Scramble's "Metallica Truck" Build Thread
- Thread starter Scramble
- Start date
theesotericone
New member
Congrats man.
Is the foundation for the garage poured concrete or the old school boulder/morter mix that is ever so prevalent in the Catskills?
Is the foundation for the garage poured concrete or the old school boulder/morter mix that is ever so prevalent in the Catskills?
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
[MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION] freaking awesome man. Glad to see you finally closed. Time to get to work on your Man Cave! Looking forward to seeing the in-progress pics. When it's all finished you're going to have to crack open one of those rare bottles from your holy of holies.
Attachments
Scramble
New member
Congrats man! You're living the dream now!!!!
Thanks! I'm trying! I just wish I had the money to pay a construction company to do it all! Then I'd fill it with classic cars. Need to hit lotto!
Yea man, since Sept. It's going to take a while for me to get it done. I cant afford to do it all at once. I didn't even mention the few dumpsters work of junk I have to clean out of there.
LOL, I saw that too, I think Google came by in 2014. My 2001 Silver Accord Coupe was there. I now have a Black 09 Accord Coupe.
Thanks Bro!
It's cinder block, not sure if it's set on top of concrete or some type of morter. The walls are cinder block too.
Hell yea! One of my salesmen just picked me up a bottle of Jack Daniels "Barrel Proof" It's 134 proof Single Barrel. I checked a bunch of liquor stores for it but he found it by his house. I cant wait to crack it open!
LOL, last Sunday I was looking at the beams & it's going to be a tight fit if I lift the 4R up 72". I have 1 beam down the center & then cross beams about every 6'. They're about 10 or 12 feet high. I might have to cut a section out where the lift will be & then brace the roof some other way. It's wide open so I'd hate to have to put support pole's in but I need to get at least one of the lifts in. I need to talk to my construction friends & figure it out.
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
I want to get this build/history thread back on track. I have a lot to do the 4R this Spring/Summer & need to get this up to date. Upcoming soon will be windshield frame rust repair, E-Locker axle swap, BAMF Sliders, TRD S/C w/fuel mods & gauges, 2002 Sport seats swap w/custom covers, new cargo area carpet & a whole lot of smaller things. I need to get a priority list written down.
*Edit* Also on the "to do list" are, sound deadening for cargo area & doors, 4 new door speakers - JL Audio C2's of course, Black Pearl emblems, fix an oil filter housing leak again, add Camry OEM fog light switches in the dash for my 2 sets of PIAA's, finish rust proofing the frame. Oh, and the Big 3 Wire upgrade. I'm sure I'll think of more. LOL
*Edit* Also on the "to do list" are, sound deadening for cargo area & doors, 4 new door speakers - JL Audio C2's of course, Black Pearl emblems, fix an oil filter housing leak again, add Camry OEM fog light switches in the dash for my 2 sets of PIAA's, finish rust proofing the frame. Oh, and the Big 3 Wire upgrade. I'm sure I'll think of more. LOL
Attachments
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
What? It fits! :bounce: I did like a 1000 mile round trip to get it. I wasn't going to borrow a friends trailer. I didnt even have to take my sub out. :jump:
Scramble
New member
OK, back to the build.
In Oct of 2010 the head gasket went. I didn't want to spend the $1200 or more to get it fixed because I was out of work from the Great Recession & was using my savings to pay the mortgage & other bills. I had a nice 2001 Silver Honda Accord EX in the driveway so I transferred the insurance & plates over to that. That Honda was my DD until I got laid off, there was no sense paying insurance on 2 cars.
