Sp8Ball’s Mod Thread (Stealing Other Poster’s Ideas Since Mid-2010)

[sp8ball]

The Two Main Reasons This Thread Exists

Reason #1:

Because I’m flat-out schoolgirl giddy about the mods I do to this thing, no matter how minor they are.

(Example: I grinned for 4 hours when I replaced the antenna. That involved unscrewing the old one and screwing the new one in. I felt like I was the greatest “car guy” on my block when I was done.)

Reason #2:

I came to this forum to learn basic information about my upcoming 4Runner purchase. After 15 months, I had a comprehensive list of mods I wanted to tackle – something I had never intended to do. (For more details, see my rambling post, below, about the Back Story about my truck and my path to this thread…or don’t)

I want this thread to be a beacon of honesty, on my part.

Many of these mods, at first glance, were intimidating. And I like to think I’m no dummy.

So let me start by saying this: I have a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Systems Engineering, so many people may assume that I sit around all day and take complicated nuclear missile components apart and build video game controllers out of them.

Wrong! I sit in an office and manage people, and the thought of doing something like this to my car absolutely terrifies me on a number of levels:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/75617-plastidip-losing-chrome.html#post645727

Spray painting (which I know would produce drips and runs if I did it), dismantling the entire front end, figuring out what the hell he’s talking about when he’s putting headlights in the oven...I break out in a cold sweat.

[9Hooker – you are a bigger man than I, and you are on my list of forum pioneers. If I ever meet you in person, I will buy you a beer, and then refuse to look you in the eye due to my shame.]

So I wanted to make a thread for people who...

...can’t convert a Limited into the world’s most luxurious AWD Trail Edition (I’m looking at you, Harper)(http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gallery/58037-june-2010-t4rotm-harper7-19.html#post696826),

...can’t create a vehicle that will likely appear as a badass Decepticon-killing Autobot in the next Transformers movie (that’s you, Jesse)(http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/60125-jesse1983-7.html#post610536), or

...have to Google what UCAs and coil-overs are once a month because they forgot (from when they Googled it last month).

Here’s a thread dedicated to the low-hanging fruit – the mods you can do with just a little technical know-how and the resources provided by this forum. I’m not going to rebuild a transmission or rip out an XREAS suspension system (mostly because I have an SR5, but you know what I mean).

Each post will document a single mod, and will include pictures, links to the T4R.org threads that inspired it (and that taught me how to do it), and pricing/vendor information for the parts.

Along the way, I’ll post questions for the “experts” on here, because I know there are places where I’ll get stuck, or where I’ll need a little encouragement to move forward.

I’m going to do my best to make this thread funny, informative, and easy to follow. I hope you enjoy it.

So let’s meet the “baseline” vehicle. Below is a picture of my 4Runner, in its stock configuration. This picture was taken two days after I brought it home.



You'll also see a newspaper ad for the dealer from which I bought the vehicle. This lovely ad appeared in our local paper yesterday. (I don’t have a problem posting it online, since everyone around here can see it anyway) My silhouette was cropped from another photo to appear on this background, and it would appear that they mis-cut my head.



My head does NOT have the same contours as Sloth from “The Goonies.” I got to keep the shirt, though i'm sure it was factored into the price of the truck somewhere.



So, let’s see where this takes us!

Running Index of Mods:

WeatherTech DigitalFit Floor Liners

Interior LED Lights

Stubby Antenna

Nerf Bars

Window Tinting

Vinyl Blackout of Chrome

Bug Deflector

Baby Einstein Mirror

LED Puddle Lamps

Toytec Top Plate Spacer

Husky Cargo Liner

Interior Accent Lights

Back-up Camera Switch

Tutorial: How to Make LEDs

Tutorial: Taking Off Door Panels

Door Handle Changeout

Interior Door Handle LEDs

Cupholder LEDs

Kappa Speaker Install

 

[sp8ball]

The Back Story of my 4Runner

fftopic:(Editor’s note: Skip this post if you just care about the mods!)fftopic:

Today is the last day of March 2011 – the month in which I finally bought my 5th Gen 4Runner after 18 months of waiting and wanting and otherwise annoying everyone around me about 4Runners. Why do I say “finally” in such an exasperated tone?

