Sniv's Custom Long Travel Build

[snivilous]

Sniv's Custom 3rd Gen 4Runner​

2001 Base 4WD Toyota 4Runner
165,xxx Miles

Current Mods:

External:
9000lb Mile Marker Winch
Draw-Tite Hitch Receiver
Custom CB Antenna Bushings (August 20, 2013)
McNeil Racing Fiberglass LT Fenders (March 10, 2014)
Custom Satoshi (June 3, 2014)
Synthetic Winch Line (August 9, 2015)

Armor:
Custom Front Plate Bumper (May 29, 2013)
Custom Rear Plate Bumper (December 30, 2012)
Custom Sliders (July 4, 2013)
Custom Gas Tank Bash Plate (July 11, 2013)
Custom Front Bash Plate (August 21, 2013)
Engine Cage (July 2015)

Drivetrain:
B&M 70268 Supercooler (May 9, 2013)
K&N Cold Air Intake (June, 2012)
Rebuilt Top End (January 19, 2016)
2.7L Radiator (January 19, 2016)

Front Suspension:
Custom Double A-Arms (3.5" Over Stock)
-Adjustable Heim and Uniball Upper A-Arm
-Fixed Bushing and Uniball Lower A-Arm
2.5" FOA 10" Travel Remote Reservoir Coilovers
-Dual Rate, High Temp Seals, 90 Degree Hose Fitting, Anodized, Fine Threaded Body
-0.010" Compression Stack/0.010" Rebound Stack (C/R both 6 shim pyramid stack)
-Shock Oil: ATF
2.0" FOA 2" Travel Hydraulic Bumpstops
-250psi
Tender Spring: Viper 3.0" 500lb/in x 6"
Primary Spring: Eibach 3.0" 800lb/in x 16"
Custom Aluminum Adapter Slug
Reinforced Lower Mounts
Custom Upper Mounts
Modified Double Shear Steering Knuckle
Custom Heim Steering Linkages
24" Braided Stainless Steel Brake Lines
14" Limit Straps
Clearanced Firewall
Removed Sway Bar

Rear Suspension:
OME 891 Rear Coils(March 9, 2013)
Tundra Bilstein 5100 Rear Shocks (July 17, 2013)
Extended Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines (October 5, 2014)
2.5" FOA 2" Travel Hydraulic Bumpstops (September 8, 2015)
-300psi
-6oz ATF
Removed Sway Bar (September 26, 2015)

Tires/Wheels:
35x12.50r15 Mickey Thompson MTZ (August 19, 2015)
Trail Ready 15x9 HD Beadlocks (August 19, 2015)
1.25" Spidertrax Wheel Spacers - Front Only (August 19, 2015)

Internal:
Husky Floor Mats
JVC KW-AV60BT 6.1" Touchscreen (December 26, 2013)
Contura V Rockers (July 17, 2013)
Boss 2100W 10" Subwoofer (October 2, 2013)
Pyramid 2000W Amplifier (October 2, 2013)
Welded Steering Slip Hex (October 14, 2014)

Lighting:

Communications:
Uniden PRO520XL CB (May 28, 2013)
Firestick II 4' Antenna (May 28, 2013)

Miscellaneous:
VSC/TRAC Override (September 15, 2013)
DRL Disable (June 3, 2014)

Removed:
Daystar Rocker Switch (May 30, 2013 - July 17, 2013)
Daystar 1" Spacer Lift (June 2012 - July 17, 2013)
Front Sway Bar (August 20, 2013)
Tuff 20" LED Bumper Light Bar 4,000lm Flood (May 30, 2013 - December 5, 2013)
Cree 40" LED Front Roof Rack Light Bar 10,800lm Spot (October 2, 2013 - December 5, 2013)
Tundra Bilstein 5100 Adjustable Front Shocks (July 17, 2013 - June 14, 2014)
Eibach Front Coils (July 17, 2013 - June 14, 2014)
External PA Speaker - Water Damage (July 19, 2013 - May 2014)
31x10.50R16 LT Wrangler Authorities - Warn Out (December, 2012 - December, 2014)
Firestone Leveling Bags (June 2012 - August 2015)
Epistar 50" LED Front Roof Light Bar 30,000lm Spot/Flood (December 19, 2013 - August 10, 2015)
33x9.50R15 BFG All-Terrains (December 2014 - August 19, 2015)
1977 FJ40 Rims (December 2014 - August 19, 2015)
Rear Sway Bar Extended Quick Disconnects (September 5, 2013 - September 26, 2015)
Limited Fender Flares (October 2015)
2 x Cree 30" LED Side Roof Rack Light Bars 9,000lm Spot (July 11, 2013 - 2015)
2x 6" LED Rear Light Bars 1,320lm (June 5, 2014 - 2015)

