SCRunner's Build Thread

[SCRunner12]

7/7/2014

After installing my new coilovers I really wanted to test them out. I decided to take the family out for the day to Big Sur. It's right down the coast from me and a nice way to spend a day. Before I went though I decided to make a slight change to the 4runner. My hood has been peeling for a while and I was sick of looking at it. Out came the plasti-dip...





About 1.5 cans later




It wasn't the best job and I could have put more work into it, but I plan on replacing the hood soon anyways so it works for now. I really like the look though.

We ended up taking the Coast Road from South to North and it was an awesome drive. Great views and you get an awesome view of the Bixby Bridge. I have to say the FOX coilovers are freaking amazing. They soak up the washboard roads so well and I felt completely planted the entire time.



Bixby Bridge




I also replaced my spark plugs with new IK22's since I nicked some of the electrodes when I installed them last time. While in there I figured I'd replace the supercharger oil and drive adapter. My SC has been leaking out for a while (I think I installed the belt too tight) and plan on rebuilding it, but didn't have the time to do the complete rebuild. Everything went pretty smooth and the truck is running great. I then took a trip to our families cabin, which was my first trip in the 4runner in a year or so. I never felt comfortable before because of the vibration issues, but it was good to go. I ended up getting 20 mpg for the first half of the trip and 20.5 mpg on the way home. It was awesome to get that mileage again and I'm much more confident taking it on a trip now.

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

Robert I love looking at your thread because of the mods you do to your 4R but I also hate looking at it cause it makes me miss California so much! I'm jealous that you get the same gas mileage with 33s as I am getting stock.

 

[SCRunner12]

Robert I love looking at your thread because of the mods you do to your 4R but I also hate looking at it cause it makes me miss California so much! I'm jealous that you get the same gas mileage with 33s as I am getting stock.

Thanks, Yexas can't be that bad right? Haha It is amazing out here. Trust me I was surprised getting the high. I've been getting 13-15 mixed with the old plugs but hope that changed for the better wit the new ones.

 

[Granada7]

Hey was looking at your headlights how exactly did you do them and where did you buy them? thanks

 

[SCRunner12]

I built them myself using parts from TheRetrofitSource. Used my OEM headlights and painted them with semi-gloss black. I have more information on this page and the subsequent page as well. If you have any additional questions please ask away. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/98528-scrunners-build-thread-12.html

 

[SCRunner12]

Holy snap I can't believe it has been 6 months since my last update. I don't have a ton of new updates yet, but have a few big ones I'm finishing up prepping now. Should have them all on in the next few weeks. Let's just say I'll be plated, injected, unlocked and traveled.

Until those are done I'll update it with the biggest update to my thread so far. I got married!!! Not 4runner related, but it was the best day of my life.

 

[crazydubman]

Congrats Robert. Thats the only kind of update you need.

I was right there with you about a year and a half ago. Amazing how everything gets put on hold when your getting ready for a wedding.

 

[mikey's2010SR5]

Congrats Robert. I am putting parts away for the first step in the same update.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Congratulations, Rob!!!

Judging by the smiles, it looks like it was the best day of three people's lives. I hope you have a long and happy marriage, man. Remember to put each other first, that's the best thing I can tell you.

 

[EatonKyleH]

Congrats man! That's a better update than any upgrade you could have possibly done to the 4runner.

Unless you made it travel through time or something....... that miiigggght have come close.

 

[SCRunner12]

Congrats Robert. Thats the only kind of update you need.

I was right there with you about a year and a half ago. Amazing how everything gets put on hold when your getting ready for a wedding.

Yeah I hear you, between work and the wedding I had my hands full this last summer.

Congrats Robert. I am putting parts away for the first step in the same update.

Nice, congrats to you. It was an amazing day and I wouldn't change a thing.

Congratulations, Rob!!!

Judging by the smiles, it looks like it was the best day of three people's lives. I hope you have a long and happy marriage, man. Remember to put each other first, that's the best thing I can tell you.

Oh we all had an amazing time and didn't want the day to end. I appreciate the advice and definitely will take any you have judging by the happy family you have.

Congrats man! That's a better update than any upgrade you could have possibly done to the 4runner.

Unless you made it travel through time or something....... that miiigggght have come close.

Time travel you say....how did you find out about that? :bigok: The 4runner has definitely has been put on the back burner these last few months, but I will have some fun updates coming soon. I can't wait to get them all on.

 

[SCRunner12]

2/17/2015

Ok time for a proper update as I have quite a few new items that I haven't brought up in this thread. First up was my hood. It my previous update I had plasti-dipped my hood to cover up the peeling clear coat and to see if I liked the black. It was fine for a while, but I could still see the line where the hood was peeling and I had a hood scoop sitting in my office collecting dust. I ended up finding a parts supplier locally that sold sport hoods for $90, so it was a no brainer. I plan on painting it, but it's fine as it is for now until funds become more abundant.





Shortly after that I ended up freshening up the front end and swapping tires, surprise, surprise. I have been trying to track down a vibration and decided to get a rebuilt steering rack. I went with rackdoctor.net due to some of the TacomaWorld guys having good reviews and a lifetime warranty. I didn't take any pictures because it was just a rack, but it was indeed an OEM rack that was rebuilt. Everything went together well and it helped with my vibrations. At the same time I had used the Discount Tire Direct's $100 off $400 to get a set of Hankook Dynapro ATM's to replace my Duratracs. I don't think it was the Duratracs that were causing a lot of my problems, but I'm still happy with the swap. The Duratracs were great and I recommend them, but I never really enjoyed their highway hum and they were hard to balance. The Hankooks are AMAZING though. They are dead silent on the freeway and ride so smooth. I am very happy with my decision and recommend them to anyone interested.

