SCRunner's Build Thread

[JWaldz]

FYI>> You don't need spacers to clear the 231s on the LX or LC 80 series wheels. :jump:

How so??

 

[J. B.]

How so??

I test fit a wheel about a week ago and it cleared. Barely.
The 231mm tundra calipers are stamped 13WL correct? That's what I have.

I mounted the wheels and tires yesterday and haven't had any issues.
The clearance is super tight, but I haven't had any interference yet. Not sure how good I feel about it... might opt for some 6-10mm spacers anyway.

 

[SCRunner12]

dude just go to your local auto shop, its a generic item lol

Yeah yeah yeah, I just haven't really put much effort into it since they are fine where they are. I'll call around this weekend though.

lol you'll use it more than that..

Only reason I'm singling out a SC is cus I really don't care to put all that stress on a motor with high mileage and it's not getting any lower. Not to say it's BAD for it, just not something I'm willing to do. With the right time and money, a nicely rebuilt motor with the right parts along with a SC and all the other doo-dads yea I'd be down. But I'm lacking the time and money part lol. You're screen name is SCRunner and most people don't think geographically when they see it. So I guess you gotta live up to it the right way

I totally understand. My 4runner only has 120k, so I'm good with the miles. I don't really have immediate plans to add all the extras as I just want a bit more umph up hills and such. Not trying to race anyone or peel out ever. That is true about my username, although I've been thinking about changing it. Never liked it and have some other ideas mulling around.

Good to see an update on the 4Runner, SCR12, and glad to hear you like the new coilovers. It's good to see that you've put some thought into your mod list and how it will fit into your general plan for the future... that helps alot with making the right choices the first time. You'll really enjoy having a S/C'd 4Runner, trust me. It's night and day once you start running bigger heavier tires, bumpers, etc.

Congrats on the welding class too, I'm sure you'll be turning out some sweet projects with the new knowledge/skills.

Thanks a lot. I really have to think about it as my budget doesn't really allow redoing anything. The coilovers came out about even when factoring in the profit I made off my Tundra/5100 set up. I can't wait to s/c my 4runner as I'm already annoyed with 32's.

The welding class has been a blast. I'm starting on MIG now and should be doing pretty good by the end of the class. If I get confident enough I will make my own bumpers to keep the costs reasonable. Who knows...

Lookin good!!

FYI>> You don't need spacers to clear the 231s on the LX or LC 80 series wheels. :jump:

Also, I have a spanner you could use to set those coilovers.
I assume you don't come over the hill too often?
I'm in SC from time to time though.

I'm curious to see how much lift you have compared to the rear w/ your 3" Downey coils.

-Jay

Thanks Jay, that's really good to know about the 231's and LC's. I plan on ditching the LX wheels eventually though, but brakes may come before then. I'm not sure your spanner wrench will work for my SAW's though. The adjustment ring might be different on your Fabtec's. I'm in SJ every once in a while though as my other office is there.

I'm curious about the Downey's as well. I've never seen another 4runner with them and I didn't take before measurements. I like the ride, but they ride better with weight.

 

[J. B.]

what are your hub to fender measurements?

 

[SCRunner12]

what are your hub to fender measurements?

Sorry just saw this. I will let you know tomorrow or Tuesday.


10/14/2012

I've gotten a few new "used" parts for the 4runner recently. I picked up a set of front sway bar endlinks from the local pick n pull. I've been needing something for the back for a while since my stock endlinks were a bit stretched. The fronts are quite a bit longer and thicker.

I also picked up a Flowmaster exhaust off a 96 4runner for $10. I'm not sure what model it is, but I think a 50 based on the size. I'm stoked since I've been looking to get a Flowmaster for a while. I'm hoping to either try to put it on myself or just have a shop do it. Hopefully it works out and isn't trashed.

I also replaced the PVC valve. Been meaning to do it for a while, but just never got around to it. Only cost $8 and needed to be changed.

 

[rajuncajun]

Was never a big fan of the red runners but with the blacked out lines and bumpers - I think it looks really good.

How is the paint holding up over the chrome? I'd like to do the same on my front bumper for the time being.

 

[SCRunner12]

Was never a big fan of the red runners but with the blacked out lines and bumpers - I think it looks really good.

How is the paint holding up over the chrome? I'd like to do the same on my front bumper for the time being.

