Stealth Custom Series 2013 Holiday Contest

[SCSPerformance]

The 20th at midnight Pacific time is the cutoff time. I will make a final post then and anything after that will be too late.

Get them in while you can!!!

 

[Twan]

Going to try and keep this short. While this is my first 4x4 and my first Toyota, I’ve wanted one for years. I’ve been a fan of just about anything with wheels my whole life, and been a fan of odd cars. What got me started was my parent’s old Mazda rotary pickup and my dad taking us for rides on his old Triumph motorcycle. The first car I bought for myself was an ’87 RX-7 that I absolutely loved for the near decade I owned it, until it met its end thanks to an octogenarian who could barely see, much less drive. I’ve had a handful of other cars and motorcycles, mostly in the vein of high horsepower and speed.

I really got the offroad bug was when I joined the Marine Corps. My MOS ended up as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic, which meant HMMWV mechanic. That led to training for the MTVR and LVS trucks, and that meant getting to drive huge beasts of trucks through the woods of Camp Lejune in NC and the hills of Camp Pendleton in California, and get paid to do it. I even got paid to do it in Iraq as part of convoy security for two summers of my life, but that’s another story for another time. Driving and working on those huge trucks really cemented my desire for a wheeling rig. Unfortunately I had to give it up due to the wear on my body, a training injury that happened while in Iraq that the corpsmen weren’t equipped to fix properly, so now I just get fancy license plates and a tiny disability check.

Fast forward a few years to the beginning of 2013 and I was delivering pizzas part time to help cover bills while attending the University of Colorado. Money has been tight lately, so I bought myself a Saab 9-5 that was a great car, and also got great mileage while I brought pizzas to the spoiled college kids around here. I was hoping the extra money I made I could pick up a worn out Jeep or something since 4Runners are awfully pricey around here. I ended up having to keep delivering pizzas just to keep paying the rent around here, due to a “friend” I had known since middle school decided he wasn’t going to pay bills, so I had to evict him. That’s been the case up until September of this year, when I was working a late night shift delivering in the rain that led to the recent flooding in Boulder. I was miserable, soaked to the bone, and kept pleading to the manager that it was stupid to be on the road still. Sure enough, once I finally convinced them to shut down for the night, I got to try and head home. That wasn’t going to be easy since the first road I tried to take was under water. I made it to the next section of road and it looked like it would be no problem. I found out just how wrong I was, thanks to the lack of lights in the area. Before I knew it I was in close to two feet of water, the engine had sucked some in, and water was coming in the doors. The Saab that I had bought 9 months before that I searched so hard for was totaled, and that meant I was screwed, since delivering pizzas and my VA disability was how I was scraping by. To add insult to injury, 8 hours, 10 miles, and lots of rain-soaked walking I arrived home.

This leads to about 2 weeks later. I finally realized I had the opportunity to buy the SUV I had been wanting for years, but never was in a position to buy. After scouring websites, I finally found what I was looking for: a 2000 4Runner SR5 Sport. I made sure my finances were in order, thankfully USAA had expedited my claim for my car that was killed in the flood, and I made arrangements to go check it out. Coincidentally, the day I was able to go check it out was also my birthday, and I needed something to cheer me up. I hopped in a car with my friend, drove the 2 hours to go see it, and within a couple hours, I was driving my birthday present to myself home. I haven’t had the truck for quite 3 months yet, but it’s been everything I’ve hoped it would be. Unfortunately, money is still tight, so I’ve been using what extra I have to fix the little problems that have come up here and there to get this thing back into like new shape and take care of all the unknown regular maintenance. It hasn’t stopped me from lusting after parts that I want to eventually buy once I’m in a better place financially. I’ve pretty much bookmarked a complete ideal build. One of those things just happens to be a set of the SCS F5s, so the chance to potentially get a set due to their great generosity would mean a lot to me. It would also be a great first mod and something that I would display proudly.

While I don’t have a history with Toyotas like so many other people do here, I now own what I consider to be the best vehicle for me. I can now fit my friends comfortably, as I learned this weekend with four 6’+ guys and 3 large dogs. My dog loves all the room to move around(she’s damn near 90lbs) and we both love the rear window that rolls down. Best of all, I can finally go camping again. I wasn’t able to go this year at all, mostly because of work, but also with only one 4x4 amongst my friends previously, we’d have to park at the bottom of the mountain and then make multiple trips up and down the mountain and it was just a huge hassle. Now that I have my 4Runner, we don’t have to do that, driving the trails will no longer be a chore, and no one will have to be on the trail alone in case of a breakdown. I may not have a lot of pictures to share, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t have a lot in the near future. I would just be over the moon if I had the opportunity to put a new set of wheels on my truck that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford right now.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my story. It’s really the first time I’ve laid the whole thing out to anyone, so I figure that now is as good of a time as any. Here’s my new to me rig and my girl that goes damn near everywhere with me.

