Squishmitten's 02 Sport Edition Build
- Thread starter squishmitten
- Start date
cleveland222
New member
Beautiful rig and love the progression. Thanks for the infomative thread. Just picked up my first one and trying to leave it alone, but threads like this make it tough. Especially love the grill on yours, hit their site and the options are endless. Might be my first "mod." Thanks again.
Andrew
Andrew
Dezert4Runner
Senior Member
Really like the wheel & tire combo on the black sport. I plan to step up from my 285/70/17 KO’s to the 285/75/17 KO2’s at some point as well. The old Robby Gordon wheels with removable rings are my all time favorite (also expensive and hard to come by), but these SCS Ray 10’s in this finish are a close second but almost equally as hard to come by judging off the SCS Ray 10 thread on Tacoma World. Looking sharp!
squishmitten
New member
I purchased the front half, I'm wondering if you get the trans skid too it covers it all (I assume it would). I do love the look though, and they're substantially beefier than stock.
Thank you! It's made by RPMFab, local fab shop here in AZ. Gotta love local pick up, shipping on 100 pound bumper isn't cheap.
Thank you! It's coming along a lot quicker than I anticipated, hopefully the OT at work doesn't dry up anytime soon.
If you look up the Satoshi grill mod, there's a lot of people that achieve the same thing for a fraction of the cost. I'm lazy, haha.
Thank you! I really like the look of them, plus the fake beadlock keeps my valve stem safe :thumb3:
I took a quick run out to Four Peaks just north of Phoenix this past weekend to test out the RTT. It did well, despite the 50 MPH winds that I dealt with all night.
Attachments
squishmitten
New member
Road Bull
Senior Member
Dang man! Great looking 4Runner. I've said it before many times, but it is hard to beat a good looking black 4Runner. And it doesn't look like you are wasting much time modding your rig. I like those SCS Ray 10's. They look great and go with the black 4runner. I almost went that route over the F5's.
I have some PIAA crystal Ion lights that I have yet to mount. They originally came with a Shrockworks front bumper that I had before I swapped it out for my AOR front bumper. But those squadron pros put out a crazy amount of light. I just need to decide what way I want to go there. I either want to be able to use them on the street as fog lights and not get flashed or pulled over, or have a very useful offroad trail lighting solution. I have heard from many that the Pros are way too bright for pavement, but fantastic for offroad.
So, did you order a 4X Innovations rear swing out?
I have some PIAA crystal Ion lights that I have yet to mount. They originally came with a Shrockworks front bumper that I had before I swapped it out for my AOR front bumper. But those squadron pros put out a crazy amount of light. I just need to decide what way I want to go there. I either want to be able to use them on the street as fog lights and not get flashed or pulled over, or have a very useful offroad trail lighting solution. I have heard from many that the Pros are way too bright for pavement, but fantastic for offroad.
So, did you order a 4X Innovations rear swing out?
squishmitten
New member
Thanks man! I almost got the bronze Ray10's but ended up on the matte gray. Now I need to get a 5th wheel since I have the rear bumper on the way. I ordered the rear bumper, swing arm, single jerry can, hi lift mount, and folding table. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting the same set up as you minus the light cut outs.
For the fog lights, you can actually do both. I had originally planned to use a Skene dimmer module with the Squadron Pros to set them at say 20% for a streetable fog light setting, and 100% for off road. I ended up not doing it out of laziness, but it is possible.
https://www.bajadesigns.com/products/skene-motorcycle-dimmer.asp
squishmitten
New member
I'm starting the planning phase for my big trip in June/July. Currently waiting on my 4xInnovtions rear bumper and I managed to get one more Ray10 with the March restock (thanks [MENTION=88453]SCSPerformance[/MENTION]).
Tentative route is as follows. Currently have 4700+ miles of driving planned
Chandler, AZ -> Telluride, CO
I'll be taking Imogene and Engineer Pass to get over to Lake City and then head up to Denver. Anything else that you Colorado boys know of would be appreciated.
Denver, CO -> Des Moines, IA
I'll be enjoying the skate parks in Denver for a few days with some old friends and then on to Des Moines for some family time.