Notable Posts:

Armor

Building Gas Tank Bash Plate
Building Front Bash Plate

Suspension/Handling

Install of 3" Front Bilstein 5100/Eibach Lift and 5100 Rear Shocks

Calibrating VSC (Vehicle Stability Control)

Start of Long Travel Build

Offroad Lighting

Side Roof Rack LED Bar Mounting
Front Roof Rack LED Bar Mounting
Front Roof LED Bar

 

[snivilous]

Brief History

So since I ran out of room in the maintenance book for the runner awhile back, I figured it would work out well to do what so many have done and have a thread to log what they are/have done.

So my folks bought my 2001 4Runner new in 2001. It's a 3.4L base model. Full time 4WD, center locking differential, automatic, etc. At the time I was about 7. So when I got my license I inherited it. My dad had installed a winch into the stock bumper, and added fender flares, roof rack, and a hitch receiver.

During the last year of high school I was really into stand up jet skiing, and once I rebuilt my jet ski and modified it as far as I could without an engine swap, I had to find a new project. So I started working on my truck in 2012 to make it more capable and cooler :biggrin1: I plan to drive it forever, so resale value is not an issue with modifying it for me, though I do have to keep a budget since I'm in college (which isn't working...). I want it to be very reliable, but also capable offroad and a good utility vehicle.

So my "stock" I got. My parents bought it new, and then my dad did a custom hidden winch install and a few other minor mods:

When I came to college, I had a ~2" lift. 1" Daystar spacer in the front and the Firestone leveling bags in the back, about the cheapest lift you can possibly do. And it worked great, but I brought my jet ski with me to college, and after 3 months of a 300lb jet ski sitting on a hitch hauler, it was pretty saggy.

2" Lift:

At Bear Lake, Utah:

 

[snivilous]

So when I came home over Christmas Break, I upgraded to OME891s:

Which resulted in a little rake:

Next I added some armor, though I didn't want to pay for an aftermarket bumper, and I wanted to make my own stuff. I like making my own stuff, and the satisfaction of when it turns out right, not to mention it is completely unique!

I started out making a rear plate bumper over Christmas Break, which was kinda a pain with some of the geometry, but turned out great! Cardboard is a life saver :bounce:

Then when I got home this summer, I started on the front bumper which is a LOT easier:

And then I made some sliders:

Which were very easy as well, and was a great lesson on structural engineering from my dad.

During last semester I also bashed in my gas tank (and the wimpy bash plate it has), resulting in my gas gauge never going under a 1/4 tank. I ended up running out of gas in the middle of I-80 in Wyoming! We fixed the gas tank, which was a *****, and today we got started on a better bash plate for it:

And next to come are the front bash plates! :biggrin1:

I also plan to upgrade my shocks to Bilstein 5100s, and get Tundra coils in the front when I get paid next. I wouldn't call my ride harsh, but it is a little rough and the front end is starting to sag with just that spacer lift and now all the stuff with the front bumper.

Any suggestions/advice is always welcome! Hopefully this will help me keep track of everything, and get a better vehicle at the end of the day, and maybe help some other people out.

 

[NateMob]

Nice job on everything you've made dude. Turned out nicely, i always like the builds that started out in the family and got handed down. Pretty cool to have that as part of your story.


Keep it up!

 

[snivilous]

Custom Gas Tank Bash Plate

Mostly finished up the gas tank bash plate today, a little more welding and then paint and prime.

We cut out the bash plate 2D layout with the torch into a sheet of .125" steel. We did dashed cuts to create fold lines.

