Monday morning status report:
(as if there are people who care...but I humor myself)
I'm having trouble attaching pictures from work, so I'll upload the "after" picture on post #87 tonight. I added the before and after measurements.
Also going to post a quick write-up on the Husky Weatherbeater Cargo Mat.
That leaves:
1) Color-matched door handles
(parts are held up because they're made in Japan, and parts are slowing down coming out of there for obvious reasons - keep them in your prayers, and don't forget about them after Libya and government shutdowns removed them from the front page!)
2) Back-up Camera on/off switch* - allows you to flip a switch to see rearview camera when you're not in "Reverse"
3) Footwell Lights* - will provide footwell lighting that comes on the same time as the overhead map/dome lights when the truck is unlocked or doors are open (for those of us who don't have a Limited)
4) Footwell Accent Lights* - I'm super stoked about this one...LED strips that light up the footwells, coming on whenever the headlights are turned on
5) Interior door handle LEDs* - provides a small area of light around the interior door handles, lighting up whenever the window up/down switches are lit (for those of us who don't have a Limited)
6) Cupholder LEDs* - Small LEDs that light up the cupholders in the center console
7) Gear and 4WD Shifter changeout, and 4WD shifter skirt changeout
8) Aftermarket Exhaust Tip* - to cover up the cold, dark, gray exhaust tip of the T4R.
9) Paint a spare set of chrome front grille "wings" to match the truck (Salsa Red Pearl), and trade them out for my chrome version
* - These are what I like to call "Antman Specials". He's already done them to his SR5, and he's going to tutor me in how to do it so we can document it and post it for you all to see. These are cheap, easy, and fun!
Over the summer, I'm hoping to get to:
- Putting on a Magnaflow muffler
- Replace chrome fog light bezels
- Put in yellow Putco fog lights
- Install a USB drive in the glovebox for music
- Replace front dash speakers
- Paint roof rack end caps with black Plastidip paint...but I need a spare set of end caps. (and it's about $140 for all 4 if I buy them new)
Long term? I'm looking at:
- I was toying with the idea of a black Bull Bar, but I would come across as a total poser...until some idiot pulls out in front of me or unleashes a shopping cart towards my front end...
- Thule Crossbars (45050)
- Thule MOAB Cargo basket
- HID headlights
- TRD Cold Air Intake
- TE headlight housings(?)
- New tires, where I'm waffling between 285/70/17 Nitto Terra Grapplers and BFG All-Terrain T/A KOs
- New wheels, where I want to go black, and the wife
doesn't - which you know if you've read anything in this thread. She says they look spray-painted. But I think I'm cracking the code, though...I spent the weekend pointing out cars with black wheels to her, and they were always something like a 1985 Dodge Caravan where the hubcap fell off or something. I would say, "that is
not the look I'm going for", and she started to "get it". Shiny black wheels with small hints of chrome (like MotoMetal 951s!) should do the trick...
And one brief note about my gorgeous, intelligent, and patient wife...
[Editor's note: after writing it, I noticed it wasn't "brief"...sorry]
Two weeks ago she told me I was "done" changing things around on a perfectly good truck. She was/is convinced that I am not smarter than the engineers at Toyota that designed this thing (and she's right). However, I have started to convince her that they had to design a truck for
everyone - from the off-roading tough guys on t4r.org to the soccer moms parading their new SUVs at the mall who have no idea what the benefits of "box-on-frame construction" are or that they're driving the last "real" SUV of this size. She also knows that this will likely be the automobile that I drive until our 7-year-old turns 16 and can drive it himself (i.e. I'm in this truck for the long haul), and we bought a Toyota because 200,000 miles is an easy goal...so I might as well make it "my own" because it's going to be with us for a while.
Then she asked me about "Antman", and when I told her about his extensive experience working on cars, she lowered her defenses with a "well, it's ok to do stuff if he's already done it and he knows what he's doing." Just on that answer alone, I should probably take over paying Antman's mortgage or something.
The point is...I think the wives are just scared that we'll screw up a $35,000 truck. Now, some of you don't have this problem because you've been doing this "car stuff" your whole life and have a proven track record of excellence, so the rest of this paragraph doesn't apply to you. For the rest of us who are just used to tinkering (or never had a car/truck that we wanted to "tweak"), it can be a little intimidating for us (see the "Sp8ball Intimidation Factor"), but it's probably even worse for the wives! They've never seen us attempt stuff like this, so they're a little leery. All of our 5th Gens are brand new, and they were bought with the expectation that they'll last for a decade as a family investment. The second we start screwing with them, the wives get all nervous and see money twirling around in a toilet bowl.
My advice? Go slowly. Put in new lights and let them see the value in those types of mods...and how you didn't screw it up when you did it. Put in new Floor Liners, and show how they provide a cheap, tangible benefit in the life of the truck (note: these awesome Weathertech and Husky products aren't priced that much differently than OEM
carpet mats, and they last longer!). Pretty soon, you'll have done a half dozen small things, and if she's liked them, you can puff your chest out a bit while gaining the confidence (in yourself
and her eyes) to tackle more daunting projects.
And finally, if you or your spouse have trepidations about modding your T4R, just tackle mods that can be
undone. Nerf bars can be removed, black vinyl can be peeled off to show the original chrome, and LED lights can be changed back to incadescent - but you can't unpaint things!
Finally, I have one last confession to make...
The gorgeous and intelligent wife decided that I had spent enough money, and it was time to put a halt to it. Granted, she's approved the money spent to date, but she wants to move on. She also told me to just add the rest to a "wish list" for Easter, Father's Day, etc.
But...
:infidel
and here comes the dorky confession):infidel:
I have 5-6 totes in our basement full of, um, unopened Star Wars toys from the mid-90s. In the original packaging. I kept them in case the collectible market for them blew up the way it did for
my Star Wars toys. So it was an
investment, ok?!? Anyway, she has somehow managed to shrink back into her size 2 clothes a mere 5 weeks after having our son, and now she wants those totes for maternity and winter clothing storage. I've been told to unload the Star Wars stuff. Which I am not heartbroken about doing...and I cut a deal to use part of the money for mods! LOL
[Surgeon General's Warning: Modding your Toyota 4Runner can be dangerously addictive, and should not be attempted by people with compulsive disorders or other mental problems. (see: Sp8ball) Modding your 4Runner is a sickness, and should not be handled lightly. Clinical help may be required, or at least a call to A&E's "Intervention" television show. Wives should be involved in the process to moderate the spending and complexity of the project if these conditions exist. People with high cholesterol or a history of heart problems should not mod a Toyota 4Runner. Call your physician for any mod lasting longer than 4 hours.]