Where to begin…

In the summer of 2009, I got wind of the news that a new generation of 4Runner was coming out as a 2010 model (with a Fall 2009 release date). I saw the teaser pics and got excited. In the fall of 2009, I went to a local dealership to see if they had any information about when the 2010 4Runner would be on their lot. They didn’t know. While I was there, I test drove a black 2009 Sport Edition 4Runner (which I was told was the last 2009 they’d have on their lot), and it was nice. I almost bought it. I decided to wait for the 5th gen. The black SE was parked in my neighbor’s driveway three days later (my neighbor across the street, so I saw it front and center every time I walked out of my door). I thought it was taunting me.

Then the 5th gens started to arrive at the dealership – and appear on the road - I knew I was right to wait. They were gorgeous. They were bigger and badder (in my opinion). They were awesome.

My wife agreed, but we (she?) wasn’t ready to buy one just yet. You have to understand the mentality in my house about loans, financing, credit cards, etc. I did not have a good financial mindset when I was younger, and it took me a long time to pull myself from the depths of debt (especially after going through a divorce!). So I have happily adopted her financial approach as our “family methodology”. Everything we own is bought at 0% and paid off before interest charges hit - furniture, electronics, cameras, TVs, home theater systems, you name it. We don’t carry credit card balances. The only thing we pay interest on is our mortgage, and that’s only after she made three mortgage brokers fight to the death in a pit of vipers while yelling out their lowest APRs.

So I waited for 0% financing on a 4Runner. (note: don’t do this – it never happens)

I waited, and watched the “sudden acceleration” thing hit the news, and thought to myself “maybe they’ll do 0% on all of their models as a PR move to show the public they’re confident in their product!” They rolled out 0% on almost 10 models, but not 4Runners.

I thought maybe there’d be a 0% offer as the winter weather went away and people stopped buying SUVs during the summer, or when gas prices went up. It didn’t happen.

It never happened.


Then…my wife got pregnant. Space in the cars became a premium, between my 7-year-old in a booster seat and the soon-to-arrive newborn with a car seat base. We decided it was time for something bigger. My son was born on March 1st, and the new 4Runner was in my driveway on March 18th.

Where do all of you come in? Look at my avatar over on the left side of the screen. I joined this place in January of 2010 – that’s 15 months ago! I used this forum to get information on what models people were buying, what the pros and cons of the Limited, SR5, and Trail trims were, and what people were paying.

Then people started modifying them.

I never came here with the intention of learning how to modify my 4Runner. I just wanted to learn what the forum members thought of their new cars, see what problems they were encountering, and solidify my opinion that the 4Runner was right for me.

But I started seeing pictures of the mods. And I liked it.

And the people on here were friendly and helpful. And it encouraged me.

I started jotting some of the easier mods down, thinking I might tackle them. Over the 15 months, these notes became a little more…formal. You can scroll down and see what happened.

(OK, I’m an engineer – we’re dorks by nature, and we love spreadsheets)

My spreadsheet had hyperlinks to T4R.org threads that showed how to do the mod, plus hyperlinks to the website where the parts were sold.

I’m so indecisive about the wheels that I just listed every single one that I liked, and I’ll have to make that decision later.

So here we go!

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: WeatherTech Digital Fit Floor Liners

Weathertech Digital Fit Floor Liners - $169.90
WeatherTech Automotive Accessories - FloorLiner

Difficulty Scale (1 to 10): One

Sp8ball’s Personal Intimidation Factor (1 to 10): One

Install Time: Five minutes (mostly due to moving seats to get the mats in place, and removing the clips from the passenger side floorboard)

Reason for Doing It: Because cloth floor mats have no place in an SUV, particularly in a “four season” environment like the Northeast.

