Wavesport's Build
- Thread starter Wavesport
- Start date
850lifeguard
Member
Kudos to you! This is a very informational thread and I love reading your work! I too can't see the pictures in your last post. Not sure what the problem is.
Billynath1988
Senior Member
Great build thread so far man.. Looking forward to see how those sway aways disguised in toytec boss 2.5's feel and look on the truck. LOL.
Either way its a quality part so who cares. pictures so far are great quality.. keep it up.
Either way its a quality part so who cares. pictures so far are great quality.. keep it up.
That Ford is just heartbreaking...
Good luck with it and keep us posted. I'd like to see how it all turns out.
Hopefully it goes smoother in the future.
Thanks [MENTION=85520]Billynath1988[/MENTION] and [MENTION=115474]eviele[/MENTION]. It's nice to get feedback on this stuff 
The Ford is a bit of a heartbreaker. I did a bit more looking over the heads online the other day, and I think I might have gotten lucky. The bolt hole runs directly under the valve train, and the hole I punched through I believe is just into the bottom of the valve train. If I didn't crack anything there, and I didn't get too close to any of the valve guides, I might be able to simply pull the valve cover, clean up the mess, and seal vs. tap a small weld into the hole, and cross my fingers. Cast iron is very difficult to weld properly, so it will be pretty tricky if I end up having to go that route. I might be able to find a high temperature epoxy to bond it up, then simply run the helicoil to seal it.
I'm a bit worried about a crack forming and running around the spot, but I guess we will see when I crack it in November. There is a guy out here with a donor truck with a seemingly good motor (though he says he changes the oil regularly only every 25k - which is ... mental on a diesel), so that might be a route.
The Toytec's are suuuuper nice, but I'm worried about running them in the winter and destroying them. I have this extra set of rancho shocks all the way around, and I might end up running them at least for a little while to see how they do, maybe for the winter, and also serve as a point of comparison to the Toytec's. If I hate them, they will come off and the Toytec's will go on despite those previous concerns.
I pulled an all-nighter in the shop last night. My wife was working overnight, so I thought I'd do the same. Worked straight from 11am, to 6am this morning. Did a lot of work. Pics to come - but the rundown includes: pulled the front diff, cleaned and painted it and the hangars. Installed new seals, drained the fluid, rerouted the lines, fixed the breather caps. De-rusted then polyurethane sealed all the hardware. Cleaned and refinished the threaded brake line unions that I previously wrecked (with very good results and a perfect high pressure seal). Setup the Total Chaos UCA's (there is a bit of overhead involved but not much). Built up the spindles with the wheel bearings, dust covers, and new seals. Cleaned some more of the undercarriage.
To do tomorrow: Paint the cross members, paint the calipers, tape and paint the rotors, reinstall the diff with new fluid and the diff drop. Finish painting the skid plates. Finish removing the X-Reas. Start reinstallation of the front end - with potential for starting on the rear end in the next few days. I'm not sure how far I'll get, b/c I'm actually working overnight tonight, and will likely be very tired tomorrow...
I still have the entire rear end to do - which will also mean pulling the diff, and preparing and repainting as I've done for the front, but I may hold off on the big work for the rear again until november or the spring depending on what I need in terms of vehicles over the winter.
The Ford is a bit of a heartbreaker. I did a bit more looking over the heads online the other day, and I think I might have gotten lucky. The bolt hole runs directly under the valve train, and the hole I punched through I believe is just into the bottom of the valve train. If I didn't crack anything there, and I didn't get too close to any of the valve guides, I might be able to simply pull the valve cover, clean up the mess, and seal vs. tap a small weld into the hole, and cross my fingers. Cast iron is very difficult to weld properly, so it will be pretty tricky if I end up having to go that route. I might be able to find a high temperature epoxy to bond it up, then simply run the helicoil to seal it.
I'm a bit worried about a crack forming and running around the spot, but I guess we will see when I crack it in November. There is a guy out here with a donor truck with a seemingly good motor (though he says he changes the oil regularly only every 25k - which is ... mental on a diesel), so that might be a route.
The Toytec's are suuuuper nice, but I'm worried about running them in the winter and destroying them. I have this extra set of rancho shocks all the way around, and I might end up running them at least for a little while to see how they do, maybe for the winter, and also serve as a point of comparison to the Toytec's. If I hate them, they will come off and the Toytec's will go on despite those previous concerns.
I pulled an all-nighter in the shop last night. My wife was working overnight, so I thought I'd do the same. Worked straight from 11am, to 6am this morning. Did a lot of work. Pics to come - but the rundown includes: pulled the front diff, cleaned and painted it and the hangars. Installed new seals, drained the fluid, rerouted the lines, fixed the breather caps. De-rusted then polyurethane sealed all the hardware. Cleaned and refinished the threaded brake line unions that I previously wrecked (with very good results and a perfect high pressure seal). Setup the Total Chaos UCA's (there is a bit of overhead involved but not much). Built up the spindles with the wheel bearings, dust covers, and new seals. Cleaned some more of the undercarriage.
