**The RickRunner Build**

[rickashay]

UPDATE

Some Ramblings...

The 4Runner has just been chugging along for the past year basically without issue. Regular oil, diff, filter changes without much drama. Recently I have been getting a P0420 code but I will chase that down further once I buck up for a real set of headers and exhaust crossover (URD?) then chase down the codes. Doesn't affect drive-ability so, meh.

I did also recently replace the rear ABS harness, LR wheel speed sensor due to my dash lighting up like a Christmas tree with all the traction lights. Luckily for me I grabbed the Techstream computer at work, diagnosed, and ordered the parts for a quick fix. Once pulling the old sensor though I noticed some gear oil on the end of the sensor... which could only mean one thing - the inner axle seal was leaking but hadn't leaked bad enough yet to be visible on the exterior. Good catch! Glad I caught it before it washed all the grease out of my wheel bearing and did some real damage. Definitely the most maintenance and problems I've had on the 4Runner in the ~30,000kms that I've owned it.

Other than that I've been busy driving the 4Runner offroad/camping as often as I can while I have been turning wrenches in the background on my 85' pickup (just pulled the tranny for a rear main seal leak and added a new Marlin clutch/flywheel while I was in there). But I won't go into too much detail on that because it deserves it's own build thread.

NEW MODS

Dobinson 675V Rear Coils:

One thing I did do on the 4Runner about a month ago was ad the lowest LT rear coils that Dobinsons makes - the 675V. THe Metal Tech LT coils were great but I dropped down a solid 1.5" in the rear with the new coils. With my stock rear bumper, fridge, and a full cargo area the truck literally sits perfectly level with only mild droop when its loaded. I still have about 1" front to back rake when the truck is empty and that is fine by me. Mission successful. The only downside to this change is that I do notice the rear end hitting the bumpstops more frequently due to the drop in uptravel with the lower coils. That is me being pretty finicky though as it only happens slightly more frequently and I still feel the amount of uptravel I have is very sufficient. Just something worth noting for the eager.

Storage Platform:

This is something that has been in the works since I bought the 4R. Basically been using the truck and evaluating my priorities and how I want to organize the rear cargo area. A couple napkin sketches later and I seem to be on my way. Trying to make it light, simple, and versatile so that I can easily ditch all the camping gear when the winter season hits. I've got some pretty cool ideas for it but hopefully my welding and carpentry skills can do my idea justice! haha Steel 3/4" frame with a wood top and dual slides. Should have some progress photos this weekend with more details.

Wheeling - June 30th

The weather was decent and we decided to head out and explore some new routes and trails local to us. The weather was wet for the entire weekend basically but still gave us some great scenery and fun trails. Still snow at the higher elevations too!

Back at camp

_08I2541.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I2567.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

My brother Chase weaver through a tight obstacle

_08I2605.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I2673.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I2637.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Two great tires - can you name them?

_08I2677.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Tight trails...some too tight for the nice paint on RickRunner

_08I2659.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

It'll buff out they said...

_08I2712.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Views through the clouds

_08I2707.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


IMG_20180701_151741.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

A new trail on a new day with a few of the fine folks from The Gear Shop out of YYC.

_08I2743.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I2748.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

The reason/views that keep me coming back!

_08I2771.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Nick's cool Defender (no power steering...)

_08I2772.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Because beadlocks

_08I2765.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

 

[bjornberg]

Nice job Rick, sub'd! Looks great, loving the beadlock conversion on the Ray 10's. Not sure I'd ever need it, but I do like it. Your phots are great. I have a few buddies from Kelowna, looks like there's some great terrain up there.

 

[rickashay]

Nice job Rick, sub'd! Looks great, loving the beadlock conversion on the Ray 10's. Not sure I'd ever need it, but I do like it. Your phots are great. I have a few buddies from Kelowna, looks like there's some great terrain up there.

Thanks! Yah the beadlocks are nice to have for sure... especially on those deep snow days they make a world of difference in flotation. Kelowna is pretty cool, definitely lots of great terrain fairly close. Come for a visit! lol

 

[rickashay]

UPDATE

Heading East...

After my last wheeling trip in the rain/cooler temps, we were dying to get some sunshine. Luckily a few days after the trip posted above, the clouds broke and spring instantly turned to summer. Temps went from ~20 deg C (68F) to 34 deg C (93F). We rallied the troops to head back to an old time favorite spot. Super high alpine and glacier country. The trails are not overly technical but there is a lot of high speed old mining roads to travel and those alone are a ton of fun. RickRunner definitely got airborne a couple of times All in all, an excellent weekend with the boys (girls invited but none came with...lol). We got lots of sun and even managed to get a 10,000 ft hike in to the summit of one of the peaks pictured. Even shoe-ski'd our way back down on one of the glaciers which was an absolute blast. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talkin'.