Des Moines, IA -> Mount Rushmore, SD
This stop is to break up a 19 hour drive. I've never been and figured why not.
Mount Rushmore, SD -> Glacier National Park, MT
Planning on seeing Trail of Cedars, Avalanche Gorge/Lake, and Cracker Lake.
Glacier National Park, MT -> Yellowstone, WY
Yellowstone, WY -> Arches National Park/Moab, UT
Moab, UT -> Zion National Park, UT
Zion National Park -> Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ -> Chandler, AZ
Still planning/prepping. If there's anything along this route that is an absolute must see, please let me know.
Tentative route is as follows. Currently have 4700+ miles of driving planned
Chandler, AZ -> Telluride, CO
I'll be taking Imogene and Engineer Pass to get over to Lake City and then head up to Denver. Anything else that you Colorado boys know of would be appreciated.
Denver, CO -> Des Moines, IA
I'll be enjoying the skate parks in Denver for a few days with some old friends and then on to Des Moines for some family time.
Des Moines, IA -> Mount Rushmore, SD
This stop is to break up a 19 hour drive. I've never been and figured why not.
Mount Rushmore, SD -> Glacier National Park, MT
Planning on seeing Trail of Cedars, Avalanche Gorge/Lake, and Cracker Lake.
Glacier National Park, MT -> Yellowstone, WY
Yellowstone, WY -> Arches National Park/Moab, UT
Moab, UT -> Zion National Park, UT
Zion National Park -> Flagstaff, AZ
Flagstaff, AZ -> Chandler, AZ
Still planning/prepping. If there's anything along this route that is an absolute must see, please let me know.
Attachments
squishmitten
New member
Rear bumper came in! Huge thank you to [MENTION=76968]traxman25[/MENTION] and all the guys at 4xInnoations. I'm very happy with this purchase! Just need to get some 861's to correct what I just did to the rear lift.
Attachments
squishmitten
New member
So the rear wasn't too bad day one, but good lord that thing settled quickly! Just ordered 861's to correct it, they should be here Friday!
I also picked up a ScanGuage, that thing is SLICK! Having the trans temp gauge is sooo nice
I also picked up a ScanGuage, that thing is SLICK! Having the trans temp gauge is sooo nice
Road Bull
Senior Member
Yeah, the 861s are a good idea with that bumper. They started out at about 25" hub to fender, (well, no fender for me). Then after a bit, they settled to about 24", maybe a hair more hub to fender. They feel good too.
4-Ripcord
New member
Truck is looking great! The rear bumper really completes the look of it.
I have some advice for the Colorado portion of your trip since you asked. Even in mid-late July you will encounter a few passes still blocked by snow. Imogene, black bear and engineer are usually not cleared by plows until the week before the FJ summit event (July 17th ish)
as far as the rest of the Colorado portion. I would just recommend the reverse of what [MENTION=129084]Flemster[/MENTION] and I ran last year which can be seen here: Trip Report: Journey to FJ Summit
I have some advice for the Colorado portion of your trip since you asked. Even in mid-late July you will encounter a few passes still blocked by snow. Imogene, black bear and engineer are usually not cleared by plows until the week before the FJ summit event (July 17th ish)
as far as the rest of the Colorado portion. I would just recommend the reverse of what [MENTION=129084]Flemster[/MENTION] and I ran last year which can be seen here: Trip Report: Journey to FJ Summit
Last edited:
squishmitten
New member
That's good to know, I got the 861's installed last night and I'm right at the same. The 890's with the bumper installed were at 22" hub to fender and rode like shit. The only way to describe the ass end was "mushy". It's so much better now, feels planted again. :dancin:
Thank you! I'll be taking your advice, I've been to Denver a few times but I have no experience outside of Denver. By the way, do you have a build thread for the Tacoma anywhere?
Attachments
squishmitten
New member
Interesting... the software doesn't quote the pictures... Anyway, that is a great looking truck,
especially the last shot. Looks hawt!My favorite color, I don't care how much it shows dirt, etc.
And you have possibly the best screen name ever.
I don't like those image hosting sites so I've just been attaching the files to the posts, that's probably why.
