Thor or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vibrations (build thread)

[thezentree]

I'm sure a lot of y'all have seen my vibration thread, but I don't have a build thread yet. I might keep updating this, I might not. But I got to thinking about all the little stuff I've done and figured I should at least start cataloguing it, so here we go.

I grew up as a Jeep guy, but during college I spent all my money on my fiancewife and our long-distance relationship and couldn't swing a project vehicle. Once I graduated and things started settling down, I started looking for a project again. I've always been a fan of 4Runners and Tacomas, but I missed having an SUV since my DD is a fullsize pickup, so I decided on a 3rd gen 4Runner.

One day after spending some time browsing craigslist, I was on the phone with my sister and mentioned that I was looking for a 4Runner just like hers. "That's funny," she said. "I'm considering trading mine in on a new one." A few months and a really ridiculously low amount of dollars later (thanks Sis), I took her old one home with me. She's got a silver 2017 SR5 now, and I've got her old one, which she's had since ..2003? Anyway, I'm thrilled that it worked out like that - I know it's been well cared for mechanically, if not cosmetically, and it's cool to keep it in the family. She even had the timing belt done and a MAACO paint job (ugh) just a couple of months before I bought it from her.

Meet Thor, my 2001 SR5 (as it sits June 2020):

'01 SR5 3.4L 4wd 4.56s e-locker swap

Repairs to date:
LBJs
OTREs/ITREs
Sunroof drain purge, rugdoctor/bleach black mold out of the headliner uke:
JB weld PS headlight bucket back together
Diffs/T-case fluid change
NAPA reman CVs
OEM reman CVs (lol)
PS front diff seal
OEM LCA swap
Transmission mount
Accessory belts & AC tensioner pulley
Spark plugs/wires
Transmission filter/ATF drain & fill
Radiator
Fan clutch
Front wheel bearings

Fun Stuff:

Front Suspension:
ToyTec 3" Eibach/Eibach
ToyTec BOSS coilovers w/ 550lb springs, set to ~2.5"
King 25001-151-EXT 600lbs springs, ~2.5"
SPC upper control arms, set to E
DuroBump Bump Stops
Steering rack bushings
2nd gen rear endlinks

Rear Suspension:
ToyTec Superflex
OME 890s + 10mm trim packers
ToyTec SuperFlex shocks
MetalTech 4x4 upper links, +7/16"
eimkeith PCK
Wheeler's extended brake lines

Wheels/Tires:
285/75R16 KO2s
OEM 5-Stars
Spidertrax 1.25" spacers x4

Armor:
4xInnovations sliders
Coastal Offroad front bumper w/ Warn VR8S Evo winch
4xInnovations rear bumper w/swingout
BudBuilt Skids

Drivetrain:
Tom Woods rear driveshaft
4.56 gears
E-locker retrofit
1" front diff drop
ECGS front diff bushing
B&M 70268 ATF cooler

Electrical/Interior/Misc.:
Scangauge II
Andymod 2.0
12VoltGuy e-locker harness
Dash cam (some kinda chinesium crap that actually works pretty good. Rexal? Rexam? whatever)
Midland CB & magnetic whip
Pinch weld mod
Tacoma whip mod
Baofeng UV5R HAM radio (N4_ _ _)
Rear diff breather extension

Stuff I need to do:
GO WHEELING!
Valve cover gaskets
Belts done!
New radiator and trans cooler done!
eimkeith panhard brackets done!
Front seat swap
Projector retrofit
Tacoma whip mod done!

Wants:
New seats ..Corbeaus?
Rear bumper w/ swingout done!
gears & at least one locker done!

 

[thezentree]

mine

 

[Vansnxtweek]

also mine

I'll add more stuff to the thread this weekend. Maybe.

Time to add more to this man! I'd like to see some more pictures of what all you've done. The 265s actually look perfect on there!

 

[thezentree]

Time to add more to this man! I'd like to see some more pictures of what all you've done. The 265s actually look perfect on there!

I know :ybrick: . My fiance keeps making plans for me and I haven't had much free time the last couple of weeks hah.

 

[thezentree]

Ok, gonna get this thing going. ...slowly.

Here's the day I got it back to Kentucky, running boards, 31's, and clapped-out 190k mile suspension:

First order of business was LBJs and TREs. What's not pictured here is the sketchy-ass way I have to set my jack on paving stones so it can roll as the jack is raised. The casual reader will notice that "sketchy-ass" will become a trend.

