Tyler James Inc's Ultimate '01 SR5

[cblock406]

Man that front end looks GREAT!

 

[rkntoy]

First step toward Satoshi land...

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Man that front end looks GREAT!

Thank you! I am thrilled with it. I actually couldn't be much happier. I wish the bumper didn't stick out so far, but I've not had any success with my attempts to shrink it down.

First step toward Satoshi land...

[emoji1596][emoji16][emoji1596]

 

[Tyler James Inc]

I mentioned it earlier, but I have a glimpse of the new window belts. These things make such a huge difference. Nice new runner is so amazing, and the matte finish is perfect.
Of course all OEM. I doubt there is anyone else manufacturing replacements.
I got all 5 window belts for $200 shipped on eBay. Pretty dang good deal if you ask me.
Gross-

Money bags-

And for those who have been following my 4Runners, you'll know about the '85 Custom Cab I built with/for my buddy.
The rears up front we're way too flat. He had no uptravel at all. Literally riding on bump stops. And even with the bump stops set where we have them, they compress enough for the tie rod to do some self-clearancing on the oil pan.
So I found some brand new TG 3" front leafs, and we threw those on. Of course, after taking out the two bottom leafs. Haha The increased height sucks, but it sure rides nice not being on bumps [emoji23] One reason for the change was that he's making it more of a driver now. We pulled the hydro assist at the same time when we swapped springs.
He also sold the 42" PitBull Rockers and got some 40" Trail Graps.

Obviously needs fenders, a door, a bed- of sorts, and paint. But it's comin along nicely [emoji1598]

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Went shootin with the fam on Sunday. Had a great time just gettin out and hangin out.

As some know, I really want a 1st gen double cab Tacoma. I even put my 4Runner up for sale so I could get one. Well, I couldn't do it. I thought "if I can get xxxx for it, I'd sell it!". Yeah, no. I don't care how much someone would give me for it, I can't sell it.
I'm gonna be watching the auctions for a wrecked double cab that I can fix myself and build.
A Tacoma makes so much more sense for going further with my off-road/fun rig. I want bigger tires, and I wanna stay low-ish, but I don't wanna deal with hacking the quarters up on the 4Runner. A Tacoma is the perfect solution, and I love em. Cutting out the bedsides is no big deal at all, and the Tacoma just makes more sense overall.
Welp, guess that wasn't enough for me. Just can't get rid of it. So the plan is to stick with 35's on the runner, and stay mild. I need to get some 35's that actually measure 35" tall though. I'm not sure if the KO2's will get me through this winter or not. We'll see where they're at at the end of summer.

 

[AssBurns]

Just hack the 4runner up for bigger tires and more up travel! I just pulled the carpet and plastic panels on mine tonight to hopefully get started soon on that very thing.
For real though, I agree about the double cab Tacoma being a perfect vehicle for a wheeler. I always wanted a double cab with a camper shell on it. It’s like a 4runner but with a bigger and separate cargo area, and way easier to dial in the rear suspension without hacking into the cab. You can even bob the bed for a better departure angle while still having decent storage space. The issue with Tacoma’s is they are still stupid expensive compared to a 4Runner. That’s really the only reason I even got a 4runner, because I couldn’t afford a double cab taco at the time. I look forward to seeing you pick one up and work your magic on it. Just don’t do that weird, almost satoshi grill, badge thing you have on the taco. [emoji6]

 

[Chim]

I don't blame you at all! I always wanted a first gen double cab and was looking at them before I bought my first 3rd gen runner. I really want a bed for hauling stuff... even though its small it would still help.. plus I always liked the idea of a half height rack for a roof top tent.. ugh.. I have so much work in my 4runner though it would be hard to sell unless like you said there was enough money offered. I wish I had a nice place to store the 4runner cause I know I would hate myself if I ever got rid of it but sometimes I need a break from it! Follow your dreams! haha

 

[Tyler James Inc]

...it would be hard to sell unless like you said there was enough money offered. I wish I had a nice place to store the 4runner cause I know I would hate myself if I ever got rid of it but sometimes I need a break from it! Follow your dreams! haha

It’s like a 4runner but with a bigger and separate cargo area, and way easier to dial in the rear suspension without hacking into the cab. You can even bob the bed for a better departure angle while still having decent storage space. The issue with Tacoma’s is they are still stupid expensive compared to a 4Runner.