Day 1 - mostly exploratory for future trails.


_08I3477.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Marks killer RCSB 1st Gen Taco - locked F/R, 5 speed, 4 Cyl.

_08I3488.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Day 2 - We assembled the crew and headed for an old mine. Super cool because the mine is only accessible for a couple months per year due to snow and you can walk into the side of the mountain about 500 feet.


_08I3497.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Nice Tamarack hats to be found everywhere! lol

_08I3495.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

The Tokin Nissan and some high speed mining roads:

_08I3492.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Then we hit a fork in the road and started the ascent:

_08I3508.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3509.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3556.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Great to see my Dad's old Tacoma now in the hands of my youngest brother - first time this thing has seen trail since Dad passed away. I was stoked to see my brother enjoying the truck and getting exciting about wheeling/exploring.

_08I3563.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Couple poser shots of RickRunner at the Summit

_08I3613.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3616.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

We quickly raced back down and headed up the next drainage to a very special place. Porbably one of the most surreal environments I've ever drove through. The glacier's on this route are magnificent and there are 3 within view during most moments. The carnage and power of the receding ice is literally mind blowing and makes you truly respect mother nature's power. I feel privileged to walk this ground each and every time I go... it never gets old and I hope/pray that anyone else who finds this special place gives it the respect it deserves.

On the way in...

_08I3653.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3662.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3663.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Camp quickly setup after a short hike/swim in the glacial waters as golden hour fades away:

_08I3685.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3701.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

One of my favorite shots from the weekend - John's ultra-clean expo AF Tundra. He built all the armor/racks himself with the exception of the front bumper too.


_08I3684.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3698.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

 

[rickashay]

I took some amazing star/milky way photos that night as well. But like a complete rookie, left the IS setting ON during my long exposures which basically ruined everyone of the shots. Oh well, now I just need to go back!

Got up just after sunrise to snap a couple pics:

_08I3758.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3760.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3759.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Nothing like beating up a truck with only 6000kms on the odo!

_08I3775.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

 

[tv4184]

After reading your latest update, I'm a little worried that I got the 677V dobinson rear coils and I basically have nothing out back at the moment :lol:

Whats your spare tire situation like, since I noticed you had no rear carrier. Also was wondering whatevers going on with the pick up you mentioned a while back...

 

[rickashay]

After reading your latest update, I'm a little worried that I got the 677V dobinson rear coils and I basically have nothing out back at the moment :lol:

Whats your spare tire situation like, since I noticed you had no rear carrier. Also was wondering whatevers going on with the pick up you mentioned a while back...

Sorry for missing this! Trying to get more active again on IG and the forums. The 677V are supposed to be taller than the 675V's correct? I am sure they will ride nice (as do my LT Metal Tech's) but may sit hight. I run no spare usually and probably won't until I get a rear bumper and swing out. Nice thing about having the beadlocks is that I can repair in a pinch. I always carry an ARB tire repair kit and my compressor. Longer wheeling trips I will throw my spare in my brothers truck! haha

With approx 1.75" lift in the front and full fridge, camp gear, and basic cargo setup in the rear I'm sitting pretty much level. The truck squats probably 0.5" with the ~350lbs of weight I carry when camping.

The pickup has been great. Was running rough for a bit but that has been sorted after replacing all the vacuum lines with silicone units from LCE, doing plugs, adjusting the timing, replacing the Throttle Position sensor, a coolant temp sensor, 02 sensor, and the air intake hose. (ouch....$$$) Since getting the truck into Canada it's also got new black steelies, full OME leafs all around, Bilstein 5100's, a Marlin clutch/flywheel, new clutch release cylinder, various new brake/clutch lines, and some fluid changes (ouch again....$$$). Just been driving it as a daily though and loving it TBH. Lots feelings of nostalgia when driving it - its just so simple, mechanical, and raw in comparison to today's tech-oriented vehicles. Hell, it even makes the 4Runner feel like a Rolls Royce.