To do tomorrow: Paint the cross members, paint the calipers, tape and paint the rotors, reinstall the diff with new fluid and the diff drop. Finish painting the skid plates. Finish removing the X-Reas. Start reinstallation of the front end - with potential for starting on the rear end in the next few days. I'm not sure how far I'll get, b/c I'm actually working overnight tonight, and will likely be very tired tomorrow...
I still have the entire rear end to do - which will also mean pulling the diff, and preparing and repainting as I've done for the front, but I may hold off on the big work for the rear again until november or the spring depending on what I need in terms of vehicles over the winter.
Billynath1988
Senior Member
What makes you think that your going to ruin them in the winter?
Update #14
Well, the winters here are pretty long and harsh, and the Toytec's are very pretty. There is a lot of sand around here, and ice packs up into everything. It's probably not a reasonable worry to be sure, but I have an extra set of suspension components, and it doesn't really cost me anything to use them. Still haven't decided for sure
I started the other night by pulling the diff, and derusting all the hardware, as well as wire wheeling the diff arms:
The bolts and nuts that hold the diff. These were pretty surface rusty to begin with.
The process I use takes off some of the galvanic protection, so I treat with some polyurethane sealant to prevent oxidation / corrosion. They will mate with other polyurethane coatings on the chassis - so shouldn't really corrode much in the next year. Time will tell?
The bolt on the end there is after being treated with the sealant. It stains the metal and fills in all the little defects.
The diff actually looks in great shape on the surface after degreasing, and cleaning. I left the stub axles in place to keep moisture out during cleaning.
Installed new seals at the outputs for the front differential. Out was tough, in was easy (if you have a wide surface rubber tipped drift - or better yet a cylinder the same OD as the seal.
After a few coats of POR rust protector. Same as used on the spindles, and the same basic first coat for pretty much all my pieces. There were some hints of metal flake in the old fluid, so I'll consider tearing it down come spring time.
These are the brackets that fit the lower ball joints. They were in decent shape.
After wire wheeling. I treated these with metal etch afterwards, and then hit them again with the rust protector. 2 coats and the surface is hard as rock.
Here are the spindles dressed. I replaced the seal grease in the new seals with some Mobil 1 synthetic red - as I use in a few other spots.
I dunno if that matters much, but this stuff holds viscosity pretty good in any temperature.
The Total Chaos UCA's have some powder coating in the zerk fitting (which are grease introduction fittings) threads, so you need to clean the before installing the fittings. The tap is a 1/4" 28 I think.
The uniballs already show some corrosion in the inside of that joint. I'm going to pull them today to have a closer look.
More to be done.
Well, the winters here are pretty long and harsh, and the Toytec's are very pretty. There is a lot of sand around here, and ice packs up into everything. It's probably not a reasonable worry to be sure, but I have an extra set of suspension components, and it doesn't really cost me anything to use them. Still haven't decided for sure
I started the other night by pulling the diff, and derusting all the hardware, as well as wire wheeling the diff arms:
The bolts and nuts that hold the diff. These were pretty surface rusty to begin with.
The process I use takes off some of the galvanic protection, so I treat with some polyurethane sealant to prevent oxidation / corrosion. They will mate with other polyurethane coatings on the chassis - so shouldn't really corrode much in the next year. Time will tell?
The bolt on the end there is after being treated with the sealant. It stains the metal and fills in all the little defects.
The diff actually looks in great shape on the surface after degreasing, and cleaning. I left the stub axles in place to keep moisture out during cleaning.
Installed new seals at the outputs for the front differential. Out was tough, in was easy (if you have a wide surface rubber tipped drift - or better yet a cylinder the same OD as the seal.
After a few coats of POR rust protector. Same as used on the spindles, and the same basic first coat for pretty much all my pieces. There were some hints of metal flake in the old fluid, so I'll consider tearing it down come spring time.
These are the brackets that fit the lower ball joints. They were in decent shape.
After wire wheeling. I treated these with metal etch afterwards, and then hit them again with the rust protector. 2 coats and the surface is hard as rock.
Here are the spindles dressed. I replaced the seal grease in the new seals with some Mobil 1 synthetic red - as I use in a few other spots.
I dunno if that matters much, but this stuff holds viscosity pretty good in any temperature.
The Total Chaos UCA's have some powder coating in the zerk fitting (which are grease introduction fittings) threads, so you need to clean the before installing the fittings. The tap is a 1/4" 28 I think.
The uniballs already show some corrosion in the inside of that joint. I'm going to pull them today to have a closer look.
More to be done.
Last edited:
Billynath1988
Senior Member
Valid concern, but I would think proper care and for the money they should in theory hold up fine to some snow and ice. I ask because these 2.5's are on my consideration list for a future suspension and living on longisland the winters get sometime become brutal not only with cold and ice but salt and corrosion more then anything. not to mention the fact that I drive on the beach all summer.
Id like to know these parts hold up well and wont require rebuilds or replacement after a year or two of being in those conditions. Even with regular washings and rinsing with fresh water.
Id like to know these parts hold up well and wont require rebuilds or replacement after a year or two of being in those conditions. Even with regular washings and rinsing with fresh water.