Exactly; you both feel the same as I do. I could MAYBE sell the runner for what I could buy a decent 1st gen DC for. I like having less $$$ into a rig. It would be tough for me to buy a $12-15k rig, then dump $10k+ into it just to chop on it and beat it up. Finding a wrecked DC for $5k makes much more sense to me. And yeah, bobbed DC FTW.

No cool updates, but I did finally replace my broken trans mount! The one I got from the donor rig was toast- the rubber was completely separated from one side of the mount on both sides. I made it work by chopping the center sleeve down, but that made it more of a rigid mount.

New mount-

See how the center bolt isn't touching the top trans side of the mount? That's because of a sleeve in the center. When I did the manual swap, I just cut the sleeve down and used the bolt to hold the mount together better. It worked fine, but I like new rubber; I like good NVH isolation!
Oh, here's a good pic of the gapped new one vs the tightened old one-

In like Flynn. Sorry, the reflection from my high-vis pink shirt really fvcked up the picture color.

Also- after some major issues with the selling dealership I got them from- I finally got all my window belts replaced!

The nice new OEM matte finish is amazing. I wish I could replace all my door seals and complete window rubbers, but that would be a pretty good chunk of cash. The window belts were absolutely worth the cost to me though.
I'm coming up on 25k miles since the swap(since I've owned it, really), and all is great. I have an annoying inconsistent vibe I'm chasing, but I feel like most 3rd gens do. I also believe it could be BFG related. Or maybe just incompetent tire balancing guys. Who knows. I wish I had my own balancer.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

The F-Series tank is something I've been wanting to do for a couple years. I actually got the tank from a gas '96 F-250 almost a year ago, and it's just been sitting on the side of my house. I think I actually posted a pic of it sitting under my rig on a floor jack a few months ago. Anyway, I've been "patiently" waiting for [MENTION=28464]eimkeith[/MENTION] to finalize his design, because I knew he'd 100% nail it(he did).
Working 10hr days- and building a new bed frame- is currently taking up all my time. When I got the crossmember Saturday, I was bummed I couldn't get right on welding it in.

As to be expected with anything from Keith- the fit of his crossmember is perfect in the frame rails-

My tires look like they're 15" wide in that last pic [emoji58]

His bender is also very good at what he does-

So yeah, real excited to get the tank swap done and get a back bumper on her! Just wait till you see the bumper [emoji847]
Headboard finished tonight-

We planed down all sides of the posts and top caps to get rid of the rounded corners, and get them all super flat. It's definitely our best work yet!

 

[theesotericone]

We planed down all sides of the posts and top caps to get rid of the rounded corners, and get them all super flat. It's definitely our best work yet!

Are you leaving it natural and oiling it or staining it?

Wood is such a great medium to work with. I'm a carpenter so I get to work with it everyday. lol

 

[Tyler James Inc]

Are you leaving it natural and oiling it or staining it?

Wood is such a great medium to work with. I'm a carpenter so I get to work with it everyday. lol

Oh nice! It's awesome to work with. We've made quite a bit of furniture for our house. There is a wide range of level of workmanship, that's for sure [emoji23]
We're staining it with Dark Walnut(not actually dark at all) or Weathered Oak- maybe a mix of the two.

 

[rkntoy]

The F-Series tank is something I've been wanting to do for a couple years. I actually got the tank from a gas '96 F-250 almost a year ago, and it's just been sitting on the side of my house. I think I actually posted a pic of it sitting under my rig on a floor jack a few months ago. Anyway, I've been "patiently" waiting for [MENTION=28464]eimkeith[/MENTION] to finalize his design, because I knew he'd 100% nail it(he did).
Working 10hr days- and building a new bed frame- is currently taking up all my time. When I got the crossmember Saturday, I was bummed I couldn't get right on welding it in.

So glad you are doing this - then I can pick your brain when you get done.

