Superman3043's Build Thread
- Thread starter superman3043
- Start date
Silver4RunnerIS300
Member
You did good [MENTION=68704]superman3043[/MENTION]. Recently detailed mine.
Last edited:
superman3043
Senior Member
Thank you sir. Yeah, you could say I like that look as well. So far it's more daily freindly than anything I've owned besides a 4 cylinder Accord Sedan that I drove from 1999-2004. Other than that, I've only had a lifted 4Runner, and 350z. Those handful of Mustangs don't count because they weren't daily's and the only car I've ever owned besides these was my first car; an old Subaru coupe.
I expected this car to be loud and ride stiff, but compared to what I'm used to, this thing is a Cadillac. Huge trunk, 4 doors, enough room to comfortably seat 4 adults or in my case put 2 car seats if needed. And the best part? So far I'm getting over 26 combined MPG. Just got 36 MPG on the way back from the gym!! I'm on pace for a cruising range of over 400 miles on this first tank. Not too shabby when you consider my truck gets about 13.5 MPG and has a cruising range of about 250 miles. I'm sure as the mods get put on and my right foot gets less patient after break in, I'll be spending more time on boost and those numbers will surely decline some. But for now, all I can say is "wow".
I actually took delivery on June 30th. I'm from da future!
Never!! Maybe... You first. Do I even wheel bro?
Thank you sir. Enjoying it so far. Got my tints put on today and wow what a difference. Yours is looking beautiful as always brother!
superman3043
Senior Member
Still no 4Runner updates, though I've been driving it for the last couple of weeks while the WRX sat in the garage awaiting parts.
But great news! Our son was born last Monday 7/11/16 @ 2201. James was 5lb 5oz and 18" long. Little dude. Mom and baby are doing awesome.
Gotten a little work done to the WRX. Details in that build thread:
It for now. Thanks for stopping in.
But great news! Our son was born last Monday 7/11/16 @ 2201. James was 5lb 5oz and 18" long. Little dude. Mom and baby are doing awesome.
Gotten a little work done to the WRX. Details in that build thread:
It for now. Thanks for stopping in.
Last edited:
Awww, he's a handsome lad! Congratulations man! My baby is 10 months now.... Crawling, sitting, clapping, waving, climbing, and she doesn't stop babbling all day long! Lol. My oldest baby will be 17 in October.Still no 4Runner updates, though I've been driving it for the last couple of weeks while the WRX sat in the garage awaiting parts.
But great news! Our son was born last Monday 7/11/16 @ 2201. James was 5lb 5oz and 18" long. Little dude. Mom and baby are doing awesome.
Gotten a little work done to the WRX. Details in that build thread:
It for now. Thanks for stopping in.
where does the time go. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using Tapatalk
superman3043
Senior Member
Did some 4Runner stuff. Enjoying the Subaru and the great fuel mileage and fun it provides but I've really been missing my truck. I felt so bad that she had to give up her garage space for the new girl so I spent the last week detailing her. A pretty big job.
Driving her to work this week and will probably continue alternating them weekly. Gas mileage sucks but I appreciate the comfort of my truck and automatic transmission on certain days of my commute. Also want to ensure she stays in good running order, so I won't allow her to sit too long.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Driving her to work this week and will probably continue alternating them weekly. Gas mileage sucks but I appreciate the comfort of my truck and automatic transmission on certain days of my commute. Also want to ensure she stays in good running order, so I won't allow her to sit too long.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
superman3043
Senior Member
King Coils
This has been on the list of things to do for a long time, just didn't want to put the time or money into it, but ever since swapping out my old blue Fox coilovers for the new silver and black ones, she hasn't really ridden the same.
The blue ones felt very stiff to me at first, but after adding a bumper and removing the sway bar, it rode perfect. After swapping them out, I immediately noticed a lot more body roll, sloppiness, and loss in ride height, and had to put the sway bar back on right away. Not really sure what my coil rate was on the blue shocks, but it definitely wasn't the same.
With the weight of the V8, bumper and winch, some heavier coils were definitely in order. The coilovers were already preloaded to about 2" worth of thread and still rode sloppy and had a considerable amount of rake (about 2.5"). So I finally ordered some 14" 700# King coils. The stock Fox's are 13" 600# for reference.
