Sunpilot's 4Runner Official Build Thread

[SunPilot]

Sunpilot's 2007 V-8 SE Official Build Thread

Welcome to my build thread. I have a few photos of my 2007 4Runner Sport Edition. I just acquired this truck last week... 10-18-16. My plan is to create a nice durable and capable overland expedition rig.

This is how she looks today

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attac...224410&stc=1&d=1477435037&d=14774350377435037
-------------------------------------------
My upgrades will include

SUSPENSION:

Icon2.5 coil-over front shocks
Icon uniball UCa's
Icon rear 2.0 extended travel shocks
Icon rear Overland springs

TIRES/WHEELS:

Not decided yet...lot's to think about, but the tires will be in the 33" range

BUMPERS:

I plan to fabricate my own front and rear bumpers. The front will have a winch, LED fog and running lights, and tow hooks

The rear bumper will have 2 swing aways, one for fuel cans, and the other to carry my spare tire.

NAV:

I plan on a nav system that will encompass topo maps for deep excursions off the main road. I'm thinking about a carputer system, or maybe converting a tablet for that purpose.

COMMUNICATIONS:

CB radio and a 2meter/70cm Ham radio... I already hold a General Ham license

EXTRAS:

I will be building a nice low roof rack to carry a roof top tent and awning

12v Fridge, camp stove, slide out drawers, first aid kits, etc.

OTHER UPGRADES:

Rear locker (haven't decided on electronic or air, or maybe an upgraded axle swap

Dual battery system

Onboard air compressor

A lot of other stuff too numerous to mention now.

I plan to start next week sometime!

 

[having fun]

Member for 6 yrs, a few post, and JUST purchased your runner.

Guess it took awhile to find the just right one. LOL.

Got quite a list there, will be checking into this one. Clean ride!

 

[Inv4drZm]

Got quite a list there, will be checking into this one. Clean ride!

Too clean. Its the perfect donor vehicle to bolt a bunch of crap to me thinks!

 

[having fun]

Too clean. Its the perfect donor vehicle to bolt a bunch of crap to me thinks!

LOL.... That's what others say about mine, until they get up close and see the real damage.

 

[SunPilot]

I took some measurements today so I will have something to compare my final build to.

Left Front tire to bottom of fender is........ 3-1/2"
Right Front tire to bottom of fender is........ 3-9/16"

Left Front floor to bottom of fender is....... 33"
Right Front floor to bottom of fender is...... 33-1/4"

Left Rear tire to bottom of fender is.......... 5-9/16"
Right Rear tire to bottom of fender is........ 5-7/8"

Left Rear floor to bottom of fender is........ 35-1/4"
Right Rear floor to bottom of fender is....... 35-5/8"

I measured from floor to bottom of my frame where the back of the fron door meets the front of the rear door

Left Side floor to frame is...................... 12-3/8"

Left Side floor to bottom of center skid plate is....8-3/4"

Right Side floor to frame is... 12-3/8"

The height from floor to bottom of rear diff is... 9"

The height from floor to bottom of front skid under ft. axle is.. 7-1/4"

I also measured the approach angle in front and it is ...28°

The departure angle in back is (I have the frame mounted tow hitch) 17.7 °

These numbers are mostly for my own reference and to see how the vehicle ends up after the mods, but it is also interesting to compare some numbers to the factory brochure (Toyota's published numbers). Toyota says the approach angle is 30° and I'm only 2° off at 28°. They list the departure angle (with a tow hitch) at 24°. I'm way below at 17.7°. I should note I have fairly new stock size tires on the vehicle.

I can surmise the discrepancies are due to spring sag. I don't know how big a part the XREAS system plays in all this, but it will be eliminated anyway. I should also note that the vehicle has 151,000 miles on it, and the suspension is probably tired.

It will be fun to see what the mod numbers yield in the coming weeks!

 

[SunPilot]

Member for 6 yrs, a few post, and JUST purchased your runner.

Guess it took awhile to find the just right one. LOL.

Got quite a list there, will be checking into this one. Clean ride!

Funny story here... I moved to Arizona exactly 6 years ago, and I came with a 2010 4Runner Trail Edition. I didn't know anyone here and didn't realize how much this area had to offer the off roader. I ended up trading the 4Runner for a new Caddy SRX. Then, I met a guy that became my best friend here in Arizona. We both rode Harleys, and I found out he had a Jeep that he took off roading frequently. So, I bought a Jeep Rubicon and had a lot of fun with it. Sadly, my friend took ill last autumn and couldn't ride his bike or Jeep any longer, so I sold the Rubi and put the money in a box in my study. It sat in that box until last week when I came across this 4Runner... Now I'm starting all over again. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! LOL

 

[SunPilot]

A few more pictures from the day I got her home.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attac...mentid=224413&stc=1&d=1477440027&d=1477440027 http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attac...nt.php?attachmentid=224417&stc=1&d=1477440027

 

[having fun]

Welcome back to the DARK side Luke.

 

[SunPilot]

It is my destiny!

 

[Folsom4Rnr]

Man, that is one C L E E E E E A N engine bay!!! Mine looked like that for a while... until it rained and I got it out into the wild :whoo:
I like the list of to-do's and will be interested to see how it comes along.

For what it's worth... I went the tablet route for my NAV solution. I also have the factory NAV unit, but I like having the bigger screen on the tablet with the mapping software and other digital goodies. Worked well for me so far. If your interested in mounting a tablet, you can check out Arkon (bought mine from AMZN here). I attached it to the pass side seat bracket and bend it out of the way when not in use.

Good luck with the build!

 

[adkfinn]

I took some measurements today so I will have something to compare my final build to.

It will be fun to see what the mod numbers yield in the coming weeks!