Thank you! I will say it's annoying to try to keep clean, but then again I'm not that concerned with keeping it clean, more worried about sun fade in the sunny state of AZ :flame:
Thanks man! It's crazy to think it was bone stock just 6 months ago. The OT at work is starting to dry up so progress will slow. I need to start saving for gears/lockers.
Road Bull
Senior Member
I saw that you got the Savage skid plates. Did you ever end up painting them? The pics that I have seen with them on your 4Runner looked like they were still bare metal. It rains so much here that when I got both my sliders and skids, I tried to clean, prime, and add paint ASAP to keep old man rust at bay. I think after two winters, I will at least be cleaning and repainting the sliders, and if I feel real ambitious, by skids too. They have been holding up pretty well. The sliders take a lot of trail debris and rocks with my 3.5" BS wheels and tires kicking all sorts of everything up the side of my 4Runner.
My busy season OT is just getting started. I need to set a plan for a locker and maybe a regear. We'll see how much I can save. I just got a lot of big maintenance out of the way, TB, valve cover seals, and radiator, so maybe I can focus disposable income on fun items now.
My busy season OT is just getting started. I need to set a plan for a locker and maybe a regear. We'll see how much I can save. I just got a lot of big maintenance out of the way, TB, valve cover seals, and radiator, so maybe I can focus disposable income on fun items now.
squishmitten
New member
Thank you! I've definitely still got a ways to go
Unner
New member
Not sure how I never clicked on this thread, but you've got a great looking truck. Although I may be partial to clean black built 3rd gens. .
This looks like an awesome trip in the making.
Imogene and Engineer Pass are both great trails. Like [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] said, they might not be open by then. This applies more to Imogene as the Telluride side of the city isn't as keen on getting the trail clear and useable as the Ouray side. Last summer I was one of the first ones across it after it opened, and I crossed on July 5th. It opened July 4th... Engineer will be open earlier most likely. There are A LOT of good trails in Colorado. I spent 4 or 5 days there last July and ran as many trails as I could in that time. Here's my trip report from that. It may be of some use to you.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...d-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-44.html#post2811857
Don't go too far out of your way to see Mount Rushmore, if you're already going that way then by all means stop there. That's what I did last year on my way back from Moab. Western South Dakota and Wyoming are beautiful. I'm glad I came back that way more for the views in Wyoming than Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is kinda underwhelming because you are so far away from it, but it's definitely a bucket list item that you can check off.
I've never been to Montana or Yellowstone, but they both sound like awesome places.
If you are going to Arches there is a back way into the park that you can use since you've got a high clearance 4x4. This lets you skip the lines at the gate and all the traffic. It's not a technical trail, but you won't be taking a Subaru down it. Let me know if you want more info on this.
From this back entrance you can either go into the touristy parts of the park, or you can run Tower Arch Trail. I recommend Tower Arch Trail. It's a fun little trail, and takes you to a cool arch at the end. Then afterwards you can exit from the same way you came in, or go through the park.
I have no idea how long you plan on spending in Moab, but if you want just straight wheeling with some nice scenery I recommend the Sand Flats recreation area. Fins 'n Things and Hells revenge are in this park. Both great wheeling options in Moab.
If you are looking for more scenery and still great wheeling I recommend Top of the World. The views from here will blow you away. Onion creek trail is very close to top of the world (you actually see it looking down from the cliff at Top of the World) and it's a stupid fun trail. It's not technical at all, but has 27 creek crossings or something like that. They aren't deep at all, but it's stupid fun to bomb through them and send water flying everywhere. There's also an awesome campsite back there I stayed at. Let me know if you want that too.
If you've got lots of time in Moab I also recommend checking out White Rim Trail, or at least the Shafer Switchbacks.
Gemini Bridges and Long Canyon Trail are both good easy and quick trails in Moab if you have only a couple hours and want to run a trail.
Here's my trip report on Moab, with a few pics of Wyoming and Mount Rushmore from the way back.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/208503-unners-build-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-33.html
If you are heading south out of Moab, I highly recommend checking out Alstrom Point in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It's one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen, especially at sunrise/sunset. I suggest spending a night out here for sure.