Update #15 and Final update for a few months
Hey guys, finally able to post up. This has been likely the most work I've put in on the project so far. I worked through the day Monday, then stayed overnight until about 630am. Slept a bit, then went to the shop my actual job at 5pm and worked overnight until 9am. Slept a bit, then went to the shop for 8 hours. Went up to the shop on the next morning at around 11am, and then worked through the day an night until the next day at 530pm. I got everything rolling, and then fully was asleep last night for 13 hours straight. Overall, I've been at the shop this week from Monday morning until Friday afternoon a total of 60 hours. I was mostly an inefficient zombie for many of the early hours, but I think some of the stuff I had done couldn't really have gone any faster. Paint takes time to dry, hardware takes time to de-rust and reseal, the diff took quite a while to get right, and there is a lot of overhead timewise in getting tools, (finding them again in the huge mess), and taking care of pieces that are rust welded together. 3 all nighters is more than I usually like, but I was finally into the fun stuff... the final paint, install, and shakedown!
In my last post, I had the diff out, cleaned degreased and drained, put the new seals in and then changed the fluid. I cleaned and painted the 2 accessory hangers, cleaned the breather lines, cleaned and painted the actuator and housing, derusted and sealed the hardware, and the diff support brackets, as well as the input shaft bolts. Here is the diff back in under the chassis, after cleaning and painting the cross members, and installing the diff drop from Toytec:
It actually looks even better than this since then, as I've cleaned up a bunch of the undercarriage, the motor, and the lines that run about. New seals in the diff, and new axles also went in. I ended up using 75-90 synthetic diff oil, and used an entire quart to flush out the old shavings while spinning the input shaft, and periodically running the left axle. There was a small amount of lash when the oil was completely out, which is non-existent with new fluid.
I painted a set of brand new Factory front callipers (feel a bit silly that I didn't get the 5th gen callipers), but in any case - they took a first layer of POR-15 rust protection, with a covering 2 layers of color "safety red" flex coat. This stuff happily behaves a lot like the POR15 rust protection paint, in that the brush strokes disappear quickly, and it self level's wonderfully well leaving a shiny candy-like finish after it all dries. The callipers are a bit brighter red than I like, but seeing as these are likely to fail soon if my past history with 4th gen callipers holds - then I'll be replacing them with 5th gen parts soon. I'll use a darker shade next set.
I ended up sealing the rotors as well, as they rust pretty quickly. Not a must do, but I like the look of them with a bit of sealant better than rust. I could potentially put the same treatment to the breathing edge of the disc, but I'm not sure how much heat the sealant will keep in (probably not much), so I just left them like this.
Just a quick tip from the shop members - this penetrating oil is superior to everything else out there. A bunch of the heavy duty guys, helicopter mechanics, and aviation techs all swear by it, and they pretty much have access to anything they want. It comes in pretty handy when dealing with hard rusted bolts, and works handily like fluid film if you want a bit of rust protection.
This doesn't do a great job of showing the absolute disaster of a mess I made completing the final assembly. I can't express just how bad it actually was - there were parts, tools, garbage, dirt, grease, and general feelings of ill will strewn about the shop for a week. This is the only picture of the mess that I took, but imagine 3 more tables and the space in between in a similar or worse state.
I'll take a few more pics in November to show off exactly how beautiful the front end now looks - but here is one that shows the majority of the components in place.
It is super fun just to have a look down there, and poke around at stuff. There isn't a spec of rust, dirt, grime, or anything unpleasing to look at. Some of the areas I've left intentionally free of treatment, as they will be taken care of in the next phase (body mount chop, body lift, pinch weld seam shaving, bumper, sliders, armour, tire carrier, and rear end work - all to come). When the body comes off, and the motor comes out for rebuild (just want to do a few things), I'll have another crack at a the undercarriage and finish it off. I ended up painting all the accessory hangars for the brake lines and ABS sensor lines in the POR15 aluminum paint, and it is a pretty close match to the grey of the UCA's, and they grey on the front springs. I think it looks pretty sweet
The front was way higher, I think not only due to the new suspension in the front first, but the old stuff that had sagged so badly. I don't think I actually took any pictures of the rear suspension installation, as I was pretty mind-flayed by the time they went in. It hurt a bit, putting that stuff into the rusty shit that I hadn't had time to clean up the way I like. I might actually do the Icon stuff for the rear when I do it in November. We will see I guess.
There is a shot of how the front end looks. Quite pretty to look at, and pretty functional. The UCA's are a bit - not squeaky - that's not the right word - more like... while they are moving through their travel, they sound like new tires when you turn stationary on a garage floor. I really like the look of the silver centre caps with the silver lugs, and the other silver parts in behind, and on the truck.
There she sits at the moment. I have only done a quick 10 minute eyeball alignment, but it doesn't pull to either side, there is no excessive tire noise, and tracks perfectly neutral. There is no play in the steering which feels very light, and if I drive from dust to pavement, the tread cleaning is in the same width of the centre of the tires on either side. There are a few little rattles that I have to work out after a good shakedown, and I have to re-torque all the bolts and nuts, but my goodness - this is a new machine.
It all started with a blown wheel bearing. In the spirit of contribution, I'll list all of the components so far (maybe I'll update the front page at some point as well), and make a little list of the extras / paints / tools / fluids etc. that I bought to do the job. Hopefully this will help someone if they choose to do something similar.