The 4runner sat in my driveway for about 2.5 years. Parked on the Blacktop not the grass so she wouldn't rust out. Even though I started working again in 2011 I had a lot of debt to pay off. When I saved up a few bucks I brought it to my regular mechanic/neighbor (Craig) & told him to go ahead with the repair & that I was in no rush. After getting it back & taking it for a test drive it started tapping really bad. It looks like I overheated it when the head gasket went & I warped a bearing. I decided to have him rebuild it since I already had money in the head & I knew the block was good being the original owner. After putting the engine back in Craig was taking it for a test drive & didn't lock the hood. Wind got under it, bent it back & cracked the windshield! LOL He called me at work apologizing like crazy! I told him no big deal since I always wanted a Sport hood anyway! He paid for the windshield, hood & paint & I bought the Scoop insert from Toyota. I also figured it was a good time to fix the rear hatch since there was a nice dent in it from backing into my boat trailer LOL. I picked up a hatch from the junk yard & he had his buddy paint the hood & hatch at the same time. Since he was feeling bad about the hood I also had him throw on a new rear bumper (starting to rust through) & front valance that I picked up from E-bay.
Before Craig put the engine back in he suggested that I replace the clutch. I don't like fixing things that aren't broke but he was doing it for free as long as I bought the clutch. That's when I started lurking around this site again & read up on the Marlin Crawler HD clutch. I also bought their Flywheel. I guess that's when the mod bug hit me, end of 2013. I just wanted to put bad ass parts on her! It's been more than 3 years since I drove her & I was very excited to be getting her back soon!
I'd be lying if I said I never though about selling her while she was down but getting $2000 for her would have been disrespectful to the 11 perfect years she gave me. She needed to ride one more time!
Here's my little 3RZ bored out .30 over getting back from the machine shop. I wish I would have had it blasted & painted but I didn't think of it until after it was machined & I saw the rust.
Here's how she looked after getting a full detail. I wish I had pics of her when she had 3 years of dirt, bird shit, moss & wasp nests in the rear view mirrors. To be honest I felt bad for her & wouldn't take pics of her in that condition. Like [MENTION=116467]Rock_Rat[/MENTION] said, "no pics-it didn't happen"! :bump2:
But she did clean up well. First time in my life I paid for a detail. $200 top of the line Bumper to bumper, shampoo rugs & seats, hand wax etc. The inside had 1/16" of dust. Well worth it!
275/70R16 Bridgestone Duelers - Raised white letters for a sporty look. These trucks still look great stock!
Here's the EX Coupe that got me around when my baby was down. She was a great car. I had her from 2008 - 2014. She was so good I bought an 09 EX-L Coupe to replace her. I have better pics somewhere. (pay no attention to the POS Dodge Nitro in the background!) My GF bought that POS without me.
Marlin Crawler HD Clutch
In Oct of 2010 the head gasket went. I didn't want to spend the $1200 or more to get it fixed because I was out of work from the Great Recession & was using my savings to pay the mortgage & other bills. I had a nice 2001 Silver Honda Accord EX in the driveway so I transferred the insurance & plates over to that. That Honda was my DD until I got laid off, there was no sense paying insurance on 2 cars.
The 4runner sat in my driveway for about 2.5 years. Parked on the Blacktop not the grass so she wouldn't rust out. Even though I started working again in 2011 I had a lot of debt to pay off. When I saved up a few bucks I brought it to my regular mechanic/neighbor (Craig) & told him to go ahead with the repair & that I was in no rush. After getting it back & taking it for a test drive it started tapping really bad. It looks like I overheated it when the head gasket went & I warped a bearing. I decided to have him rebuild it since I already had money in the head & I knew the block was good being the original owner. After putting the engine back in Craig was taking it for a test drive & didn't lock the hood. Wind got under it, bent it back & cracked the windshield! LOL He called me at work apologizing like crazy! I told him no big deal since I always wanted a Sport hood anyway! He paid for the windshield, hood & paint & I bought the Scoop insert from Toyota. I also figured it was a good time to fix the rear hatch since there was a nice dent in it from backing into my boat trailer LOL. I picked up a hatch from the junk yard & he had his buddy paint the hood & hatch at the same time. Since he was feeling bad about the hood I also had him throw on a new rear bumper (starting to rust through) & front valance that I picked up from E-bay.
