Starclassic's '97 SR5 Build Thread

[starclassic]

**SOLD 7/1/18**

1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5 3.4L V6 4x4 "Jake"
Lavender Steel Metallic (a.k.a., Cool Steel Metallic). This thread will contain detailed maintenance and modification histories. Thanks for stopping by!
Build as of July 1, 2018

December 2017

October 2017

December 2016

D.O.B.: January 16, 1997
Purchase date: July 1, 2016
Mileage: 221,346
Features: 3.4L V6, 4x4, Lavender Steel Metallic, grey cloth interior, sport seats, security system w/ keyless entry, 6-speaker single CD/cassette/AM/FM, rear heater

Suspension:
Bilstein 5100 front shocks w/ OME 881 springs
Front diff drop
Bilstein 5125 rear shocks w/ OME 890 springs
Sonoran steel rear adjustable panhard rod
Tundra brake upgrade (See post)

Wheels/tires:
Pro Comp 7069 wheels (See post)
LT285/75/16 Goodyear Duratrac tires

Performance/drivetrain:
B&M external ATF cooler w/ radiator line looped
Deckplate mod
K&N drop-in air filter

Exterior
Rocky Mountain super sliders
Plasti-dipped OEM fender flares w/ 3D printed end caps
Fixed antenna conversion (OEM Toyota Parts)
TRD off-road decals (See post)

Electrical
"Big 3" mod (See post)
Blue Sea fuse box
Ignition relay

Interior:
99+ center console (See post)
Weather Tech floor mats & trunk liner
Hi-lift jack with custom mount in trunk
Pioneer MVH-AV290BT head unit
Pioneer ND-BC8 rear camera
Pioneer GM-A6704 amplifier
JBL Club 6500c front speakers (fit in the OEM bracket)
JBL Club 5020 rear speakers (custom acrylic bracket)

Lighting:
99+ headlight conversion (OEM glass)
Auxbeam F-16 LED 6000k headlights (See post)
Crystal front turn signal lenses
Dashboard/gauge cluster/map/dome LEDs—Red (See post)

---------------------------------------------

This is my first 4Runner. I got my driver's license in 1997 and the 4Runner was the vehicle I wanted but couldn't have. Fast forward to today: better 19 years late than never! I purchased this fantastic truck from another T4R enthusiast (and forum member) in Michigan. Until 2015, the truck lived in the Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico). It is in fantastic shape for an almost 20-year old. Besides fading clear coat/paint on the hood/roof, the finish is still in great shape. There is no rust on the frame. The interior is also very clean.

MODIFICATION THREADS
Pro Comp wheels, center caps, clear front turn signal lenses
Headlight LED swap
TRD decals
Interior LEDs—Phase 1
Big 3 mod, Blue Sea fuse box, ignition relay
99+ center console install, part 1
Tundra brake upgrade

PLANNED UPGRADES
Performance UCAs
Hood and roof repaint (original color)
Wet Okole seat covers
Aluminum Eezi-Awn roof rack
Aftermarket bumpers
ARB air lockers

 

[hang10]

Sweet Rig:guitar2:

 

[seth.l7]

Nice truck!:thumb3:

 

[FiReBReTHa]

tagging in so I can see future updates!

 

[rallypoint_1]

Very nice!!

 

[Aeneas]

Eyyyy, I'm in the Peoria area. If I get truck before I move out east we should wheel sometime.
Btw, I love the color of your truck.

 

[Road Bull]

Nice build man. I really like that Whitson Metalworks roof rack. So now that you have a full size spare, are you just going to keep it tied down in the cargo for now?

 

[RogueYota]

Sweet rig!

 

[starclassic]

Pro Comp 7069 wheels, custom TRD center caps, Duratracs, turn signal lenses

December 4, 2016

It's December and I finally have both time and funds to do some upgrades. Here's what I'll be doing:

• Pro Comp 7069 alloys in matte black (5)—P/N 7069-6883
• Custom TRD center caps from Wheeler's Off-Road—P/N EXC84B (inspiration from [MENTION=44220]BigFishAllDay[/MENTION])
• New set of Goodyear Duratrac 285/75/R16s
• Gorilla Automotive lug nuts in black chrome (20 count), 12x1.5 thread—P/N 21133BC
• McGard wheel locks in black chrome (4 count), 12x1.5 thread—P/N 24026
• DEPO crystal clear replacement turn signal lenses for front bumper—eBay

I decided to forego the center cap logos for now. I liked how Wheeler's glossy center caps and the Gorilla lugs went against the matte black wheels.

