Sunpilot's 4Runner Official Build Thread

Front bumper looks like it is coming along nicely! Mine has hit a wall; darn you and your warm Arizona climate! Still need to mock up cardboard to see how everything fits. Tempted to just have my buddy cut it on the plasma table how its drawn now and fit it as I go. Guess I need to get the winch and LED lights first.
 
Inv4drZm said:
Front bumper looks like it is coming along nicely! Mine has hit a wall; darn you and your warm Arizona climate! Still need to mock up cardboard to see how everything fits. Tempted to just have my buddy cut it on the plasma table how its drawn now and fit it as I go. Guess I need to get the winch and LED lights first.
Click to expand...

Sorry about the nice weather...love it though.
I envisioned the bumper in my mind before starting. I was just going to wing it and start cutting and fitting steel until I realized that steel is expensive, cutting it is a pain in the rump, if I cut too small then the piece might be scrap, etc. I decided the foam board was the way to go. I can change or adjust until I'm satisfied. Then I have a reasonable chance of getting the steel in the proper shape.
I wish I had a plasma cutter, but I've been doing fine with a sawzall and a grinder with cheap Harbor Freight cutting disks. If I had the ability and means to bend plate, that would be even better, but I don't, so I cut and weld. I assume I'll be spending a lot of time with the grinder doing the finish work to make it look nice.
Good luck with your build...
 
Inv4drZm said:
Front bumper looks like it is coming along nicely! Mine has hit a wall; darn you and your warm Arizona climate! Still need to mock up cardboard to see how everything fits. Tempted to just have my buddy cut it on the plasma table how its drawn now and fit it as I go. Guess I need to get the winch and LED lights first.
Click to expand...

Having the winch is a major plus...then you can see exactly where you have clearance, and where you don't... I tried mocking up my bumper before I got the winch and found I had to redo it because the winch didn't fit where I initially thought it would.
 
I'm curious, did your front suspension go down at all with the addition of the winch? If so, let me know how much you think it went down. Just in case you need to remove the winch for a mockup, figured I'd throw in the request!
 
alia176 said:
I'm curious, did your front suspension go down at all with the addition of the winch? If so, let me know how much you think it went down. Just in case you need to remove the winch for a mockup, figured I'd throw in the request!
Click to expand...

I just installed an Icon front coil over setup up. The new suspension is pretty beefy and I did not notice any sag on the suspension. The winch and the winch tray I made so far are not enough weight to affect the suspension yet. I place the winch on the tray and remove it all the time while I am working and I can't see the truck moving at all. I'm sure after I add the bumper I might get a slight droop, but I can adjust the front springs to balance that out. Remember, I took the original bumper, etc. off, so the weight is not that much different so far. Hope that helps.
 
Looking really good so far. I look forward to see how this turns out, my own build will be along similar lines... :bigok:
 
YetiX said:
Looking really good so far. I look forward to see how this turns out, my own build will be along similar lines... :bigok:
Click to expand...

I'll bet you can't wait to get started. I was all excited after I bought my Runner, and tore into it the next day!

My LED light bar will be here today (Friday). I'm going to incorporate it into the bumper... all I have to do now is get some 3/16" steel to finish the bumper.
 
SunPilot said:
I'll bet you can't wait to get started. I was all excited after I bought my Runner, and tore into it the next day!

My LED light bar will be here today (Friday). I'm going to incorporate it into the bumper... all I have to do now is get some 3/16" steel to finish the bumper.
Click to expand...
I hear you. We're installing the suspension tomorrow, good thing my friend has a big enough garage since it's supposed to be raining. I'm installing the stereo today, can't wait.
 
YetiX said:
I hear you. We're installing the suspension tomorrow, good thing my friend has a big enough garage since it's supposed to be raining. I'm installing the stereo today, can't wait.
Click to expand...

That's great. Are you doing front and rear suspension? Replacing UCA's?
 
Getting ready to build the bumper...finally!

I finished the winch plate and gave it a coat of primer... the primer gives a nice surface for marking and measuring while I mock up the bumper.
20161230_105830 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_105836 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_105853 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_111038 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_111033 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

Everything is coming along nicely. I will have some more welding to do on the winch plate later...just a few brackets that will support the bumper. For now, the plate will provide a nice platform to do the mock up.
 
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Mock up of the bumper

I used the foam board to get my bumper shaped the way I want it to look.
20161230_170456 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161231_133035 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161231_133028 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161231_133144 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
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20161231_133057 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

I finally received the led light that will be placed in the bumper. I went with a Rough Country dual row light. It has spots for distance, and floods for lighting the side all in one light. I hooked it to the battery and it lit up my garage like the sun!. Can't wait to see how it performs on the trails...first I have to make the bumper! I also ordered 4 small led lights, two will go in the wings on the front bumper to act as fog/driving lights and the other two will be reserved for placement in the back bumper when I build that.
20161230_155437 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_155544 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_160030 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20161230_160034 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
 
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Great build! Looking forward to seeing the bumper... I wish I could fab one myself, not too stoked on the options. I'll probably go with ARB though.
Are you putting hoops on it or not?
 
Nice! Foam core board is way better than cardboard. Have fun grinding that's really when I started to get tired on my rear.
 
The bumper looks good so far! Use the flap discs on your grinder. They work fast, with a cleaner look and less gouging. Not as noisy either, so the work is more enjoyable.
 
Starting to transform the bumper from foamboard into steel

I've been out of town for awhile and I am just getting back to my bumper build. The mock up came out nicely, so I decided to start the actual build in steel.
20170106_125355 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170106_125418 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170106_125429 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

I started with the center section. These two pieces are made from 3/16" plate. They have to support the rest of the bumper, contain the front LED light, and support the winch hawser so that's why I went with 3/16"
 
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I made two large openings in the front plate to provide air flow to my lower radiator.
20170106_125439 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

Then, I started fitting the LED light bar and installed brackets to support it.
20170106_130858 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170106_130908 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
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The light bar fits nicely, so I moved the section to the truck to see what it will look like.
20170106_144318 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
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I made sure I had ample clearance between the back of the light and the winch.
20170106_144429 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170106_144432 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

I was satisfied with the clearance and fit so I went back to the bench to weld the sections together.
20170107_110427 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170107_110435 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

I also installed some heavy screen I found at the local metal supply shop. I don't want any branches or debris getting into the radiator.
20170107_110444 by sunpilot1, on Flickr

A coat of primer until I get the rest of the work done.
20170107_120526 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
20170107_125047 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
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I attached it back to the truck to check the results.
20170107_125313 by sunpilot1, on Flickr
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It's looking good, I think. Next, I will start the wing sections. After I get them fabricated and some support brackets tacked in, I will do the final welding and shaping. Should be ready for paint next week... I know, I work slow! LOL
 
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