A buddy of mine just put some (supposedly) 14" 700# Eibach coils on some Fox's on his new Taco and when I looked at his, which sits even with an AAL in the rear, he still had a considerable amount of preload on his (about 1-3/4"). So I went with that even though it didn't make mathematical sense in my head. HUGE mistake. Truck sat WAY too high afterward. After consulting with another buddy with a 4th Gen with bumper (but V6) who also supposedly has 14" 700# Eibachs over some Radflo's, he said that his was only around 3/4" to 1" of preload, which made much more sense to me. I dialed mine back down to 7/8", which was a huge ordeal on it's own, and now she sits and rides absolutely perfect. I still have about 1-1/4" of rake which is what I prefer, since my rear coils are pretty light, so I don't want her to look nose high when accelerating or carrying a load. Sway bar still intact at the moment, as she spends oh 99% of the time on the road these days. No time to wheel.. ugh. So for those following the math, I up my coils 1" in height 100#'s in spring rate, dropped the preload about 1-1/8" and gained about 1-1/4" lift. I'd like to plug all this data in and write a calculator for people trying to determine preload to ride heights, but I'm sure I'd need to obtain a lot more variables and plus I don't have them time lol. I know it would have been a damn useful tool for me as I've had to fool around with ride heights and coilover adjustments way more than I would have liked to.
Anyway shit... that was a lot of typing just talking about a couple springs lol. Sorry.
New coils installed. I really missed seeing the blue in there:
So now that the front end ride height is significantly high, I'm starting to experience a vibration caused from my aftermarket CV's when the front end unloads under heavy acceleration. Going to have to dig up and rebuild my factory axles at some point. Also up next, she's in desperate need of grease everywhere. Suspension is cycling very loudly ATM.
In other news, the WRX is still around and doing it's thing. My son is 4 months old and awesome. He's the greatest baby and is getting to that fun age now. His big sister is also the best little girl on the planet, but growing up way too fast. I've recently taken up obstacle coarse/mud run racing and have really been enjoying doing and training for those. Competed in my first Spartan Race last month (You can see the only sticker that stands out on my window above) and I'm hooked. Plan on completing a trifecta calendar year 2017. Wife has also started training and enjoying physical fitness as a post baby bounce back routine. She's killing it. We're both still using Thrive (LBK1744.le-vel.com for those interested) and loving our results. I'm 7 months on it now and still look forward to it every day. So yeah, work's good, life's good. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!! Thanks for stopping in.
This has been on the list of things to do for a long time, just didn't want to put the time or money into it, but ever since swapping out my old blue Fox coilovers for the new silver and black ones, she hasn't really ridden the same.
The blue ones felt very stiff to me at first, but after adding a bumper and removing the sway bar, it rode perfect. After swapping them out, I immediately noticed a lot more body roll, sloppiness, and loss in ride height, and had to put the sway bar back on right away. Not really sure what my coil rate was on the blue shocks, but it definitely wasn't the same.
With the weight of the V8, bumper and winch, some heavier coils were definitely in order. The coilovers were already preloaded to about 2" worth of thread and still rode sloppy and had a considerable amount of rake (about 2.5"). So I finally ordered some 14" 700# King coils. The stock Fox's are 13" 600# for reference.
A buddy of mine just put some (supposedly) 14" 700# Eibach coils on some Fox's on his new Taco and when I looked at his, which sits even with an AAL in the rear, he still had a considerable amount of preload on his (about 1-3/4"). So I went with that even though it didn't make mathematical sense in my head. HUGE mistake. Truck sat WAY too high afterward. After consulting with another buddy with a 4th Gen with bumper (but V6) who also supposedly has 14" 700# Eibachs over some Radflo's, he said that his was only around 3/4" to 1" of preload, which made much more sense to me. I dialed mine back down to 7/8", which was a huge ordeal on it's own, and now she sits and rides absolutely perfect. I still have about 1-1/4" of rake which is what I prefer, since my rear coils are pretty light, so I don't want her to look nose high when accelerating or carrying a load. Sway bar still intact at the moment, as she spends oh 99% of the time on the road these days. No time to wheel.. ugh. So for those following the math, I up my coils 1" in height 100#'s in spring rate, dropped the preload about 1-1/8" and gained about 1-1/4" lift. I'd like to plug all this data in and write a calculator for people trying to determine preload to ride heights, but I'm sure I'd need to obtain a lot more variables and plus I don't have them time lol. I know it would have been a damn useful tool for me as I've had to fool around with ride heights and coilover adjustments way more than I would have liked to.