Here's how it looked sitting on the dealer's lot when I bought it.

My old "wheeling rig" along with white_n_slow's old pickup

Another angle showing just how far that car made it

This is my big girl getting in the christmas spirit.

And one of my ugly mug out in the middle of the desert. This was near the end of my second deployment around August of '06.

 

[1engineer]

Going to try and keep this short. While this is my first 4x4 and my first Toyota, I’ve wanted one for years. I’ve been a fan of just about anything with wheels my whole life, and been a fan of odd cars. What got me started was my parent’s old Mazda rotary pickup and my dad taking us for rides on his old Triumph motorcycle. The first car I bought for myself was an ’87 RX-7 that I absolutely loved for the near decade I owned it, until it met its end thanks to an octogenarian who could barely see, much less drive. I’ve had a handful of other cars and motorcycles, mostly in the vein of high horsepower and speed.

I really got the offroad bug was when I joined the Marine Corps. My MOS ended up as a light wheeled vehicle mechanic, which meant HMMWV mechanic. That led to training for the MTVR and LVS trucks, and that meant getting to drive huge beasts of trucks through the woods of Camp Lejune in NC and the hills of Camp Pendleton in California, and get paid to do it. I even got paid to do it in Iraq as part of convoy security for two summers of my life, but that’s another story for another time. Driving and working on those huge trucks really cemented my desire for a wheeling rig. Unfortunately I had to give it up due to the wear on my body, a training injury that happened while in Iraq that the corpsmen weren’t equipped to fix properly, so now I just get fancy license plates and a tiny disability check.

Fast forward a few years to the beginning of 2013 and I was delivering pizzas part time to help cover bills while attending the University of Colorado. Money has been tight lately, so I bought myself a Saab 9-5 that was a great car, and also got great mileage while I brought pizzas to the spoiled college kids around here. I was hoping the extra money I made I could pick up a worn out Jeep or something since 4Runners are awfully pricey around here. I ended up having to keep delivering pizzas just to keep paying the rent around here, due to a “friend” I had known since middle school decided he wasn’t going to pay bills, so I had to evict him. That’s been the case up until September of this year, when I was working a late night shift delivering in the rain that led to the recent flooding in Boulder. I was miserable, soaked to the bone, and kept pleading to the manager that it was stupid to be on the road still. Sure enough, once I finally convinced them to shut down for the night, I got to try and head home. That wasn’t going to be easy since the first road I tried to take was under water. I made it to the next section of road and it looked like it would be no problem. I found out just how wrong I was, thanks to the lack of lights in the area. Before I knew it I was in close to two feet of water, the engine had sucked some in, and water was coming in the doors. The Saab that I had bought 9 months before that I searched so hard for was totaled, and that meant I was screwed, since delivering pizzas and my VA disability was how I was scraping by. To add insult to injury, 8 hours, 10 miles, and lots of rain-soaked walking I arrived home.

This leads to about 2 weeks later. I finally realized I had the opportunity to buy the SUV I had been wanting for years, but never was in a position to buy. After scouring websites, I finally found what I was looking for: a 2000 4Runner SR5 Sport. I made sure my finances were in order, thankfully USAA had expedited my claim for my car that was killed in the flood, and I made arrangements to go check it out. Coincidentally, the day I was able to go check it out was also my birthday, and I needed something to cheer me up. I hopped in a car with my friend, drove the 2 hours to go see it, and within a couple hours, I was driving my birthday present to myself home. I haven’t had the truck for quite 3 months yet, but it’s been everything I’ve hoped it would be. Unfortunately, money is still tight, so I’ve been using what extra I have to fix the little problems that have come up here and there to get this thing back into like new shape and take care of all the unknown regular maintenance. It hasn’t stopped me from lusting after parts that I want to eventually buy once I’m in a better place financially. I’ve pretty much bookmarked a complete ideal build. One of those things just happens to be a set of the SCS F5s, so the chance to potentially get a set due to their great generosity would mean a lot to me. It would also be a great first mod and something that I would display proudly.

