Scramble's "Metallica Truck" Build Thread

[Scramble]

Last Updated 7/26/18

Hello all & welcome to my 4Runner's build & history thread.
I’d first like to thank everyone here for their inspiration & knowledge.
I came back to this site in March of 2014 after having my engine rebuilt to talk with other owners & had no intentions of modifying my truck to this extent. I blame [MENTION=88391]NateMob[/MENTION] & [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION]. They were selling their trucks when I came back & I couldn’t stop looking at their build threads. I hope my truck grows up to be as bad-ass as theirs were some day.

You're probably thinking I'm a huge Metallica fan by the name of my truck but my friends named it that. I did like them a lot when the first 3 albums came out but it was all downhill from there. See post #2 for the story of the "Metallica Truck". I don't want to clog up the first post with too much text.

I'll post repairs, road trips, pics & mods in chronological order so hopefully it wont take me too long to get the thread current.

I am the original owner & have all of the paperwork from the sale including the window sticker. I purchased this truck from Sunrise Toyota in Oakdale, NY. Great dealership & always had a great experience when I went there. Plus I was sorta like a celebrity when I went there because the employees were like, "Hey! there's the guy who won the 4runner." I have every maintenance & repair receipt since I took possession of the vehicle. All scheduled maintenance is stamped or marked in the "Scheduled Maintenance Log". I had the truck serviced at the dealer for the first year because I purchased the "Lifetime Oil Program" for $100. It's was a great deal at the time but the dealer was a little too far from my apartment. I had to drop it off at 7am, get a co-worker to meet me there & drive me to work. Then get a ride back to pick it up after work. It was just a pain & the dealer was a zoo on the weekends.


Specs from the factory:
(I picked it off the lot because any special orders were a 3 month wait & it was just about the cheapest 4Runner they had!)
1999 Base model 4WD - 5 Speed Manual Transmission
3RZ-FE 4Cyl. 2.7L - 17 City - 21 Hwy
Desert Dune Metallic/Oak Interior
4 Wheel Anti-Lock Breaks, Rear Heater
16x7 Alloy Wheels, 265/70R16 Tires
Upgrade Value Package #1
Convenience Package

Modifications:

Suspension:

Sonoran Steel 7.2 Lift Kit (2014)
(Purchased new from a member who never installed it, $1200 Shipped)
Installed LC 80 8 Wraps instead of the OME 890’s.
Purple-Purple/Blue/White
Purple/Green/White

Front:
TRD Tundra Coilovers
Bilstien Tundra 5100’s
All-Pro UCA’s
1" Differential Drop
Mstudt Extended Disco Swaybar End Links
Energy Suspension Steering Rack Bushings
All OEM Tundra Brake Upgrade
Stop-Tech SS Extended Brake Lines

Rear:
Swapped in E-Locked rear housing from a 2000 Limited.
80 Series LC 8 Wrap Coils
Bilstien Tundra 5100’s
Daystar extended bump stops
Extended SS Brake line
Extended parking brake bracket
Adjustable Panhard bar
Extended Swaybar End Links
Extended Rear Diff Breather

Fat Pats 1” Body Lift

Armor

Shrockworks Front Bumper w/ single hoop
Custom Stainless Steel "4Runner" Engine skid
BAMF Sliders w/kickout & top plate. (need to install)
Shrockworks Rear Bumper with tire carrier on order!

Exterior

Desert Dune Sport Hood
PIAA 510's & 520's in front bumper
AVS Hood & Window rain guards
OEM Black Pearl Emblems
TYC headlights w/ GE Sport Bulbs
Rain-X 18" Latitude Wiper Blades
Toyota Hilux Surf Clear Corners w/ Amber LED's

Performance/Drivetrain:

Marlin Crawler HD Clutch & Flywheel
Doug Thorley Headers
JBA Stainless Cat-Back Exhaust
Magnaflow High-Flow Catalytic Converter
Quality Power 160 Amp Alternator
Tom Woods Custom 3" Driveshaft w/ 1310 U-Joints
ARP for Lexus wheel studs
K&N Cold Air Intake
Exide Extreme FX-24 Battery
Red Line Fluids in Diffs, TC & MT
TRD Supercharger & LCE High Boost kit (need to install)

