Unner's Build, 2001 T4R 4x4

[Unner]

When are you heading out to Cali? And where? It'd be nice to see your rig in person and maybe check out some of those red diamond trails with you if it works out.

Also curious about this! Not a ton of places to go in the Bay, but depending on if and where you end up here, it would be great to get together!

I'll be leaving early December 6th, possibly the 5th if I get packed and have some time left in the day, picking up my girlfriend in Vegas on the 8th, and then spending at least the next 7 days in California. Not sure when we'll head back, depends on her work schedule which we will hopefully have later this week. That'll help me sit down and plan some stuff out.

I haven't had the time to plan much yet, but I'm thinking we might see Death Valley, Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree, Prismo Beach, and Sequoia National park. Not sure if we'll be able to do all of that or not, but those are some of the things I've picked out so far. Probably staying in the SoCal area since the weather will be more conducive to camping and outdoors in December down there.

 

[theesotericone]

I'll be leaving early December 6th, possibly the 5th if I get packed and have some time left in the day, picking up my girlfriend in Vegas on the 8th, and then spending at least the next 7 days in California. Not sure when we'll head back, depends on her work schedule which we will hopefully have later this week. That'll help me sit down and plan some stuff out.

I haven't had the time to plan much yet, but I'm thinking we might see Death Valley, Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree, Prismo Beach, and Sequoia National park. Not sure if we'll be able to do all of that or not, but those are some of the things I've picked out so far. Probably staying in the SoCal area since the weather will be more conducive to camping and outdoors in December down there.

Sweet man. I hope her work schedule allows you some extra time. I can be in Death Valley in about 1.5 hours. You should consider driving up to Bishop from there. Google "East side of the Sierras" then click on images. The drive from Lone Pine(Mt Whitney region) to Bridgeport on 395 is one of, if not the, most scenic drives in Cali.

There's so much to do in this state it's insane but IMO the East Side and Yosemite are the two areas not to be missed.

 

[octanejunkie]

Sweet man. I hope her work schedule allows you some extra time. I can be in Death Valley in about 1.5 hours. You should consider driving up to Bishop from there. Google "East side of the Sierras" then click on images. The drive from Lone Pine(Mt Whitney region) to Bridgeport on 395 is one of, if not the, most scenic drives in Cali.

There's so much to do in this state it's insane but IMO the East Side and Yosemite are the two areas not to be missed.

I can vouch for the beauty of that drive and Bridgeport in particular; my IG feed gets a few pics of that part of the Sierras each time I pass through. Cute town too. I'd be down for a meet up there, it's only a 6 hour drive for me :loco:

Just past Mojave on the 14 are Dove Springs and Jawbone off road recreational areas, and Red Rocks Canyon. The rock formations at the latter are worth the visit. Even more so was Devils Postpile National Monument, which closes at the first sign of weather.

Not my pic

 

[Unner]

Sweet man. I hope her work schedule allows you some extra time. I can be in Death Valley in about 1.5 hours. You should consider driving up to Bishop from there. Google "East side of the Sierras" then click on images. The drive from Lone Pine(Mt Whitney region) to Bridgeport on 395 is one of, if not the, most scenic drives in Cali.

There's so much to do in this state it's insane but IMO the East Side and Yosemite are the two areas not to be missed.

Yeah I'd like to spend a few more days out there if possible. This week I should know for sure what her schedule looks like. It does look beautiful out there. Is there much open out there for wheeling that time of year? I really don't know what to expect for snow and what not.

I can vouch for the beauty of that drive and Bridgeport in particular; my IG feed gets a few pics of that part of the Sierras each time I pass through. Cute town too. I'd be down for a meet up there, it's only a 6 hour drive for me :loco:

Just past Mojave on the 14 are Dove Springs and Jawbone off road recreational areas, and Red Rocks Canyon. The rock formations at the latter are worth the visit. Even more so was Devils Postpile National Monument, which closes at the first sign of weather.