Folded together:

Then we did a series of fit tests, and cut off sections so that it fit nicely. We also cut off the mounting arms from the stock bash plate and fitted them to the new one. The arms seem pretty wimpy, but they should be considerably stronger because the depth of the new one is a few inches deeper than stock where the arms mount, and Euler buckling has 1/L^2 in the equation, so it's a squared increase from the decrease in arm length.

The new one has a 1" gap between the tank and the bash plate in the rear, and then gets a little closer near the front. The rear of it ties into the arms as said, and the front ties into the cross member in front of the tank. Once fitted I welded it all up, and left some drainage holes.

The rear still needs a small piece welded in to give it some depth and so it doesn't shovel up snow or dirt when backing up.

 

[snivilous]

Roof Rack Side Facing LED Bars

So I got an idea of having side mounted LED bars on my roof rack, but wanted them to be low profile (so single row LED) so when I go camping or exploring at night, which happens a lot during school, I could light up the surroundings with a "surround lighting" setup. So I shopped around, and found some cheap chinese LED light bars. They had good reviews from some guys online.

Today I got two 30" single row LED bars from CREE (chinese company on ebay) for $180 each.

30" is about the ideal length to insert a light bar between the two mounting cross members on my roof rack (not sure if it's what some stock runners have, as my dad installed it before I got it).

The light bars each came with two of these arms:

I originally cut out some square pieces of steel and welded on a nut to the back. This would serve as the mounting plate to slide onto the roof rack rails. It turned out the original circle mounts with screws (for bungees and what not) that hold down each cross member that sits flush to the roof contacted and interfered with the lights. So I took the mounting pieces off, and it turned out the mounting arms used the same M6s!

So I used the two mounting arms to replace the outer mounting pieces and then just replaced the center mounting piece with a regular M6. The result is the mounting arms have dual purpose of bolting in the lower cross members and holding the lights, and they seem sturdy enough you could mount to them with a bungee if you wanted since the stock pieces are now missing.

From the front they are hardly noticeable, which is what I shouldn't reduce my aerodynamics by much (it might increase it actually).

From the side it sits nicely, stands out a bit more than I'd like. I think it'll work out well, and the overall profile of the lights is less than what I thought it would be.

Quick test with a drill motor battery:

I have yet to wire them up, though the plan is to run each set of wires through some split loom tubing (the black ribbed tubing) and back through the tail gate and into the side panels. I also ordered three switches from OTRATTW-- LED Light Bar, left alley, and right alley -- So I'll have some cool switches to mount all my LED lights. I think it'll work out great!



My gas tank bash plate is also done:

 

[NachoPitt]

Great work! I always like to see what people can fab up for these vehicles. Looks like you started with a great platform and are only making it better.

 

[snivilous]

So I ordered some Tundra 5100 shocks from down south motorsports, a front and back set is $360. And I was planning on using some TRD coils, but after reading reviews it sounded like the Eibach coils were better if you have any weight in the front and they are a LOT cheaper so I went that route and drove to Toytech and picked up the coils Monday (the shocks arrived that night as well).

I started installing Tuesday night, and finished today with my dad helping.

The front was a breeze. I did some research and learned to loosen the UCA bolt and then disconnect the sway bar, this way the arms can just droop. On the drivers side I stuck the tire jack upside down and had it press down behind the upper ball joint to force it down more until it lined up. The passenger side, having learned from the drivers side, I didn't even use a spring compress on the coils and just stuck it in and the arms actually had drooped so far I had to jack them up to align with the shock. I then retorqued the UCA bolt once the truck was sitting level.

I originally was 35" from ground to fender (31" tires) and on the first perch level of the shocks I am now over 36". Remember I originally had a 2" spacer lift in the front. The passenger side sits over 37", and the rear passenger side is over 38", though this can be explained from the gas tank on the drivers side.