Wheels/Tires:

285/70R17 Hankook Dynapro MTR’s - Load Range D
2014 T4R Trail Edition Wheels
265/70R17 Spare on a 4th Gen Sport wheel-fits in the stock location

4Runner Car Wash 021 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

4Runner Car Wash 019 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

Rausch Creek Off Road Park-410 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

Rausch Creek Off Road Park-294 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

Rausch Creek Off Road Park-111 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

Rausch Creek Off Road Park-042crop2 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

 

[Scramble]

The Metallica Truck Story
:welcome:
I moved out to Brentwood, NY (Long Island) in 1996 from Woodhaven, Queens & lived there until 2006. When I moved into my apartment I became friends with this guy Keith that lived upstairs. There were 3 apartments in a high ranch. He was a year younger than me & a Metalhead so we hit it off. I come home from work one day in Oct of 1998 & he tells me I have to get a K-Rock Card. K-Rock (92.3) is the NYC Rock station & they were having give away prizes promoting different bands that were coming through town. They gave away a “Kornvette” (new Corvette) when Korn played & gave away (2) Bono Harleys when U2 came to town. They also gave away concert tickets & cash prizes. So Keith says get a card & maybe one of us will win two tickets to see Metallica. I wasn’t really into Metallica anymore but I love live music & I’ll go see almost anybody for free! They announce your name on the radio & you have 92 minutes to call in. If you don’t call in you’re beat! When you do call in you have to pick one of 92 envelopes. You could win $92, two tickets for the concert or the grand prize which was the vehicle of the month. Now for Metallica they were giving away a 4X4 for that song “4X4” off of the album "Load". That’s what they called it, “The Metallica 4X4 Giveaway”. No mention of what brand though. I wasn’t even into trucks; I was on my 7th Cadillac, a Black 1978 Coupe Deville with a 425ci motor & tan leather interiorimp:. All I wanted was 2 tickets to the show plus you never think you’ll win the grand prize, that only happens to other people.


I’m at work one day (a few days before Thanksgiving 1998) & Keith calls me on the phone & says, “Hey Scramble I heard your name on the radio, call the station & get those tickets!” I’m like OK! & hang up! I don’t have the number! I was working in a large print shop, 80,000sqf with about 200 employees & I have about 15 people running around looking for a phone book (no Google in 1998 people!) This cool chick Susan (great body):naughty: from Brooklyn gets me the # because she has a card too. I call the station & I say, “Hi, this is Mike Campbell, I heard my name on the radio do I win 2 tickets to Metallica?” The guy says no, you have to pick a number between 1 & 92 and we’ll open that envelope & see what you’ve won. I was going to pick 71 because I used to have a ’71 Eldorado Convertible. Then I blurted out, “69 Dude!” Exactly like Bill & Ted! ound:! The guy opens the envelope & says, “You’ve won the grand prize! A brand new truck!” :first:I was gonna say, “get the **** outta here” but I remembered I was live on the radio so I said, “Get outta town!” I know lame. They went to a commercial break; the guy took my information down & told me it was a Toyota 4Runner. I asked when do I come down & pick it up & he said go to your local Toyota dealer & pick one out; we’re giving you a check for $18,500. I had visions of the truck at the radio station, dash autographed by the band, big Metallica logo on the hood, being handed the keys on stage at the concert but it wasn’t anything that grand.


I knew nothing about Toyota’s, I was a Caddy guy. So a few days later I asked this girl Erin (nice bubble butt) that I worked with who had a ‘92 4runner to come with me to the dealer after work. She drove a 5 speed & wasn’t a girly girl. We looked at the inventory & the cheapest truck was around $28,000??? The salesman told me that the only 4Runners for $18,500 were Base RWD models and only sold in the South not in the Northeast. I called the radio station the next day & told them the deal & they asked how much do you need? I was afraid to ask for too much thinking they might say no, I said $22,500 & they said OK. I was like damn! I should have asked for more! So I picked out my baby, a Base model 2.7L, 4x4, Desert Dune Metallic, 5 Speed, 16” Alloy wheels, Wood Trim Package, All-Weather Package, Power Everything, Tow Package & the top of the line Anti-Theft package by Low Jack, Alarm with ignition cut off, keyless entry & vehicle recovery system and it still works perfectly to this day.


