The evolution of my 4Runner

[4runnerfourplay]

Well I picked up my 2005 4Runner sport 4x4 V-6 on 21 January of this year. Previously I had an '07 Acura TL Type-S (was my first car) great car and all but I have always loved trucks and the thing was stupid fast, I was probably going to hurt myself in it. I have had about 4 other Toyota 4x4's and have an '86 pickup as my beater truck.

So anyways here is my truck from stock to present and some things I want to do in the future.

Stock:

Added the 32" M/T's with no lift

Spidertrax spacers and Daystar 2.5" lift

1.25" 4Crawler Roger Brown body lift

KC Slimlites (130 watt titanium finish) and blacked out headlights

Debadged and waxed

 

[4runnerfourplay]

See my signature for full list of mods, I have been enjoying my flowmaster lately adn my fav low buck mods are the blacked out lights and LED light bulbs inside and out, make a hell of a difference.

I will post some pics of offraoding it when I get time. I have only been once offroading and I didnt have my camera. Germany kind of sucks for 4 wheeling, its hard to find legal places to go. Oh well, only about 8 months left and I will be back in the states.

Future mods:
Icon coilovers up front and Icon springs out back
34" tires on aftermarket wheels, probably KMC
Sliders
CB Radio
Gobi rack
Sway bar removal

And here is my '86 pickup, 6" lift, 35" M/T's, fiberglass bed. Next mod: Going to paint it flat black.

 

[BlairB]

Awesome looking rig!

How are you liking the RB body lift? I am kind of considering getting the 1" one but am not sure how it will look with my sliders

 

[4runnerfourplay]

Awesome looking rig!

How are you liking the RB body lift? I am kind of considering getting the 1" one but am not sure how it will look with my sliders

I am really impressed with it. I got the kit with the heavy duty bolts which are larger than stock and also had to get the steering shaft extension since I got 1.25". The 1" does not require the steering extension. Also I had to lift my radiator but no biggie. I did the whole thing in my driveway with simple hand tools, took me about 3 hours or so to finish it. Next thing I want to do as far as the body lift goes is I want to weld in some new brackets for my spare tire carrier since I have a full size spare (32") I want to lift it up an inch, I want to do the same with my fuel tank too. Pretty much tummy tuck what I can underneath and give some more clearance. I also want sliders so I am probably going to go with some weld on ones since I have the BL. Overall though I like it a lot and what my intent was as well was to get a little more clearance so when I get the Icon 3.5" kit I will have enough room to clear 34" or maybe even 35" tires with some minor trimming.

 

[Teqeeler]

Awesome looking 4runner!

I like the euro plates so much more then ours.

 

[BlairB]

I am really impressed with it. I got the kit with the heavy duty bolts which are larger than stock and also had to get the steering shaft extension since I got 1.25". The 1" does not require the steering extension. Also I had to lift my radiator but no biggie. I did the whole thing in my driveway with simple hand tools, took me about 3 hours or so to finish it. Next thing I want to do as far as the body lift goes is I want to weld in some new brackets for my spare tire carrier since I have a full size spare (32") I want to lift it up an inch, I want to do the same with my fuel tank too. Pretty much tummy tuck what I can underneath and give some more clearance. I also want sliders so I am probably going to go with some weld on ones since I have the BL. Overall though I like it a lot and what my intent was as well was to get a little more clearance so when I get the Icon 3.5" kit I will have enough room to clear 34" or maybe even 35" tires with some minor trimming.

Makes sense about wanting to tuck everything up there. I just want a little extra clearance under full stuff since I get some minor rubbing. What made you decide to do the heavy duty bolts over the standard? I do not want to have to start drilling things out, since I want to be able to return it to stock without issue. Are these the standard size lift blocks or "ultimate" lift blocks? Also, did you have any issues with the bumper lining up after the BL?

 

[4runnerfourplay]

Makes sense about wanting to tuck everything up there. I just want a little extra clearance under full stuff since I get some minor rubbing. What made you decide to do the heavy duty bolts over the standard? I do not want to have to start drilling things out, since I want to be able to return it to stock without issue. Are these the standard size lift blocks or "ultimate" lift blocks? Also, did you have any issues with the bumper lining up after the BL?

I just figured that getting the HD hardware seemed like a good idea. I wasn't too thrilled about having to drill stuff out but much to my surprise the bolts actually fit just fine. Granted I had to use a ball peen to get them through (very lightly) but the hardware all fit into the holes very snug without drilling. I got the ultimate lift blocks, painted them black myself. On RB's website it says the 1.25" lift most closely matches up to the front bumper if you bring it up one set of holes. I didnt even mess with the bumper and it looks fine to me. If you look hard enough you can see a little bit of gap under the headlamp trim but its nothing major. Plus I was looking at how the front bumper mounts and if I moved it up one set of holes I would have to not use the inside bolts as there are only one set of holes for those. So I just decided to leave it since it looked fine and just keep all my bolts holding my front bumper.

 

[boostedprozac]

that is awesome! I've been waiting till it got warmer to do the same bodylift. Now I'll know to go with the 1.25. So...you got the radiator extention, the steering extention, and just left the front bumper on correct? And from what you explained... the hd bolts works perfectly... with a little tap here and there. Any word of advice? I'm going to be ordering really soon!

 

[4runnerfourplay]

that is awesome! I've been waiting till it got warmer to do the same bodylift. Now I'll know to go with the 1.25. So...you got the radiator extention, the steering extention, and just left the front bumper on correct? And from what you explained... the hd bolts works perfectly... with a little tap here and there. Any word of advice? I'm going to be ordering really soon!