Anyway shit... that was a lot of typing just talking about a couple springs lol. Sorry.
New coils installed. I really missed seeing the blue in there:
So now that the front end ride height is significantly high, I'm starting to experience a vibration caused from my aftermarket CV's when the front end unloads under heavy acceleration. Going to have to dig up and rebuild my factory axles at some point. Also up next, she's in desperate need of grease everywhere. Suspension is cycling very loudly ATM.
In other news, the WRX is still around and doing it's thing. My son is 4 months old and awesome. He's the greatest baby and is getting to that fun age now. His big sister is also the best little girl on the planet, but growing up way too fast. I've recently taken up obstacle coarse/mud run racing and have really been enjoying doing and training for those. Competed in my first Spartan Race last month (You can see the only sticker that stands out on my window above) and I'm hooked. Plan on completing a trifecta calendar year 2017. Wife has also started training and enjoying physical fitness as a post baby bounce back routine. She's killing it. We're both still using Thrive (LBK1744.le-vel.com for those interested) and loving our results. I'm 7 months on it now and still look forward to it every day. So yeah, work's good, life's good. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!! Thanks for stopping in.
Last edited:
superman3043
Senior Member
210K Miles
Another un-exciting post just for documentation and information.
As mentioned earlier, I was experiencing some front end vibration under extreme CV angle conditions that I assumed was due to my aftermarket axles. So the plan was to put the factory units back in. The reason for the swap in the first place was because of the spurting grease that we've pretty much all experienced post lift. In retrospect, I should have just re-clamped them like a lot of folks do and and just went about my business, because the boots were not torn and still serviceable. But I'm still happy to have done the job (twice now), because now I know how to do it.
I had to split the job up and do one side at a time this go around and each side took me about two hours per session, including cleaning up and topping off the diff. Most difficult part was again dislodging and re-seating the clip in the diff. I'd think the job could be done in under 4 hours if doing both sides at once, but would definitely schedule that amount of time.
After checking the local parts store for some clamping solutions, I came across these:
Universal boot clamp kit. Cost was $2.99 and each set comes with two clamps; 1-large and 1-small. The things I like about these is that they are very similar to the OEM style clamp, can be easily installed in place while on the truck, low profile compared to a worm drive clamp, and do not require an special crimping tools unlike the OEM style clamps. All you need is a flat tip screw driver and some pliers to install these. I only needed one kit for the job, just ended up clipping more excess off of one than the other.
Cleaned them up and installed:
In examining the two units side by side it's really hard to visually pinpoint where the issue stems from, but it appears that the slot shaped indentions on the tulip housing are deeper on the aftermarket units, which cause the half-shaft the clip them as they come around at extreme angles.
I'm happy to report that the stock units have solved my issues and the truck drives amazing. Happy to have the piece of mind of factory units back in and I suppose that the cheap aftermarket parts can serve as emergency trail spares if I ever get back to wheeling again lol. Happy New Year guys!!
Edit 1/24/17: So update to the above. These things didn't work out so well. I don't think they generate a good enough clamping force as there was still grease starting to spurt out. Last night I replaced them with the same style worm gears that everyone uses. Hopefully we're good to go now.
Another un-exciting post just for documentation and information.
As mentioned earlier, I was experiencing some front end vibration under extreme CV angle conditions that I assumed was due to my aftermarket axles. So the plan was to put the factory units back in. The reason for the swap in the first place was because of the spurting grease that we've pretty much all experienced post lift. In retrospect, I should have just re-clamped them like a lot of folks do and and just went about my business, because the boots were not torn and still serviceable. But I'm still happy to have done the job (twice now), because now I know how to do it.
I had to split the job up and do one side at a time this go around and each side took me about two hours per session, including cleaning up and topping off the diff. Most difficult part was again dislodging and re-seating the clip in the diff. I'd think the job could be done in under 4 hours if doing both sides at once, but would definitely schedule that amount of time.
