SR597Runner's Build Thread

[SR597Runner]

Hey everyone. I'm Justin. I joined this site just over 2 years ago when I got my current 4Runner, and I've just kind of been taking it all in and learning from all the pros. I finally decided to post a build thread since I'm looking into some more mods in the next year.

A little background: I got my first 4Runner in 2002... a '97 SR5 in desert dune metallic. Made my screen name based on that runner. Had 111k on it when I got it; sold it in '08 with 225k and I still see it driving around town from time to time.

I went through several different vehicles after I sold the '97 and nothing was quite right, so I finally decided to get back to my roots. After a long a grueling process of searching and e-mailing and having things fall through, I came across my current 4Runner: 2001 SR5 4x4

I found it in Athens, GA over 200 miles from my house, but it was absolutely worth the drive. nice paint, no accidents, and brand new BFG A/Ts. Best part: 82k miles!

Here's a shot of my '97 right before i sold it. and another shot of my '01 from the for sale ad.

 

[SR597Runner]

The first mod I made was to add my Yakima roof rack. I already had most of the components from my previous trucks... just had to buy the vehicle specific mounting brackets.

 

[SR597Runner]

Next up was the sound system. Pretty basic, really. New Pioneer head unit, a Kenwood subwoofer and Alpine amp (which I already had), with a capacitor and a ported box. I've actually changed the head unit again since last year. Still have a Pioneer, but the new one is a Double DIN and has streaming bluetooth. I've also removed the capacitor too. It didn't really seem to make a difference and the cable kept coming off because of the angle. I'll post some more updated pics eventually.

 

[SR597Runner]

while i was browsing through craigslist looking at other 4runners for sale (as i'm sure a lot of us do, even if we don't have the intention of actually buying) i came across a guy selling an already lifted '01 with a Savage Off-road tube bumper. He wasn't parting anything out according to the listing, but I decided I'd shoot him a message and see if he wanted to make a trade: my stock bumper for his tube bumper. i suggested it might help him sell a little easier to have a stock bumper. it's not a cheap bumper, so i offered him some cash. all in all, i gave him my bumper plus $120, and i got his bumper plus some Hella lights.

he had originally sprayed it with bedliner, but eventually changed to rattle can. it wasn't in the best condition cosmetically, but it was solid. i went for a few weeks just kind of touching the paint up here and there, but eventually decided to get it powdercoated in gloss black to match the truck.

in the pre-powdercoat pics you'll notice i have a chrome grille, but in the post-powdercoat pics you'll notice it's blacked out and i have a red emblem. wasn't much to that and i didn't really take any pics of the process. a couple clips, a couple screws, spray paint, done. anyway... here's some pics of the bumper:

 

[SR597Runner]

after the powdercoat on the bumper it was pretty slow goings for a while, but then my mom knocked it out of the park for christmas of '11 and got me some clear corners! it was nice to have someone else spend some money on this truck for once!

i guess it's also worth a mention that my turn signals are clears that fit '96-'98 because they have screw holes in them. the plastic housing on the bulbs don't technically fit, but they signal the other cars, it passes inspection, and i can live with the way it looks.

i'm thinking plate bumper in the future anyway, so i'm not too worried about any kind of turn signal mods yet.

 

[SR597Runner]

The next big thing came sometime in February 2012: new rims!

i went with the MB TKO from discount tire. They're 16x8.5 which is what really attracted me to them. i definitely plan on going with a bigger tire in once these BFGs wear out (which seems like it's taking forever!) so i wanted a wider rim.

i worked these out by assuring my wife i would be able to sell the stock 5 star rims for somewhere close to what i paid for these. it's been over a year and the stock rims are still boxed up in the shed... whoops. so if anyone's interested, shoot me a message. hwell:

 

[SR597Runner]

some time passed and i got a little bored and didn't have much money to spend, so on went the TRD stickers.

 

[SR597Runner]

ever since i got the black front bumper, i've hated the chrome rear bumper. i had been debating getting a new rear bumper, but i just couldn't justify the cost. i decided that plasti-dip was the way to go and isn't very expensive... especially compared to a plate bumper with a swing out.

it wasn't a very difficult process overall, but i did almost lose a fingernail trying to get the plastic step off the bumper.

i ordered a couple cans of the plasti-dip clear gloss, but i don't know if the results were worth the extra money. maybe i put it on too soon after the black plasti-dip, but in any case i couldn't tell much of a difference. if i had to do it again i wouldn't have bothered with the gloss.

after using half a can of the special ordered gloss plasti-dip on the large center section of the bumper and at least an hour of drying, i thought it was somehow necessary to move the horses further into the garage... so naturally, i knocked the bumper off and effed it all up. i had to peel it all off and basically start from scratch on the largest section. oof.

once i finished it looked so much better than having chrome IMO, so it was worth it. it's been almost a year and there are very very minimal signs of the plasti-dip peeling.