Thanks a lot. I wasn't really into red cars at all till I saw 4runits 4runner in person. The black was icing on the cake for this color for me. The paint is holding up well. The front has some chips from bugs and rocks, but nothing too bad. I didn't have chrome bumpers, but painted bumpers. It's all the same when you use plasti-dip like I did. I don't really have any plans of redoing it with a real paint job anytime soon. For $60 I'm very happy with the outcome, even with the imperfections. I'd say go for it with yours.

 

[rickashay]

I think your gunna like that flowmaster! They sound great on our trucks. Truck is looking great dude!

 

[SCRunner12]

I think your gunna like that flowmaster! They sound great on our trucks. Truck is looking great dude!

Thanks I'm excited to put it on. Although every shop wants $60-90 to get it welded on. Seems a bit much, but what do I know? I did contact a guy I know who does some fab work and he said he can do it, but won't be back for a few days. We'll see when he gets back.

10/17/2012

Got a little ahead of my schedule I planned, which is fine by me. I just placed an order for a set of TheRetrofitSource H1's Mini's, 5000k H1 bulbs and H4 Bi-xenon harness. I also have a set of ballasts coming my way. The grand total will be $140 for all the parts. I'm super excited as it's one of the mods I've been wanting to do for a while and will be very useful now that winter is coming. I plan on blacking out the bowls and probably using vinyl on the corners like Rickashay. I'll start at the end of October since my Fiance will be gone for the day and I won't get any nasty looks or yapping in my ear for using the oven. :hiding:

 

[The4kbeast]

My other big update just happened today. I ended up picking up a set of SAW 2.0's. I wasn't planning on upgrading my suspension for a while, but for the price I couldn't pass them up. They are the older style, but everything I have read says they are the same as the new ones. They have been rebuilt with new oil, seals and bushings, as well as new Eibach 600lb coils.

These are a general picture of the SAW's. The guy deleted the for sale thread after I bought mine, but they are identical with silver Eibach coils.

Some people might be wondering why I'm getting rid of my Tundra/5100 lift. I like the lift a lot, but it was a cheap lift for the time. The ride is great on road and feels very planted, but it's lacking the adjustability I was looking for. Right now I'm set at the 2 notch and it's not harsh at all, but it's a little too low. I could go to the 3rd notch, but that means the ride will get a little more harsh and it's more lift than I'm looking for. I think the SAW's will be perfect since I can level both sides out and reduce the rake. Plus the 600lb coils will ride a little softer, which is perfect for my DD.

Sup SCRunner - Were you running TRD Tundra springs with a Taco/4R 5100? Any plans to open up the SAWs and start tuning the valving at all? How are the SAWs doing? How many miles have you put on since the rebuild? Any issues with the seals leaking or corrosion on the rod?

I have to admit, for what I've spent on my parts-bin front lift, I was really tempted to just go with a SAW front. For what i spend in beer in a week, I could have just bought a new kit. Guess I was just worried about reliability and feared the need for unexpected rebuilds.

Great looking build, by the way. Just picked up some LX wheels and am torn between 265/285... I see 285s on your wish list. You still dreaming of going bigger, or are you still stuck on a regear? I was considering a supercharged 4R when I was shopping for used vehicles, but the premium gas turned me off. If you insist on one of the two, I'd pick the regear.

 

[SCRunner12]

Sup SCRunner - Were you running TRD Tundra springs with a Taco/4R 5100? Any plans to open up the SAWs and start tuning the valving at all? How are the SAWs doing? How many miles have you put on since the rebuild? Any issues with the seals leaking or corrosion on the rod?

I was running them with the Tundra 5100's on the second setting. I don't really have any plans at the moment, but I want to get them checked for the nitrogen level. The PO of the SAW's rebuilt them and said they had 7k on the rebuild. I've put about 2k and see no leaks or issues besides the top bushings going bad. Overall I'm happy with them, but may be swapping them out in the future if things go my way...

I have to admit, for what I've spent on my parts-bin front lift, I was really tempted to just go with a SAW front. For what i spend in beer in a week, I could have just bought a new kit. Guess I was just worried about reliability and feared the need for unexpected rebuilds.