After checking the local parts store for some clamping solutions, I came across these:
Universal boot clamp kit. Cost was $2.99 and each set comes with two clamps; 1-large and 1-small. The things I like about these is that they are very similar to the OEM style clamp, can be easily installed in place while on the truck, low profile compared to a worm drive clamp, and do not require an special crimping tools unlike the OEM style clamps. All you need is a flat tip screw driver and some pliers to install these. I only needed one kit for the job, just ended up clipping more excess off of one than the other.
Cleaned them up and installed:
In examining the two units side by side it's really hard to visually pinpoint where the issue stems from, but it appears that the slot shaped indentions on the tulip housing are deeper on the aftermarket units, which cause the half-shaft the clip them as they come around at extreme angles.
I'm happy to report that the stock units have solved my issues and the truck drives amazing. Happy to have the piece of mind of factory units back in and I suppose that the cheap aftermarket parts can serve as emergency trail spares if I ever get back to wheeling again lol. Happy New Year guys!!
Edit 1/24/17: So update to the above. These things didn't work out so well. I don't think they generate a good enough clamping force as there was still grease starting to spurt out. Last night I replaced them with the same style worm gears that everyone uses. Hopefully we're good to go now.
Last edited:
superman3043
Senior Member
212K mile update
Nothing exciting. Just documenting for my own purposes.
Regular maintenance: oil, windshield wipers, etc. Truck still solid and a pleasure to drive.
Front end was starting to get noisy when turning the wheel while stopped. Thought it was some power steering noises, so I flushed out the fluid again and this time, took the reservoir out and cleaned all the gunk. It didn't fix it. Had an epiphany the other day and thought that it could be either the poly bushings in my UCA's or the LBJ's needing grease. So I greased them yesterday and that seems to have remedied the noise.
I had to rewire one of my Rigid fog lights. It was shorting in and out. Got around to fixing that yesterday as well.
Last week, I started to do my TPMS canister for my spare sensor. A little back ground: My truck still has the original spare under it from 2005. So it doesn't hold air very well. I need to add air every time the temp drops. Tread is brand new, but tire is old as hell. Instead of buying a new spare tire that really wouldn't serve a purpose, I was going to do this TPMS bypass canister to trick the light. For those that don't know, it's basically just a pressurized "pipe bomb" used to keep the sensors under pressure. I was also looking forward to not having to haul around that extra weight and possibly using the cavity where the spare resides for something else. Maybe an OBA tank or something. Anyway, I dropped the spare the other day and since I was goofing around with my air compressor, I inflated it back to spec (it was only 4 lbs low btw). I left the tire sitting there at the end of the driveway. So anyway, I've driven the truck several times now without the spare and no light. So that's fantastic. I'll continue to monitor, but if it stays that way, I'll call it good. No canister needed. Maybe it's set up to monitor 4 OR 5 sensors? Who knows.
Next I think I'm going to order some new headlights. Mine look a mess right now. Also, thinking about doing something different for the grill. Maybe go back to the 05 style. I'm getting tired of my mesh grille.
Other than that, still staying healthy. Wife ran her first Spartan Race with me last month just 9 months after birthing our son. Put's me two races away from completing my trifecta for 2017. Kids growing up like crazy. Life's good.
Boring post that's really just for me.
Nothing exciting. Just documenting for my own purposes.
Regular maintenance: oil, windshield wipers, etc. Truck still solid and a pleasure to drive.
Front end was starting to get noisy when turning the wheel while stopped. Thought it was some power steering noises, so I flushed out the fluid again and this time, took the reservoir out and cleaned all the gunk. It didn't fix it. Had an epiphany the other day and thought that it could be either the poly bushings in my UCA's or the LBJ's needing grease. So I greased them yesterday and that seems to have remedied the noise.
I had to rewire one of my Rigid fog lights. It was shorting in and out. Got around to fixing that yesterday as well.
