StormRunner Build & Adventure Thread

[Ski Wagon]

Also today I mounted my painted crossbar system to the roof rack. I needed to be able to use the Thule Kayak mounts I purchased but the bolts on the kayak racks did not line up perfectly with the slots in my roof rack. Since just about all Thule and Yakima rack attachments are made for crossbar systems I decided to make a removable crossbar for my rack so that I can easily attach my kayak racks, snowboard racks, bicycle racks, etc.

I made the crossbars bolt-on rather than welded on so that I can interchange crossbar width's. When I am transporting all three kayaks I will use the wide crossbar which is actually wider than the rack itself, but when I have two kayaks or other Thule attachments I will use a shorter crossbar.

Our third kayak should be delivered next week and the first trip we take with all of them loaded up I will be sure to grab a picture with them all on the truck

Now you've done it - I have been keeping myself in check from buying a K-9 rack due to the need for Thule bars for attachments, and you've just killed that reasoning. BTW, your rig is definitely one my favorites on this site.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Now you've done it - I have been keeping myself in check from buying a K-9 rack due to the need for Thule bars for attachments, and you've just killed that reasoning. BTW, your rig is definitely one my favorites on this site.

Haha thanks! It is a big investment but I have nothing but positive things to say about the K9 rack. I say buy one and enjoy it all summer!

 

[pokits]

Best 20 minutes I spent whilst reading through this thread!! Great pics, great rig and great journeys.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Yesterday I decided to take Perkinsville Road which is a scenic drive and leads to a fun wheeling trail. Had a good time

Loving the powder-coating on the wheels. Looks better, WAY easier to clean, and tough as nails.

For those wondering if you can fit a 285/70 in the stock location, yes you can but it's a good idea to move it when wheeling. I usually throw it on the roof but didn't feel like it this day and ended up scrubbing it here

I say if your dashboard doesn't look like this at some point while wheeling, you aren't going hard enough.

Traction Control Off, Vehicle Stability Control Off, ABS Off, Tires Aired Down, 4WD Lo Engaged, Rear Locker Engaged, First Gear. Now give it some gas.

Overlooking a cool old ghost-town

Guess I'll come back

And there went all that hard work buffing out pin-stripes

 

[oneshot808]

nice build and gallery. 285 duratracs sit nice on 4R

 

[tral]

Really liking the PC on the wheels. You had me going PD but think that it is going to be a pain to clean like you said.

If i could ask, did PC take long? all in the same day?

 

[jdtaylor42]

Really liking the PC on the wheels. You had me going PD but think that it is going to be a pain to clean like you said.

If i could ask, did PC take long? all in the same day?

Yeah PD is a great short term solution but if you know for sure you want them colored then PC is awesome.

For my shop it was same day. I dropped the wheels off at 9am and had them back by 3pm.

 

[PNW Hoonigan]

How well did the plasti dip hold up on the wheels? I see you ended up powder coating them, which I am reading between the lines that the plasti dip didn't hold out well long term?

 

[itsdchz]

Very nice truck, and very awesome thread!

 

[eliminator]

Great photos jdtaylor42, already made one of them my desktop background.

 

[DannyLlama]

There you are!

I'm loving the wheels.. looking good and I will mostly likely do the same once I get a good set of wheels.

Can you powder a wheel with a descent curb rash?

 

[Fireguy25]

Awesome photos and build. Really wish there was trails and views like that in the southeast part of the county.

 

[J-BlickPhoto]

Yesterday I decided to take Perkinsville Road which is a scenic drive and leads to a fun wheeling trail. Had a good time

Loving the powder-coating on the wheels. Looks better, WAY easier to clean, and tough as nails.

For those wondering if you can fit a 285/70 in the stock location, yes you can but it's a good idea to move it when wheeling. I usually throw it on the roof but didn't feel like it this day and ended up scrubbing it here

I say if your dashboard doesn't look like this at some point while wheeling, you aren't going hard enough.

Traction Control Off, Vehicle Stability Control Off, ABS Off, Tires Aired Down, 4WD Lo Engaged, Rear Locker Engaged, First Gear. Now give it some gas.

Overlooking a cool old ghost-town

Guess I'll come back

And there went all that hard work buffing out pin-stripes

Would you believe I drove a prius up Perkinsville RD after visiting that "ghost town"...fyi...don't go there.

