This will be badass. Would love to see that front diff in there. Please swap to at least 37's when wheeling in Moab or Rubicon.
I'm questioning the aluminum bumpers. Just not sure how long they will last, and not sure if you can make the rear bumper strong enough out of aluminum with a tire swingout.
Whichever type of spindle you go with, a 0 offset wheel is about as close as you can get to the aftermarket spindles (depends on the wheel width too I guess). Not sure about the weld-on gussets. If you can, try and find beadlocks that run as close as possible to the spindle to keep your width down. You will keep the same amount of travel while not being so wide.
05'-09' are the years they had the vvti V8 motors, not sure why you list 06'-09'.
If you are looking into weight savings here is the list I have made w/ #'s. I've been looking into lightening up my truck where possible.
-They make 2" solid aluminum suspension links threaded on both ends for joints. If you do the math vs 2x.25 steel tubing you save like 20lbs or so with a long 4-link setup (unsprung mass). Just as strong more or less and some race buggies/trucks are running them. Couple hundred $ more. Heat treated 4140 Chromoly tubing would be the lightest but most $.
-I'm looking into 1/8" AR400 skids for mine. My 3/16" steel skids are 115lbs. 1/8" steel are 81lbs, and 1/4" aluminum is 60lbs for the set of 3. The AR400 skids would be as strong as 3/16" steel skids, stupid hard so they slide over rocks really easily which aluminum doesn't. Nobody makes AR400 skids so they would need to be custom made.
-Racing seats I'm guessing are lighter than stock. Of course you could probably get rid of the rear seats and passenger front seat for racing.
-Fiberglass fenders are lighter. They make fiberglass hoods for Tacomas but not 4Runners as far as I know. They won't fit ours unless you swap headlights/ grilles/ and fenders with them (is possible).
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-Remove factory roof rack and towing accessory. Have receiver tube integrated into rear bumper. Remove spare tire winch (that thing is heavy!)
-Fuel cells will be lighter of course, since they carry less fuel and need a smaller or no skid plate depending on location. Gas weighs 6.2lbs/gallon.
Great thread and great ideas on weight reduction above! A few notes on the KoH EMC Stock Class Rules and front differential IFS options that I looked into before.
IFS Front Differential Options
The Currie unit is a good one but don't rule out other options depending on how you wanted to package things (centered versus offset):
- The Spidertrax front chunk - set up as a centered diff, like the Currie F9, unless you make a custom tube to run it in an offset location
- The Dynatrac XD60 IFS differential set up for GM 2500 trucks (this has an extended axle tube option if you wanted to keep the drivetrain changes simple by keeping an offset differential versus a centered unit). The Dynatrac unit is stout but it will weigh more than a fabricated housing from Currie or Spidertrax
- A factory GM 2500 IFS differential - not as strong as the above but you have a larger ring gear than the Toyota and they are pretty inexpensive. Once upon a time Tim Lund (top IFS builder) was looking at a budget IFS option based off of the GM2500 differential. I don't think he ever released that but you could always chase him down to find out.
Steering
- Someone else may have mentioned it but try giving Howe a call to see what they can do with the Toyota box (or retrofitting a box from a larger IFS truck, such as a Chevrolet/GM 2500).
- Solo - I didn't realize they had a solution but the Tundra box sounds interesting.
A few extra thoughts on weight reduction
- Hoods - atleast in 2014/2015 fiberglass hoods were not allowed for stock class vehicles (fiberglass fenders were okay but I don't think too many people ran them).
- Doors and hatch - You could gut your doors leaving just the outer skin plus a minimal tube frame to allow it to open and close. It varies from truck to truck but this should allow you to drop some significant weight. For the 4runner you could do the same for the rear door.
- Aluminum control arms may not be the lightest depending on the diameter but you can use a smaller diameter upper link to shave a few pounds and 7075 aluminum is stout.
I looked into a similar build for KoH using either a 4th Gen 4Runner or a WK2 Grand Cherokee. I ruled out the WK2 because of the unibody, lack of any serious suspension development in the aftermarket, and lack of gear or locker options without swapping both the front and rear ends out for F9 or Spidertrax axles. The V8 4Runner may be down on power to the WK or WK2 but you have a V8, a nice wheelbase, a nice rear suspension setup to work with (versus leafs on a truck), and great suspension options from quality companies. Total Chaos, Camburg and Solo have already done the engineering AND testing on the 4Runner suspension - in my humble opinion that is one of the biggest challenges to build a competitive truck. Other than the cage which would probably need to be custom, if Solo has a solution for your on steering, I think you could build a competitive rig with 'mostly' bolt on, or at least prefabricated parts for the 4Runner.
I hope someone goes ahead with this for 2019!!!
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