rack done today. UPS guy showed up with my new bike tray, so I mocked it up and made some custom mounts. Also got my remaining 2 led roof lights in and mounted. Also added a simple procomp light bar I bought from a friend a few days ago. I had to weld a few new mounts for the frame.
sam24th
New member
A lil update today. Not too many pics to post but I got a ton done today. Got my new blue sea fuse box, 6 rolls of wire (2 shown), new soldering iron, solder, connectors, shrink wrap, DC plug from blue sea, 10 green pilot type swtiches, and a lock box with combination lock. Im going camping tomorrow and was planning on taking the 4runner so I devoted most of my time to it today. I first made a tray and mounted my fuse box from blue sea in the engine bay. Next and I ran a large primary wire to the box and then ran 10 wires into the cab for switches. I mounted 4 switches in the center console, wired up my DC plug int he blank din space under my radio, drilled holes in the lockbox and mounted under the seat, hardwired my dash cam, cb radio, and wired up my roof top LED light bars. Also did the ones on my front bumper. I didnt do any crimping, all connections were soldered and heat shrunk. So heres some pics. Sorry if the post is a lil confusing Im tired and exhausted and am about to go to sleep haha. I'll post some pics tomorrow in the day of the install. Plus I plan on adding a third brake light to the center of my tire carrier before heading out tomorrow.
Pic of some of the items I got in the mail:
Pic of the truck mounted with lights installed and on.
Headlights only:
light bars (no headlights)
Also heres a pic of the truck loaded up with my kayak and mountain bike at the lake a couple days ago.
Pic of some of the items I got in the mail:
Pic of the truck mounted with lights installed and on.
Headlights only:
light bars (no headlights)
Also heres a pic of the truck loaded up with my kayak and mountain bike at the lake a couple days ago.
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Aznwolf118
Member
Nice custom build on the roof rack.
What size tube did you use and how did you account for the mounting points under the soft topper brackets.
Did you clearance or just bolt the soft topper rail straight Down.
Thanks for sharing cause you just set my winter project in motion.
What size tube did you use and how did you account for the mounting points under the soft topper brackets.
Did you clearance or just bolt the soft topper rail straight Down.
Thanks for sharing cause you just set my winter project in motion.
sam24th
New member
I used some flat bar stock I had left over in the machine shop (I think its 3/16inch thick). I had originally planned on clearancing the rails from soft topper to account for the rails, but after fitting the rails ontop of the mounts, I realized the top still fit pretty snug with a very slight gap where the rack mounts were. I went to homedepot and bought some weather stripping and went along the bottom of the rails to fill the gap. It sealed well and never leaked. The rack itself is made of 3/4in tubing and in certain areas 1/2in tubing. I actually just removed the top and rack yesterday to fit the 4runner into the shop for an engine swap. You can continue to follow my build on my other thread "Sam's 89 4runner 3.4 5VZE swap"
junkyardbiker
New member
where did you get those headlights? Ive been wanting to put modern HID lighting in mine but not the ebay crap from china. All the legit HID conversions I can find are custom retrofits and run upwards of 400 dollars to do right.
sam24th
New member
Trust me I like lots of tubing on the floor also. Plan on building a lot more stuff starting with a front bumper and then maybe a rollcage for the 4runner.
This guy right here that I picked up for $200 with a title.
sam24th
New member
It wasnt running when I picked it up. Actually it was all in pieces in about 10 different boxes. I took the motor apart and checked it out. Looks like it was previously rebuilt. Its back together now and currently running. Its still needs the wiring for lights finished. I was just going to build it into a simple bobber, sorta a bar hopper. Bike itself is a 83 Yamaha Virago 750.