I haven't posted my trip report from this trip yet (working on it, hopefully very soon), but here's a few pics from my phone in my build.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...d-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-49.html#post2868485
Have fun with the trip, take lots of pictures and share them with us, and be ready to change plans. Something will go wrong, a road will be closed, or you'll spend to much time somewhere or something and you will have to change plans. Be willing to explore down some unknown trail or road also, you never know what could be waiting for you. I did 3 long off road trips last year in my 4Runner (Moab, Colorado, and California), and one not so offroad trip to Canada totaling close to 20k miles between all 4. The miles on pavement can be fun too, make sure to take in the scenery of new places even when you're on the highway. All my trips were amazing, and I can't wait to go back.
Sorry for the long post in your build, hopefully this'll give you some ideas though!
.This looks like an awesome trip in the making.
Imogene and Engineer Pass are both great trails. Like [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] said, they might not be open by then. This applies more to Imogene as the Telluride side of the city isn't as keen on getting the trail clear and useable as the Ouray side. Last summer I was one of the first ones across it after it opened, and I crossed on July 5th. It opened July 4th... Engineer will be open earlier most likely. There are A LOT of good trails in Colorado. I spent 4 or 5 days there last July and ran as many trails as I could in that time. Here's my trip report from that. It may be of some use to you.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...d-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-44.html#post2811857
Don't go too far out of your way to see Mount Rushmore, if you're already going that way then by all means stop there. That's what I did last year on my way back from Moab. Western South Dakota and Wyoming are beautiful. I'm glad I came back that way more for the views in Wyoming than Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore is kinda underwhelming because you are so far away from it, but it's definitely a bucket list item that you can check off.
I've never been to Montana or Yellowstone, but they both sound like awesome places.
If you are going to Arches there is a back way into the park that you can use since you've got a high clearance 4x4. This lets you skip the lines at the gate and all the traffic. It's not a technical trail, but you won't be taking a Subaru down it. Let me know if you want more info on this.
From this back entrance you can either go into the touristy parts of the park, or you can run Tower Arch Trail. I recommend Tower Arch Trail. It's a fun little trail, and takes you to a cool arch at the end. Then afterwards you can exit from the same way you came in, or go through the park.
I have no idea how long you plan on spending in Moab, but if you want just straight wheeling with some nice scenery I recommend the Sand Flats recreation area. Fins 'n Things and Hells revenge are in this park. Both great wheeling options in Moab.
If you are looking for more scenery and still great wheeling I recommend Top of the World. The views from here will blow you away. Onion creek trail is very close to top of the world (you actually see it looking down from the cliff at Top of the World) and it's a stupid fun trail. It's not technical at all, but has 27 creek crossings or something like that. They aren't deep at all, but it's stupid fun to bomb through them and send water flying everywhere. There's also an awesome campsite back there I stayed at. Let me know if you want that too.
If you've got lots of time in Moab I also recommend checking out White Rim Trail, or at least the Shafer Switchbacks.
Gemini Bridges and Long Canyon Trail are both good easy and quick trails in Moab if you have only a couple hours and want to run a trail.
Here's my trip report on Moab, with a few pics of Wyoming and Mount Rushmore from the way back.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-gen-t4rs/208503-unners-build-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-33.html
If you are heading south out of Moab, I highly recommend checking out Alstrom Point in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. It's one of the most breathtaking views I've ever seen, especially at sunrise/sunset. I suggest spending a night out here for sure.
I haven't posted my trip report from this trip yet (working on it, hopefully very soon), but here's a few pics from my phone in my build.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...d-2001-toyota-4runner-4x4-49.html#post2868485
Have fun with the trip, take lots of pictures and share them with us, and be ready to change plans. Something will go wrong, a road will be closed, or you'll spend to much time somewhere or something and you will have to change plans. Be willing to explore down some unknown trail or road also, you never know what could be waiting for you. I did 3 long off road trips last year in my 4Runner (Moab, Colorado, and California), and one not so offroad trip to Canada totaling close to 20k miles between all 4. The miles on pavement can be fun too, make sure to take in the scenery of new places even when you're on the highway. All my trips were amazing, and I can't wait to go back.
Sorry for the long post in your build, hopefully this'll give you some ideas though!
Similar threads