 

[C4 Fabrication]

Excellent photos! 4runner is lookin good

 

[jdtaylor42]

How well did the plasti dip hold up on the wheels? I see you ended up powder coating them, which I am reading between the lines that the plasti dip didn't hold out well long term?

For an off-road rig, for long-term, I wouldn't suggest PD. I had dipped my VW Passat wheels and they looked just as good two years in as they did day 1. But since I routinely got the truck very dirty and was washing all the time it got to be a pain to try and be careful washing the PD without tearing it.

Also just lightly scrubbing PD with a soapy microfiber towel like the rest of the truck does not remove mud. I found the best way was to spray with liberal amounts of windex and wipe them. Needless to say that becomes a pain

Very nice truck, and very awesome thread!

Great photos jdtaylor42, already made one of them my desktop background.

Excellent photos! 4runner is lookin good

Thanks!!

There you are!

I'm loving the wheels.. looking good and I will mostly likely do the same once I get a good set of wheels.

Can you powder a wheel with a descent curb rash?

You definitely can powdercoat over curb rash but it will not smooth it out at all. Since it is electrically bonded it covers very evenly. So whatever lines/breaks you have in the wheels pre-coating will still be there. So far I am VERY happy with the PC though. It is so easy to clean the wheels now and looks better than the PD.

Awesome photos and build. Really wish there was trails and views like that in the southeast part of the county.

I do love how many amazing places there are to explore in the four corners states! But I also miss all the water/lakes in my home state of Arkansas.

Would you believe I drove a prius up Perkinsville RD after visiting that "ghost town"...fyi...don't go there.

Haha that's awesome. I drove Schnebly Hill Rd out of Sedona yesterday and it has gotten MUCH worse after this years snow melt but I still saw some very small cars trying to navigate the rocks

 

[Loadedpocketz]

First off, great thread! I lived in AZ for 19 years and graduated from ASU but had friends at NAU. So we've motored over some of the same dirt (but a decade or two apart).

Quick question. If you don't mind me asking, how much did your PC guy charge for the wheels? I'm wondering if I could PC my wheels in a gun metal cheaper than a set of NV's would cost. I've never powder coated anything so I have no idea what it costs to do something like a wheel. Looks like they did the lugs too?

 

[jdtaylor42]

First off, great thread! I lived in AZ for 19 years and graduated from ASU but had friends at NAU. So we've motored over some of the same dirt (but a decade or two apart).

Quick question. If you don't mind me asking, how much did your PC guy charge for the wheels? I'm wondering if I could PC my wheels in a gun metal cheaper than a set of NV's would cost. I've never powder coated anything so I have no idea what it costs to do something like a wheel. Looks like they did the lugs too?

Thanks! I had no idea AZ was such an awesome place until we moved here and started exploring. Some really great things to see and do.

My guy charged $60 per wheel and that included the cost to sand-blast the old off the wheels (which he subs out). Since I scheduled it with him he had them all done the same day I dropped them off.

I am sure he could powder-coat the lugs as well but I bought a set on Ebay rather than having him do those so not sure what he would have charged. They were $40 on Ebay if I recall correctly.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Friday I mountain biked Sedona and Saturday I kayaked Lake Pleasant

 

[991-GT3MJK]

I like your idea with bringing a " non attached" ladder. When people attach a ladder to the back i just cant help but think of all the Ford,GMC,Dodge conversion vans from the 70"s and 80"s. Affixed ladders just dont look right on a 4runner. But who asked me anyway. Scenery is Epic!!!

 

[jdtaylor42]

I like your idea with bringing a " non attached" ladder. When people attach a ladder to the back i just cant help but think of all the Ford,GMC,Dodge conversion vans from the 70"s and 80"s. Affixed ladders just dont look right on a 4runner. But who asked me anyway. Scenery is Epic!!!

Yeah everyone has their needs and taste's. Personally I think the Gobi ladder looks good but I just don't think it is functional enough if you plan to use it all the time. The ladder I got is super lightweight, collapses to be very small and only cost $65! Plus I can move it to access whatever section of the roof rack I want. If you are rarely using your ladder or don't need to carry much gear when ascending/descending then the Gobi is a good option but I just felt like this would work a lot better for me.