Before Craig put the engine back in he suggested that I replace the clutch. I don't like fixing things that aren't broke but he was doing it for free as long as I bought the clutch. That's when I started lurking around this site again & read up on the Marlin Crawler HD clutch. I also bought their Flywheel. I guess that's when the mod bug hit me, end of 2013. I just wanted to put bad ass parts on her! It's been more than 3 years since I drove her & I was very excited to be getting her back soon!
I'd be lying if I said I never though about selling her while she was down but getting $2000 for her would have been disrespectful to the 11 perfect years she gave me. She needed to ride one more time!
Here's my little 3RZ bored out .30 over getting back from the machine shop. I wish I would have had it blasted & painted but I didn't think of it until after it was machined & I saw the rust.
Here's how she looked after getting a full detail. I wish I had pics of her when she had 3 years of dirt, bird shit, moss & wasp nests in the rear view mirrors. To be honest I felt bad for her & wouldn't take pics of her in that condition. Like [MENTION=116467]Rock_Rat[/MENTION] said, "no pics-it didn't happen"! :bump2:
But she did clean up well. First time in my life I paid for a detail. $200 top of the line Bumper to bumper, shampoo rugs & seats, hand wax etc. The inside had 1/16" of dust. Well worth it!
275/70R16 Bridgestone Duelers - Raised white letters for a sporty look. These trucks still look great stock!
Here's the EX Coupe that got me around when my baby was down. She was a great car. I had her from 2008 - 2014. She was so good I bought an 09 EX-L Coupe to replace her. I have better pics somewhere. (pay no attention to the POS Dodge Nitro in the background!) My GF bought that POS without me.
Marlin Crawler HD Clutch
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
March of 2014
First day driving her to work after the rebuild & detail. It was weird driving a stick & being high off the ground again. These are crappy cell phone pics. I didn't put the stereo on for 2 weeks because I was so nervous about driving a rebuilt engine. I wanted to hear every tic. I had to break the engine in just like when it was new by not going over 55mph & constantly changing speeds. Not staying at 55mph for example. I changed the oil at 500, 1000 & 1500 intervals & then went to 3000 miles.
First day driving her to work after the rebuild & detail. It was weird driving a stick & being high off the ground again. These are crappy cell phone pics. I didn't put the stereo on for 2 weeks because I was so nervous about driving a rebuilt engine. I wanted to hear every tic. I had to break the engine in just like when it was new by not going over 55mph & constantly changing speeds. Not staying at 55mph for example. I changed the oil at 500, 1000 & 1500 intervals & then went to 3000 miles.
Last edited:
theesotericone
New member
Scramble
New member
After about 2 weeks of driving her again, (March of 2014) I starting hearing this fluttering sound from the front passenger side. I could hear it when I was slowing down & depressing the clutch. Sort of like small rapid fire farts. I assumed it was an exhaust leak but brought it back the Craig since I had a year warranty on the engine rebuild. He confirmed that the exhaust manifold had a crack & he took responsibility saying he might have spilled A/C coolant on it when putting the engine back together. I did some research here at T4R.org & bought a set of Doug Thorley Headers from URD. They're even cheaper now than when I bought them. He installed them for free even though it was something I could have done. Who am I to argue if he offered! :bigok: It's about 2 hours worth of work & much easier than installing headers on a 5VZ. The mod bug was in full effect now with the MC HD Clutch & DT Headers! Now that I'm reading peoples build threads & getting inspired by people like [MENTION=25058]ChildrenOfBodom[/MENTION], this truck will be better than it ever was!
Underdog Racing Development
Underdog Racing Development
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
After the excitement of driving the 4Runner all spring & summer started to wear off, I realized how much work was needed to get this truck driving & riding like new again. I figured I'd save the suspension components for 2015 after spending the winter reading about lifts & what else I'll need to change on the front end.
Three things were bothering me the most, the sagging rear springs, the Spit 3's had their clear coat pealing off & the stains on the passenger area carpet. My truck was running good & now I wanted it to look good too. I've kept my interior mint over the years but a big coffee spill & new puppy puke made me want to change it out.