Benefit: No stained, indented, or slippery cloth floor mat; Better protection for underlying carpet; looks awesome

Cons: Losing the “4Runner” logo’ed floor mats (I think they’re a nice touch, sue me!); they’re a little pricey, but I believe that they pay for themselves with the long-term cleanliness you’ll get from the switch.

Other Products Considered: Husky Floor Liners, Weathertech Mats
_____________________________

OK. I replaced the floor mats. Big deal, right?

Well, when I’ve shown people the changes I’ve made to the stock car (because all my friends at work want the “walk around” of the new car), these floor liners are the thing that get the biggest “wow” reaction. They look real good, and they fit like a glove. The silver-and-red Weathertech logo looks real good in my Salsa Red Pearl truck, too, but I’m thinking it would add a nice splash of color to black, white, gray, and silver 4Runners as well.

I’ve noticed a little “mounding” near the edges where the liners were bent a bit in the box, but I expect this to level out over time – especially in the summer when higher internal temperatures will likely soften the material ever so slightly and allow it to “settle”.

I ordered these the night before I took delivery of my 4Runner, making these the first “new” items I purchased. (my first mod?)

I apologize for the pictures, but they were taken in my garage. It’s raining, and supposed to rain for the next few days…and I can’t leave it out in the rain because of another mod. We have a townhouse, so you can see that the garage isn’t that big. It takes 4 trained circus monkeys and my wife (holding those orange guidance sticks they use at airports to walk planes to the gate) to get this thing to fit into the garage with about 8 inches of clearance on each side. Once I can pull it outside, I’ll get some better pictures posted into this post.

These threads discuss the Weathertech vs. Husky debate in great detail. In the end I don’t think you can go wrong with either product, and it will just come down to personal preference. I chose the Weathertechs.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/71284-weathertech-v-husky-mats-v.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...ners-new-discussion-husky-vs-weathertech.html

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: Interior LED Lights

SuperBrightLEDs - $26.75 (total, for all 5 bulbs)
Super Bright LEDs ? LED Lights, Bulbs, and Accessories

Difficulty Scale (1 to 10): Three

Sp8ball’s Personal Intimidation Factor (1 to 10): Two and a Half

Install Time: Ten Minutes (because I went SLOWLY)

Reason for Doing It: I knew I was going to be tinting the front windows, making the interior a bit darker when getting in or looking for something at night. I thought I’d address that problem with brighter LED bulbs, which would also (hopefully) provide longer bulb life.

Benefit: More light than incandescent bulbs, longer bulb life, Star Trek look to cabin

Cons: Nothing, really.

Other Products Considered: Leaving it the way it was. (i.e. “Stock”)
_____________________________

Now I’m talking about replacing light bulbs? Really? This is a mod thread?

Well, I told you guys I’d start with the low-hanging fruit, and this one is super easy and looks REALLY good when you’re done.

Let me be honest about this: I gave it a 2.5 on the intimidation scale because I saw guys talking about doing this in this thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/62252-interior-lighting-mod.html

There were discussions about unscrewing the upper console by attacking the two screws in the sunglass holder and then popping off the remaining tabs that held it in place. I immediately saw visions of me breaking the tabs that hold it in place, and forever riding around with this upper console that has one corner dangling down while my wife sneers and says, “it was a perfectly good car and you had to break it!”

Then someone posted that you could pop the lenses off of the map and dome lights with a small flat-head screwdriver, and just pull out the bulbs. This piqued my interest, though I still had visions of me trying to pry this lens off, and it refusing to come, and me gouging the plastic because of my impatience and grizzly-bear-like gentleness. Not to mention that the first couple of guys to do this had trouble getting the bulbs out, causing them to explode.

Then a poster named “enduro” posted this on page 6 of the thread I linked above:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/62252-interior-lighting-mod-6.html#post658251

Quick. Painless. Easy to follow. No exploding bulbs.

Done, and it looks great. Thanks enduro!!

I apologize for the pictures, but they were taken in my garage (again).