Last week, I started to do my TPMS canister for my spare sensor. A little back ground: My truck still has the original spare under it from 2005. So it doesn't hold air very well. I need to add air every time the temp drops. Tread is brand new, but tire is old as hell. Instead of buying a new spare tire that really wouldn't serve a purpose, I was going to do this TPMS bypass canister to trick the light. For those that don't know, it's basically just a pressurized "pipe bomb" used to keep the sensors under pressure. I was also looking forward to not having to haul around that extra weight and possibly using the cavity where the spare resides for something else. Maybe an OBA tank or something. Anyway, I dropped the spare the other day and since I was goofing around with my air compressor, I inflated it back to spec (it was only 4 lbs low btw). I left the tire sitting there at the end of the driveway. So anyway, I've driven the truck several times now without the spare and no light. So that's fantastic. I'll continue to monitor, but if it stays that way, I'll call it good. No canister needed. Maybe it's set up to monitor 4 OR 5 sensors? Who knows.
Next I think I'm going to order some new headlights. Mine look a mess right now. Also, thinking about doing something different for the grill. Maybe go back to the 05 style. I'm getting tired of my mesh grille.
Other than that, still staying healthy. Wife ran her first Spartan Race with me last month just 9 months after birthing our son. Put's me two races away from completing my trifecta for 2017. Kids growing up like crazy. Life's good.
Boring post that's really just for me.
superman3043
Senior Member
Memorial Day Weekend '17
Long weekend, so I decided to tackle a few truck items. Mostly touch-up type stuff.
Every time I pulled in the driveway, I was stared at with hazy headlights, rock chips, and just a sad looking front end all around.
Last time I baked these headlights, in haste, I failed all around. On the passenger side, I forgot to install the orange and clear reflector thingies back on. Note the lovely rock chips on the lower headlight trim piece:
And on the drivers side, I remembered to put the things back in, but broke the clips on the orange one, so over time, it wound up here. Just lovely. Note the rock chips on the trim piece AND the hood:
I started by dusting off my old grill and re-dipping it. I had a lot of motivation to get away from the mesh grill. The border was starting to chip, mesh was fading, shoddy craftsmanship (my own), and I never really could get the hood release latch lever in a position I was happy with, making it sort of a pain to release. I don't have an emblem for the old grill and it would cost like 30 bucks after shipping to get a new one, so for now, I'm emblem-less, because I'm cheap.
Then I pulled the driver side headlight and baked it to remove the reflectors. I like the cleaner look.
Followed that by a headlight restoration and sealing. Again, because I'm cheap, I went this route instead of buying new. I didn't want to buy aftermarket because I've been burned my aftermarket side mirrors and light assemblies with shit quality. Didn't want to buy used OEM to have to re-bake, repaint, and restore. So I did this. We'll see how long they hold up.
Then paint touch-up. I actually decided to dip the lower headlight trim pieces, because they are extremely chip prone and dip seems to be a bit more resilient than paint. Sprayed the top deck of my bumper black because I forgot to mask from splatter from the headlight restoration. Re-dipped my light bar because it looked bad. Tried to use touch-up paint on the leading edge of the hood, but it may be too far gone. I think I may lay a strip of vinyl across here. End result (hard to see a huge difference in pics, but in real life it made world of difference):
Also did something I've wanted to do for a long time which was de-badge the sides:
And everything in "better" light:
Probably not exciting to anybody but me. My wife literally said "it looks the same", but it was so nice being able to give her a little love.
Yesterday (Memorial Day), she drove me to a nearby crossfit box to participate in my first Murph Challenge. Still smiling after all that:
Long weekend, so I decided to tackle a few truck items. Mostly touch-up type stuff.
Every time I pulled in the driveway, I was stared at with hazy headlights, rock chips, and just a sad looking front end all around.
Last time I baked these headlights, in haste, I failed all around. On the passenger side, I forgot to install the orange and clear reflector thingies back on. Note the lovely rock chips on the lower headlight trim piece:
And on the drivers side, I remembered to put the things back in, but broke the clips on the orange one, so over time, it wound up here. Just lovely. Note the rock chips on the trim piece AND the hood:
I started by dusting off my old grill and re-dipping it. I had a lot of motivation to get away from the mesh grill. The border was starting to chip, mesh was fading, shoddy craftsmanship (my own), and I never really could get the hood release latch lever in a position I was happy with, making it sort of a pain to release. I don't have an emblem for the old grill and it would cost like 30 bucks after shipping to get a new one, so for now, I'm emblem-less, because I'm cheap.
Then I pulled the driver side headlight and baked it to remove the reflectors. I like the cleaner look.