The back was a pain. I had called and asked down south motorsports if I could get .75" bushings for the rear, and they said yes but I didn't get them even though I requested them. So using some sockets and a hammer I pressed out the bushings that came with the 5100s, and then just used our lathe to turn down the original bushings to fit. Getting the rear shocks out of the shock tower was a total pain the ass. Eventually used a pipe wrench and a deep socket with a wrench and cheater bar to get it off. Putting on the rear shocks, I just used a normal nut with a lock nut and another nut as a jam nut, then lock tite on them. They aren't torqued down a lot, because I couldn't grab the shock shaft to stop it from spinning, but they aren't going anywhere. The top of the shock shaft has a slot for an allen head wrench, but I couldn't see how anyone would be able to use it unless you used a crows foot or bent box wrench, but I tried those and still couldn't get it (you can't see the top of the shock shaft, and barely reach two hands in). So using the lock nut that came with the 5100s would be too much of a hassle, thus the jam nut with lock tite.

I went for two quick rides into town to test the suspension (well the second ride was to buy some stuff from the hardware store). I live on a dirt road and it's been getting washed out by all the rain in CO lately, so it was a good test of the suspension right off the bat. And it rides VERY nice. Bumps that used to be jarring and throw you around just get soaked up and are a gentle bump. I am very impressed (this is on the lowest/most comfortable perch setting). The back end also doesn't jump around every time I hit a bump like it used to with the stock shocks and 891s. I am very impressed and recommend these shocks and coils so far!

The truck also feels higher, and certainly looks better than it did before when the rake was building up from the added weight of the front bumper, winch, and hi-lift.

I also got some switches from OTRATTW today. I originally had just a normal rocker with a blue LED for my main light bar. It is now replaced with a 3-panel cluster that has left alley/LED light bar/right alley rockers. It's very sexy! I ordered from them at like 11pm on Monday night, it was shipped before midnight and then arrived today! I also got stickers and a nifty little caribeener from them They seem to have great service (course, for $50 for three rocker switches it better be good!). I got blue LEDs on the top and bottom, with the illuminated text on the bottom and light up icon on the top.

Now I can test all my light bars in the dark!

Might post some pictures later on of a quick four wheeling trip me and a buddy from work went on. Otherwise the next addition is a PA speaker I ordered from amazon, do the diff drop (will just use some washers/order spacers from mcmaster carr/make my own spacers at work), and then hopefully get a front bash plate set made by the time school rolls around. Thanks for reading!

 

[Hepar]

Nice armor work. Really dig the looks of where you live as well.

 

[KidVermicious]

Rattlesnake/Constrictor on Sunday, come try those new sliders out!

 

[snivilous]

Rattlesnake/Constrictor on Sunday, come try those new sliders out!

If you'll pay for the gas for the 500 mile trip, I'm in!

 

[KidVermicious]

You need to stop living over there. Utah is much better.

 

[snivilous]

You need to stop living over there. Utah is much better.

Give me 5 weeks, and then maybe if you guys actually go wheeling north of Salt Lake for once!

 

[shootmymime]

Give me 5 weeks, and then maybe if you guys actually go wheeling north of Salt Lake for once!

where are you at? i saw u went to bear lake, a bunch of people around here in idaho go there on the weekends. next summer [MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] and i want to get together and play at the sand dunes in east idaho. maybe a few of the salt lake people and you can join in, its like 4 hours north of SLC, a great weekend camping trip.

 

[smkd13]

If you'll pay for the gas for the 500 mile trip, I'm in!

Oh come on who can put a price on a day of fun and adventure!! Lol

 

[snivilous]

where are you at? i saw u went to bear lake, a bunch of people around here in idaho go there on the weekends. next summer [MENTION=88576]smkd13[/MENTION] and i want to get together and play at the sand dunes in east idaho. maybe a few of the salt lake people and you can join in, its like 4 hours north of SLC, a great weekend camping trip.

I go to school at USU in Logan, which if you're not familiar with the area is 45 minutes West of Bear Lake and about 20 minutes south of the Idaho border. I would be totally in for exploring Idaho. I wanted to last year but never got around to it. Anytime you're nearby give me a holler and I'll head over.

 

[snivilous]

So on Friday I cleaned up my K&N Filter.

It's been about two months since I cleaned it last, and was totally filled with mud and dirt.