I know what you mean. I'm actually only $400 into my front all together between the two different set ups. That's factoring in the resale of my Tundra/5100's. If I could have gone new I would have, but I'm working on a very limited budget and typically use money I profited from selling parts to fund my mods. You shouldn't have any issues with unexpected rebuilds on new coilovers. If you do it would be on the manufacturers or company you bought it from.

Great looking build, by the way. Just picked up some LX wheels and am torn between 265/285... I see 285s on your wish list. You still dreaming of going bigger, or are you still stuck on a regear? I was considering a supercharged 4R when I was shopping for used vehicles, but the premium gas turned me off. If you insist on one of the two, I'd pick the regear.

Thanks! It's been a slow build and nothing extreme, but more tuned towards my day to day needs. As before, budget is huge so bumpers will wait until I can design/build them myself. Go for 285's!!! While I'm fine with my decision to get 265's, I now wish I had 285's. I told myself I would get a s/c or gears before 285's as I can't stand the power loss already. Around town it's fine, but hill suck. So that is the reason I'm going with a s/c this winter instead of tires and other things I want. But from what I've heard 265's to 285's isn't that much of a difference so I say go for it. You don't want to be regretting it later and end up spending more money.

I'm going with a s/c before gears is I'd like the extra power more than a return to stock power. Gears will run me around $800, while I"m looking for a s/c around the $1000 mark. I'd rather spend the extra $2-300 for the extra power. Then reassess and see if I want gears later.

Answers in red.

 

[JasetheDamager]

SCRunner, I understand the desire to get a SC. I love my truck, and the only improvements I would still make involve paint, custom armor, or more power. To me this is a perfect vehicle except for the power loss, especially with my 33s. Not that my truck was a beast before, but hills are definitely more of a struggle than I'd like. Straight line, regular road, even off road, I'm pleased, but the second I hit a hill, my truck makes a Toyota Prius look fast.

Oh well, a SC is definitely not in the budget. Good luck with your plans man. I'd do the same if I could.

 

[SCRunner12]

SCRunner, I understand the desire to get a SC. I love my truck, and the only improvements I would still make involve paint, custom armor, or more power. To me this is a perfect vehicle except for the power loss, especially with my 33s. Not that my truck was a beast before, but hills are definitely more of a struggle than I'd like. Straight line, regular road, even off road, I'm pleased, but the second I hit a hill, my truck makes a Toyota Prius look fast.

Oh well, a SC is definitely not in the budget. Good luck with your plans man. I'd do the same if I could.

That's exactly how I feel. I'm very happy with my 4runner at the moment, but the lack of power gets old. I have a few big hills on my way to work and it's annoying dropping to 60 mph or hitting 3k RPM's just to keep my speed. Going up to my cabin is worse. Since I DD it 365 days a year it only makes sense to up the HP before armor. It's not really in my budget, but I have my bday coming up, which will net me some extra $ (boss gives $200 on our bdays). Also Christmas will consist of cash or s/c products to get me close to the amount, along with a bonus. I will have to catch my fiance on a good day to propose the idea of a s/c though...:bash: Pretty much I'm putting any extra spending $ into a s/c.

 

[SCRunner12]

10/22/2012

Finished one of my most intense and challenging projects yet on the 4runner, a projector retrofit. I've always wanted to do it since I saw the light output they create and how clean they look. I barely missed the last TheRetrofitSource.com group buy, so instead of waiting a few months for a new group buy I sourced some cheaper options. TRS has factory direct H1 Mini projectors with Mini Gatling Gun shrouds for $60. I asked them a bunch of questions before and all signs pointed to them being the same as the full price versions. I also got a set of Morimoto 3Five 5000k H1 bulbs and a H4 harness. I had bought a used 35W HID kit before so I just reused the ballasts from that. My goal was to have a cheap, but quality kit. The weak point will be the ballasts, but I'm pretty sure they will be fine. Time will tell...

Pricing Breakdown
Projectors/Shrouds: $60
Bulbs: $25
H4 Harness: $30
Ballasts: $25 (may sell the other parts of the kit to offset this price)
Headlights: Stock 99+ (Big thanks to SantaCruzRunner for letting me borrow his old 96-98 headlights as donors)
Scotch Brite Pad: $1.25
Spray Paint: $7
Total: $148.25

Not bad IMO. I have to say a big thanks to TRS, they were extremely helpful throughout and even threw in free shipping.