 

[starclassic]

Headlight LED swap

February 8, 2017

I wanted to try out some LED headlights. Picked up some Auxbeam F-series H4s on Amazon for $55. It's warming up here in Chicago, I was not concerned about the lights not running hot enough to melt snow/ice on the lens. Mostly I wanted to just try LEDs—halos may be in my future, but I like the LED platform and wanted to start there.

The linchpin with LED headlights is supposedly the cooling fan—the lights are only as reliable as the fan. So, we will see how long these run. They seem to be well made, and have fairly good reviews.

Auxbeam F-16 H4

Packaging is pretty decent, both inside and out

Solid construction, has some heft ... and GILDED

New LED vs old incandescent

Passenger's side incandescent vs driver's side LED

Low beams at approximately 15 feet

High beams at approximately 15 feet

 

[starclassic]

TRD decals

February 8, 2017

Finally got some TRD decals on eBay—just searched for a uniform matte black version. Centered it on the gas cap. Same placement on the other side.

Spent an extra 5 minutes cleaning the area with alcohol and quickly drying it with a blow dryer/microfiber. I have since checked them and they have adhered very, very well.

Driver's side

Passenger's side

 

[starclassic]

Dashboard LED swap, Phase 1

February 19, 2016

One of the obvious and often-conducted interior mods is the LED dash swap. I never liked the faded green lighting scheme (pretty weak sauce in my 20-year old '97). So I followed [MENTION=98153]MStudt[/MENTION] and [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION] on the process, ordering a bunch of new LEDs for a red dashboard scheme. I also got some cool white 6000k LEDs for the map and dome lights. In all during this first pass, I replaced:

Update February 23, 2017: After driving with my new LEDs for about a week, I've concluded that the instrument panel LEDs that I purchased are too bright. I got these 19 lumen bulbs and they're not on the dimmer so I can't turn down the brightness. I'm going to order some of the 6 lumen bulbs instead to replace all the indicators. So—I've got a bunch of red, green, and amber 19 lumen #74 LEDs if anyone wants to buy em off me for a discount!

• Map lights (2x cool white, #DE3175 31mm festoon) Note: in the '97 these are NOT #BA9s
• Passenger dome (cool white, DE #3175 festoon)
• Cargo dome (cool white, DE #3175 festoon)
• Trans shifter (started with #74 red, then change to a cool white)
• Glove box (#74 cool white)
• Ash tray (#74 red—had to break out the inset green plastic cover)
• Climate control (#74 red)
• Key ring (#74 red)
• Gauge cluster (3x #194 red)
• Cruise control indicator (#74 green)
• CLOCK—Cut out a red gel filter for a camera flash
• Seatbelt indicator (#74 red)
• Battery indicator (#74 red) NOTE: after install, the battery indicator stayed on. I learned it is part of the charging circuit and I need to swap back in the old incandescent!
• ABS indicator (#74 amber)
• 4WD indicator (#74 green)
• ECT indicator (#74 green)
• Check engine indicator (#74 amber)
• Oil indicator (#74 red)

I took some photos all the way up until I got to the gauge cluster, time was running out and I needed to get a move on

One thing I learned (the hard way) that didn't come up in my research/planning was that the entire dash in my '97 is an open circuit. When I got to testing the gauge cluster LEDs, nothing worked. By isolating, I realized that I had to have ALL of the dash components plugged in to get the gauges/indicators to light up.

Phase 2 to-dos: Troubleshoot battery indicator light, block cruise control indicator from "light pollution", replace remaining indicator bulbs, install new double-DIN head unit that has a red lighting scheme.

Started by popping off the shifter cover

Replacing the #74 below the trans shifter

Replacing the #74 glove box

Off comes the climate control, then the center dash cover, and ignition cover

The climate control has a long clear plastic diffuser over one #74 bulb—pop it out to replace

Old map light bulbs are 31mm festoon DE3175s—not BA9!