I wouldn't call it a "noticeable" power difference, but the hill I use as a performance reference I was able to go about 28mph in 2nd gear versus about 22mph prior to it being cleaned. Mainly the K&N keeps the intake clean. I know some people do the Intake Silencer Removal mod or add an aftermarket filter/CAI just to hear the engine roar, which personally I think is a horrible idea since it's deafening. The only reason I put the K&N on is the stock filter wasn't creating a good seal and I was sucking in dust; in that regard the K&N is excellent.

I also went for a quick overnight trip to the western slope near Granby with the folks.

Not any offroading, just a normal road through the national forest for the most part.

Found a nice little camp site next to a meadow

Brought my German Shepherd and our Newfoundland/Malmut. It was the Newfoundlands first time away from home other than the vet (she's 4) since she's car sick normally. Though she might of out grown it since she did well. If we leave her home without the Shepherd or anyone then she kinda freaks out and breaks the windows to get inside. I think sleeping outside with the donkey scares her.

And at Granby on the way back Sunday

Was a nice little test trip for when I head to Moab for the weekend in two weeks.

The front bumper needs to have some breather holes cut in it for the radiator, the rear bumper needs to be reinforced for the mounting tabs, and the front bumper will probably get an angled piece welded to the bottom to box it in a bit. Then need to make a front bash plate and rotate the front differential, which I'll either do with some washers or $2 of spacers from McMaster Carr.

 

[KidVermicious]

Sleeping outside with the donkey would scare me too, you *******.

 

[snivilous]

VSC Calibration

Lately my slide control (VSC) has been kicking in on the pavement. I have never had this happen, and sometimes going off the mountain it will happen multiple times. At first I thought I was misjudging my speed because of the lift, but I watched my speedometer closely and my speed wasn't any different than normal (obviously you get more body roll from a higher CG at the same speed though). The brakes wouldn't be applied, but it would start beeping at me which was more annoying than anything. I also thought it might be that the passenger side sits higher than the drivers side, so maybe the computer was getting confused.

So I found that you can recalibrate the VSC sensors on the 01-02 4Runners (which have VSC) and that people recommend it after lifting or any change of the body geometry.

I followed this review: How to recalibrate VSC system on 2001 Toyota 4Runner | Mike's Tech Blog

which is slightly modified from the YotaTech review here: 01-02 4Runner How to Zero Point Calibrate your VSC system. - YotaTech Forums

Apparently the YotaTech one is missing some steps. Basically you turn the ignition on and off a few times and short out the E1 and TS terminals on the diagnostic port of the engine. I don't know if it'll help, but it's worth and shot and probably good to do since the truck is sitting higher.

I also found the fuse box that came with the 20" LED bar didn't have a good contact so replaced that.

Crawled around under the truck for a second to check how everything was, and found that the A-arm to sway bar linkage in the front had come loose and had bent the linkage. I had previously had to run a dye over the thread, so either the weaker thread had torn out or the bolt wasn't torqued properly. So need another set of sway bar bushings and to straighten out the linkage.

 

[snivilous]

Went to Moab this weekend, left Thursday (August 8th) and got home Sunday (August 11th). My first time there, and my first time doing that kind of offroading. Was pretty awesome! Hardly anybody was there and it was actually pretty nice weather and not too hot. I met up with a guy from school who has a Jeep Cherokee. The 4Runner kept up great, and I realized how good of a 4WD system it has when the Cherokee couldn't get over the sand dune on Poison Spider (we didn't air down).

Friday: Fins and Things and part of Poison Spider as a night run
Saturday: Porcupine 4x4 and part of Porcupine Rim, then Poison Spider again but still didn't finish it despite starting around 2pm and getting out around 9pm
Sunday: Hell's Revenge

My Hi-Lift had one of the bolts that holds it on get sheared off. Lesson learned about having the hook of the jack pointed down. My CB antenna fell off, the threads got all pounded down on the spring for the antenna and it fell off. Lucky we ran into some Rubicons who asked if we had lost an antenna which I hadn't even noticed so I got it back. Then had my passenger side CV differential boot get a hole in it. I just used some degreaser and then duct taped it up until I can fix it. Overall not much damage and nothing bad!