Next, delete those stupid running boards. This picture does a decent job of showing the true color of the godawful MAACO paint. It's not anywhere close to Millenium Silver:

Then I went on a trip to Western NC with my fiance. Didn't get to see much dirt, but took Thor up on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a little while:

 

[thezentree]

I got real tired of the clogged sunroof drain and the moldy headliner, so I tore the interior out and cleaned it all. There's more detail in this thread, but the before and after on the headliner:

Beyond that, for a few months I just drove it, changed fluids, cleaned things here and there, etc.


Finally last August I had all the parts and a free weekend to install the Toytec/Eibach lift kit I ordered. I don't have a ton of pictures of the process since I did it by myself, but I'll post what I saved.

This needed to go:

By far the most difficult part of the front install was getting the upper ball joint out of the knuckle for the SPC adapter. I ended up cutting the stud off the UBJ, and even then, the ball joint press just barely cleared the fender flare:

Much better:

Getting the old rear shocks out was a *****. Luckily, I didn't need to worry about saving them:

To get the rear springs in without disconnecting all the brake lines, I needed to be ...creative. This is the sketchiest thing I've done so far, and I don't recommend doing this:

In with the new:

lol

And finally, the first set of KO2s I had:

...man I need gears and big tires again.

More to come, but I gotta pack for an out-of-town wedding this weekend.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Glad to see you started a build thread. Looks like a nice truck. Family is great, especially when you get a good deal and no bad feelings.

How do you like that ToyTec Boss lift? Seems like a hot topic these days.

 

[Vansnxtweek]

Now we're talking! Good job on getting this thread rolling. I need to do the same! Man that headliner was gross! Mine is a lot the same. Holy smokes on that initial camber hahah. Were you able to use the SPCs to get it to a somewhat driveable camber to get it somewhere to get it aligned?

And yeah Brian^^^...I guess I have assisted in this Boss lift talk haha. I'm definitely curious how he has liked it too. I'm really thinking about going with that setup. Just seems too easy for a good price.

 

[thezentree]

Glad to see you started a build thread. Looks like a nice truck. Family is great, especially when you get a good deal and no bad feelings.

How do you like that ToyTec Boss lift? Seems like a hot topic these days.

I'm glad it worked out like it did, although I think my sister and my brother in law especially regret selling it now that they see how well it's cleaned up. eep:
She loves her 5th gen though and I think it probably helps her business image to have a new vehicle.

I do really like the BOSS kit. It seems like a great entry-level coilover shock and I've made good use of the fine tuning to set the ride height where I want it (~2.5"). I'm honestly kind of glad the Eibach kit ended up being such an issue, otherwise I probably would have just dealt with the stiff ride.

For those of you who may not know, the front shocks in the pictures above are the Eibach springs and shocks that I no longer have. Good quality, but way too much spring rate for a stock, unarmored 4Runner.

Now we're talking! Good job on getting this thread rolling. I need to do the same! Man that headliner was gross! Mine is a lot the same. Holy smokes on that initial camber hahah. Were you able to use the SPCs to get it to a somewhat driveable camber to get it somewhere to get it aligned?

And yeah Brian^^^...I guess I have assisted in this Boss lift talk haha. I'm definitely curious how he has liked it too. I'm really thinking about going with that setup. Just seems too easy for a good price.

Yeah cleaning the headliner made a world of difference on the interior. It might actually be what made me decide to really try to keep the 4Runner nice instead of hacking the fenders to clear 35s and then bouncing it off trees. I'm very glad it's worked out like that since this thing is relatively rust-free.

As for the camber, I just left it like that for the drive to the tire shop haha. The tires that were on it were trashed and the shop was only a couple of miles, so I hooptie'd it on down the road. The SPC arms are great though - it clears 33s almost completely with the caster set to E. I still need to flatten the pinch weld but the rubbing is pretty minor and I'm running 32s these days anyway.

Can't say enough good things about the BOSS kit. I've got 550lb/in springs on it and it rides like a Cadillac. If I change them out for different shocks, the new ones will say King on the side. Or maybe I'll just perpetually have plans to go four wheeling fall through and it'll live out the rest of its days as a mall crawler. Who knows.