_08I7045.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I7062.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I7070.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I7068.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I7086.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

 

[rickashay]

The 4Runner has been getting a fiar amount of love also. Trying to not spend a ton on it though and more fine-tune the organization and use of the vehicle for camping. Really trying to make it easier to get out and camp more often but also quicker to setup and cleanup camp when your on the run. This has lead me down the path of a storage platform which is about 75% complete. I have no pics of it yet but it is one of the things I plan to show here in the build thread as I've put a lot of time and thought into it already. I even managed to make a single sleeper out of it that is kind of in-progress for when I go on solo trips without my wife & dogs with me.

I also fabbed up a pretty quick mount for some 10L jerry cans on the roof too which has been working great and I kind like the look of them up top, not to mention not having fuel inside of the cargo area.

A #Colossal2018 photo leak

_08I6257.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

 

[rickashay]

Haven't been working too much on the 4R. Had it professionally detailed (first time I've ever paid someone to wax/polish my vehicle) but the results were worth it and it was great to get a new coat of wax on before the winter. It's amazing how easy the scratches come out when it's not your sweat making it happen! lol

The truck is in full winter mode but there are a few things incoming. I planned on installing my Thule box the other day onto my Prinsu rack to find out that the Thule's "inset" design to allow the cargo box to sit lower on a standard set of crossbars means than I can't actually mount it to my Prinsu unless I remove all but 2 of the cross bars. Photos will make this make more sense. Because I've been having fun with my little welder lately I decided to build 2x crossbars that mount to my Prinsu to allow my Thule box a place to grab on. They will mount to the top of the t-slot cross bars and should allow just enough clearance so that it looks like the Thule box is sitting atop the Prinsu. Basically saving me from having to buy a different Thule box. I snapped a couple photos of the process and will post them all once its done and installed.

In the meantime, a couple shots from a drive to Kaslo my wife and I took last weekend. Always good to get out of town and take in the scenery at this beautiful time of year!

_08I9128.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9119.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9100.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9092.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9102.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9131.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I9112.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Oh, and I bought a 00', 5 speed 4Runner on the weekend. Picking it up in a couple weeks. Super super clean. I stumbled upon it and basically couldn't pass it up as they are getting harder and harder to find. I'll post pics when I get it home.

 

[cspicer]

I've been meaning to ask. Where do you keep your spare? Just throw it in the truck when you go out?

 

[rickashay]

I've been meaning to ask. Where do you keep your spare? Just throw it in the truck when you go out?

Spare? where? lol

All jokes aside on our larger runs I have been sharing a spare with my brother in his Tacoma. He's running basically the same size tire so we keep a single spare in his truck to share between us. Ontop of that I have a good tire plug/repair kit (always in the truck) and the ARB compressor so we've usually got enough coverage to get us out if something goes wrong. A swing-out is on the list though.

 

[RobD]

I took some amazing star/milky way photos that night as well. But like a complete rookie, left the IS setting ON during my long exposures which basically ruined everyone of the shots. Oh well, now I just need to go back!

Got up just after sunrise to snap a couple pics:

_08I3758.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3760.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr


_08I3759.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

Nothing like beating up a truck with only 6000kms on the odo!

_08I3775.jpg by Addison Rickaby, on Flickr

I have to get out and wheel some of these trails!

 

[SHagood]

This whole thread is awesome. Excellent job, thanks for sharing.

 

[Fishwerks]

Photos over the last few pages are excellent, per the usual. Looks like Colossal was another great success!

Where's the build thread for the pick-up??

 

[rickashay]

Photos over the last few pages are excellent, per the usual. Looks like Colossal was another great success!

Where's the build thread for the pick-up??

Thanks! Colossal has been great each year. Would love to see some of the 3rd Gen guys (like yourself) make the trek sometime!!

No build thread for the pickup unfortunately. Just no time!

 

[rickashay]

RickRunner has been SOLD. Thanks for following along everyone!

Feel free to watch my 3rd Gen build over HERE

 

[yotaguy674]

RickRunner has been SOLD. Thanks for following along everyone!

Feel free to watch my 3rd Gen build over HERE

:hurt:

 

[Fishwerks]

Thanks! Colossal has been great each year. Would love to see some of the 3rd Gen guys (like yourself) make the trek sometime!!

No build thread for the pickup unfortunately. Just no time!

I'd love to make the trip up for Colossal! Also the 4th gen was looking really good when you sold it, but glad you are back in the 3rd gen world.

 

[dvothemonster]

Great build and photos

Man, its been good to follow your build. I also appreciate the pictures. Part of the reason that I wanted to get a 4R was to be able to get better photos and be on more adventures (even though I only got the 2WD version). Can't wait to see more pictures in the future.