Suspension:
Front:
-New factory LCA's - OEM - from ToyotaPartsDirect.ca with new bushings, and a new lower balljoint.
-New factory Cam bolts and hardware for Caster, Toe, Camber
-New factory UCA bolts and hardware
-Restored LCA mounts, and cleaned up the Cam interface with grinder
-Sandblasted, sealed, and painted the frame in and around the suspension
-Restored spindles, lower spindle/LCA hangar as I did with the frame
-Some new hardware in a few spots, others restored
-Total Chaos tubular upper control arms with polyurethane bushings and Uniball
-Toytec Boss 2.5 series - Internal Floating Piston 2.5" inside diameter shocks with 650 pound silver springs
-1" Toytec body lift (not yet installed, will be in November)
-New Energy Polyurethane swaybar bushings
-Restored 29mm front swaybar
-New Factory swaybar endlinks
-Toytec swabar relocate brackets
Rear:
OME 2" lift springs - regular weight
Toytec Boss 2" shocks (not sure - these look exactly like the Icon 2.0's?)
Toytec Bumpstop relocate brackets
Driveline:
-Cleaned, and painted the Front Differential
-New factory differential seals, synthetic gear oil
-Restored differential hardware / supports
-Toytec 1" differential drop
-New front axles - I cheaped out on these and bought from Autopartsway.ca, made by FEQ I think?
-New wheel bearing assemblies from forum member @%1;
-New factory spindle seals for the axle / spindle interface
-New factory hub/axle caps
-Restored axle nuts (as the nuts that came with the FEQ axles looked shitty)
Brakes / Steering:
-New factory hard brake lines from the frame to the calliper
-New StopTech flexible stainless brake lines front and back
-Restored and painted hardware (and the 2 brake line unions at the frame) for hanging brake lines and ABS sensor lines
-New factory callipers
-New Mountain standard rotors (made in japan)
-New aftermarket brake pads
-New factory shims, anti-rattle clips, and a couple extra pistons for the future
-New ABS sensors (as I broke both of them while restoring the spindles doh
-New brake dust shields painted aluminium grey
-New factory Tie-Rod ends
Wheels / Tires:
BFG AT T/A KO2 - 285/70/17
FN Wheels f(x) PRO - 17x8
TRD center Caps
Chrome Splined wheel nuts
Chrome Shraeder valves and caps
Body and misc:
New factory clips, retainers, brackets, and hardware. Some used, some extras, some absolutely unnecessary.
New oil filters and air filters
Removed and destroyed old X-reas stuff
TRD shifter nob (really like it!)
TRD Oil Cap
TRD License plate surround - really lame.
POR15 Rust protection paint for first coats and frame
POR15 Aluminium colored engine enamel (hard to work with)
POR15 Bare Metal Mask (hardest to work with)
POR15 Flexcoat Red (much nicer to work with, candy like finish)
POR15 Cleaner/Degreaser
POR15 Solvent
POR15 Metal Etch
Anhydrous Phosphoric Acid - from a friend
Zinc phosphate solution - from a friend
Fluid Film
M16 Industrial Penetrating oil
Castrol 75-90 Synthetic Gear Oil
Mobil 1 Synthetic high temp stability aircraft grease
Mobil 1 Synthetic motor oil
And skip the tools - there are way too many.
Last light at the shop.
Hey guys, finally able to post up. This has been likely the most work I've put in on the project so far. I worked through the day Monday, then stayed overnight until about 630am. Slept a bit, then went to the shop my actual job at 5pm and worked overnight until 9am. Slept a bit, then went to the shop for 8 hours. Went up to the shop on the next morning at around 11am, and then worked through the day an night until the next day at 530pm. I got everything rolling, and then fully was asleep last night for 13 hours straight. Overall, I've been at the shop this week from Monday morning until Friday afternoon a total of 60 hours. I was mostly an inefficient zombie for many of the early hours, but I think some of the stuff I had done couldn't really have gone any faster. Paint takes time to dry, hardware takes time to de-rust and reseal, the diff took quite a while to get right, and there is a lot of overhead timewise in getting tools, (finding them again in the huge mess), and taking care of pieces that are rust welded together. 3 all nighters is more than I usually like, but I was finally into the fun stuff... the final paint, install, and shakedown!
In my last post, I had the diff out, cleaned degreased and drained, put the new seals in and then changed the fluid. I cleaned and painted the 2 accessory hangers, cleaned the breather lines, cleaned and painted the actuator and housing, derusted and sealed the hardware, and the diff support brackets, as well as the input shaft bolts. Here is the diff back in under the chassis, after cleaning and painting the cross members, and installing the diff drop from Toytec:
It actually looks even better than this since then, as I've cleaned up a bunch of the undercarriage, the motor, and the lines that run about. New seals in the diff, and new axles also went in. I ended up using 75-90 synthetic diff oil, and used an entire quart to flush out the old shavings while spinning the input shaft, and periodically running the left axle. There was a small amount of lash when the oil was completely out, which is non-existent with new fluid.
