The Grocery Getter: Mrs. Bigfish's 2008 Sport Edition V6 4wd

[BigFishAllDay]

That looks really sharp. Nice job.

Thank you, Legender.

Holy Cat Scratch Spam posts Batman! Reported!

The Satochi looks good. I hate the ones that are all Black which makes it look like a big Black hole in the front of your truck.

I didn't see any spam posts?

I was going to color match this one, so it almost became all black, but my wife insisted on keeping the chrome. The SEs have a "smoked chrome" grille, which is a little darker, and I think it turned out well.

 

[Scramble]

Thank you, Legender.



I didn't see any spam posts?

I was going to color match this one, so it almost became all black, but my wife insisted on keeping the chrome. The SEs have a "smoked chrome" grille, which is a little darker, and I think it turned out well.

There were 2 huge spam posts about cats that I got deleted. LOL

I like Smoked or Black chrome, thinking about Black Chrome lug nuts on the 3rd gen.

 

[chris27]

So, enough BS for now.

I made a grille for the Grocery Getter. I'll go ahead and say it... I'll bet this grille could go head to head with any on the forum for fit, finish, and attention to detail. It's my 4th go at it, so I'm getting pretty dialed on the process.


I used a stock emblem painted graphite for now, but that may get swapped for something else or, at minimum, see a color change.

There are a lot of tips and tricks I learned in the process that I'd be happy to share, but I'm not going to waste the time because either nobody reads the 4th gen section, or nobody cares, I'm not sure.

[MENTION=116470]Tyler James Inc[/MENTION] [MENTION=7105]Scramble[/MENTION] @Anti-Satoshi-Club : Satoshi for life, beeyotch!

I'll bite, share some tips and tricks? THe one question I had was how you did the smoothing of the inner lip on the grill frame? Some videos recommended a wire mesh and bondo method. Yours looks pretty smooth, how did you back the holes?

 

[gm350reratliff]

That came out great! Looks like you used much higher quality mesh than I did as well. I painted mine all black because the chrome was really pitted (too many winter trips to ND) but I think it looks good.

 

[Ralph Blake]

Protect your spare tire and the lowering cable.

It is well known that thief's are stealing 4Runner spare tires by cutting the lowering cable, some dealers charge around $700 just to replace the simple cable but the wheel and tire are also costly to replace.

I use a aircraft quality coated cable there really cheep and do a great job keeping my spare from theft, thief's don't like extra work in stealing.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

There were 2 huge spam posts about cats that I got deleted. LOL

I like Smoked or Black chrome, thinking about Black Chrome lug nuts on the 3rd gen.

Cats, huh? Were they at least FUNNY cats?

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on lugs. We just put some new wheels on this 4Runner (pics pending), along with a new set of lugs that normally run $50. After two install cycles, the finish on the lugs is already all chewed up. I did use an impact on them, but I though they would hold up better. Good thing they were free as part of the BF special.

I'll bite, share some tips and tricks? THe one question I had was how you did the smoothing of the inner lip on the grill frame? Some videos recommended a wire mesh and bondo method. Yours looks pretty smooth, how did you back the holes?

Chris, I'll put together a short write-up for you. I thought the 4th gen grille was actually easier than the 3rd gen grilles I have done. I did use the wire mesh & bondo method, but the videos I saw didn't really cover the easiest way to apply that method.

That came out great! Looks like you used much higher quality mesh than I did as well. I painted mine all black because the chrome was really pitted (too many winter trips to ND) but I think it looks good.

Thanks, Ron. The mesh is from customcargrills.com. I have always sourced my mesh from them. They are now offering a pre-cut mesh for the 06-09 grilles that makes the process a breeze. I spent some time checking our your grille while I was researching the process. I think yours looks good too, but I prefer the deep style over the flush.

It is well known that thief's are stealing 4Runner spare tires by cutting the lowering cable, some dealers charge around $700 just to replace the simple cable but the wheel and tire are also costly to replace.