Onto the process...I won't do a full write up as there are a ton out there and following these threads will help tremendously when doing the H1 Mini retrofit. I'll post some pictures along the way and some snags I had.

The first snag I had was separating the lenses from the housings. There are a few different temps and times that people put them in for. I tried Rickashays recipe for 250 degrees and for 8 minutes, while dropping the temp down to 150 once I put the headlights in. That ended in a bunch of chips to the glass and a lot of frustration. I realized every oven is different and every headlight is different. I tried it at that temp for 10 min and still couldn't get them to budge. Finally I tried 300 degrees for 7 minutes. Worked like a charm and was much easier to pry them apart. 0 chips on the second headlight with that recipe.

Much better...

Next I scuffed up the reflector bowls and shrouds to prep for paint. I took some time with this and used a red scotch brite pad from the auto parts store. I also had to remove 4 bumps on the inside of the reflector bowl where the reflector attached to. It was a simple job for a dremmel. It was then onto test fitting the projectors.

Like a glove...I had some confusion how it all goes together, but the large silicone washer goes on the inside of the headlight, then on the backside first goes the H4 alignment ring, small silicone washer and the locking nut.

I also had to dremmel off a small portion of the back of headlight to make way for the hi/lo wires. There is a little piece that looks like a bridge. It needs to be opened up so the wires can slide through and out of the way of the projector fitment. It's circled in black.

Next was painting time. I don't know how many times I've spray painted, but I suck. I'm just horrible at it and it shows. I ended up using 2 coats of primer and 3 coats of Duplicolor High Temp Semi-Gloss paint. I let them sit overnight to cure before proceeding with the final assembly.

The next day I started the final assembly. I'm not sure if I didn't get any screws for the shrouds for a reason, but I used the 3 that held the stock reflector and retaining pin for the stock bulb. Another major snag I had was holding the bulb in the back of the projector. I brought it up to Rickashay and apparently the H1 Mini's have a new design (since he's seen them) consisting of bracket and 3 screws holding it in.

I had to remove the bracket to set up the projector in the housing, but ended up putting it back on after everything was tightened down. The kit also came with a U shaped pin. I just bent that to fit around the end of the bulb and secured it in the bracket. Seemed to work just fine and snug. I'm 90% sure that's what it was for, but just never heard anything about it in other write ups.

At last the projectors were ready for the oven.

This was my final snag of the project. I heated the oven again to 300 degrees and put the glass and housing back in. Unfortunately I didn't realize I could place the glass on the housing and cook them together (feel like an idiot now). So I cooked them apart and ran into a problem of the glue accidentally making contact with the black and smearing. Really pissed me off and frustrating. So take it from my lapse in judgement and place the glass on the housing before putting it back in the oven. O well, I may fix it down the line, but I'm over it now.

The finished product...

I REALLY like the look and light output. Very worth the money and really brings the black and red theme of my truck together. I did a quick aligning last night, but it was starting to sprinkle and I couldn't find a good flat ground. I will get more front pics and output pics soon.

Really helpful write ups I used during this process. A big thanks to Gottabetrd, Rickashay and Bandit Runner.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/101725-bandit-runners-projector-headlights.html
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/102734-rickashays-projector-retrofit-thread.html
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/80110-planning-my-projector-retrofit.html
1st Gen (98-00) Retrofit Walkthrough: Morimoto Mini H1 - Tacoma World Forums

 

[SantaCruzRunner]

so freakin sweet dude:jaw drop:
just another thing of yours i have to copy haha.

 

[t4r4life]

what's hi beam like?

 

[The4kbeast]

Looks awesome. Love that light output. What are your plans on the front corner lights?

 

[SCRunner12]

so freakin sweet dude:jaw drop:
just another thing of yours i have to copy haha.

Haha, I'm not the first with the idea. It really does go well with our colors.

what's hi beam like?

It's bright, I'll get a pic tonight. Definitely a huge improvement not as much scattered light.

Looks awesome. Love that light output. What are your plans on the front corner lights?

Thanks! Either wrap them in vinyl tint, try to separate them and paint the inside or swap for some JDM black corners. I really need to get some LED's in them as they are extremely yellow next to my 5000k bulbs.

 

[t4r4life]

Okay now come over and do mine, bring some egg rolls too.

 

[JasetheDamager]

The projectors looks great! You're the first person I've seen who did the swap for a price I can stomach. One more project to add to the list...