The tires, although low miles, were from 2008 & were showing signs of dry rot. I wanted to replace them before the winter.
I ended up getting 2 sets of Toyota wheels off the T4R classifieds for $50. A set of Tacoma & T4R 4th Gen Sport wheels. I then jumped on my first Discount Tire Direct E-Bay sale & picked up a set of General Grabber HTR's in 265/70R17. I know, boring tires, but I wanted something cheap with great reviews because I knew I'd be going to 33's after my lift. They came out to $400 with the sale & did fine the following winter in the snow. I decided on wrapping the 2006 T4R Sport wheels. They were sandblasted & rattle canned by the previous owner so it would be easier for me to refurbish than the Taco wheels which had corrosion on them. Plus I think they are a much better looking wheel.
Ugly wheels, rusted lug nuts, peeling center caps & saggy springs. You all know the deal.
2006 T4R Sport wheels, the PO had each one a different color Silver for testing. I sanded them all down & painted them with Rustoleum Professional Aluminum Silver.
Taco wheels, ended up selling these for $250, nice little profit.
Sanding away...
Rustoleum White Primer
Curious to see what White wheels would look like on the truck.
And on the 4Runner, ta da!
The tires were a little too close to the UCA for my liking so I bought a set of Sixity 1.5" Hubcentric spacers & these ARP wheel studs for Lexus after some research on here. ARP isn't cheap but after reading about the Dorman studs breaking on the trail the ARP's were a no brainer.
https://www.amazon.com/ARP-1007715-...69700&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=arp+wheel+spacers
Sixity 4pc 1.5" Inch (40mm) Thick 1984-2002 Toyota 4Runner 6x5.5in to 6x5.5in Wheel Spacers Adapters | SixityAuto.com
The spacers pushed the wheels out nicely.
Three things were bothering me the most, the sagging rear springs, the Spit 3's had their clear coat pealing off & the stains on the passenger area carpet. My truck was running good & now I wanted it to look good too. I've kept my interior mint over the years but a big coffee spill & new puppy puke made me want to change it out.
The tires, although low miles, were from 2008 & were showing signs of dry rot. I wanted to replace them before the winter.
I ended up getting 2 sets of Toyota wheels off the T4R classifieds for $50. A set of Tacoma & T4R 4th Gen Sport wheels. I then jumped on my first Discount Tire Direct E-Bay sale & picked up a set of General Grabber HTR's in 265/70R17. I know, boring tires, but I wanted something cheap with great reviews because I knew I'd be going to 33's after my lift. They came out to $400 with the sale & did fine the following winter in the snow. I decided on wrapping the 2006 T4R Sport wheels. They were sandblasted & rattle canned by the previous owner so it would be easier for me to refurbish than the Taco wheels which had corrosion on them. Plus I think they are a much better looking wheel.
Ugly wheels, rusted lug nuts, peeling center caps & saggy springs. You all know the deal.
2006 T4R Sport wheels, the PO had each one a different color Silver for testing. I sanded them all down & painted them with Rustoleum Professional Aluminum Silver.
Taco wheels, ended up selling these for $250, nice little profit.
Sanding away...
Rustoleum White Primer
Curious to see what White wheels would look like on the truck.
And on the 4Runner, ta da!
The tires were a little too close to the UCA for my liking so I bought a set of Sixity 1.5" Hubcentric spacers & these ARP wheel studs for Lexus after some research on here. ARP isn't cheap but after reading about the Dorman studs breaking on the trail the ARP's were a no brainer.
https://www.amazon.com/ARP-1007715-...69700&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=arp+wheel+spacers
Sixity 4pc 1.5" Inch (40mm) Thick 1984-2002 Toyota 4Runner 6x5.5in to 6x5.5in Wheel Spacers Adapters | SixityAuto.com
The spacers pushed the wheels out nicely.
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
Aug 2014 Happy Birthday to me!