 

[SR597Runner]

March 19, 2012. a picture is worth 100,000...

 

[SR597Runner]

since 100k last year, not much has changed except the head unit. i changed the emblem to white, then to neon green, but ultimately back to red. nothing major... just stuff to occupy my time on a day off.

i think the only other semi-major mods that i forgot was the flowmaster i did pretty close to when i bought it, but the drone made me crazy on long trips, so i changed to a quieter muffler that was still close in performance. it's been almost 2 years, so i can't remember what it even is now... thrush, i think. i moved the flowmaster to my wife's cherokee since we never took it on long trips.

anyway, today, i made a pretty big investment and ordered a lift kit!

after doing tons of research on this site, talking to local guys who are way more knowledgeable than i, and ultimately talking to the guys at Toytec, i decided on the Toytec Boss kit with 600lb (red) coilovers, Superflex rear springs, and Bilstein long travel rear shocks. I did get the diff drop, because i think i will feel more comfortable with it, and the people who were against it weren't as convincing as the people who were for it. plus, when you think about the total cost of the lift kit, what does saving $29 really do if i MIGHT screw up a cv?? for $29 it's worth it to me.

The kit will hopefully be in next week, and I'm having a local 4x4 shop install it. I'd love to be able to do it myself, but I don't really have access to the equipment or even a ton of time to do it. There's things i can do myself, and there's things that are too much for my skill level. the max quote from a shop not more than 2 miles from my house is $300. to not goof it all up myself, it's totally worth it to me.

There is also a chance that I'm going to have them custom build some sliders for me in the next few weeks. I've been dying to get rid of the steps, but i don't like the looks as much without them unless there are sliders. they're saying around $250-300 installed, and that's not bad. we'll see what happens.

i'll definitely be posting pics of the lift when it comes in and once it's installed.

i hope everyone has enjoyed the thread so far. i know it's not as major as some of the folks on here, but i'm doing what i can when i can and not getting my house forclosed or starving... or making my wife angry! and that's what it's all about anyway, right?? thanks for looking, and please be kind with any comments!

 

[SR597Runner]

my lift arrived!!!

So, FedEx was a day early!!! got the lift today and it's like christmas! the quality of these components is immediately evident. it's just so solid! the plan is to take it to the local offroad shop on tuesday for the install. they say $200-300 and 4 hours of work. so, i'd drop it off in the morning and i'd be getting an alignment after lunch, and good to go for work the next day. however... my dad's neighbor is a pretty handy guy and says he can do it and he has tons of tools and a nice garage. i'd probably be able to get my hands on it a little bit too, which i think would be a nice learning experience. i trust the guy as far as doing it right, but sometimes he can be a little on the slow side. i'd still end up paying him a little something because it's not exactly the easiest task to take on, but he will be much less than a shop... probably around $100, and i'm fine with that. i just have to weigh out cost to turnaround time. either way, this lift is going on in less than a week!

i had an unfortunate discovery yesterday... a tear in the sidewall of one of my tires. it doesn't seem that bad, but i can see white. i wasn't planning on getting tires for at least another year, if not more. i've got 9/32" on them, so they're far from needing replaced. so, i could try to find a used tire to match, but still i don't know the reliability there... or i could just purchase a new one in the same size... problem there is the 265/70/16 bfg is more expensive than a 285/75! so, then the other option is just going all out and getting the duratracs in a 285/75.

at the suggestion of my guy at discount tire, i posted my current tires on craigslist asking 600 hoping to get somewhere around $500, of course being up front about the tear. if i get $500 for this set, once all the rebates come back from goodyear and discount tire, i'm looking at about $550-570 for a whole set of 285 duratracs vs spending close to $300 on just one stock size tire.

i had a serious inquiry today on the current tires and he's willing to go to $500, so i'm probably going to go the route of new duratracs. i'm gonna check to see how long it takes to order in the new tires so i can give the buyer a good estimate on when he can actually have my tires.

who knows... maybe i'll end up with some brand new 285 duratracs!!! i wasn't really ready to drop money on tires, but under $600 for the whole set is pretty solid. my current tires were on the truck when i got it, so when i consider that i've spent $0 on tires for this truck, it sounds like a no brainer to get the new ones.

anyway... sorry for the rambling... on to the pictures!!!