I use a aircraft quality coated cable there really cheep and do a great job keeping my spare from theft, thief's don't like extra work in stealing.

Good tips. I have some security measures in place for the spares on my other two vehicles, but have not gotten around to it on this 4Runner. Anything that slows them down is worth a shot.

However, I think a professional thief would take a set of bolt cutters and chop through not only the lowering cable, but that security cable as well without batting an eyelash.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Got some new wheels on the G.G.

 

[Legender]

Nice looking wheels and great picture.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Nice looking wheels and great picture.

I didn't catch your reply, Legender, but thanks again for keeping up with the thread. I think the composure on the picture turned out well, but my old point and shoot camera doesn't cut it in low light, so the shot is a little grainy and out of focus. Someday I'll spring for a decent camera.

 

[MightyP]

Build looks really good. You've done a lot of the same stuff I have (including the kleenex). Great work and some of us pay attention to the 4th Gen section. I just get busy sometimes.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Build looks really good. You've done a lot of the same stuff I have (including the kleenex). Great work and some of us pay attention to the 4th Gen section. I just get busy sometimes.

It's funny you stopped by, I was just reading through your build the other day. We definitely have similar setups going. I like the grille on yours, especially the emblem, it is certainly unique. The grille looks like an aftermarket replacement rather than a DIY thing, based on the slant of the top surface at the bottom of the frame. I guess I should save the rest of my thoughts for your thread.

RE the 4th gen section, I'm not sure what to think about it. I see a few "bromances" going on here and there, but people don't seem to comment much on each others builds. Probably because 90% of them go about as far as this one has and it's all been seen/done 100x, so everyone is thinking "..meh".

 

[vonguido]

great build man, simple and purposeful. The hope for my build is to be somewhere between yours and Rickashay's.

 

[MightyP]

It's funny you stopped by, I was just reading through your build the other day. We definitely have similar setups going. I like the grille on yours, especially the emblem, it is certainly unique. The grille looks like an aftermarket replacement rather than a DIY thing, based on the slant of the top surface at the bottom of the frame. I guess I should save the rest of my thoughts for your thread.

RE the 4th gen section, I'm not sure what to think about it. I see a few "bromances" going on here and there, but people don't seem to comment much on each others builds. Probably because 90% of them go about as far as this one has and it's all been seen/done 100x, so everyone is thinking "..meh".

Thanks. I like the grille too. One of my few purely aesthetic purchases. Bought it off someone who ordered it for his 4th Gen and decided to trade in for a 5th Gen before installing it. Not sure who made it. And the emblem was an Etsy purchase.

And, yes, you're right that the forums aren't busy. But it seems like ALL forums (vehicle, adventure, etc) are getting slower and people are doing more in FB groups. I spend most of my time here looking for solutions rather than saying what I've done. Dunno...

 

[Bluesky 07]

I'll bite, share some tips and tricks? THe one question I had was how you did the smoothing of the inner lip on the grill frame? Some videos recommended a wire mesh and bondo method. Yours looks pretty smooth, how did you back the holes?

How I did this, and how I wish I had based on my experience, is discussed in my Satoshi thread.

I agree about black vs. the SE smoked chrome. Dipped mine black and stripped it a couple of weeks later after realizing how much better I liked the chrome, especially how it makes the outlines pop on the emblem letters.

Thanks to the OP for all the great info in this thread. I have an order of Kleenex Jrs. in my Amazon cart as we speak.

 

[monkeywrenchMoose]

Got some new wheels on the G.G.

Did I miss this somewhere? What wheels are those?

I too have a black '08 and those look really nice.

 

[Codywilsonfishing]

Smooth

 

[HCWatson997]

Got some new wheels on the G.G.

The OME 884’s really brought you up 4”??? I just ordered these for my 2WD V8 and I hope its no more than yours. Did you ever end up getting the SPC UCA’s? How did it drive with that height and stock UCA’s?

 

[koawood08]

Great build thread thus far. Detailed and some great mods. Keep em coming!

 

[farmerjon]

Ah, this truck keeps getting better and better!