[MENTION=56333]SunPilot[/MENTION] : If you want to measure more accurately for suspension component comparo's down the road I would suggest also measuring from your hub center to fender flare. This will exclude the tire size variances...

Clean rig and that is a healthy to-do list. :biggrin1:

 

[SunPilot]

Man, that is one C L E E E E E A N engine bay!!! Mine looked like that for a while... until it rained and I got it out into the wild :whoo:
I like the list of to-do's and will be interested to see how it comes along.

For what it's worth... I went the tablet route for my NAV solution. I also have the factory NAV unit, but I like having the bigger screen on the tablet with the mapping software and other digital goodies. Worked well for me so far. If your interested in mounting a tablet, you can check out Arkon (bought mine from AMZN here). I attached it to the pass side seat bracket and bend it out of the way when not in use.

Good luck with the build!

I've been thinking about the tablet. I don't know how fast the GPS tracks, I suppose the apps like Backcountry Navigator would do well, buy I've never used it.

 

[SunPilot]

[MENTION=56333]SunPilot[/MENTION] : If you want to measure more accurately for suspension component comparo's down the road I would suggest also measuring from your hub center to fender flare. This will exclude the tire size variances...

Clean rig and that is a healthy to-do list. :biggrin1:

I can do that! It is just for my personal reference. Tomorrow I am taking it to the local quarry to have it weighed. I will weigh the whole truck, front axle weight, and rear axle weight. Then I am headed to the freeway to check the speedometer and rpm's at 60 mph. I like to have something to compare to...

 

[SunPilot]

Good news... my suspension components arrived today. I will post some pics tomorrow! Oh yea!!!

 

[BlairB]

Saw your post over on expo. Congrats on the purchase and I am excited to see your build!

 

[Folsom4Rnr]

I've been thinking about the tablet. I don't know how fast the GPS tracks, I suppose the apps like Backcountry Navigator would do well, buy I've never used it.

If I am not mistaken, the quality of the tablet and the GPS chips in it will make all the difference. (At least that is what I recall from my research a while back.) I have a 10" Samsung Tab S ... it has 3 chips (GPS, Glonass, Beidou) and has worked very well for me. (No fires yet :rofl

For overkill precaution, I also got a DeLorme (mostly for the SOS and Sat. Text Msg features), which I pair (Bluetooth) to the tablet. The combo of the two has been robust for me. I've driven up & down HWY 4 and some of the off HWY roads branching out from there (in CA Sierras) and have had good tracks for the most part (surprisingly good for the tree cover and valleys I've been in).

I use BCN and the DeLorme apps for maps as well as one or two others I cant think of off the top of my head. BCN is the one I use the most though (its been the easiest to learn and to load GPX and other external data to).

It may not work for everyone... but Ive been happy with my setup so far.

Good luck in your research and selection. PM me if you have specific questions - am happy to help with what I can.

 

[SunPilot]

I finally have all my suspension parts here at the house

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224695&stc=1&d=1477695575

The Upper Control Arms from Icon

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224696&stc=1&d=1477695575

Nice quality
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224698&stc=1&d=1477695575

I'll be removing the XREAS suspension probably tomorrow. Pictures to follow.

 

[SunPilot]

I did a speedometer assessment today so I have a benchmark to compare the stock truck with the results after I do the suspension and install the new wheels/tires. I will do another speed trial (measured via GPS) after the tires and wheels are installed. That will give me a nice comparison for determining whether to regear or not, and by how much.

Currently, my vehicle's speedometer is reading 62 mph @ 1800 rpm, and the GPS says I am actually doing 60 mph. To verify the GPS figure, I did a time trial on a marked section of highway, and the GPS is very very accurate. It took me 59.8 seconds to cover the measured mile, which is pretty darn close to 60 mph!

I also had my truck weighed at the local quarry. Here are my weights:

Front axle...... 2580#
Rear axle....... 2220#
Total weight... 4820#

I know...the total is 20# more than the combined axle weights. The scale master told me his scales round up or down the weights, which accounts for the 20# discrepancy.

One thing that is bothering me is that Toyota lists the weight of my vehicle at 4505# I'm about 300# over. My front axle weighed in at 2580# and my door plaque says the front gross axle rating is 2710#... that doesn't leave me too much room for a bumper/winch! I have a little over 3/4 tank of gas. I don't know how Toyota measures weights. Also, I have the factory tow bar, which I'm sure adds a few pounds. If any of you have weighed your vehicles, I'd love to know your figures.

 

[SunPilot]

I started the tear down today. I removed the rear tow hitch...This weighed 38.6 pounds... The factory side steps came off next...another 21 pounds (combined for both sides) shed. I'm keeping track of what comes off and what goes on, gonna try and keep the build as light as I can. So far the total is 59.6 pounds. Oh, I also took down the spare but I didn't weigh it yet.

BTW, if anyone lives in the Phoenix - Mesa area and needs any items I'm removing, please PM me... I will also be putting the stuff on Craigslist for sale.

Before and after I removed the tow bar. Looks naked now!
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224869&stc=1&d=1477815450

Before and after the side step removal
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224874&stc=1&d=1477816042
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224875&stc=1&d=1477816119

I have no idea why the one pic posted upside down. I loaded it three times. I even rotated before I uploaded and it still came out like this. I'm baffled

 

[SunPilot]

Upon inspection of the XREAS shocks, all four were wet... I guess they would have needed replaced anyway, so no loss.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224876&stc=1&d=1477816333
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224877&stc=1&d=1477816395
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224878&stc=1&d=1477816395
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=224879&stc=1&d=1477816395

I also noticed the lower control arm bushing were all cracked and old looking. I'm researching how difficult a job it is to replace them, and since I'll have the arm off, I suppose I should do the ball joints too!