I had no money at the time & a very small credit history but I was able to get a car loan through my Credit Union & got out the door at just under $32,000. I had to pay tax on the prize of $22,500 which goes right on top of your income so maybe it was $4000. I figure the truck cost me around $15,000. Nothing is free in this world! LOL But still that's less than half for a brand new truck.

So for someone who briefly thought about selling this new & buying a nice Caddy this truck quickly won me over & it’s been the best vehicle I’ve ever owned.
I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did reminiscing one of the most exciting times in my life.
Oh, and I never could come up with a name for her. My friends call her the Metallica Truck & it fits even though I’m a Judas Priest guy. :guitar3:

Here's what you get from the dealer as far as keys go.

IMG_2734 by Mike Campbell, on Flickr

 

[yota_addict]

2005! I think I was in middle school. Ok maybe not. With the sticker you may want to rename it "The Green Manalishi!" Can't wait to see where this build goes.

 

[theking11863]

2005! I think I was in middle school. Ok maybe not. With the sticker you may want to rename it "The Green Manalishi!" Can't wait to see where this build goes.

Thank you for making me not the only younger person to know these bands and enjoy them haha. Rock on! :rockon: And I will also be following this build. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration for my own build which is just getting started.

 

[KidVermicious]

Why does the Metallica Truck have a Judas Priest sticker?

 

[theking11863]

2005! I think I was in middle school. Ok maybe not. With the sticker you may want to rename it "The Green Manalishi!" Can't wait to see where this build goes.

One thing I must point out is that The Green Manalishi is not an original song by Priest. It was written by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe a more fitting name would be The Hellion, it is the name of a good song and a metal bird (which is silver/gray so it matches the car) which appears on a few album covers like Screaming for Vengeance. I think it would work well if the Judas Priest sticker stays on there

 

[meRockboost]

3 good albums and downhill is about right! I found "ride the lightning" on tape just because my 98 has a tape deck. Good luck with the build!

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

I've been wondering if you were going to start a build thread. Looking forward to seeing the progress of your 4runner!

 

[yota_addict]

One thing I must point out is that The Green Manalishi is not an original song by Priest. It was written by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe a more fitting name would be The Hellion, it is the name of a good song and a metal bird (which is silver/gray so it matches the car) which appears on a few album covers like Screaming for Vengeance. I think it would work well if the Judas Priest sticker stays on there

Good use of Wikipedia but no one knows that version! Besides Judas Priest only had like 3 good songs and I think Green Manalishi was the best. Let's stick a Metallica sticker on that thing and call it a day!

 

[yota_addict]

Thank you for making me not the only younger person to know these bands and enjoy them haha. Rock on! :rockon: And I will also be following this build. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration for my own build which is just getting started.

Btw I'm actually old! Lol

 

[Unner]

I saw the picture of your Shrockworks bumper going on and I thought to myself "Man, I wish Scramble would get a build thread posted up here." Well, it looks like you did! I can't wait to read the rest of the story. You sound like me with the procrastinating posting the build thread... Now that you have one up here I guess I need to get one up. Maybe after this weekend.

I'm pretty sure we all start with the intentions of keeping our trucks stock and just driving them, and then next thing you know you're putting a new stereo in, and then you're swapping hoods, and then you're drilling holes in the frame to mount sliders and putting on aftermarket winch bumpers and deciding if you need the full length roof rack or if the 3/4 length will be good enough...

 

[Scramble]

2005! I think I was in middle school. Ok maybe not. With the sticker you may want to rename it "The Green Manalishi!" Can't wait to see where this build goes.

I think if the truck was Green that name would be good.
I have a White & Red boat that I named "White Heat, Red Hot" after a Judas Priest song from "Stained Class".

Thank you for making me not the only younger person to know these bands and enjoy them haha. Rock on! :rockon: And I will also be following this build. Maybe it'll give me some inspiration for my own build which is just getting started.