Here’s all the information you need on bulb sizes (from a post by SnooperStyle on Page 4 of the aforementioned LED lighting thread) and prices. I’ve confirmed that they fit, and they work. Superbright LEDs is also a site sponsor!

Replace front map lights with WLED-xHP5, a mini-wedge bulb (you need 2 of them, I chose “White”)
Super Bright LEDs - Miniature Wedge Base Bulbs

Replace center dome light with 3022-W9, a festoon bulb (you need one of them)
Super Bright LEDs ? Festoon Light Bulbs

Replace the two cargo lights on the rear door with 3022-W9 as well (need 2 of them)
Super Bright LEDs ? Festoon Light Bulbs


Still to come – replacing the outside puddle lamps with LEDs, based on what I learned in another Snooperstyle post on that thread. (I have the bulbs, but this involves taking the side mirrors apart…so it’s going to get a separate post when I do it) [Update: It's post 39 of this thread]

EDIT: See post #48 of this thread for an important Sp8ball Modification Service Bulletin (SMBS)!

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: Stubby Antenna Install

MangoWalk 5” Stubby Antenna: $12.92 (after shipping)
Mangowalk.com - Mangowalk 5" Rubber Antenna Mast - Black - Rubber Antennas - Car Accessories
AutoZone Metra/RoadWorks Antenna AW-RM1R: $6.95

Difficulty Scale (1 to 10): One

Sp8ball’s Personal Intimidation Factor (1 to 10): Two

Install Time: Less than 2 minutes

Reason for Doing It: Because that 3-foot high gargantuan antenna looks ugly

Benefit: Looks good; screams to general public that there is a high likelihood that you are a member of this forum

Cons: Noticeable decrease in reception

Other Products Considered: Craven Speed Antenna, Pep Boys Antenna
_____________________________

Is this pathetic yet? Replacing an antenna?

More low-hanging fruit for modification newbies, I say!!

This is another one of those simple, cheap changes that can really change the way your vehicle looks. Again, it draws a lot of positive feedback from my friends during the “vehicle walk-around”.

Learned about this mod from this thread, and saw the debates about which antenna to use, and whether folks were experiencing a decrease in radio reception as a result of changing out the antennas:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/58587-ideas-shorter-antenna.html

There were some discussions about how hard it was to find an aftermarket antenna that had the right fittings to match up with the threading in the 4Runner antenna receptacle.

Then “Goatroper” did some experimenting and came up with an Autozone antenna that had multiple connectors, and one of them fit both the MangoWalk antenna and 4Runner receptacle.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/58587-ideas-shorter-antenna-5.html#post520267

So I went for it. I ordered the MangoWalk. And less than 4 hours after I hit “send” on my order, my new friend “Antman” – who you’ll remember lives right around the corner from me – PM’ed me and said he had done this mod, and it affected his FM radio reception in our area. He was right. :redbrick:

I was aware that loss of FM reception was a risk (keep that in mind), which is why I rated this a “2” on sp8ball’s intimidation scale. I knew my wife wouldn’t notice the antenna change, but would notice the difference in quality. Fortunately, I fessed up to the switchout, showed her the difference between the two looks (stock antenna, and stubby), and she said the new one looked MUCH better. Since I only listen to one FM station (and it was barely affected), I can live with it.

I once again apologize for the garage pictures. I’ll post more later.

 

[deekoi]

WOAH! you sure do love to write!

What degree of led bulbs did you get?

 

[sp8ball]

Modification write-ups that are “in the works”

I’ve done three other mods that are a little bit more involved than the three I’ve listed above.

These mods are:
(1) the Steelcraft nerf bar installation,
(2) tinting the front windows to match the rear windows, and
(2) the vinyl blackout of the chrome bumper and rocker panel strips.

(OK, I didn’t actually do the last two - the guys at the Window Tinting place did them, but I’ll still post about it)

These deserve more/better pictures to be shared (yes, I’m proud of these mods!), and I can’t do that until the weather clears up. They told me not to wash the vinyl for two days – and of course it started raining on the way home. Does anyone know if that will affect its adhesion or final disposition? Either way, I’m leaving it in the garage during the next three (rainy) days to let it set up and “cure”. (or whatever it is the vinyl does)

Below are a couple of sneak peeks...