I painted a set of brand new Factory front callipers (feel a bit silly that I didn't get the 5th gen callipers), but in any case - they took a first layer of POR-15 rust protection, with a covering 2 layers of color "safety red" flex coat. This stuff happily behaves a lot like the POR15 rust protection paint, in that the brush strokes disappear quickly, and it self level's wonderfully well leaving a shiny candy-like finish after it all dries. The callipers are a bit brighter red than I like, but seeing as these are likely to fail soon if my past history with 4th gen callipers holds - then I'll be replacing them with 5th gen parts soon. I'll use a darker shade next set.
I ended up sealing the rotors as well, as they rust pretty quickly. Not a must do, but I like the look of them with a bit of sealant better than rust. I could potentially put the same treatment to the breathing edge of the disc, but I'm not sure how much heat the sealant will keep in (probably not much), so I just left them like this.
Just a quick tip from the shop members - this penetrating oil is superior to everything else out there. A bunch of the heavy duty guys, helicopter mechanics, and aviation techs all swear by it, and they pretty much have access to anything they want. It comes in pretty handy when dealing with hard rusted bolts, and works handily like fluid film if you want a bit of rust protection.
This doesn't do a great job of showing the absolute disaster of a mess I made completing the final assembly. I can't express just how bad it actually was - there were parts, tools, garbage, dirt, grease, and general feelings of ill will strewn about the shop for a week. This is the only picture of the mess that I took, but imagine 3 more tables and the space in between in a similar or worse state.
I'll take a few more pics in November to show off exactly how beautiful the front end now looks - but here is one that shows the majority of the components in place.
It is super fun just to have a look down there, and poke around at stuff. There isn't a spec of rust, dirt, grime, or anything unpleasing to look at. Some of the areas I've left intentionally free of treatment, as they will be taken care of in the next phase (body mount chop, body lift, pinch weld seam shaving, bumper, sliders, armour, tire carrier, and rear end work - all to come). When the body comes off, and the motor comes out for rebuild (just want to do a few things
), I'll have another crack at a the undercarriage and finish it off. I ended up painting all the accessory hangars for the brake lines and ABS sensor lines in the POR15 aluminum paint, and it is a pretty close match to the grey of the UCA's, and they grey on the front springs. I think it looks pretty sweet
The front was way higher, I think not only due to the new suspension in the front first, but the old stuff that had sagged so badly. I don't think I actually took any pictures of the rear suspension installation, as I was pretty mind-flayed by the time they went in. It hurt a bit, putting that stuff into the rusty shit that I hadn't had time to clean up the way I like. I might actually do the Icon stuff for the rear when I do it in November. We will see I guess.
There is a shot of how the front end looks. Quite pretty to look at, and pretty functional. The UCA's are a bit - not squeaky - that's not the right word - more like... while they are moving through their travel, they sound like new tires when you turn stationary on a garage floor. I really like the look of the silver centre caps with the silver lugs, and the other silver parts in behind, and on the truck.
There she sits at the moment. I have only done a quick 10 minute eyeball alignment, but it doesn't pull to either side, there is no excessive tire noise, and tracks perfectly neutral. There is no play in the steering which feels very light, and if I drive from dust to pavement, the tread cleaning is in the same width of the centre of the tires on either side. There are a few little rattles that I have to work out after a good shakedown, and I have to re-torque all the bolts and nuts, but my goodness - this is a new machine.
It all started with a blown wheel bearing. In the spirit of contribution, I'll list all of the components so far (maybe I'll update the front page at some point as well), and make a little list of the extras / paints / tools / fluids etc. that I bought to do the job. Hopefully this will help someone if they choose to do something similar.
Suspension:
Front:
-New factory LCA's - OEM - from ToyotaPartsDirect.ca with new bushings, and a new lower balljoint.
-New factory Cam bolts and hardware for Caster, Toe, Camber
-New factory UCA bolts and hardware
-Restored LCA mounts, and cleaned up the Cam interface with grinder
-Sandblasted, sealed, and painted the frame in and around the suspension
-Restored spindles, lower spindle/LCA hangar as I did with the frame
-Some new hardware in a few spots, others restored
-Total Chaos tubular upper control arms with polyurethane bushings and Uniball
-Toytec Boss 2.5 series - Internal Floating Piston 2.5" inside diameter shocks with 650 pound silver springs
-1" Toytec body lift (not yet installed, will be in November)
-New Energy Polyurethane swaybar bushings
-Restored 29mm front swaybar
-New Factory swaybar endlinks
-Toytec swabar relocate brackets
Rear:
OME 2" lift springs - regular weight
Toytec Boss 2" shocks (not sure - these look exactly like the Icon 2.0's?)
Toytec Bumpstop relocate brackets
Driveline:
-Cleaned, and painted the Front Differential
-New factory differential seals, synthetic gear oil
-Restored differential hardware / supports
-Toytec 1" differential drop
-New front axles - I cheaped out on these and bought from Autopartsway.ca, made by FEQ I think?