New map lights in place

Cleaned up the license plate light lens covers—they were super dusty

New license plate light LEDs in place

After doing the gauge cluster and closing everything back up—PROGRESS!

I got the clock to look amber by cutting out a red gel flash filter and placing it inside the plastic clock cover—it's a little dim given the shade of the cover, but it'll do for now. I just wish there was a way to make the clock brighter!

Next day troubleshooting—lingering issues for phase 2: battery indicator is on, and the cruise control indicator is getting lit up by the gauge cluster

 

[tjaguilar]

February 8, 2017

I wanted to try out some LED headlights. Picked up some Auxbeam F-series H4s on Amazon for $55. It's warming up here in Chicago, I was not concerned about the lights not running hot enough to melt snow/ice on the lens. Mostly I wanted to just try LEDs—halos may be in my future, but I like the LED platform and wanted to start there.

The linchpin with LED headlights is supposedly the cooling fan—the lights are only as reliable as the fan. So, we will see how long these run. They seem to be well made, and have fairly good reviews.

Auxbeam F-16 H4

Packaging is pretty decent, both inside and out

Solid construction, has some heft ... and GILDED

New LED vs old incandescent

Passenger's side incandescent vs driver's side LED

Low beams at approximately 15 feet

High beams at approximately 15 feet

Whats your feedback on the bulbs? Any blinding problems?

 

[KingRob]

Joining the party! Awesome Runner so far bro!

 

[starclassic]

Whats your feedback on the bulbs? Any blinding problems?

So far so good—I've had great feedback, the low beams hold a really nice line and the brights do their job too

Really the question now is time—how long will they last?

 

[tjaguilar]

So far so good—I've had great feedback, the low beams hold a really nice line and the brights do their job too



Really the question now is time—how long will they last?

Nice! I just got a cheaper set from eBay not much of a bright option but they're pretty darn bright. Feels wrong to have them so bright haha.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tjaguilar]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[starclassic]

May 28, 2017

Over the past month I've been getting all the parts I need for the Big 3 upgrade. This weekend I finally got it all finished. This was a challenging project for me, and included lots of messages with Rip (thanks, dude), lots of trips to Autozone down the street, and probably about 8 hours total. I'm a noob with electrical, so I was taking my time to really understand things. This work was done in preparation for a new stereo/head unit and backup camera that I'm hoping to complete this summer sometime. And probably some fog lights and switches as well...

• Big 3 mod (beefing up the stock electrical system!)
• Custom acrylic Blue sea fuse box platform from [MENTION=57546]4-Ripcord[/MENTION]
• Ignition relay (to keep new circuits from draining the battery when the truck is off)

I followed the walk-through directions from BFAD and 4-Ripcord for this project—they're really all you need.

As of the completion of this work, my idling voltage is 14.28V. Here are some photos from the process.

Custom acrylic platform for the 96-98 T4R—first bend and placement was spot on!

Blue Sea 120A and 100A breakers

Old stock cables

New 4G cables, breakers, fuse box, and ignition relay

All connected up and working well!

New ground location at alternator

Mistakes happen! I cut the original battery-negative-to-engine-block cable (in the middle—SAD!). So I installed a replacement, didn't end up being a big deal.

Idle voltage!

 

[starclassic]

May 29, 2017

99+ center console installed—Part 1

I've been raging without decent cupholders ever since I acquired the truck. Luckily I got a matching blue/grey center console from [MENTION=115770]Atomic6[/MENTION] and finally installed it over Memorial Day weekend.

This is part 1 of 2, in that I did not have time to completely unravel the wiring harness for the ECT, rear window, and security system. Those I've tucked under the driver's seat for now. Part 2 will involve me unraveling that harness, moving the wires over to the left of the steering wheel, and replacing them with OTRATTW rockers.

A tale of 2 consoles

Stock console setup, before swapping the bracket and handle

Comparing the 2 brackets—99+ is the shorter one on the right (if you're planning on completing this upgrade, that bracket is a must)

Functional! What a relief. Now I just have to relocate those switches...

 

[Rimcrew]

Beautiful truck, and very tasteful upgrades. Keep the pics coming.