Sanmyaku build thread

[RobD]

Hey man, if you should find yourself in Calgary and in need of somewhere to work on your rig, let me know. If I'm in town, you're more than welcome to utilize my garage.

I met one of the Krave guys at the World of Wheels a couple weeks ago. Seems like a solid guy. Couple nice Tacos at the show.

 

[williamteichroeb]

Mpg

Hey man, if you should find yourself in Calgary and in need of somewhere to work on your rig, let me know. If I'm in town, you're more than welcome to utilize my garage.

I met one of the Krave guys at the World of Wheels a couple weeks ago. Seems like a solid guy. Couple nice Tacos at the show.

Thanks Rob,

Appreciate the offer, but I'm moving to the Fraser Valley in 10 days and don't think I'll be in the Calgary area anytime in the foreseeable future. Likewise though, if you're ever in Chilliwack, shoot me a message and we can meet up and talk Toyotas.

Didn't mention it earlier, but I did an oil change and a second blackstone labs oil analysis, to see how the 0W30 Amsoil was treating the 4runner with long idling periods and -25 degree (celcius) weather. Turns out she's doing great.

Attached is the PDF for the report if anyone cares to view.

View attachment Blackstone oil analysis 2018.pdf

I drained and filled with 5W30 as the temp's have warmed up nicely to about -5 to +5.

I also did some calculations to determind my MPG......it's not great!

I average between 14.72-14.86 MPG (15.83-15.98 L/100kms)
Correcting for my tire size (31.8/30.6) =1.04
Thus my corrected MPG is 15.30-15.45MPG not so hot!!

Then again I do have about 600 lbs of added weight with front bumper, skid package, sliders, roof rack, and cargo.

 

[williamteichroeb]

maintenance May 2018 ODO: 82,936 kms

I love this vehicle and want it to literally last forever. Because of that I'm OCD, and very particular about my maintenance.

I just spent 14 hours doing a huge list of preventative maintenance to my vehicle. I did it all myself (except for the alignment), because I wanted to make sure it was done right, and I wanted to become more familiar with my rig.

-engine oil change, Amsoil signature series synthetic 5w-30, with OEM filter
-engine air filter
-cabin air filter (charcoal premium filter)



-front diff change, Amsoil severe gear synthetic 75w-90
-rear diff change, Amsoil severe gear synthetic 75w-90
-transfer case oil change, Amsoil severe gear synthetic 75w-90



-grease driveline, and all greaseable points, Lucas synthetic red and tacky
-new UCA ball joints (JBA replaced under warranty because of rust issues)





-new inner TRE's (outer TRE's replaced a few months ago)



-new OEM denso spark plugs





-alignment at Toyota after the new TRE's installed.

Everything went very smoothly, and I detailed the vehicle, including a shampoo of the cargo area.

I also organized my tool bags, SAR bag (kinda like a bug-out bag), medical kit, and labeled them all.

I got the alignment at Valley Toyota in Chilliwack. These guys are seriously good.

Caster:
L: 4.0*
R: 4.2*

Camber:
L: 0.0*
R: -0.1*

Toe:
L: 0.05*
R: 0.05*



Also They polished my drivers side headlight which was starting to fade and yellow ever so slightly and bugged the heck out of me. Thanks guys!!!


To come soon*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

Ordered:
*Dobinson's V59-677 springs
*MT extended rear brake lines
*2nd gen 4runner rear extended length sway bar end links

I am a bit nervous about installing these as I don't have that much weight in the rear of my 4runner, but just wasn't happy with the toytec superflex, with the weight that I do have. Down the road I am planning on a rear swingout bumper, and feel that the v59-677 will hold that weight very well.

Also a bit nervous because I don't have an adjustable panhard bar; From the research I've done, people say it doesn't really matter that much, and that the axle won't be out too much. Any thoughts from anyone??

 

[williamteichroeb]

Dobinson V59-677 coils install!!!

Well, yesterday was a fun day. I was dreading doing this job because I've never worked with brake lines before, nor spring compressors, and I didn't know how tricky it would be installing these long travel springs. I also didn't know how well they'd work with my existing fox shocks.

It took about 5 hours, but I got the job done:

-MT extended brake lines
-2nd gen 4runner sway bar end links
-Dobinson dual rate V59-677 coils


Started off removing the spare tire from under the vehicle and jacking up the vehicle from the frame. I then got a bunch of paper towels ready and removed the old rubber brake lines and replaced them with the SS metaltech extended lines. This job took about an hour to do because I had to watch a 16 minute youtube video of a guy doing it on an FJ. Once I knew what I was doing it was just a matter of using PB blaster to clean the OEM lines. There was a fair bit of road grime caked on and the nuts took a bit to loosen up.