-New wheel bearing assemblies from forum member @%1;
-New factory spindle seals for the axle / spindle interface
-New factory hub/axle caps
-Restored axle nuts (as the nuts that came with the FEQ axles looked shitty)
Brakes / Steering:
-New factory hard brake lines from the frame to the calliper
-New StopTech flexible stainless brake lines front and back
-Restored and painted hardware (and the 2 brake line unions at the frame) for hanging brake lines and ABS sensor lines
-New factory callipers
-New Mountain standard rotors (made in japan)
-New aftermarket brake pads
-New factory shims, anti-rattle clips, and a couple extra pistons for the future
-New ABS sensors (as I broke both of them while restoring the spindles doh
-New brake dust shields painted aluminium grey
-New factory Tie-Rod ends
Wheels / Tires:
BFG AT T/A KO2 - 285/70/17
FN Wheels f(x) PRO - 17x8
TRD center Caps
Chrome Splined wheel nuts
Chrome Shraeder valves and caps
Body and misc:
New factory clips, retainers, brackets, and hardware. Some used, some extras, some absolutely unnecessary.
New oil filters and air filters
Removed and destroyed old X-reas stuff
TRD shifter nob (really like it!)
TRD Oil Cap
TRD License plate surround - really lame.
POR15 Rust protection paint for first coats and frame
POR15 Aluminium colored engine enamel (hard to work with)
POR15 Bare Metal Mask (hardest to work with)
POR15 Flexcoat Red (much nicer to work with, candy like finish)
POR15 Cleaner/Degreaser
POR15 Solvent
POR15 Metal Etch
Anhydrous Phosphoric Acid - from a friend
Zinc phosphate solution - from a friend
Fluid Film
M16 Industrial Penetrating oil
Castrol 75-90 Synthetic Gear Oil
Mobil 1 Synthetic high temp stability aircraft grease
Mobil 1 Synthetic motor oil
And skip the tools - there are way too many.
Last light at the shop.
Last edited:
Billynath1988
Senior Member
Great job man. I love the attention to detail. How is the ride quality with the boss 2.5's?
When or if you feel motivated you should break down the total cost of mods and total cost of maintenance items. Front and back. The reason I suggest that is you have a very thoroughly done build here, done mostly all at the time same time. I know I would like to know, and maybe others here, what doing something to that level cost. As you have said yourself, not everything is necessary but I do understand how you justify it.
When or if you feel motivated you should break down the total cost of mods and total cost of maintenance items. Front and back. The reason I suggest that is you have a very thoroughly done build here, done mostly all at the time same time. I know I would like to know, and maybe others here, what doing something to that level cost. As you have said yourself, not everything is necessary but I do understand how you justify it.
Thanks guys, I'm super happy with it, and better yet, the wife loves it
I've shown it around to a few friends and they are pretty blown away by how it all came together. A friend said under the front end looked like something he would see at SEMA - the backend, not so much lol.
I went up to the shop today before going for a little wheel on the trails behind a friend's place - just to check a few of the bolts. I was pretty tired at the end of the final install session. It was a good thing I double checked as the calliper bolts on the right side had actually almost worked their way completely out. I must not have torqued them down :wacko: Most of the others were at or very near original torque spec. I'll check this again after a few trails. The wheel lugs seem to hold on pretty well for brand new wheels too, which is comforting.
I have the swaybar off at the moment and the ride is very nice indeed. It feels plusher than most any car in recent memory (not that I've a vast experience here, but I would estimate that between rental cars, test drives, personal, friend, and family vehicles, work vehicles etc. that I've been behind the wheel of upwards of 80 different cars / trucks from a Fiat 500 to a 1987 high sierra with an 18" lift and a blown 454) - though I have a few pieces of feedback for anyone that chooses to do something similar.
1. The height of the side walls on these tires, in conjunction with the increased weight of the 10ply tires makes the tires very bouncy. The rebound in the shocks can't really compensate for it, as it is unsprung weight separate from the suspension (i.e.: the tires can bounce without the suspension articulating). At low speeds it isn't a big deal, and I'm sure aired down the bounce will disappear completely.
2. The suspension has massive damping potential. The springs are very heavy, so the rebound is pretty quick, but it can soak up some pretty big hits before it feels like the suspension is working very hard. The valving for the weight I have in the front end at the moment is I think slightly too slow, though I did drain some of the nitrogen. When I put a heavier bumper and another battery up front I'm thinking this will make it a little lighter on the smaller bumps.
3. I still have a few clunks in the front end that I only notice when weighting the right front tire and turning right (i.e.: tilted to the right and turning right). It might actually be something other than the suspension - as some of the cladding / etc. is not buttoned down completely.
4. The UCA polyurethane bushings do squeak, but again this isn't really irritating as much something new to get used to. I've lubricated them with the mobil 1 aircraft grease - but, I've got a few others that I might try. Molybdenum is a bit better at high pressure situations - holding the molecular structure - so that will be my next try when I'm up to regrease them. Not a huge worry per say, more of a trial to see if it can be improved upon.
5. With the swaybar off - there is some slight body roll going through corners at speed, but it's not super noticeable in the car. I witnessed it when trailing my wife driving the 4runner on the way to the shop today. I think the heavy springs help quite a bit here. The swaybar will go on I'm sure at some point, but for now I really like the way it feels off road without it. The independent articulation sans swaybar is very nice, and eliminates some of the bounce in successive whoops offroad. I get a pretty good amount of articulation in the rear even with the rear swaybar, but I feel like for serious wheeling it also needs to come off, or have some kind of quick disconnect if such a thing exists (I feel like it must somewhere).