Not my pic

Only 30+ hours for me :lookout:

Devils Postpile looks beautiful, but it's further north than we were planning on going. Is the Red Rocks Canyon you're talking about the one near Vegas?

There's so much I want to do out there, but I need to find the balance between seeing lots of stuff, but not spending all our time driving between stuff.

 

[Rock_Rat]

Hey [MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION] good to finally catch up on your adventures from over the summer. It's been a really busy one for me with very little time to myself. Your trip to Colorado looked pretty amazing. It's unfortunate that Black Bear pass was closed at the time, but that leaves you a reason to go back. Heading out to Cali in December should be a fun trip as well. You're starting to put some serious miles on your rig. I see you're planning a rear locker upgrade. Nice. It's on my list right after I finish up my rear suspension upgrade. Wish I did the locker upgrade back when I ordered my gears from ECGS.

Good luck with your planning. Look forward to reading about your Cali trip.

 

[AssBurns]

If you are looking for things to do in SoCal area, you should start a tread in the SoCal section let people know what you are trying to do. That section stays pretty active. Also if you are looking for someone to wheel with, I’m out in SoCal as well.


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[AssBurns]

If you are looking for things to do in SoCal area, you should start a tread in the SoCal section let people know what you are trying to do. That section stays pretty active. Also if you are looking for someone to wheel with, I’m out in SoCal as well.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[octanejunkie]

Devils Postpile looks beautiful, but it's further north than we were planning on going. Is the Red Rocks Canyon you're talking about the one near Vegas?

There's so much I want to do out there, but I need to find the balance between seeing lots of stuff, but not spending all our time driving between stuff.

Red Rocks Canyon is on the 14 North past Mojave - no where near Vegas Lol

If you are looking for scenery, and wheeling nearby, Dove Springs and Jawbone are near Red Rock Canyon all of which is less than a 2 hour drive from DTLA in average traffic

If you are near or coming down the 5, Gorman/Hungry Valley is out that way and has lots of trails, more for dirtbike I think, but that's up above the snowline which makes for different temperatures and experiences, and borders the national forest.

 

[Unner]

Well I got a couple things knocked off my list.

• Rear Diff Fluid
• Transfer Case Fluid
• Brake Fluid Flush
• Power Steering Fluid Change
• Tightened Rear Sway Bar End Links
• Tightened Skid Plates
• Washed and Waxed 4Runner
• CB Installed, Kinda...

I ran my new longer coax cable, installed my new passenger side mount, and then went to tune my antenna. Nothing on my SWR meter. It wouldn't move at all, neither would the power meter, no movement in the watts. I also can't even pick up the NOAA weather stations. I don't receive anything at all, and I don't know if I can transmit. It appears not since I don't have any movement on my SWR meter or power meter when I key the mic.

I checked all the cables for continuity, they're all good. No shorts either. Everything is grounded properly. The antenna is good, no breaks in it.

I think my SWR meter or CB radio is bad. I'm leaning towards the CB radio. I have continuity through the SWR meter as well.

I don't know what to test next other than buying a new radio and seeing if it will work...

Hey [MENTION=116387]Unner[/MENTION] good to finally catch up on your adventures from over the summer. It's been a really busy one for me with very little time to myself. Your trip to Colorado looked pretty amazing. It's unfortunate that Black Bear pass was closed at the time, but that leaves you a reason to go back. Heading out to Cali in December should be a fun trip as well. You're starting to put some serious miles on your rig. I see you're planning a rear locker upgrade. Nice. It's on my list right after I finish up my rear suspension upgrade. Wish I did the locker upgrade back when I ordered my gears from ECGS.

Good luck with your planning. Look forward to reading about your Cali trip.

Yeah, lots of trips this year. Might as well take advantage of the time when it's available. Cali should be fun, I'm excited. About 10 days to go and I have a lot of planning to do, along with a lot of other stuff...

Rear locker has been put on the back burner for now. I want one, but haven't been in a situation I couldn't get out of with two foot driving and TRAC. I have the housing for a rear elocker, but I don't want to spend $800 on a rear diff with high miles and unknown history. I might eventually regear and if I do that'll come with lockers, but that's awhile away.