I then removed my sway bar end links, shocks from the upper mounts, and lowered the axle until I could pop out the superflex coils. These came out pretty easily.

To install the dobinson coils I had to rent some spring compressors. I was paranoid about doing it right, as I have seen people get injured compressing coils incorrectly. There's a lot of stored energy in those things!!!



I also used the OEM jack between the axle and bump stop mounts to lower the axle even more to allow the coils to slide in easily. This worked very well.

I reinstalled the longer 2nd gen 4runner end links, then raised the axle to get the shocks reinstalled in the upper mounts, and torqued everything down.



Lastly, I bled the brake lines, with the key in the ignition and my mom pumping the brakes, then holding them as I purged the bleeder valves. I did this to all 4 corners and made sure the fluid reservoir was full and topped off.

Cleaned up and called it a day!! Rides amazing and works very well with the fox shocks.



New height:

Front (to fender):
D: 39.125"
P: 39.25"
Rear (to fender):
D 40"
P 40.25"

My approximate gains using these coils over the superflex are the following in the rear with about 100 lbs of cargo plus my armour:

D (+0.875")
P (+1.375")

 

[williamteichroeb]

IPAD mount and Charging ports

Seems like I've been doing a lot of work to the 4runner recently! I have slowly been accumulating the products for this project. What I needed was:

-IPAD mini 3 with cellular
-Pelican voyager case for IPAD mini 3
-RAM mount universal X-Grip 2 for tablets up to 8"
-RAM mount double long socket for 1" ball (6")
-Ram mount diamond base for 1" (B) balls
-CHGeek Dual USB Charger with voltimeter (amazon for $16.00)

I started by taking off some panels that were in the way, and some that I thought I needed to take off, but really didn't LOL



I then took off the climate control cluster, and replaced a bulb that was burnt out behind there at the same time.


I then pre-drilled some very small pilot holes after making with a fine-point sharpie where I wanted the RAM mount.

I then drilled increasingly larger holes, until the were slightly smaller than the screws I was using.

I just used some regular screws and threaded them in by hand, mounting the RAM 1" ball base just below the hazard light switch.

I then tested the voltimeter and charging ports directly to the battery to ensure they worked, before doing the full install (Do this, because if you go to all the work to mount it, and it doesn't work, you're SOL).



I then used a step bit drill to drill 1 1/8" hole for the accessory. I then mounted it in, and secured it from behind with the screw backing plate, and connected the pos and neg wires.



I used a grounding point on the steering column for the negative, and ran the positive to my main battery terminal. I made sure to leave the in-line fuse in an easily accessible location in the engine bay.



At some point when I'm bored, I want to clean up my wiring even more, and add shrink tubing to the connections to make them better. It might be worth while for me to invest in a fuse block for all my accessories....hmmmmmm

Finished product!!





Side note: I bought some 10 or 12" charging cables to use to charge the ipad, as I didn't want long cords hanging everywhere.

Also, I was slightly worried that the voltimeter being constantly on, with the LED light, might drain the battery, but everyone I've spoken too, said it's super minimal, and I should never get a dead battery from that. If I did park the car for extended periods, I would just pull the fuse, which is easily accessible from under the hood.

 

[rickashay]

Nice and clean tablet install. Love having mine there as well... Any chance your going to be out in the Kootenays this summer? We should link up and go for a run.

Addison

 

[williamteichroeb]

Nice and clean tablet install. Love having mine there as well... Any chance your going to be out in the Kootenays this summer? We should link up and go for a run.

Addison

Sorry [MENTION=63060]rickashay[/MENTION] I don't know how I didn't see this until now, as I've logged in fairly regularly. Anyways, I didn't make it out to the Koots this summer. Instead, we went to the overland rally, and did a week trip through Washington and Oregon. We have moved to Cultus Lake now, and if you're ever in the area, please shoot me a message. Next summer, we may decide to do a trip to the Koots to visit old friends. If we do, I'll send you a message.

 

[Habitant]

Your info says Chilliwack, where I am, but all your photos look like you're out of town.

 

[williamteichroeb]

Your info says Chilliwack, where I am, but all your photos look like you're out of town.

I am indeed in Chilliwack (Cultus Lake more specifically). We moved back to Chilliwack in March of this year after being away for 3 years. We should organize a trip soon. I'm assuming you're part of bctoyota4wd?

 

[williamteichroeb]

some updates...

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted to this forum. Lots of things to update you all on.

In mid-July my girlfriend, I, and our son, went to the BC overland rally. We had a blast and it was the first time Emily has really been to an event, or off-road meet like this. It was cool to see that she was into it! Even though she isn't as crazy about it as I am, she enjoyed going to the presentations and checking out the venders. There were a lot of cool people that we met, and she even won a $200 flashlight/survival combo prize.

Here is my vehicle all cleaned up and ready to get on the road....