Followed that by a headlight restoration and sealing. Again, because I'm cheap, I went this route instead of buying new. I didn't want to buy aftermarket because I've been burned my aftermarket side mirrors and light assemblies with shit quality. Didn't want to buy used OEM to have to re-bake, repaint, and restore. So I did this. We'll see how long they hold up.
Then paint touch-up. I actually decided to dip the lower headlight trim pieces, because they are extremely chip prone and dip seems to be a bit more resilient than paint. Sprayed the top deck of my bumper black because I forgot to mask from splatter from the headlight restoration. Re-dipped my light bar because it looked bad. Tried to use touch-up paint on the leading edge of the hood, but it may be too far gone. I think I may lay a strip of vinyl across here. End result (hard to see a huge difference in pics, but in real life it made world of difference):
Also did something I've wanted to do for a long time which was de-badge the sides:
And everything in "better" light:
Probably not exciting to anybody but me. My wife literally said "it looks the same", but it was so nice being able to give her a little love.
Yesterday (Memorial Day), she drove me to a nearby crossfit box to participate in my first Murph Challenge. Still smiling after all that:
Last edited:
BackOff
New member
I think it looks better!
One little safety notice about the front amber reflectors... in case you care.
They are there for your and others safety at night.
Don't know about your state but in Oregon you need the amber reflector in the headlights.
olice:
Say you are broke down on the side of, or in the road, in a bad corner or bad weather conditions, or a dead battery.
Some one not paying attention driving, like most drivers seem to be, comes flying around the corner and BAM hits the front of your runner that you have illegal headlights installed on. Not that it would be your fault they hit you but the insurance company may not see it the same way.
Could probably put an amber reflector/sticker on the bumper or some were in the front/side.
This has been a public safety announcement...now, back to your regular programing.
One little safety notice about the front amber reflectors... in case you care.
They are there for your and others safety at night.
Don't know about your state but in Oregon you need the amber reflector in the headlights.
olice:Say you are broke down on the side of, or in the road, in a bad corner or bad weather conditions, or a dead battery.
Some one not paying attention driving, like most drivers seem to be, comes flying around the corner and BAM hits the front of your runner that you have illegal headlights installed on. Not that it would be your fault they hit you but the insurance company may not see it the same way.
Could probably put an amber reflector/sticker on the bumper or some were in the front/side.
This has been a public safety announcement...now, back to your regular programing.
superman3043
Senior Member
I think it looks better!
One little safety notice about the front amber reflectors... in case you care.
They are there for your and others safety at night.
Don't know about your state but in Oregon you need the amber reflector in the headlights.
Say you are broke down on the side of, or in the road, in a bad corner or bad weather conditions, or a dead battery.
Some one not paying attention driving, like most drivers seem to be, comes flying around the corner and BAM hits the front of your runner that you have illegal headlights installed on. Not that it would be your fault they hit you but the insurance company may not see it the same way.
Could probably put an amber reflector/sticker on the bumper or some were in the front/side.
This has been a public safety announcement...now, back to your regular programing.
Cool, thanks for the heads up. Yeah, I'm not too concerned about it. Hell in my Subaru world, they intentionally sell parts in the aftermarket that get rid of the orange reflector, so apparently they don't think it a huge deal. I've got orange reflector marker lights in my bumper, should be "good enough".
I'm fortunate enough to live in the wonderful free-for-all state of SC, that doesn't mandate state inspections. All my vehicles ride with illegal window tint, and basically people roll around here with lights and exhaust (or lack of) that would be considered out of control anywhere else. Love it.
superman3043
Senior Member
meh, actually doesn't look too bad when it's clean. That's the beauty of all my armor bits though. I just rattle can them shits.
WOW...
I sent superman a PM a few hours ago when I started reading this thread and not that I have not accomplished anything at work today, I am finished.
I have to say well done. I just switched over from Jeeps to 4runners and have a similar build in mind. I just pushed a piece meal icon/toytech lift and am excited to get things started.
Also, I like your choice in other toys. Myself, I have previously owned 5 fox body mustangs and am in the process of trying to convince my wife that its ok for me to get another one. Its a tough sell since I have a blown engine in my 97 TJ, an uncompleted LS swap in my 69 firebird, and a 48 ford pickup that she refuses to drive in because of how bad you smell from exhaust when you get done driving...lol.