Also in the works:

- AVS Bugflector should arrive today (another piece of low-hanging fruit)
- I have the Toytec top place spacers, and Antman says he’s willing to help me install them
- Puddle lamp LED installation (I have the bulbs, just need to get into the mirror after the truck comes out of the garage)
- Door handle changeout (ordered the color-matched door handles, but they’re on backorder and won’t be in stock for another week)
- Chrome elimination (rear garnish, front grille “wings”, and roof rack caps)...see next post!
 

 

[sp8ball]

WOAH! you sure do love to write!

What degree of led bulbs did you get?

LOL...I actually wrote this stuff in Microsoft Word during slow parts of the day, and then used one "mod page" as a template for another. Then I just had to cut-and-paste and do a minor bit of formatting.

If you follow those links to the LED lights, the website should have most of the technical specs. (that's the long way of saying..."I don't know")

 

[sp8ball]

The Great Chrome Debate

While I don’t feel it’s necessary to rehash the debate over the amount of chrome on the stock 4Runner, I definitely want to acknowledge that it’s a fun debate to have.

There are those who are in favor of the chrome.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/85778-chrome-lovers.html

There are those who are opposed to the chrome.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/63476-blacking-out-runners-chrome.html
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/75617-plastidip-losing-chrome.html

To be honest, before I joined this forum, I thought it was just something you had to deal with when you bought a new car. When I first saw the fifth generation 4Runners, I remember saying to my wife, “does that look like a lot of chrome on that thing?”

My wife likes the chrome. I don’t hate it, but I prefer the blacked out look after seeing it pursued by other on here.

Perhaps I’m weird, but I don’t favor a TOTAL blackout, either. Where others have blacked out completely, I think I may go for color-matched or even (gasp!) leave it silver/chrome for a very slight accent.

In fact, I have even re-thought debadging the SR5, which I was sure was going to be my very first mod. I think that if I leave a hint of silver/chrome on the front and back, I may leave a “hint” of silver/chrome on the sides (i.e. the SR5 badge).

Here’s my original concept for changing the chrome on my 4Runner. Feel free to point out any fatal flaws in my plan. My biggest challenge will be the two garnish sections (front grille and the rear section under the “4Runner” lettering) painted Salsa Red Pearl. This will inevitably require a body shop or dealership’s “paint guy” to do the work, because of color-matching issues. (unlike hitting it with Flat Black Krylon Fusion and calling it a day) These two pieces will also likely require some disassembly of the front and rear by the painter, which will lead to further costs.

I have toyed with the idea of buying those pieces from toyotapartsales.com and having them painted, minimizing the time that my vehicle is apart (and allowing me to keep the original chrome pieces in case I ever feel the need to go “back to original”)…but they’re pretty expensive.

Hey – did anyone on here who did the Satoshi grill mod hang onto the chrome front grill piece with the “wings”? If so, what would you want for it (incl. shipping to MD)?

Some of the conceptual stuff on these slides has changed; specifically, I'm using color-matched door handles rather than trying to paint them, and I had black vinyl installed on the bumper and rocker panel chrome strips instead of painting them.

The Original Concept:

 

[Hawkdog21]

Look, another person that makes a bunch of spreadsheets for their mods! Even though you have not done the most to your truck of anyone here, I think I might like you mod thread the best as far as entertainment/info. Keep up the good work sir.

 

[tjstevens5]

Thanks for puttin' this post up Sp8Ball. I am also a mechanical engineer who just graduated from college and I'm buying my first T4R in about a week. I was looking for a mod thread that had very simple modifications for a low price. This one fits the bill

 

[BeerShark]

Nice thread.. very entertaining

 

[sp8ball]

Nice thread.. very entertaining

Thanks - I appreciate that coming from a fellow Marylander and Ravens fan.