Exacty you have it all understood. If you go on his page and (roger brown where you order the kit) you look at the instructions for 4th gen 4runner it has a link and the directions are perfect, breaks it down to the simplest task and has a ton of pictures. Let me know if you have a hard time finding it or need help with anything at all. Oh and dont fill your washer resevoir for a while before doing it because you will have to take it out and try as I did I still managed to spill all the fluid I had in there when I took it out lol.

 

[boostedprozac]

awesome! I can't wait to try it out. What did you use to jack up the car? Blocks with a hd jack?

 

[4runnerfourplay]

awesome! I can't wait to try it out. What did you use to jack up the car? Blocks with a hd jack?

Yeah I loosened the 4 bolts on the passenger side and removed the 4 bolts on the driver side and jacked the body up with my craftsman floor jack and wood block on the body right next to the frame about the middle of the body or so. Put the new mounts in, hardware and did the same thing for the other side.

 

[Hayn4R]

damn your 4R looks Sa-Weet!!!

That is about everything I want to do to mine...whatever it takes to clear 35" tires is my goal. However, when it comes to mechanics...Im just not inclined.

So you ever plan to come to Hawaii? Let me know and I will pay you to do all that stuff to my 4R (this offer is for anyone who can do these mods). You can sleep my house, I will feed you till you puke and be your tour guide....haha!!!

Im not joking.

What is the fog light mod in your sig? Is there a reason you did the spacer lift instead of going straight for the icon lift? Did you remove the XREAS?

Whenever I speak to the local shops in Hawaii about doing these lifts/mods...no one wants to touch the XREAS cuz liability....suckas....

 

[BlairB]

So you ever plan to come to Hawaii? Let me know and I will pay you to do all that stuff to my 4R (this offer is for anyone who can do these mods). You can sleep my house, I will feed you till you puke and be your tour guide....haha!!!

Im not joking.

Whenever I speak to the local shops in Hawaii about doing these lifts/mods...no one wants to touch the XREAS cuz liability....suckas....

What Island are you on? I spend 2-3 weeks on the Big Island a year and might be walk you through most everything (other than the body lift, since I have not done one... yet).

It is all a lot less complicated than you would think, just takes some time to do it all.

 

[Hayn4R]

BlairB-youve always been so helpful and such a motivating force. Im on Oahu (kaneohe). Even with the walk through...honestly i dont trust my grizzly bear paws. Maybe take an extra few days and stop by. I believe you have to land in Oahu anyways to get to and from the Big island.

I dont have the tools anyhow =(

What do you do on the big island?

 

[Falls]

Excellent transformation shots of the 4Runner . Nice choices and clean look.

 

[4runnerfourplay]

damn your 4R looks Sa-Weet!!!

That is about everything I want to do to mine...whatever it takes to clear 35" tires is my goal. However, when it comes to mechanics...Im just not inclined.

So you ever plan to come to Hawaii? Let me know and I will pay you to do all that stuff to my 4R (this offer is for anyone who can do these mods). You can sleep my house, I will feed you till you puke and be your tour guide....haha!!!

Im not joking.

What is the fog light mod in your sig? Is there a reason you did the spacer lift instead of going straight for the icon lift? Did you remove the XREAS?

Whenever I speak to the local shops in Hawaii about doing these lifts/mods...no one wants to touch the XREAS cuz liability....suckas....

I went with the spacer lift because I got it used from someone for 60 bucks shipped and got the tires (all 5) with 1800 miles on them for 450 bucks. SO I figured ok I will lift my truck for 510 bucks and it will look good for cheap and once I get back to the states I will get some 35" tires and the Icon lift and sell the spacer lift. I didnt remove the XREAS yet, I am waiting to get the new coilovers and shocks to do that so I can scrap the system. The stuff I have done to my truck is really easy, spacers were so easy to put in, if you could get your hands on tools I am very confident that you could figure it out just by following the instructions.

Thanks for the compliments.

Oh yeah and the fog light mod I did was simply to re-wire it so that I can turn on my fog lights at any time, as in with the parking lamps. Instead of just being able to turn them on with the low beams only.

 

[ShipOfFools]

I love your 4Runner. I have the Daystar lift also (no RB spacer). I think the Daystar was a great decision. Gives a great stance, rides like stock, barely affected handling. The RB added just the right amount to make it look nice and big. Definitely looks a bit bigger than mine, and meaner since you have those M/Ts. How do you like those M/Ts by the way?

 

[MD4Runner014]

sickkk lookin truck bro...i wanted black

ur from MD i see.

good to meet another MDer on here man.

 

[4runnerfourplay]

I love your 4Runner. I have the Daystar lift also (no RB spacer). I think the Daystar was a great decision. Gives a great stance, rides like stock, barely affected handling. The RB added just the right amount to make it look nice and big. Definitely looks a bit bigger than mine, and meaner since you have those M/Ts. How do you like those M/Ts by the way?

Thanks I appreciate that, I love the tires and they were a smoking deal and cool that they also fit under the truck as a spare.

sickkk lookin truck bro...i wanted black

ur from MD i see.

good to meet another MDer on here man.

Yeah my parents live in MD, my '86 is sitting at my Mom's house right now, kinda of a PITA though my brother was driving it and got pulled over by a state trooper and gave him a fix-it ticket for suspension, rear bumper height, and tires. My Dad is going to take care of it for me though, will be glad to be back next year for sure. Thanks for the compliments.

 

[G.I.G.]

KC Slimlites (130 watt titanium finish) and blacked out headlights

Your 4R looks great!

Quick question about the KC's you installed....I was wondering how you mounted them and if you get any bounce when you are driving with them on? I have PIAA's installed on my bumper and no matter what I do, I can't get them to not bounce. I have them mounted to two different anchor points via an L-bracket underneath the bumper as well but they still seam to bounce on me.