While I don’t have a history with Toyotas like so many other people do here, I now own what I consider to be the best vehicle for me. I can now fit my friends comfortably, as I learned this weekend with four 6’+ guys and 3 large dogs. My dog loves all the room to move around(she’s damn near 90lbs) and we both love the rear window that rolls down. Best of all, I can finally go camping again. I wasn’t able to go this year at all, mostly because of work, but also with only one 4x4 amongst my friends previously, we’d have to park at the bottom of the mountain and then make multiple trips up and down the mountain and it was just a huge hassle. Now that I have my 4Runner, we don’t have to do that, driving the trails will no longer be a chore, and no one will have to be on the trail alone in case of a breakdown. I may not have a lot of pictures to share, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t have a lot in the near future. I would just be over the moon if I had the opportunity to put a new set of wheels on my truck that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford right now.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read my story. It’s really the first time I’ve laid the whole thing out to anyone, so I figure that now is as good of a time as any. Here’s my new to me rig and my girl that goes damn near everywhere with me.

This is what I was talking about in my post a few pages back. [MENTION=88453]SCSPerformance[/MENTION] are you listening?

 

[SCSPerformance]

This is what I was talking about in my post a few pages back. [MENTION=88453]SCSPerformance[/MENTION] are you listening?

Greg, if my heart or intentions wasn't in the right place, we wouldn't be offering this gift:thumb:. It would be great to see other companies follow suit. And I'm not talking about just giving something out to anyone random, but giving to someone deserving of it.

We're only choosing the 10 top stories and it will be up to the members to vote away.

 

[1engineer]

Greg, if my heart or intentions wasn't in the right place, we wouldn't be offering this gift:thumb:. It would be great to see other companies follow suit. And I'm not talking about just giving something out to anyone random, but giving to someone deserving of it.

We're only choosing the 10 top stories and it will be up to the members to vote away.

Yeah I know. I'm sure you already know that by doing something like this you will get repaid 10X in some way. Could be more wheel sales, could be personal, etc. Again, this is a good thing. Thank you. Remember the old adage "What goes around comes around."

 

[airmax233]

Am going to try to be as open as possible with you guys although I really do not like talking about me and am not good at expressing myself :/...
Well am going to start when I was in middle about 7 years ago my mom got her first car new to our brothers and me it was a white toyota Corolla 96 it was blessing to us cause we no longer had to walk or ride the bus to buy groceries which was not close to our home it would get us from point A to B it was not in the best condition because I remember couple of times leaving us. I do not know what was wrong with it might of been the battery because my mom would have to find someone to jumpstart it with cables and stuff. I remember when the rain season would come our car would get wet inside, all the floor carpet would be mushy with water that would get in trough the front window I believe. It was nasty because the following mornings it would smell like rotten eggs through out the days and would take time for it to dry.A couple years later, my mother had got a decent job at an office, and my uncle had bought a brand new truck for himself; a 07 Nissan armada. I remember one night we wore at his house and he was talking to her about how she needed a more reliable car for her kids and stuff and he wanted us to have his truck he new that times where not easy for us. As it was only us since we never had the support of a father or anything he ended up coming to an agreement with my mom for her to give him the car and he would sell it and to monthly pay what she could to him until it was payed of at the dealer which was like less than a year. Wow that night we drove off with his 2000 4runner Limited with about 130xxx miles it was was amazing I will never forget it was the happiest day of our lives the best feeling it was a trouble free truck who would of ever thought that after riding in it many times because me and his son(my cousin) would get along so good that I would go everywhere with them on the weekends soon would be ours and now I would ride shotgun ^_^ I remember some days were better than others for me and my little brothers but we got trough all of them together like several times we had to stay in the truck to sleep witch was not fun sleeping on a seat for me so as for camping I do not find it appealing I guess cause you could say the way I experience it was not fun :/ well since I did not know nothing about trucks or maintenance my mom would take her to the shop to do her oil changes and tune ups i know she was not really on top of them like my uncle was.