 

[Vansnxtweek]

Dang man you do have 550lb springs?? That's awesome, I was really eyeballing them for the comfort of ride just didn't want it to be too soft. Pretty much the only 4wheeling I can do is on the beach so I won't need but so much stiffness I wouldn't think. The most I'd ever do is put on a plate bumper with no winch.

Do you have more adjustment you can get out of it to get 3"? I know that adds to the harsh ride. Im really hoping to clear 285s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[thezentree]

Dang man you do have 550lb springs?? That's awesome, I was really eyeballing them for the comfort of ride just didn't want it to be too soft. Pretty much the only 4wheeling I can do is on the beach so I won't need but so much stiffness I wouldn't think. The most I'd ever do is put on a plate bumper with no winch.

Do you have more adjustment you can get out of it to get 3"? I know that adds to the harsh ride. Im really hoping to clear 285s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah 550lb. I think there’s probably enough adjustment left to crank them up to like 4” if you really wanted to, but it’s definitely enough to compensate for a bumper and 285s.

 

[Vansnxtweek]

Yeah 550lb. I think there’s probably enough adjustment left to crank them up to like 4” if you really wanted to, but it’s definitely enough to compensate for a bumper and 285s.

SWEET man thanks for the info! Def. going with 550s.

 

[thezentree]

Did some dirtin' yesterday.

My fiancé and I were over in Eddyville for a wedding and had a couple hours to kill so we bombed around some forest roads in Land Between the Lakes. Just a bunch of gravel roads but it was nice just to be in the woods on a beautiful day.

I'd never been over there before, but that area is awesome and I really would like to go back and do a bunch more exploring soon.

 

[Boom Headshot]

That name.... the avatar........

You seem... familiar. :sniper:

 

[thezentree]

That name.... the avatar........

You seem... familiar. :sniper:

There are like 87 forums on the internet, bound to be some overlap. :wave:

 

[SDmtnbkr]

So these are the 265's with 890's? ....any picks of 265's with the Superflex's? I run 891's right now on 265's but I have a huge sleeping platform, sliders and rack, and the ass is starting to sag a little. Superflex would be my next step up, but I feel like it would be a big jump and might look funny with 265's.

 

[thezentree]

So these are the 265's with 890's? ....any picks of 265's with the Superflex's? I run 891's right now on 265's but I have a huge sleeping platform, sliders and rack, and the ass is starting to sag a little. Superflex would be my next step up, but I feel like it would be a big jump and might look funny with 265's.

No, I switched to 890s before I dropped the tire size. With all the stuff you've got in the back of yours though it wouldn't really be apples to apples anyway though. I usually only have the spare and a small toolbox in the back of mine, and no armor.

 

[thezentree]

I keep telling myself I’m going to spend some time updating this thread but that time never seems to materialize... maybe in a couple weekends when my fiancé is doing her bachelorette party.

I haven’t had much recent stuff to update, no #sickmods at least. I dropped the front end down to about 1.25” in an attempt to eliminate the CV angle as the cause of the vibrations but that didn’t seem to make any difference. I’ll probably crank it back up to around 2” in the next few weeks, just don’t have time to wait on an alignment right now. You can see the rake in the last picture though.

I also painted the 5 stars the same graphite color as the 4th gen wheels. I’m not thrilled with how they turned out but they look much better, at least from 10 feet away haha. I’m sure the paint will flake this winter, but I’ll either ignore it or do it right and have them blasted and powder coated. I’m done grinding corrosion off alloy wheels.

 

[thezentree]

I also finally got to do some real off-roading the other day. I ended up going alone so there aren’t a ton of pictures, especially the “hard” stuff, but I had a great time and am really impressed with this thing in the dirt. I can’t wait to get back out there.

This trip really convinced me to get the sliders I’ve had in my basement for months welded on soon. I’d have caved in my doors in a bad way if I had slipped off some of the notches on these trails.

Y’all come four wheeling with me!


Edit: it’s past my bedtime and I’m on my iPad. I’ll fix the sideways pic later. Just turn your monitor sideways for now haha

 

[whyzee125]

Nice rig! You had the vibrations with the 4th gen wheels too? That's literally so weird lol. That has to be my biggest gripe with these trucks, almost all of them I've driven have had just a little bit around 71mph, some much worse and at more speeds.