6. There is no play anywhere in the steering or suspension. It is very tight. No drift on the highway, immediate steering input. I've got neutral alignment on the cam bolts at the moment - so with the TCF UCA's I feel like there has to be at least some positive caster. I get only the slightest body rub when cranked hard and backing up - so I must be somewhat forward of the original location. I'd like to be able to measure this somehow - but maybe that is just a trip to the alignment shop.
7. The truck feels very capable offered compared to before. The combination of ride height, tire aggressiveness, stiff suspension etc - means you can almost just point and shoot. I took her through some very deep and loose sandy sections today, and it was walking sideways off camber. It felt planted and stable with no real instability. These tires are very very good. I had 28psi in each corner today, and the deep sand which would have buried me before was anticlimactic. I had another friend with me for some of it, and he was pretty impressed with how it handled itself.
I've shown it around to a few friends and they are pretty blown away by how it all came together. A friend said under the front end looked like something he would see at SEMA - the backend, not so much lol.
I went up to the shop today before going for a little wheel on the trails behind a friend's place - just to check a few of the bolts. I was pretty tired at the end of the final install session. It was a good thing I double checked as the calliper bolts on the right side had actually almost worked their way completely out. I must not have torqued them down :wacko: Most of the others were at or very near original torque spec. I'll check this again after a few trails. The wheel lugs seem to hold on pretty well for brand new wheels too, which is comforting.
I have the swaybar off at the moment and the ride is very nice indeed. It feels plusher than most any car in recent memory (not that I've a vast experience here, but I would estimate that between rental cars, test drives, personal, friend, and family vehicles, work vehicles etc. that I've been behind the wheel of upwards of 80 different cars / trucks from a Fiat 500 to a 1987 high sierra with an 18" lift and a blown 454) - though I have a few pieces of feedback for anyone that chooses to do something similar.
1. The height of the side walls on these tires, in conjunction with the increased weight of the 10ply tires makes the tires very bouncy. The rebound in the shocks can't really compensate for it, as it is unsprung weight separate from the suspension (i.e.: the tires can bounce without the suspension articulating). At low speeds it isn't a big deal, and I'm sure aired down the bounce will disappear completely.
2. The suspension has massive damping potential. The springs are very heavy, so the rebound is pretty quick, but it can soak up some pretty big hits before it feels like the suspension is working very hard. The valving for the weight I have in the front end at the moment is I think slightly too slow, though I did drain some of the nitrogen. When I put a heavier bumper and another battery up front I'm thinking this will make it a little lighter on the smaller bumps.
3. I still have a few clunks in the front end that I only notice when weighting the right front tire and turning right (i.e.: tilted to the right and turning right). It might actually be something other than the suspension - as some of the cladding / etc. is not buttoned down completely.
4. The UCA polyurethane bushings do squeak, but again this isn't really irritating as much something new to get used to. I've lubricated them with the mobil 1 aircraft grease - but, I've got a few others that I might try. Molybdenum is a bit better at high pressure situations - holding the molecular structure - so that will be my next try when I'm up to regrease them. Not a huge worry per say, more of a trial to see if it can be improved upon.
5. With the swaybar off - there is some slight body roll going through corners at speed, but it's not super noticeable in the car. I witnessed it when trailing my wife driving the 4runner on the way to the shop today. I think the heavy springs help quite a bit here. The swaybar will go on I'm sure at some point, but for now I really like the way it feels off road without it. The independent articulation sans swaybar is very nice, and eliminates some of the bounce in successive whoops offroad. I get a pretty good amount of articulation in the rear even with the rear swaybar, but I feel like for serious wheeling it also needs to come off, or have some kind of quick disconnect if such a thing exists (I feel like it must somewhere).
6. There is no play anywhere in the steering or suspension. It is very tight. No drift on the highway, immediate steering input. I've got neutral alignment on the cam bolts at the moment - so with the TCF UCA's I feel like there has to be at least some positive caster. I get only the slightest body rub when cranked hard and backing up - so I must be somewhat forward of the original location. I'd like to be able to measure this somehow - but maybe that is just a trip to the alignment shop.
7. The truck feels very capable offered compared to before. The combination of ride height, tire aggressiveness, stiff suspension etc - means you can almost just point and shoot. I took her through some very deep and loose sandy sections today, and it was walking sideways off camber. It felt planted and stable with no real instability. These tires are very very good. I had 28psi in each corner today, and the deep sand which would have buried me before was anticlimactic. I had another friend with me for some of it, and he was pretty impressed with how it handled itself.
Cost Breakdown:
I'm a bit hesitant to do a cost breakdown on all of this stuff - but ballpark was ~15k. I can give you a rundown by PM if you like.
The list of stuff in the previous thread is pretty impractical for most - but if you were actually interested in doing as I've done (bearing in mind that I've only just started - but will likely get distracted) - you might be better off to just buy a new vehicle, honestly. The front end has cost me substantially more than I could ever make back if I sold it, but I don't regret any of it.