Thanks, other people here gave me the inspiration so hopefully I can do the same.

Why does the Metallica Truck have a Judas Priest sticker?

LOL, That's the million dollar question! I won this truck in a Metallica contest back in '98 but Judas Priest is my favorite band. I'll put the whole story in post #2.

One thing I must point out is that The Green Manalishi is not an original song by Priest. It was written by Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac. Maybe a more fitting name would be The Hellion, it is the name of a good song and a metal bird (which is silver/gray so it matches the car) which appears on a few album covers like Screaming for Vengeance. I think it would work well if the Judas Priest sticker stays on there

Yep, an old Fleetwood Mac song from way back before they went pop.
I have a tattoo of the Hellion on my arm.:guitar3:

3 good albums and downhill is about right! I found "ride the lightning" on tape just because my 98 has a tape deck. Good luck with the build!

Great album, I actually set up stage for them in 1985 when they toured for that album. I worked as a stage hand in L'Amour rock club in Brooklyn, I was 19. I have the LP signed by James & Lars.:rockon:

Good use of Wikipedia but no one knows that version! Besides Judas Priest only had like 3 good songs and I think Green Manalishi was the best. Let's stick a Metallica sticker on that thing and call it a day!

What do you mean only 3 songs!!! LMAO!:gun5: They only made one bad album in 40 years! No Metallica stickers on my truck!:yell:

 

[Scramble]

Btw I'm actually old! Lol

So am I! :becky: I retired from wrenching years ago & I cant believe I'm getting back into it at 48.

 

[wake_rider]

Alright, I'm usually a strong advocate of ONLY using the factory 5-stars on these trucks, but those wheels look fantastic. What are they?

 

[Scramble]

I saw the picture of your Shrockworks bumper going on and I thought to myself "Man, I wish Scramble would get a build thread posted up here." Well, it looks like you did! I can't wait to read the rest of the story. You sound like me with the procrastinating posting the build thread... Now that you have one up here I guess I need to get one up. Maybe after this weekend.

I'm pretty sure we all start with the intentions of keeping our trucks stock and just driving them, and then next thing you know you're putting a new stereo in, and then you're swapping hoods, and then you're drilling holes in the frame to mount sliders and putting on aftermarket winch bumpers and deciding if you need the full length roof rack or if the 3/4 length will be good enough...

I've been wondering if you were going to start a build thread. Looking forward to seeing the progress of your 4runner!

Thanks guys, I hope it comes out as good as you hope. I've been meaning to do it for a while now.

 

[Scramble]

Alright, I'm usually a strong advocate of ONLY using the factory 5-stars on these trucks, but those wheels look fantastic. What are they?

Thank You, they come on the 2014-2015 T4R Trail Edition.

 

[Scramble]

Why no love for album number four? Its recorded great and is still fast and heavy. Blackened, One and Shortest Straw are classics. I think they puss'd out and went mainstream on the Black album. I saw them on the And Justice for All tour and it was probably the best concert I have ever seen except maybe Pink Floyd at Clemson in 1994. They had no one open up for them and played about 4 hours straight with almost no breaks. My eardrums are still bleeding. Damn Im old.

Only my thread will turn into a Metal chat thread! LOL I like the 4th album but it's not great like the 1st three. The recording isn't that good with Jason's bass turned all the way down. The $5.98EP kicks ass with Jason on the bass. Yea, the Black Album was a big let down & Load & Re-Load were even worse.

 

[MuddyButt]

Taylor Swift is the best artist EVER !!!nuff said. Now more pictures of the pretty 4runner.

 

[Scramble]

Looking forward to hearing how you won it. Very cool that you met them when they were young. I was so upset when Cliff died. I remember me and some friends had a seance and talked with him one night, lol. We were only 14 years old so the weed may have helped us communicate a bit :smokin:. Love your build by the way!

Post #2 has been updated with the story.
A seance! LMAO, it was a real sad day when Cliff died. I didn't think the band would carry on. Jason did a great job filling some big shoes.

 

[traffic61]

You had me at the chick with the bubble butt....