The Adventure of Newbie

[nykoda]

Sampson

After deciding my 2nd gen 2wd wasn't enough I decided to sell her and move up in the world. She impressed me day after day but sadly 2wd just isn't 4wd. So I sold her and threw her earnings into a 2005 sr5 4wd v6, 140,xxx.

Here is my old 1990:


Saying hello and goodbye to the newbie:


And here is the night I brought newbie home:


After looking all day long at many 4th gens I knew what I wanted. I love the body style of the 4th generation, 4wd (obviously), immaculate interior, beautiful exterior condition. I didn't want a sport because of the x-reas although I do like the hood which I might try to get my hands on in the near future, and a few more qualities had me jumping through dealerships like they were puddles.

I quickly did the fog light mod, which I really like, and the HCF delete... which did nothing except creating a slight whistle while driving at higher speeds.






The next couple days I stumbled upon some FJ springs on craigslist and scored them for $40, the dude threw in some 1" spacers he had too but I'm not sure they'll work for the runner.


While I wait till I buy some shocks, probably the Bilsteins, I've been pondering which wheels to get for her. I got to thinking about it and would love to have the same setup as my old 4runner. My 15x10's with BFG All Terrains 33's:


However I'm not positive they will work. My neighbor has a 04 Sport and said his break pads were too big, that the smallest wheel size he can fit is 17" and if that's true for me well, I guess I'll have to sell those oh so sexy wheels with a broken heart. Hoping someone here will be able to tell me that it's not so, and that they will work. But as for now that is the plan.

And I can't wait to have the newbie sitting the way she deserves, in due time. :washing:

 

[nykoda]

Road Trip

Just went to Bend, Oregon this weekend for a 722 mile trip. And saw some killer views!











Kayaking while snowing :naughty:

Lots of scenic views, and great places to take pictures! Will definitely have more soon.

 

[Travtaz997]

Pretty sweet :cowboy::rockon:!

I live about 2 hours from Bend, OR and I'm actually buying a few acres of land over there pretty soon. It's definitely a great place to visit for a little weekend getaway.

Can't wait to see what else you're gonna do with your Runner.

 

[nykoda]

Bend

Here's some more photos for you thirsty critters.

 

[nykoda]

In the mean time.

Welp, I got rid of the sorry excuse of a floor mat that it came with and bought some rubber OEM ones, well worth the money.

Old floor mats.


Beautiful new ones.






Also, I have leather seats in my sr5. Maybe a custom order from the dealership? I hope to get cloth seats at some point, I'm not really a leather guy. But they are immaculate so how about some pictures.





What could this possibly be for....

 

[MN4RNR]

The headscratch moment. We have all been there.

Burtman Industries

What could this possibly be for....
[/QUOTE]

 

[FI460]

Good looking 4runner. It' a shame my interior isn't in better shape. You're the second guy within driving distance that's said he's interested in cloth...

My brother has a twin Limited in Portland. We'll have to get them together next time I'm up there.

 

[nykoda]

What kind of shape is it in? Pictures wouldn't do any harm.

 

[nykoda]

Updates

It's been awhile since I've posted here. So lets share my updates.

First most I made a kayak paddle holder to go beside my kayak racks. I found someone who made some for fishing poles so I just mocked his idea. I used the bottom clamps to my snowboard holders then screwed in a conduit clamp into that and wala.







Looked good, but wasn't very fuctional. So I ordered some Mini Quick Fist Clamps and swapped the conduit clamps for them.





Perfect! Then we went camping! And it seemed to be an even greater asset than I thought. :lol:





More pictures from Camping up in Panther Creek, WA.





I always carry hammocks in the back incase we find a good spot to relax, just need to tie off on one tree and your runner.





And here's my dog just cause.













Decided to take the plasti dip off my grill, and the chrome with a blacked out emblem kinda got to me. I've never been a chrome guy, but heck, I like it! My neighbor gave me advice to use WD-40 and a micro fiber cloth, and it worked wonders. Practically melted the plasti dip off. So I got together with my old runner and took a few shots.





After that I installed white LED's all the way around, which made a huge difference, wow! Installed a new deck, and some subs, and some little other things.

 

[nykoda]

Updates

So after about 6 months of having this little guy I finally got everything I needed to lift it. Bilstein 5100 Adjustables, FJ springs, Wheels and Tires.











My measurement's before the install were:
Front L:19.25
Front R: 19.25
Rear L:21
Real R:21.50

My right rear was probably longer because of the cracks in my garage floor, but hey.. it's pretty close to flat. Or maybe from a full tank.