If you are looking for things to do in SoCal area, you should start a tread in the SoCal section let people know what you are trying to do. That section stays pretty active. Also if you are looking for someone to wheel with, I’m out in SoCal as well.


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Awesome! I might make a thread over there. I really need to sit down this week and plan this thing out.

Red Rocks Canyon is on the 14 North past Mojave - no where near Vegas Lol

If you are looking for scenery, and wheeling nearby, Dove Springs and Jawbone are near Red Rock Canyon all of which is less than a 2 hour drive from DTLA in average traffic

If you are near or coming down the 5, Gorman/Hungry Valley is out that way and has lots of trails, more for dirtbike I think, but that's up above the snowline which makes for different temperatures and experiences, and borders the national forest.

Oh, you were talking about Red Rock Canyon State Park, and I was thinking of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation area, which is in Nevada. I'll look into those places as well. I'm not planning on getting too close to LA, but if a pair of Eagles-Rams tickets comes up for cheap I might go to that game and support my Eagles on the west coast! 10-1 is beyond what anyone expected this year, it's been a great season for us.


Couple pics after the wash and wax. Got a new Samsung S8. Camera is really good.
20171126_161108 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171126_161038 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

 

[Unner]

Many pictures to come from our recent adventures. But first, she needs a new starter. It started acting up on the way back and eventually failed, but not until after I had made it all the way home. I have a new Denso waiting to go in once the rain breaks, the previous owner replaced the OEM with a ToughOne, so I decided to just replace the entire unit with a Denso rather than just replace contacts in the aftermarket one.

Here's a few cell phone pictures for the time being. We saw lots of beautiful things, and experienced many new places. There will be more pictures to come.
20171207_172044 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171207_172132 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171207_174531 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171208_071610 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171210_104420 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171210_141108 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171211_110232 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171211_140935 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171212_125836 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171212_140501 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171212_170007 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171215_114752 by Unner Unner, on Flickr20171215_123000 by Unner Unner, on Flickr
20171215_125541 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

 

[Road Bull]

Great pics man! That looked like fun. So, what is the story with the large rock in Death Va... Never mind. That is pretty cool how they move around. Looks crazy. Sounds like a good bit of driving from your neck of the woods too. Well done.

 

[phattyduck]

Here's where you insert the witty comments about Commifornia and how it its impossible to understand why anyone would want to live here...



Glad you go to see so many beautiful places on your trip out here!

-Charlie

 

[Unner]

Great pics man! That looked like fun. So, what is the story with the large rock in Death Va... Never mind. That is pretty cool how they move around. Looks crazy. Sounds like a good bit of driving from your neck of the woods too. Well done.

Thanks! Lots more pictures to come. I barely glanced through some of my camera pictures, haven't had time to really do anything with them. 1,800 pictures in total.

They've actually figured out how the rocks move. Basically water collects, freezes into ice sheets, the rocks get trapped withing the ice, and when the wind blows it moves the ice and rocks. At least that's what the sign there says.

5,591 miles on an uncorrected odometer, so 5,999 miles once corrected for tire size. I made it from Alabama to Tucumcari, NM the first day haha.

Here's where you insert the witty comments about Commifornia and how it its impossible to understand why anyone would want to live here...



Glad you go to see so many beautiful places on your trip out here!

-Charlie

California is definitely different. Some for the better, some for the worse depending on what you're looking at and what you want. It's not a place I want to live right now, but I could see myself moving in a westward direction eventually. I can totally understand why you would want to live there though. Especially [MENTION=143526]theesotericone[/MENTION] and his area. The eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains are beautiful, especially being so close to Death Valley.

I'm sure I'll be back again. Lots left to explore.


Well since the starter died literally after I pulled into the driveway, I replaced it with a Denso unit which was remanufactured in the USA.

This is what I found when I pulled the starter... The wrong starter. The previous owner's mechanic put the 1.4kw starter in instead of the 1.8 it was supposed to have.