We decided to rent a RTT for the rally. I had always wanted a RTT but they're very expensive and the drawbacks of a RTT have kept me from pulling the trigger. We decided to rent one to see if it might be something worth buying down the road.



I can honestly say that I'm not sold on the RTT thing. Here's why:

-decreased fuel economy being large up top the vehicle and weighing 130lbs
-1500-3000 CAD $$$
-takes a fair bit of time to set up (maybe 5 minutes, but my ground tent takes 3 so you can't argue it's quicker that's for sure
-annex takes a very long time (8-10 minutes for me to set up) and is very heavy and eats up room inside the car.

We got to the rally quite late around 2200hrs so we set up in the dark in the temporary area, then found an actual spot the next morning. The location, although it was beautiful was not ideal... It was in a rocky, dusty parking lot, with no shade, and no river or lake nearby to jump into. Here's a view of the rally from the air (not my photo, I just found it on google)





It was a very fun event, but next year we want to go to the one in Plain, Washington near Leavensworth. It looks like it's a much better location, with more venders, and in a nicer area. We can't wait!!!

 

[williamteichroeb]

camping trips in August

We decided to do an overnight trip from Harrison Lake to Boston Bar. I believe it's about 120-130 kms through mostly easy forest service roads. The trip takes you close to some hot springs which we stopped at, called Clear Creek. We then went over a very high mountain pass, which had some deep wash outs and some technical terrain.







The road then descends into the Nahatlatch valley where there is some amazing camping.

This is the fire lookout tower. We couldn't really see anything as the smoke from all the wildfires was very thick.









It was a very steep climb for a good 15 minutes, so I opened my hood to let the vehicle cool down, while we ate, and hung out. I had her in 4lo for the climb to help the tranny, and for the descent to save the brakes


All in all, an amazing trip with some friends that we met at the overland rally.


Hope to do another trip soon with these guys!!

 

[williamteichroeb]

Dobinson awning install

After the scorching heat at the Overland rally, and a torential downpour while camping at Manning Park, I convinced the girlfriend that we needed an awning. To me this will be far more beneficial than a RTT.

Before we had an awning, we had to rig up protection with a tarp, which wasn't always possible if you weren't around trees.



I ordered the awning directly through Mike at Dobinsons. His customer service was second to none when I ordered my suspension so when I found out he sold awnings (and at very reasonable rates I may add) it was an obvious decision to get it from them.

It came 3 days later from Florida to Washington!! I couldn't believe it! He literally shipped it the same day I paid for it.

Thanks for the great customer service [MENTION=148378]Dobinsons Mike[/MENTION] !


Packaged nicely



Came with pegs, lines, and a nice case (same material as awning fabric)





Install was very easy (as expected) and took me about 15 minutes alone. The hardware that came with it, however, is slightly small for the prinsu rack, so I used the tie down hardware kit that you can buy from prinsu or frontrunner and used that to secure the L bracket. I am slightly worried that someone could steal the awning in all of 2 minutes by twisting the eyelets off, but I guess I'll take that chance.



We were recently camping in Merritt, BC, and the winds were about 50-60 kms an hour and the awning held up. We obviously were using the pegs. Also after that incident, we decided to buy 2 additional pegs from Canadian tire, and some more line to brace the awning out to the sides as well. Many people at the campground that day, had their tents blown away or wrecked. A large around of water did pool on top the awning, but we didn't really have it sloping enough. If the awning poles had have been more angled I don't think we would have had that problem. On a plus note, it goes to show just how waterproof and solid this awning is.



We set it up immediately and here's how it looked.



I really appreciate how long the awning is (10' as opposed to 8'). It provides additional protection from the elements.



I want to add, that we have used this now about 7-10 days, and it has held up great. When it gets wet we deploy it the next sunny day to let everything dry out.

 

[williamteichroeb]

August roadtrip

Our annual roadtrip this year was to Washington and Oregon. We had 8 days to explore a small portion of these states.



August 18th- Wanatchee state park. Beautiful area near Leavensworth. Can't wait to go back.



August 19th- Leavensworth to Mt. Rainier. Camped at Snow Lake

View attachment 311604



August 20th- woke up for an early morning swim in Snow Lake. Explored Mt. Rainier a bit more, including doing 2 more small hikes. Camping at a Cougar Rock campground





August 21st- Mt. Rainier to Portland. Beautiful drive. Arrived in Portland early afternoon, first stop we went to the strippers for a brew, then explored some of the iconic Portland sites (Voodoo dounuts, bookstore etc...). Spent the night at an airBNB



August 22nd- Hood river, some waterfalls, town of Hood river, and more Portland in the evening. 2nd night at airBNB

August 23rd- Left Portland, drove to a cool tree obstacle course, then drove through some beautiful state parks, trough Tillamook, to Cannon Beach. Camped on Cannon beach for the night.