This weekend I'll post writeups of the front window tint and black vinyl blackout job that I had done yesterday. I mention this because you have both of those in your signature. If you haven't done them yet, they might give you an idea of price, and a good vendor in the Baltimore area to boot.

 

[sp8ball]

Ok, I need a sanity check from any posters out there that are familiar with auto paint work...

Jump up to Post #9 of this thread ("The Great Chrome Debate"). Specifically, the pictures of the front grill (slide 1) and rear garnish plate (slide 3).

Am I crazy to be thinking the following...

(1) The Front Grill:
I want to paint the "wings" on the front grill Salsa Red Pearl, while leaving the Toyota logo alone. I know these parts come off the grill with a little work, but it's not impossible to do. But that piece is not sold individually - it's part of a whole grill assembly in the Parts Manual that Harper posted. If I can get my hands on someone else's "winged" front grill piece (like, someone who did a Satoshi grille mod or TE conversion), couldn't I take just THAT piece to a body shop to be color-matched to my truck, and then change out the chrome one at my leisure (using my original Toyota logo emblem)?

(2) The Rear Garnish:
If I were to heat the Toyota emblem and 4Runner lettering and remove it (as seen here...thanks Jesse!), leaving just the chrome garnish piece...could a body shop tape off the rest of the car, and paint the garnish Salsa Red Pearl while it was still in place? Then remove the tape and maybe do a "blending" pass with the existing paint? (do they do that?) Would that work? Then I could just reattach the chrome Toyota emblem and "4Runner" lettering in their rightful place.

Are these ideas insane? Doable? Logical?

HELP!

 

[Johnny Utah]

good mod thread. Thank you for doing this. I've actually been thinking of doing something similar, but, you def. went above and beyond what i was gonna do. Keep it up.

This is what i'm talking about!

 

[Jesse1983]

cool thread, i'm looking forward to it, and your truck, progressing.

I bought mine from Thompson too. They didn't publish a pic of me though...that I know of

 

[sp8ball]

Thanks for all the kind words, everyone! I hope to post 3-4 more mod posts this weekend, if my 1-month-old will allow it.

cool thread, i'm looking forward to it, and your truck, progressing.

I bought mine from Thompson too. They didn't publish a pic of me though...that I know of

Jesse - small world! I really admire your truck, and it was an inspiration to make me tweak mine.

I had my truck over at Thompson's Collision Center all day today, as they were to fix a down-to-the-metal scratch that was present when I took delivery of the truck. They kind of glossed over it with a paint pen, leaving most of the damage still visible (and definitely able to be felt). They assured me that it was just to keep it from rusting, and they want to bring me in later (4/13) when they can spend more time on it and make it right. I hope they weren't trying to screw me over and I happened to catch them.

To tell you the truth, they've been really good. The truck has been back to the dealer a couple of times, but it's not their fault, per se.

I bought it on Friday, March 18th, after they located it and brought it in from another dealer. (It had been on the other dealer's lot for a month.) It was back at Thompson's this past Monday (the 28th) the get the Remote Start installed (negotiated when I bought it). Today it went back to get two interior pieces replaced that were also a little damaged/missing before I took delivery, and to get the scratch addressed. I now have to take it back a third time.

But...they're not charging me a dime for it, and they've been super helpful, apologetic, and cooperative. And since I got the car from them less than 4 hours after it arrived from the other dealer, I'm guessing this damage happened there - and not at Thompson's. Very good experience so far.

 

[scanny]

very useful thread, I don't have guts to start seriously modifying a new vehicle which is under warranty (such as lifting for instance) but those small mods are nice.

 

[1engineer]

Very good thread! I am also a mechanical engineer, except probably a bit older. I follow Jesse and Harper as in real life I design off highway equipment's hydraulic systems and if I can't do anything else in life, I understand machines, can strike an arc and turn a wrench with most anyone. I will not mod my 4Runner (much) as I put about 2500/3000 miles a month on it and it seems like every time I turn around I have 100K on the odometer and need to look for a new one. Your mods are just as good as anyone elses and just keep posting! Jesse, I think your pic will be in Petersen's 4 Wheel and Off Road Mag instead of the newspaper. I do have a little project going on right now though...a 4X4 battery operated yard cart 'cause I am tired of pushing a wheelbarrow! BTW: it is now one month old with 3100 miles on it.