20171220_150103 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

The rubber boot that goes over this connection had turned so brittle it crumbled as I took the starter out. And there was a good bit of corossion on the outside, even though the starter is only 4 years old and never seen salt.

20171220_150922 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20171220_150916 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

Then I opened it up to take a look at the contacts. A wee bit of corrosion was found.

20171220_151313 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20171220_151332 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

20171220_151325 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

Opened up the Denso one to make sure it had new contacts. Nice and shiny.

20171220_152729 by Unner Unner, on Flickr


Changing it isn't too bad. Remove the tire, two brakeline bolts, the upper half of the transmission dipstick and then use a bunch of extensions and swivel joint to break the bolts loose. After that I was able to get a 1/4" ratchet in between the header downpipe and engine with a deepwell 14mm socket. Turning 1/16 of a turn at a time I got the bolts out. Threaded them in the same way and snugged them up. The bottom one I was able to get the 1/2" ratchet on with extensions and the swivel joint, but the top one I was not. So I used a combination of adapters and different sockets to find the right length where I could turn a 3/8" ratchet back there to tighten it down. If those bolts were easier to get to it would be a 1 hour job, instead it took about 3ish. No need to drop the skid plates either which was nice. I should be good to go for a long time now though.

 

[phattyduck]

California is definitely different. Some for the better, some for the worse depending on what you're looking at and what you want. It's not a place I want to live right now, but I could see myself moving in a westward direction eventually. I can totally understand why you would want to live there though. Especially [MENTION=143526]theesotericone[/MENTION] and his area. The eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains are beautiful, especially being so close to Death Valley.

I'm sure I'll be back again. Lots left to explore.

The magic of California is the diversity of terrain (desert, coastal forest, scrub, alpine forest, etc.). The crappy part is Los Angeles and other major cities, except that's where the (high paying) jobs are. You take the good with the bad - and just focus on the good.

-Charlie

 

[BigFishAllDay]

Whoa! That starter was junk, for sure. I'm surprised it got you home.

I have been reading some posts about your trip in the 4Runners thread on TW, and to be honest, I'm quite jealous. You really went big on this one, Unner.

I can't wait to see the trip report.

 

[Unner]

The magic of California is the diversity of terrain (desert, coastal forest, scrub, alpine forest, etc.). The crappy part is Los Angeles and other major cities, except that's where the (high paying) jobs are. You take the good with the bad - and just focus on the good.

-Charlie

It really is amazing how different things are all within the same state, even the same area. I avoided the big cities as best as I could, but even driving through LA wasn't as bad as I envisioned it would be. Atlanta is still worse, at least from what I saw.

Focusing on the good is what really matters, and there's a lot of good.

Whoa! That starter was junk, for sure. I'm surprised it got you home.

I have been reading some posts about your trip in the 4Runners thread on TW, and to be honest, I'm quite jealous. You really went big on this one, Unner.

I can't wait to see the trip report.

The 4Runner gods were watching over us those few days coming back. We only turned the truck off at night, and I was a little worried every morning if it would crank. Passing through Las Vegas I picked up a Duralast one just incase I had to change it somewhere on the side of the road, but thankfully that didn't happen.

I posted there a little bit along the way. The TW user interface is so much better, I can actually post there easily from my phone.

This was a pretty awesome trip. I passed through your stomping grounds both ways on I-40, it looks like a pretty nice area. We stopped at Mac's Steak in the Rough on the way back for dinner. The steak fingers were pretty good, something different from a fast food place. Tomorrow I'll start working on the trip report and going through pictures.

 

[theesotericone]

California is definitely different. Some for the better, some for the worse depending on what you're looking at and what you want. It's not a place I want to live right now, but I could see myself moving in a westward direction eventually. I can totally understand why you would want to live there though. Especially [MENTION=143526]theesotericone[/MENTION] and his area. The eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains are beautiful, especially being so close to Death Valley.