August 24th- Explored the town of Cannon beach. Drove north to Seattle. Stopped to check out the cool sites along the way. Arrived in Seattle at our BNB, then went to check out the city.

I had planned us a secret VIP Ferris wheel ride overlooking the city. I had some kinder surprises in my backpack, that I had secretly opened before our trip. I carefully removed the wrapper, then removed the toy, and replaced it with a ring. I then resealed the chocolate with melted white chocolate, and re-wrapped it in the tin foil. I marked one with a small dot....this one I gave to my now Fiance. I pretended that I had just bought them but made sure to give her the marked one. It was quite a magical moment.

edit* I realize you guys from the USA have different kinder egg surprises that aren't wrapped like ours, due to your laws. I guess someone sued Kinder surprise because a child swallowed the toy inside the chocolate so yours are wrapped separately. This trick wouldn't have worked.



August 25th- breakfast in Seattle, 3 hours in REI, then north back to Canada.

 

[mlhansen]

What awning is that?

 

[williamteichroeb]

What awning is that?

Hey, it's the DOBINSONS 4×4 ROLL OUT AWNING 6.5FT X 9.8FT MEDIUM SIZE

here's a link to it on their site:

https://www.dobinsonsdirect.com/pro...t-medium-size-includes-brackets-and-hardware/


I just bought it by messaging [MENTION=148378]Dobinsons Mike[/MENTION] personally, but they have a website and amazon store.

 

[Crikeymike]

I had planned us a secret VIP Ferris wheel ride overlooking the city. I had some kinder surprises in my back, that I had secretly opened, removed the toy, and replaced it with a ring. I then resealed the chocolate with melted white chocolate, and re-wrapped it in the tin foil. I marked one with a small dot....this one I gave to my now Fiance. It was quite a magical moment.

View attachment 311602

August 25th- breakfast in Seattle, 3 hours in REI, then north back to Canada.

Congrats man, that's a really cool way to convince her to stay with you!! Chicks love chocolate, and rings.

 

[williamteichroeb]

Maintenance

Decided to do a bit of routine maintenance. Still under 95,000kms on the odometer. I did an oil change, re and re air filter, greased driveline and UCA’s, and took the 4runner to Toyota to get the transmission flushed. There seems to be some discussion on whether to flush the transmission in these units. I don’t believe in “lifetime oil” so I decided to get it done. Drives beautifully and I personally am glad I did it for peace of mind. I’m OCD about maintenance and want my runner in tip top shape. I am also the guy that changes oil every 5,000kms even though I’m using synthetic.



View attachment 311650

Oil change with pennzoil ultra platinum and OEM filter



OEM air filter. Compare old to new after only 2 months. Perhaps the forest fire smoke and a couple dusty trips contributed more than normal to its condition.


Took it in to Toyota to get a full transmission flush. Cost $232.00, but I couldn't do this job myself as I don't have the proper tools.


Installed a portable VHF radio mount from “stinkyfab racing”. They make it to fit a Beofang radio but it fits my icom ICV85 perfectly also. Also bought a DC 12v charger for my radio. It's good to be prepared if traveling where typical cell coverage ends.

 

[williamteichroeb]

Congrats man, that's a really cool way to convince her to stay with you!! Chicks love chocolate, and rings.

Thanks Mike. She's a keeper!

 

[williamteichroeb]

maintenance November 16th 2018

Today I decided to do a bit of maintenance and winter prep....

1) swapped over my tires/wheels to my winter set. (Toyota steelies and nokian hakkapeliitta LT2 in 235/80R17).





2) did a cursory inspection of the front as I have noticed a loudish clang when reversing at an angle, all seems tight except my passenger CV axle. There is about a 1/2" play when grabbing the axle and shaking it. The boot on the axle tore about 1.5 years ago, so I knew it was only a matter of time before dirt and grime starting to degrade the joints. I have ordered a reman'd OEM axle without OEM boots from CVJ axles. Will install in the coming weeks.

3) oil change with pennzoil ultra platinum synthetic 5W-30. Oil changes are so easy with the fumoto valve. Awesome purchase.



4) Bought some copper anti-seize to use on my prinsu rack screws. The screws are stainless and the rack rails are aluminum. I could see the corrosion already starting to form, so decided instead of eventually breaking the screws in the rails, I'd address this early.....I suggest other prinsu rack owners do this as well!





Just before swapping over the tires my friends and I went to the mountains for a little target practice. Everytime I bring my guns out I feel so "American." Shooting is a fun sport, and I see why so many Americans enjoy this hobby.

 

[bsa70]

This is one of the best builds I have seen. I really want to do this, if you don't mind, what will be your total investment$$$ Gives me an idea what to look forward too....