My B-Day is Aug 21st so when my GF saw me looking at auto carpets on the PC she asked me if I wanted them & I said hell yea. :guitar2: The complete interior was expensive at the time so I asked her to just get me the passenger area. I think she paid around $175, prices have come down a lot & now it's $120. We ordered from OC Auto Carpets. The stock color is 9577 Medium Dark Oak. The stock Oak was too Grey & light for me. I wanted something darker but not too dark that it will show lint & dog hair too much. I picked 4640 Dark Saddle with the mass backing for sound deadening & comfort. I love the color & it's more plush than stock for those Summer days when I drive barefoot.
OC Auto Carpets offer 1999 Toyota 4Runner 4 Door Pass Area, Cutpile Carpet #16838-99 made by Auto Custom Carpets, Inc. (ACC)
My B-Day is Aug 21st so when my GF saw me looking at auto carpets on the PC she asked me if I wanted them & I said hell yea. :guitar2: The complete interior was expensive at the time so I asked her to just get me the passenger area. I think she paid around $175, prices have come down a lot & now it's $120. We ordered from OC Auto Carpets. The stock color is 9577 Medium Dark Oak. The stock Oak was too Grey & light for me. I wanted something darker but not too dark that it will show lint & dog hair too much. I picked 4640 Dark Saddle with the mass backing for sound deadening & comfort. I love the color & it's more plush than stock for those Summer days when I drive barefoot.
OC Auto Carpets offer 1999 Toyota 4Runner 4 Door Pass Area, Cutpile Carpet #16838-99 made by Auto Custom Carpets, Inc. (ACC)
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
Here's some pics of the stained carpet & interior being removed. I only had a 3/8" ratchet set at the time & the seat bolts were a little hard to get out. If you live in the rust belt I recommend using a 1/2" ratchet set for strength & leverage. These were 14mm if I remember correctly.
Bottom back seats out, no need to take the backs out.
Front passenger out, notice ugly coffee stains.
Puppy puke stains behind the driver seat. It was 20* out when Melissa got car sick on the way to my GF's apartment so it was just a paper towel clean up. Then I blew the headgasket so it never got a proper cleaning.
Drivers side seat bolt rust spot that plagues so many 4Runners, must have been a bad design with moisture crawling up those threads more than the others. When I swap in my new Sport seats I'm going to use anti-seize on all of the seat bolts.
When I put all of these bolts back in I sprayed all of the holes with WD40.
Lots of dirt, dust & dog hair under everything.
Not sure what this this Orange stuff is growing under the armrest! LMAO! I think I remember an ex spilling a Milkshake one time. LOL
Lots of dust, I wiped the interior down with 409 & used Q-Tips to get into the groves.
The foot rest gets lots of use when you use 3 pedals.
Lo-Jack Alarm system.
Cleaned all of the dust & dog hair out of the heater fan.
Bottom back seats out, no need to take the backs out.
Front passenger out, notice ugly coffee stains.
Puppy puke stains behind the driver seat. It was 20* out when Melissa got car sick on the way to my GF's apartment so it was just a paper towel clean up. Then I blew the headgasket so it never got a proper cleaning.
Drivers side seat bolt rust spot that plagues so many 4Runners, must have been a bad design with moisture crawling up those threads more than the others. When I swap in my new Sport seats I'm going to use anti-seize on all of the seat bolts.
When I put all of these bolts back in I sprayed all of the holes with WD40.
Lots of dirt, dust & dog hair under everything.
Not sure what this this Orange stuff is growing under the armrest! LMAO! I think I remember an ex spilling a Milkshake one time. LOL
Lots of dust, I wiped the interior down with 409 & used Q-Tips to get into the groves.
The foot rest gets lots of use when you use 3 pedals.
Lo-Jack Alarm system.
Cleaned all of the dust & dog hair out of the heater fan.
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
Rug Removed
Take the new rug out of the box a few days before installing to let it unfold. I left it out in the Sun on the deck while I pulled the interior apart. The heat softens up the molded parts for an easier install.
Lay the old rug on top of the new & mark all cuts with chalk.
Start trimming.
I trimmed the exterior first & did a test fit to make sure the molded parts line up with the interior.