Thanks man. Told you you'd like the East Side. lol

I quick back story on why I live here. You seem to like to travel so I think you'll understand.

Most on this site know I'm a climber by now. Way back in 2004 I was turning 30. I had never been anywhere other than the East Coast. I decided to pack my things in my van and head out on a 6 month climbing road trip.

That 6 months quickly morphed into 6 years. I'd work 2-3 months a year then travel all over the US , Canada and Mexico till I was almost out of cash. Rinse, wash, repeat. To say I've seen every part of North America wouldn't be true but I have seen more than most people ever will.

I first rolled into Bishop in 2005 and new right away it was where I wanted to call home. It has world class climbing, world class fishing and even a little bit of wheeling. lol Out of all the places I've been this one held, and still holds, the most appeal to me. If you ever get back out here let me know and I'll show you around.

 

[LittleCaesar]

And as someone who is turning 40 next year, to everyone who is in their 20s I would say get out and travel as much as you can like Unner is. Once one buys a house, full job, kids, etc, the freedom of mobility unencumbered almost ceases to exist unless one desires to undertake a trip like the Griswolds did.

I have been to 46 of the 50 states and even PR and enjoyed every minute. I hope to get to Alaska and Hawaii some day.

 

[Unner]

Thanks man. Told you you'd like the East Side. lol

I quick back story on why I live here. You seem to like to travel so I think you'll understand.

Most on this site know I'm a climber by now. Way back in 2004 I was turning 30. I had never been anywhere other than the East Coast. I decided to pack my things in my van and head out on a 6 month climbing road trip.

That 6 months quickly morphed into 6 years. I'd work 2-3 months a year then travel all over the US , Canada and Mexico till I was almost out of cash. Rinse, wash, repeat. To say I've seen every part of North America wouldn't be true but I have seen more than most people ever will.

I first rolled into Bishop in 2005 and new right away it was where I wanted to call home. It has world class climbing, world class fishing and even a little bit of wheeling. lol Out of all the places I've been this one held, and still holds, the most appeal to me. If you ever get back out here let me know and I'll show you around.

That's awesome! I'm sure you've seen way more than 99% of people. Apparently the average American has only been to 12 states.

I almost PM'd you to set something up, but I decided last minute I shouldn't just incase something came up and I couldn't make it. It's good I didn't. Last minute flight cancellations and changes due to ice in Atlanta meant my girlfriend had to fly into Los Angeles instead of Las Vegas, which took the plan I had made and lit it on fire. We still saw almost everything we wanted to see, and a few unexpected areas. But in a totally different order than I anticipated. Hopefully next time we can figure something out, I'd love to explore some of the mountain trails I'm sure you guys have plenty of in the area.

And as someone who is turning 40 next year, to everyone who is in their 20s I would say get out and travel as much as you can like Unner is. Once one buys a house, full job, kids, etc, the freedom of mobility unencumbered almost ceases to exist unless one desires to undertake a trip like the Griswolds did.

I have been to 46 of the 50 states and even PR and enjoyed every minute. I hope to get to Alaska and Hawaii some day.

Traveling is great, I want to be able to say yeah I've seen that, rather than, man I wish I had gone on that trip, or wish I had seen that one place.

Nevada and California put my states visited total to 35. One day I'll make it to see all 50 hopefully. The only ones I haven't been to are mostly ones that border Canada, a few in the northeast, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Which ones haven't you been to?

 

[LittleCaesar]

Nevada and California put my states visited total to 35. One day I'll make it to see all 50 hopefully. The only ones I haven't been to are mostly ones that border Canada, a few in the northeast, as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Which ones haven't you been to?

The two Dakotas as well as Alaska and Hawaii. Traveling is quite fun but now instead of an automobile the GF and I opt for air travel if it is in the budget. Plus I never had something as off road capable as the 4runner to travel in, where if something caught my eye off the beaten path I could go and explore it.

Visit the Northeast in the fall, great foliage color. I love Boston, Vermont, Maine, but as fellow Southern boy I know you understand when I say I couldn't ever live in cold weather.