 

[zoombyu86]

Oh nice! It's awesome to work with. We've made quite a bit of furniture for our house. There is a wide range of level of workmanship, that's for sure [emoji23]
We're staining it with Dark Walnut(not actually dark at all) or Weathered Oak- maybe a mix of the two.

I've seen some of the wood pieces you posted here and there. Maybe a dedicated thread for it in an off-topic section? I'd be sure to look at it.

I recently made a dining table with an iron pipe base and top/seats made from pine. I have zero appropriate wood working tools so I squared it up best I could with a table saw, used a kreg jig (pocket holes) to join them, and used figure 8 fasteners to attach the top to the slats/base while alternating the pattern to mitigate warping and buckling. Pretty amateur but its pretty damn nice for well under $500. Luckily my mother does finishing work at a custom wood shop (cabinetry) so she matched the stain to my floors and wood trim.

 

[Tyler James Inc]

BEST CHRISTMAS EVAR!

Wouldn’t be the “Ultimate” 4Runner without a Diamond, now would it? Not in my opinion.

 

[rickashay]

Awesome awesome build. Love the attention to detail in everything you are doing. I feel like your really modding the vehicle out of desire to address certain areas of the platform that can be improved for your specific uses. Not just throwing money at it for the sake of likes on IG.

Sub'd and making me want to build the oh-so-sweet 00' 5 speed 4Runner in my garage! Must resist...

 

[binqker]

[mention=89792]bhicks[/mention] of bh3d needed someone to test his teq badge on a '01/02 grille, and i happened to be the lucky guy to raise my hand first. Thanks again [mention=89792]bhicks[/mention]
if you like the style, i would highly recommend this badge. The craftsmanship is great, and the fit and finish is spot-on. Great work by bh3d.

also picked up a sport hood a couple weeks ago [emoji16]
if i haven't said so before- my wife is amazing. She bought me new exterior window felt/rubbers for all 5 doors for my birthday. Seriously so stoked on those. It makes it look and feel so much newer just having those replaced. One got damaged in shipping, and the dealership i bought through completely left out the rear. They also aren't very prompt to get the missing and broken pieces shipped to me. Not thrilled with their service, but that's okay. I'll get good pics of the fresh rubber eventually.

bad a$$ ride!!!

 

[VernySanders]

haha Sorry that I got you thinking again!

If you do decide on doing this, let me know and I will dig out the part numbers of the parts that you need in order to make this job appear stock made.

I did mine a while back and plan one doing in on another 4Runner soon, and will post a write up once done.

I am happy how it turned out and here are some pics of both levers, and the CDL button on the dash and the dash lights.

What radio is that? Fricken thing looks awesome in there

 

[VernySanders]

Man, huge shout-out to [MENTION=77045]99 sr5 highlander[/MENTION]!
I asked him if he could get me a '01/02 turn stalk with fog switch, and he emailed me two days later saying he got a stalk and a relay, and it's ready to ship! Awesome service from Chris [emoji1360]

I said '01/02, because I believe they are different than the <'01. I bought a stalk from [MENTION=93316]I'mStock[/MENTION] (also great guy; his real name says it all [emoji848]), and it was too large to slide into my opening. He had bought it from another member, but never got a chance to try it in his own rig. No fault of his at all. Here is the one that didn't work next to my stock '01 stalk-

But I'm thinking it wasn't from a 4Runner at all, because if any 3rd gen would have the "auto" function, it would be an '01/02- I would think.
Fogs [emoji322]

More puzzle pieces-

The Tacoma rad I used had the cap in a different location than the 4Runner, and actually holds the hood up. I need to re-drill the core support to lower the rad a little bit-

Drove it to work for the first time today [emoji1598]

I have this exact radio, first time I've ever seen it light up. Lol I need to take mine apart and figure that out

 

[pavelvoivoda]

What radio is that? Fricken thing looks awesome in there

Not sure which one you mean as I don't see the pic i have posted, but the player is from FJ Cruiser, and the ham radio is Yaesu FT857D.

 

[VernySanders]

Not sure which one you mean as I don't see the pic i have posted, but the player is from FJ Cruiser, and the ham radio is Yaesu FT857D.

I'm going to be looking into doing the FJ radio swap then. I love the look of that. Thanks! Any clue what year?