Once again, great job. Keep up the good work.
I sent superman a PM a few hours ago when I started reading this thread and not that I have not accomplished anything at work today, I am finished.
I have to say well done. I just switched over from Jeeps to 4runners and have a similar build in mind. I just pushed a piece meal icon/toytech lift and am excited to get things started.
Also, I like your choice in other toys. Myself, I have previously owned 5 fox body mustangs and am in the process of trying to convince my wife that its ok for me to get another one. Its a tough sell since I have a blown engine in my 97 TJ, an uncompleted LS swap in my 69 firebird, and a 48 ford pickup that she refuses to drive in because of how bad you smell from exhaust when you get done driving...lol.
Once again, great job. Keep up the good work.
superman3043
Senior Member
Wow, thanks a lot man. Appreciate you showing this old build some love. It's been a while since I've had any legitimate "build" traction, but honestly, I'm just enjoying the truck in it's current form whenever I have time. Not really anything I'm dying to get done, just routine maintenance type stuff.
Time and money seem to be funneled everywhere except toward the truck nowadays, but from being single, to married, to one kid, to two kids, the 4Runner has stuck with me through it all. And she rarely asks for anything.
Hope I was able to answer your questions with the PM's. I'm humbled that you devoted your afternoon to thumbing through all of my rambling.
Sounds like we're like minded indeed. I don't know if I'll ever own another fox body, but they'll always hold a special place in my heart (both good and bad). But I know what you mean, my silver fox body would leave me wreaking of fuel after driving it.
But yeah, If I had that many unfinished projects laying around, my wife would have my head.
superman3043
Senior Member
Packed up, cleaned up, and beach bound. Back to our old stomping grounds. Notice the 2013 and 2017 vehicles in the back yet still won't hesitate to road trip the '05.
Also added my Murph decal
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Also added my Murph decal
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
superman3043
Senior Member
RAD RUBBER HD Engine Splash Guards
Got the chance to address an issue that has been plaguing me since the body lift was installed and I began wheeling (so a long ass time ago). These dilapidated, unsightly engine splash shields.
After perusing a members build thread, which is something that I haven't done in a long time, I stumbled across a link for these RAD RUBBER HD Engine Splash Guards that another member had posted as a suggestion. The takeaway that I garnished from that was that I need to spend time reading more builds. Company's, innovators, and entrepreneurs are coming out with new, problem solving, products all the time since I've stepped away from my build, and I owe it to my truck to keep my ears on the streets.
Yes, I know people buy sheets of rubber and do their own all time. Trust me, I looked into it too.
So here's what we started with:
Not much as you can see. Was a sad scene. They were literally crumbling apart in my hands while I was removing them.
Old compared with new:
Close up of thickness comparison. The RAD's are 1/8" gas and oil resistant Nitrile rubber:
Installed:
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Price - I think he's got them priced right. After looking at the cost of material, the time I'd need to put in to make them, and what the dealer charges for OEM replacements (junk), I feel these are well worth the price he's charging. They also come with a complete new set of fasteners that are much better than the factory ones.
Delivery - Holy smokes!! I ordered these Friday morning and they were delivered on Monday. I know he's only a couple states away, but that is one business day delivery coming USPS. Super impressed.
Quality - As you can see by the shots, they look to be very heavy duty units and I don't think I'll have any issues with them holding up. Time will tell of course.
Installation - Was an absolute breeze of course. Pulling out the old clips was the hardest part. The kit comes with clear, easy to follow instructions if you need them, and they're available on the website as well. Took me a couple of minutes in the parking lot at work on my lunch break.
Overall - I'm happy to have found an off the shelf solution for this issue. Glad I could support a small business for Toyota enthusiasts. Love the fact that you can order these "Body Lift Ready" and that they come packaged with their own fasteners at a reasonable price. It also doesn't look like I'll have too much of an issue accessing my grease fittings for my UCA bushings with these.
I'd highly recommend Eddie Fink and RAD Rubber Design. Thanks for stopping in!