Fast forward again my mom with tons of problems hit a car I guess she got distracted and she now looked like this :/ but was still cute to me we had now moved to a better place but not the best I could not wait to get a job and get out of school because I just wanted to help my mom on what ever I could but no one wanted to hire a minor :/ I was willing to help my uncle on side job he had on the weekends doing concrete designs on backyards and stuff. I soon was able to get my permit and then my license in the 4runner Yay...after many miles this happen to my mom she was just driving up the driveway when :/


thanks God it did not happen in the freeway thats when I did some research and found t4r similar threads on this forum ever since I started looking around everything seemed so interesting i just wanted to keep reading and looking at everyones builds and looking how capable our trucks are when that happend at around 240000 miles everyone was telling her it was time for a newer truck because sooner or later it would give more problems so my mom was ready to trade it in or sale it before anything I told her not to because I was convince it could keep going it just needs a little love I told her I wanted her to let me have her at first she was not sure but i talked her trough and now shes mine and my mom got herself a new truck. Now she needs a lot of work since my mom never did any mayor services it took me about 10 months to save for some new tires I was driving like this the whole time

I do not know how soon after I joined the forum. At around 258000 miles I had saved again for the water pump, timing belt, thermostat which was never serviced by my mom the good thing is it it never gave out on us. I managed to fix her face up with a new to me oem bumper thanks Huy. I am inspired by downpour11 rig its awesome a lot of people tell me to stop trying to fix her and to stop putting money in to her but I do not care I know it its barely halfway I know I could go easy 400000 with original trans. and engine am going to prove them wrong. I am now currently going to college and have a part time job which helps me pay my bills help my mom with whatever I can I try to save here and their if I can am just trying to get all the maintenance on her, like now I need a new radiator since its already leaking but slow and steady. I might not have a awesome rig a nice lift a set of 33s a bumper with a winch like everyone else, but I have a truck that means a lot to me Thats really awesome of you guys that are doing this, you guys will definitely make someones christmas

 

[snivilous]

Well since [MENTION=88453]SCSPerformance[/MENTION] hasn't posted that "last" post, I'll make a stab in (totally understand if it doesn't count) I'll keep this short.


My dad bought my 2001 Base 4Runner new in 2001 to replace our Jeep Grand Cherokee that had had problems moving us to Colorado in 2000. It was intended to be my mom's vehicle to haul my sister and I to preschool and elementary school. As time moved on my dad started using it and installed a winch in it. Finally, when I was 16 I got my license and inherited it. I was primarily into stand up jet skis for a few years following that, so the truck didn't get modified aside from a spacer lift in the front and some air bags in the rear since I always had my jet ski on it.

A year ago I started getting more heavily into offroading, though I had always been into offroading and taken the truck a few times and would take our ATVs out daily, since I had just started college it was a way to go exploring and get away from school. So when winter break came it got some new coils in the rear and I made a rear bumper since my stock one was rusting out in the corner. I did some harder offroading in the spring semester and explored further away near Salt Lake City (2 hours away).

Once summer break came I quickly got to modifying it more hardcore, I was obviously strapped for money from going to college so I saved what I could for components I couldn't make myself. My dad's garage has almost every tool there is, and I really like to fabricate my own stuff, so that was a perfect combination to make a lot of components for the truck. Over the summer I made a front plate bumper to match the rear, sliders (and my dad helped me analyze them to know they were strong enough), and then new front and gas tank bash plates. I then used my saved up money on new coilovers and shocks and some offroad lights, and then went to Moab a few weeks before school with a guy I met spring semester who had a Cherokee.

Over this fall semester I've started moving to offroad racing and want to long travel the truck, which is cool because I've gotten pretty heavily into suspension design and have been using my engineering courses I'm taking to design the components that I then fabricate over my time off from school. If there's anything you can make on the truck, I'll make it! :thumb:

Anyways, again I know this is a super late submission so knock it off if you want. It'd be sweet to have some SCS rims since I've looked at them numerous times but can't justify buying them. I certainly need rims though, since one of my rims is dinged in at the bead guard pretty badly and I need to upgrade to 16s at some point to have more tire options available.

I also think the best choice would be [MENTION=14772]shootmymime[/MENTION] for his brother, that would be the most awesome birthday present ever!

 

[SCSPerformance]

Awesome guys! Thank you to all that entered and for sharing your stories. To those that are just showing support, thank you as well! We hope to make this a T4R tradition so if you don't make the cut, there's always next year.

We will take this weekend to sort through all the wonderful posts. By Monday we'll have to 10 finalist and the voting will begin then.

 

[SCSPerformance]

The poll is up. Check out part 2 of the 10 finalists!!!

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/gener...tom-series-2013-holiday-contest-part-2-a.html

 

[Hepar]

Just read this. Very generous of you guy at SCS! I'm sure whoever wins will be thrilled.