Guess I didn't take any photos, but will get some later.


Now bringing me to my latest upgrade. Months ago Kinevils was selling some All Pro UCA's after his SAS. I decided to pick them up knowing they needed a rebuild. I ended up replacing the bushings and uniball, which was very straight forward to do. After rebuilding those I wanted to pair it with my next project, manual hubs. The manual hubs were offered on the 1st gen tacos on certain platforms, 4cyl (although some 6cyl) and single/extended cabs. It allows the user to unlock the hub, thus allowing the CV's to become stationary and only the bearings in the spindles rotate when moving. [MENTION=59542]Singtoe[/MENTION] has a great thread about it already, so I didn't do anything special for my write up. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/87516-aisin-manual-locking-hubs.html

Since I'm not a fan of ABS and didn't want to spend a ton on this swap I decided to use the Tacoma spindles and ditch my ABS (very rare to have manual hubs and ABS from factory). This made the swap very easy as all I had to do was switch to a manual hub CV and swap the spindles. So this weekend I got to work and started my swap and UCA install. It turned into a giant PITA because I broke a caliper bolt off in my spindle upon reassembly, and had to wait till Monday to get it repaired. After that was repaired the install went pretty smooth besides a few dummy mistakes by myself.

Now I am unlocked up front and can use the full potential of my extended coilovers with the UCA's. My alignment is spot on now and during the short drive I noticed better handling. I still need to do the steering joint mod, but that will be another day.

UCA's installed (I put the misalignment spacer on upside down in the uniball...dummy mistake #1).


Manual Hubs!






Because of the spacers they are completely hidden behind my center caps.


Overall I'm very happy with manual hub swap. I can tell there is less resistance and I'll keep it updated regarding MPG. After selling my spindles, cv's and a front diff I got in the deal I should be even if not ahead, so I can't complain with that.


In the next few weeks I should have a few more updates to this thread, but I will keep those quiet for now.

 

[Loud Runner]

Great job! I'm excited to hear how you like the manual hubs on and off-road.

And congrats on the wedding!

 

[Quadsbc]

Do you mind if I ask how much you spent on your manual hub swap? I've lined up a set (once the snow melts) for 200. I'm thinking this is a fair deal. I'll probably keep the abs so it will be a little more involved swap.

 

[absalom]

Wow .. your runner has come a long way since I've last seen it. After you sorted out the UCA's, what's your impression of them? Did it help w/ road manners?

 

[tjaguilar]

Looks good Rob! Congrats on the wedding!

 

[Fishwerks]

The sport hood looks nice, are you going to get it painted to match the truck?

 

[SCRunner12]

Great job! I'm excited to hear how you like the manual hubs on and off-road.

And congrats on the wedding!

So far on road I like them a lot. I can definitely feel less rolling resistance and an extra bit of power. Thanks for the congrats!

Do you mind if I ask how much you spent on your manual hub swap? I've lined up a set (once the snow melts) for 200. I'm thinking this is a fair deal. I'll probably keep the abs so it will be a little more involved swap.

I spent $175 for the spindles, cv's, manual hubs and front diff. I ended up getting two new CV's since one of mine was missing parts on the tulip joint, but I'll just rebuild the OEM and swap them in at some point. $200 is a good deal as long as it has the CV's, spindles and hubs. I really thought about going with the ABS, but I rarely drive in the snow and hated how my ABS came on at times. Plus it would have added another $200-300 to my total.

Wow .. your runner has come a long way since I've last seen it. After you sorted out the UCA's, what's your impression of them? Did it help w/ road manners?

Haha, well I did undo then redo my 4runner more than once...

I really like the UCA's. It handles much better on the freeway and the steering is tighter than before. I also feel more stable on bumpy roads as they absorb the bumps better. Definitely a good upgrade.

Looks good Rob! Congrats on the wedding!

Thanks!

The sport hood looks nice, are you going to get it painted to match the truck?

Yeah, but I have better things to do with $250 than paint...haha I will probably get it done this summer as I'll have some extra cash coming in. For now it works for me.

 

[Dezert4Runner]

Does ditching the ABS with the manual CV's cause any dash lights to come on? May do this one day in the distant future once I get into a 4WD runner. Those Fox c/o's are nice and the hood looks great too.

BTW, congrats on the wedding man! I'm happily unmarried with a daughter, but judging from the wedding pic you guys couldn't look happier!

 

[SCRunner12]

Does ditching the ABS with the manual CV's cause any dash lights to come on? May do this one day in the distant future once I get into a 4WD runner. Those Fox c/o's are nice and the hood looks great too.

BTW, congrats on the wedding man! I'm happily unmarried with a daughter, but judging from the wedding pic you guys couldn't look happier!

No dash lights at all. I thought there would, but nothing is showing up. I just took my sensors and brought them into the engine bay. Going to have to figure out a final spot for them. I really like the Fox's and definitely suggest them to anyone.

Thanks for the congrats!