Was thinking about you the other day and realized it had been a while since I checked out your trucks. Pretty sweet having a 4th and a 3rd! I really like the BFGs, solid tire (weak in mud, yes, but hold everything else really well). Just caught up on this thread! Hope you and the fam are well, kids & all.

:hatsoff:

 

[BigFishAllDay]

great build man, simple and purposeful. The hope for my build is to be somewhere between yours and Rickashay's.

There is a whole lot of in between there, my friend. [MENTION=63060]rickashay[/MENTION] 's build is amazing, and quite a bit more capable than this one. Thank you for the compliments, though.

Thanks. I like the grille too. One of my few purely aesthetic purchases. Bought it off someone who ordered it for his 4th Gen and decided to trade in for a 5th Gen before installing it. Not sure who made it. And the emblem was an Etsy purchase.

And, yes, you're right that the forums aren't busy. But it seems like ALL forums (vehicle, adventure, etc) are getting slower and people are doing more in FB groups. I spend most of my time here looking for solutions rather than saying what I've done. Dunno...

Etsy has come cool stuff. I have found some good t-shirts on there. You're right about forums slowing down in general. All my favorite fishing forums died slow deaths after people started focusing on Facebook, Instagram, etc. I'm in the same boat with you in that I spend a lot of time observing on this forum and learning from others' triumphs and mistakes rather than posting.

How I did this, and how I wish I had based on my experience, is discussed in my Satoshi thread.

I agree about black vs. the SE smoked chrome. Dipped mine black and stripped it a couple of weeks later after realizing how much better I liked the chrome, especially how it makes the outlines pop on the emblem letters.

Thanks to the OP for all the great info in this thread. I have an order of Kleenex Jrs. in my Amazon cart as we speak. ��

I'm not a guy who's completely anti-chrome, and the "murdered out", "vader", whatever you want to call it all black look is overplayed, IMO. The chrome surround just works on this rig. Avoiding all black is also why we landed on bronze wheels.

I'm glad I could help you keep your nose clean!

Did I miss this somewhere? What wheels are those?

I too have a black '08 and those look really nice.

Thanks, they are Relations Race Wheels (RRW) model RR4, 17x8.5.

- Offset: 0
- Center Bore: 108.1 mm
- Bolt Pattern: 6x5.5 / 6x139.7
- Backspacing: 4.75"

Smooth

:cheers:

The OME 884’s really brought you up 4”??? I just ordered these for my 2WD V8 and I hope its no more than yours. Did you ever end up getting the SPC UCA’s? How did it drive with that height and stock UCA’s?

True story. They haven't settled much after 10K miles, either. You'll probably end up with about the same amount of lift being a little heavier in the engine, but lighter minus the front 4wd components.

The SPCs have been in the garage for 6 months. The rig drives just fine, but only has 1 degree of caster on both sides. I like it closer to 3, which is why I grabbed the SPC arms... that and I got them dirt cheap. I'll get them installed one of these days if I can stop breaking my 3rd gen.

Great build thread thus far. Detailed and some great mods. Keep em coming!

Thanks for checking it out, and taking the time to say so. Will do!

Ah, this truck keeps getting better and better!

Was thinking about you the other day and realized it had been a while since I checked out your trucks. Pretty sweet having a 4th and a 3rd! I really like the BFGs, solid tire (weak in mud, yes, but hold everything else really well). Just caught up on this thread! Hope you and the fam are well, kids & all.

:hatsoff:

Hey Jon, thanks for checking in! Things have been pretty slow in the vehicle department with life getting in the way big time, but I've been taking on a few things to stay busy and get my mind off more serious matters.

It has been fun playing with the new platform and having a 4th gen has really made them grow on me. I want my own with a V8 now, but I don't need anymore 4Runners and I'm not nearly ready to let go of the '01.

I agree on the BFGs in the mud... they suck. They are good for a vehicle like this one, but I am looking forward to getting something else on the '01 as the KO2s aren't cutting it for me on harder trails.