Much of the stuff that I'm interested in has no practical purpose other than looking good (and maybe future proofing against rust / corrosion), so the cost for me is a lot higher than it might be for someone just looking to get the job done. I also feel like this stuff needs to be used - and looking good is only a part of that. I feel better for some reason rolling around in something functional that also looks good - and I know that any of the extra money / work that I put into the project pays off that way for me. There are plenty of great looking rigs on this forum - so I don't feel like I'm fully an Island on this
I'm a bit hesitant to do a cost breakdown on all of this stuff - but ballpark was ~15k. I can give you a rundown by PM if you like.
The list of stuff in the previous thread is pretty impractical for most - but if you were actually interested in doing as I've done (bearing in mind that I've only just started - but will likely get distracted) - you might be better off to just buy a new vehicle, honestly. The front end has cost me substantially more than I could ever make back if I sold it, but I don't regret any of it.
Much of the stuff that I'm interested in has no practical purpose other than looking good (and maybe future proofing against rust / corrosion), so the cost for me is a lot higher than it might be for someone just looking to get the job done. I also feel like this stuff needs to be used - and looking good is only a part of that. I feel better for some reason rolling around in something functional that also looks good - and I know that any of the extra money / work that I put into the project pays off that way for me. There are plenty of great looking rigs on this forum - so I don't feel like I'm fully an Island on this
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Ocean Racer
New member
What an awesome share! Thank you... Now we are all jealous!
I really like the wheels and the attention to detail you made. I would like to do mine no differently. Just takes time!
I really like the wheels and the attention to detail you made. I would like to do mine no differently. Just takes time!
blind squirrel
New member
Great work and great documentation. Your attention to detail is outstanding and has been rewarded with a new good looking rig. From one Canadian to another.... Well done sir... well done. :canada:
Back!
Hey guys,
Finally back from a bit of a working holiday on the west coast. Back at er in Labrador now, and now that the snow is on the ground I have a few projects on the go.
The 4runner has seen a few little updates, and I'll post some photos with the details when I get a chance to upload a few.
Updates:
1.) I added a battery maintainer, a battery blanket, and a new block heater (the old one was shorted). The old panasonic was in a state when I got back from the west coast - but after these updates she's starting just fine in 20 below.
2.) Did an oil change, and my oh my - pretty ugly what synthetic oil can chip off in terms of oil deposits. Funnily - I spilled a few drops of synthetic oil on my headlight cover - and worked it in a bit with a soft cloth - just one side. In the negative temps here - that headlight is much clearer than the other side, and has shown no degredation in terms of the oil wearing off since about 1 week now. Interesting but likely not a replacement for buffing the headlight cover and clearcoating.
3.) I got in on the recent shrockworks group buy and have a few things on the way - so those will go on in the new year likely.
4.) I finally got in to get an allignment done after my 'eyeball' alignment. The tech didn't even loosen the bolts - I was within spec. I had however asked that the tech move the caster as far forward as possible - but he didn't get the message - so it goes back tomorrow.
5.) Got rid of the clunk in the front end.
6.) Bought a snowmobile, which is now in the spot the 4runner normally takes in the shop. Have parts on order - and should have it back on the snow on the weekend.
7.) Still have a piece of X-reas tubing hanging off the driver's side in front of the rear wheel. I just havn't gotten around to taking it off, and now, sort of like the look. Everyone asks me what the thing hanging out back there is for and it is sort of fun taking the piss about it.
Hey guys,
Finally back from a bit of a working holiday on the west coast. Back at er in Labrador now, and now that the snow is on the ground I have a few projects on the go.
The 4runner has seen a few little updates, and I'll post some photos with the details when I get a chance to upload a few.
Updates:
1.) I added a battery maintainer, a battery blanket, and a new block heater (the old one was shorted). The old panasonic was in a state when I got back from the west coast - but after these updates she's starting just fine in 20 below.
2.) Did an oil change, and my oh my - pretty ugly what synthetic oil can chip off in terms of oil deposits. Funnily - I spilled a few drops of synthetic oil on my headlight cover - and worked it in a bit with a soft cloth - just one side. In the negative temps here - that headlight is much clearer than the other side, and has shown no degredation in terms of the oil wearing off since about 1 week now. Interesting but likely not a replacement for buffing the headlight cover and clearcoating.
3.) I got in on the recent shrockworks group buy and have a few things on the way - so those will go on in the new year likely.
4.) I finally got in to get an allignment done after my 'eyeball' alignment. The tech didn't even loosen the bolts - I was within spec. I had however asked that the tech move the caster as far forward as possible - but he didn't get the message - so it goes back tomorrow.
5.) Got rid of the clunk in the front end.
6.) Bought a snowmobile, which is now in the spot the 4runner normally takes in the shop. Have parts on order - and should have it back on the snow on the weekend.
7.) Still have a piece of X-reas tubing hanging off the driver's side in front of the rear wheel. I just havn't gotten around to taking it off, and now, sort of like the look. Everyone asks me what the thing hanging out back there is for and it is sort of fun taking the piss about it.