 

[sp8ball]

Modification: Nerf Bar (Round Side Bars with Steps) Install

Black Steelcraft 3” Round Side Bars: $174.95 (free shipping)
http://www.autoanything.com/nerf-bars/73A4540A0A0A3339904.asp
(Chrome bars are $219.95)

Difficulty Scale (1 to 10): Four

Sp8ball’s Personal Intimidation Factor (1 to 10): Six

Install Time: 1.5 hours

Reason for Doing It: My Wife is 5-foot-2, and I have a seven-year-old son. Neither of them were getting into my T4R easily or gracefully. And they look cool. (the bars, not my stumbling wife and son)

Benefit: Ease of ingress/egress, slight benefit in that it will protect from road debris, starts me down the blackout look

Cons: I discovered that wax shows up really easily on the rubberized step of black nerf bars, may not initially match the "look" of the rest of the stock T4R (especially black bars with chrome on truck)...but that's personal opinion

Other Products Considered: Toyota OEM Running Boards, N-Fab bars, any of these
_____________________________

I believe that this is the first mod where I actually had to get out a wrench and socket and turn nuts and bolts and stuff. That would be why it had the personal intimidation factor of “6”. I was very excited when the giant package arrived on my doorstep from autoanything.com, but then I started into the box and said, “what if I pull these things out, and there’s 89 pieces of hardware, and I get halfway into it and F this up?”

Well, it wasn’t that bad at all. The instructions that come with these Steelcraft bars are excellent - they include pictures and easy-to-follow narratives. I had everything I needed to install it in my Craftsman Mechanic’s Socket Set. No worries there.

The bars themselves are great, and they attach at two points (plus a bracing bracket) under the car. The rear attachment points can be a little awkward, but it’s not difficult. The project took me an hour and a half to do simply because I went REAL slow with the first side, making sure I understood exactly what the instructions were telling me to do. The second side was easy (and fast) after that.

I chose the Steelcraft bars because I saw them on this thread. The folks who went first with the install didn’t seem to have a terribly hard time doing it, and they posted some nice pictures of their results.

Of course, two days after I put my nerf bars on, Keemonrunnin goes and does this. I had seen those N-fab steps, and really liked them…but also saw that they were supposed to be just for TE models. Keemonrunnin goes and figures out a cheap, ingenious way to mount them on a Limited/SR5 (http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...unning-boards-trail-edition-2.html#post745988) and ruins my whole week.

However, they’re $367, so I feel a little better that I got off cheaper AND didn’t have to cut any steel tubing…OK I’m lying – I don’t feel better. I’m still jealous and bitter.

Kudos, Keemonrunnin, Kudos to you!

Pictures appear below. I apologize for how dirty my truck is in these pictures…it’s rained here for 2-3 days, and that just means that I get more road dirt and crap thrown up at me. I didn’t take any pictures of the nerf bars when I still had chrome rocker panel strips. The black nerf bars looked just slightly out of place (to me, at least) when that chrome was still there. I knew where I wanted to go with this truck project, though, and went with the black. The blacking out of those chrome strips has already helped to integrate the black nerf bars a little better, but you can see in the first picture that it almost feels like that gap between the step and the body (which is good, because you can actually put a foot on it, unlike the Toyota running boards) screams for this thing to be lifted a bit, or at least get some more aggressive tires/wheels.

Of course, that’s just my opinion. Maybe I’m just seeing things. And those new shoes aren’t coming for another year or so. But I’m glad I put some long-term thinking into it.

(Note: I saw this post this morning. It’s way harsher than I feel, but it makes me thing that maybe I’m not crazy, and these nerf bars look better with beefed up wheels/tires.)