I set my front bilsteins to the third notch (1.75) no spacers in the rear.
After the install I got numbers that blew my mind:
Front L: 22.25
Front R: 22.25
Rear L: 21.50
Rear R: 22.25

I apparently gained 3" of a lift, which surprised me for it only being the third notch. I had way noticeable reverse rake. After it settling, an alignment and driving it a little bit my final numbers were perfect and the levelness was perfect for me.

Front L:21.75
Front R: 21.75
Rear L: 21.75
Rear R: 21.75

Whooo! Then it was time to throw on my wheels and tires. TRD FJ Trail Edition Wheels. 16x7 -8 offset wrapped in Toyo M/T Open Country tires. 285/70/16. YES! I was so stoked to finally get 285's to fit, despite the numerous pages I read making me nervous with some of your guys' help I just went for it. Pushed the fender liner forward, and wala. No rubbing what so ever.

They do look stuffed in there, but I did want that look. I've taken it up some pretty steep obstacles and even with it completely stuffed inside the wheel well, I still haven't had any rubbing issues. So I am 100% satisfied. Now, time for some photos!













Had to get her a little dirty too! :brushteeth:













Handles perfect, feels how it should be. Sits higher, and the shocks/springs bounce back faster.

Now.... what next? :yo:

 

[snappymilli]

I'm actually buying a few acres of land over there pretty soon.

 

[KPZVR4]

Spidertrax.

 

[nykoda]

Well, haven't done much since the lift. But here's some more photos for you guys.







Got some new KO2's put on then headed up to Canada and stayed at Whistler!

 

[nykoda]

After a day on the mountain I decided to hit some trails, so I got in the mood and went for some puddles to get me pumped.... bad idea.







Had to flag down someone and luckily they had a tow strap to get me outta there. How embarrassing.

Drove 4 hours to Steven's pass for a super rainy day on the slopes.



And finally convinced that mustang dude to get on the band wagon. Drove him up north and bought a 3rd gen, he's never been so happy.

 

[T4RNightHawk]

Nice build man. Love the pictures you're pretty good at taking them. What's your setup?

 

[nykoda]

Thanks! I use a Nikon D3200, but the better photos are taken by my buddy with a Canon 5d Mark II.

 

[jdotlim]

nice build. im deciding if i should run spacers or not. i dont know if i want the wheels to stick out of the fender or stay in. i havnt even put my wheels on yet hahha

 

[Jb973]

Sweet looking rig man. I like the look of the gun metal FJ wheels on the white runner. And , how the hell did that happen,haha, Drive into the puddle and instantly sink ?

 

[nykoda]

Sweet looking rig man. I like the look of the gun metal FJ wheels on the white runner. And , how the hell did that happen,haha, Drive into the puddle and instantly sink ?

Haha it was bad. Headed towards it thinking it would be a good puddle to get some mud on my truck. Hit the first dip and instantly thought to myself that it was deeper than I expected, then boom I hit the second dip. I was hi centered. My wheels were barely touching, couldn't get any grip.

I had to put my feet on the door just to crawl out the passenger side.

And thanks!

 

[nykoda]

Ordered some wheel spacers off ebay, made of forged billet aluminum and their hub centric so I figured I'd try them out.



Put them on with some red loctite and torqued them to 90lbs then torqued the wheels to 120lbs and oh god the rubbing was so bad. :faint: So after driving to work that night with a staggered stance (rear spacers on, front spacers off) I took the next day off to trim.



Before Trimming:



After Trimming:




You can hardly notice the trimming when your looking at the whole vehicle.
Also moved the fender liner forward as much as possible. Gained a lot more clearance in the front. But it still rubbed in the back, so I went ahead and did a body mount chop. Started with an angle grinder, then realized I had to use a sawzall. Cleaned it up with the grinder, put some clear on it and done. Very easy, still need to weld the plate on and paint it up.

Before BMC:



After BMC:



Now I just have rubbing on the fender liner behind the wheel, when I go to get it aligned I'll just have them push the wheel as far forward as they can (adjusting the caster I believe?). But for now it rubs at a quater turn, once you go passed that degree it doesn't rub anymore. Not even at full lock so that's cool.

I also got some rear Daystar spacers so I can bump up my 5100's to the final notch and have a 3.5" lift. Whether or not I should do this before I get UCA's is something I've been pondering. My UCA's are pretty much flat right now, but most everyone on here gets new ones, so it's in the air for right now.