 

[downpour11]

Yup, have your neighbor help you with the lift, you'll be surprised how easy it is and you'll learn some. Grab those duratracs too! You'll be happy.

 

[Downeys4Runner]

Great job man, love to see how it works out!

 

[SR597Runner]

unfortunately my dad's neighbor flaked out on me for today. :redbrick:

planned it for a week, had the day off from work, and he bailed. i had a feeling that would happen. his work is always quality, it's just the getting him to do it part that's a problem.

so this morning i dropped my truck off at the local shop that was going to do the lift initially. costs a little more, but it will be done today and done right.

the tire sale also fell through, but i decided it would be easier to sell them once they're off... duh! i've got my guy at discount tire bringing in some duratracs for me today. i ended up going with the 265/75/16 in C load range. i know it would definitely look a little better to do 285, but i'm not excited about the E range and the extra weight. the 265 comes out to 32" and actually weights less than my current tires that are only 31".

anyway, the lift will be done around 3, then alignment, then tires around 4. i'll try to take some pics afterwards since we have some more daylight now.

 

[Android_02]

Hey man awesome wheels! I got the same ones about a month ago and love them! I got the optional center cap though. I thought it looked a lot better not covering the lugs and looking like a big saucer hovering out from the wheel. If you want the other center cap discount tire can order them in for you. Also, those 5 star oem wheels are a super easy sell. I sold them a day after I bought my tko's. You can put them on craigslist or there's a few people here on the forum that want them if you wanted to ship. These tko's weren't expensive at all which is nice and you can probably get $250-300 for the 5 stars depending on condition.

Your new lift is going to look bad as$! Definitely post a ton of pics from all angles! I'm still debating on which lift to buy. Also, comment on how stiff/soft it rides and handles on/off road. Great looking truck!

 

[SR597Runner]

When I got these wheels they didn't give me the cap option. Said I had to buy them separately, so I just went with the covers. I might spend the money for the regulars at some point if I also had black lugs. I like the covers though, but I might get the caps later to be able to change it up if I want to. I'm spending about $1300 on my truck today, so center caps might have to take a back seat for a while.

 

[SR597Runner]

the lift is on! excitement has turned to a little bit of worry, though, because i'm getting a lot of vibration around 60mph. i first noticed it on the way to get my new tires. i picked up the truck post-lift, got an alignment, and then drove about 2 miles up the interstate to discount tire. doing around 45 i had a really smooth ride and the alignment seemed great.

i mentioned the vibrations to the DT guys and one guy suggested by ball joints were busted. i guess there was some grease showing and he thought they were leaking. i called around and had some crazy high estimates thrown at me. i talked to one mechanic, though, that said he highly doubted it was the ball joints with only 107k. on the way home i stopped at a shop and they said it was definitely NOT the ball joints but might be the tie rods. they had one guy jiggling the steering wheel and the other guy underneath the truck and there was some clacking on the tie rod.

i didn't have these issues pre-lift, so the first thing i'm gonna try is lowering the front coils. just like jaystoy, they set my lift up with the front and back pretty level. i got superflex coils so it should be a little higher in the back with stock weight. he lowered his front coils and the vibrations stopped. i'll try that and we'll see where it goes from there.

for now i'm gonna stop talking about the depressing stuff and post some pictures of the lift and tires!

 

[SR597Runner]

so, i also figured out that i need to get wheel spacers. tires are rubbing on the control arms with very minimal flex. i found some just like spidertrax for half the price. set of 4 for $112 shipped. should be in saturday. still no word on my lower ball joints, but i'm gonna lower the front suspension when i get home from work tonight.

this is all getting kinda stressful, so hopefully i can figure it all out and finally enjoy my new lift!

 

[SR597Runner]

adjusted it down. still vibrates at hwy speeds. i guess maybe it is the lower ball joints... but pre-lift everything was fine. this is not working out in my favor so far.

also, my tires feel super squishy and floaty. i guess because i got C load tires... from reading what everyone else said it sounded like i wouldn't have that problem. does the lift make it feel floaty too??

i guess eventually all of this will work out, but right now it feels like i took about 2 grand and lit it on fire...

 

[Android_02]

I'm shocked that you need wheel spacers, we have the exact same wheels and I bought them in preparation of a lift because of the wider stance and better offset than stock. You got the ones that have the -6 offset, 4.5" backspacing right? With all the issues you're having I'm contemplating if I should even lift my vehicle now!

Another thing with our wheels is I was looking at getting the 265/75 duratracs, but the approved rim width for those tires is only 7.0-8.0" and our wheels are 8.5" wide so maybe that's why your tires feel squishy or even why your getting vibration? Maybe you should have gotten the 285s?