Edit: Also forgot to mention before, that some time after swapping my OEM CV's back in, I also changed my new wheel bearing back out to my OEM one. I saw some grease back in there when i did my CV and also remnants of a chewed up one of those springy bands. I'm not sure if there was an actual issue or not, but just swapped it out any way. I don't know if that springy thing was part of the axle assembly or part of the hub/bearing assembly and I didn't really investigate, but everything appeared to be in tact, so I just cleaned it up and put it together. I was happy to have my long studs back on the front though. Anyway, no value to anybody else. I just wanted to annotate this, to document what I did.
Also, while browsing Poly Performances Fathers Day sale, I saw that these were a thing - Icon Vehicle Dynamics Delta Joint Ball Joint. Got me thinking hmm..... Their price on the ARB skid set is not so bad either. I know it's not as beefy as the steel deals, but it might be the sweet spot of price, performance, and weight for my purposes...
Got the chance to address an issue that has been plaguing me since the body lift was installed and I began wheeling (so a long ass time ago). These dilapidated, unsightly engine splash shields.
After perusing a members build thread, which is something that I haven't done in a long time, I stumbled across a link for these RAD RUBBER HD Engine Splash Guards that another member had posted as a suggestion. The takeaway that I garnished from that was that I need to spend time reading more builds. Company's, innovators, and entrepreneurs are coming out with new, problem solving, products all the time since I've stepped away from my build, and I owe it to my truck to keep my ears on the streets.
Yes, I know people buy sheets of rubber and do their own all time. Trust me, I looked into it too.
So here's what we started with:
Not much as you can see. Was a sad scene. They were literally crumbling apart in my hands while I was removing them.
Old compared with new:
Close up of thickness comparison. The RAD's are 1/8" gas and oil resistant Nitrile rubber:
Installed:
INITIAL THOUGHTS
Price - I think he's got them priced right. After looking at the cost of material, the time I'd need to put in to make them, and what the dealer charges for OEM replacements (junk), I feel these are well worth the price he's charging. They also come with a complete new set of fasteners that are much better than the factory ones.
Delivery - Holy smokes!! I ordered these Friday morning and they were delivered on Monday. I know he's only a couple states away, but that is one business day delivery coming USPS. Super impressed.
Quality - As you can see by the shots, they look to be very heavy duty units and I don't think I'll have any issues with them holding up. Time will tell of course.
Installation - Was an absolute breeze of course. Pulling out the old clips was the hardest part. The kit comes with clear, easy to follow instructions if you need them, and they're available on the website as well. Took me a couple of minutes in the parking lot at work on my lunch break.
Overall - I'm happy to have found an off the shelf solution for this issue. Glad I could support a small business for Toyota enthusiasts. Love the fact that you can order these "Body Lift Ready" and that they come packaged with their own fasteners at a reasonable price. It also doesn't look like I'll have too much of an issue accessing my grease fittings for my UCA bushings with these.
I'd highly recommend Eddie Fink and RAD Rubber Design. Thanks for stopping in!
Edit: Also forgot to mention before, that some time after swapping my OEM CV's back in, I also changed my new wheel bearing back out to my OEM one. I saw some grease back in there when i did my CV and also remnants of a chewed up one of those springy bands. I'm not sure if there was an actual issue or not, but just swapped it out any way. I don't know if that springy thing was part of the axle assembly or part of the hub/bearing assembly and I didn't really investigate, but everything appeared to be in tact, so I just cleaned it up and put it together. I was happy to have my long studs back on the front though. Anyway, no value to anybody else. I just wanted to annotate this, to document what I did.
Also, while browsing Poly Performances Fathers Day sale, I saw that these were a thing - Icon Vehicle Dynamics Delta Joint Ball Joint. Got me thinking hmm..... Their price on the ARB skid set is not so bad either. I know it's not as beefy as the steel deals, but it might be the sweet spot of price, performance, and weight for my purposes...
Last edited:
Inv4drZm
Senior Member
I built my own engine splash guards, but the price Rad Rubber Designs is charging is very reasonable, I agree.
Icon's delta joint's 5yr warranty (when used with their products) is pretty insane. I wish they made a 1.25" joint to use with my Camburg arms. My uniballs are holding up pretty good though, not sure the added cost over a cheaper uniball rebuild would be worth it for me.
I didn't know ARB's skids were that cheap! Not a bad option if you stay out of the boulder-sized rocks.