Pulled back out for more trimming.
Remember kids measure twice & cut once. It could be a very expensive mistake if you cut too short. Better to leave it a little large & trim more later.
I didn't trust cutting the seat bolt holes out on the deck (meaning using the chalk marks) so I used my scribe to find the hole in the body & then cut it out with my utility knife. The scissors were useless against the mass backing. These carpets are way more beefy than OEM.
Not perfect but it's over the hole! See the chalk mark to the lower left of the hole.
Cutting the rug was easy, getting through the mass backing was a chore.
Take the new rug out of the box a few days before installing to let it unfold. I left it out in the Sun on the deck while I pulled the interior apart. The heat softens up the molded parts for an easier install.
Lay the old rug on top of the new & mark all cuts with chalk.
Start trimming.
I trimmed the exterior first & did a test fit to make sure the molded parts line up with the interior.
Pulled back out for more trimming.
Remember kids measure twice & cut once. It could be a very expensive mistake if you cut too short. Better to leave it a little large & trim more later.
I didn't trust cutting the seat bolt holes out on the deck (meaning using the chalk marks) so I used my scribe to find the hole in the body & then cut it out with my utility knife. The scissors were useless against the mass backing. These carpets are way more beefy than OEM.
Not perfect but it's over the hole! See the chalk mark to the lower left of the hole.
Cutting the rug was easy, getting through the mass backing was a chore.
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
I just cut slits to pull the Sony ES 6 disk changer wires through. I just wanted to mention that I'm not a fan of Sony products. They are over priced for what they are & you are paying for the name. BUT this top of the line ES (Elevated Standard) changer & matching Head Unit have been kicking ass since 2002. It has a 12 second delay so it doesn't even skip when wheelin'.
I used velcro to put it back under the drivers seat.
I ran new RCA cables from the HU back to the amp. The old RCA jacks at the amp side were shot.
I washed all of the interior parts in the tub with mild dish washing soap & warm water.
Finishing up.
It was easier to cut a square for the jack instead of a semi-circle through the mass backing.
And all back together.
I've never cleaned my shift boots before so I figured now was a good time. First I used Wilson's House of Leather cleaner & conditioner. (the same stuff you use on jackets & shoes)
Then sprayed with a Silicone protective layer that you would use for your leather boots. I taped off the wood trim because I peeled off the clear plastic & haven't decided what color I want to stain it yet.
Nice & dry! Yes, that's real wood, don't listen to the Bozo kids here that have had their truck for a year swear up & down it's fake or faux wood. LOL Peel the clear plastic off very carefully & you can sand & stain it any color you like!
I used velcro to put it back under the drivers seat.
I ran new RCA cables from the HU back to the amp. The old RCA jacks at the amp side were shot.
I washed all of the interior parts in the tub with mild dish washing soap & warm water.
Finishing up.
It was easier to cut a square for the jack instead of a semi-circle through the mass backing.
And all back together.
I've never cleaned my shift boots before so I figured now was a good time. First I used Wilson's House of Leather cleaner & conditioner. (the same stuff you use on jackets & shoes)
Then sprayed with a Silicone protective layer that you would use for your leather boots. I taped off the wood trim because I peeled off the clear plastic & haven't decided what color I want to stain it yet.
Nice & dry! Yes, that's real wood, don't listen to the Bozo kids here that have had their truck for a year swear up & down it's fake or faux wood. LOL Peel the clear plastic off very carefully & you can sand & stain it any color you like!
Last edited:
Scramble
New member
Yea, I cant wait. I saw them sitting in the basement this weekend! I have to do my axle swap first because my current diff is leaking from the gasket & I haven't been driving her. I'm thinking about putting her up on jack stands & ripping her apart until my "to do list" is done. That would probably take me all summer because I'm lazy! LOL
Here is Melissa (Metal Melissa the Pisser - named after Mercyful Fate's first album) who puked on my rug when she was a puppy! She was no help on the install!
This is Eros my pure bred Black German Shepard. He was there in spirit!
Last edited:
