Worst mod you've ever done?

[MillerPKA]

Cleaning up my mess this weekend brought a question into my head that I think would be cool to pose to this group. Some of us are new to our 4runners, but others have been around the block enough to tinker with a little of everything. Somewhere along the lines you look back and either fix or just regret something that you've done.

My first mod ever besides the CB install and running board removal was my rocker panels. I saw a yotatech thread back in 2006 about someone doing it to their 4runner and didn't even hesitate. Went to AutoZone and 45 minutes later I was taping off and sanding my rockers. I went straight at it and because I didn't stir thoroughly the whole time the texture came out very uneven. I have been trying to cover it up with paint job after paint job until this weekend where I had enough. I always told myself down the road I'd regret all the times I painted over it and man was I right. It took about 8 hours with aircraft stripper to prep these suckers back to bare steel and just put on a fresh coat of black and called it a day!

So what about you? Something you've done and fixed or something that bugs you every time you walk out to your truck?

 

[SCRunner12]

The 95 4runner mod. Wish I would have researched a bit more and waited. Other than that, I would say trying to remove the striping along the side of my 4runner. Doesn't look too good.

 

[TheDurk]

I installed an electronic deer repelling gadget. Emits high pitched sound that bothers dogs. Deer are oblivious. NJ white-tails are very blasé. I was able to drive up right next to two of them and then I turned it on. They continued to munch happily on my neighbor's shrubbery. Blew my horn and proved they weren't the only two deaf whitetails in the state.

 

[challenger]

I installed an electronic deer repelling gadget. Emits high pitched sound that bothers dogs. Deer are oblivious. NJ white-tails are very blasé. I was able to drive up right next to two of them and then I turned it on. They continued to munch happily on my neighbor's shrubbery. Blew my horn and proved they weren't the only two deaf whitetails in the state.

I suggest a sunroof mounted M2 50 cal. to deal with that problem

 

[steezemcqueen]

the "JDM" black headlights were probably the biggest waste of money IMO. They leaked and the beam pattern sucked. i thought they looked cool at the time but they were just too ricey. luckily i kept the OEM headlights.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

good idea Miller! i was thinking the same thing. stuff i wsih i would of thought twice about

Brush Guard. wish i would have saved for a shockworks bumper

Nerf Bars wish i would have saved for some sliders

buying a PnP HID kit WITHOUT projectors... For me anyway i couldnt see any better with them. plus i got flashed a lot even when i aimed them down,

Polishing my glass headlights with headlight restoration

Getting wheels and tires before a lift

TB O gasket mod. i think it makes my truck idle kind of funny?

i hope thats it but its all i can think of so far

 

[J-money$$$]

putting a 12" kicker l5 and a kenwood 1800 watt monoblock amp in my 4runner. styles change, and so do people. next thing i knew i grew up and sold that stuff for a fraction of what I paid for it.

It sure was loud, Ohh and maybe buying the wheels on my 4runner. they were only $75 each, but alloys dont like rocks

 

[fightman80]

My old headlight covers, Safari Light bar, and roof rack! HA HA HA! All for sale by the way....any takers?? lol!

 

[J-money$$$]

My old headlight covers, Safari Light bar, and roof rack! HA HA HA! All for sale by the way....any takers?? lol!

glad you decided to ditch that thing

 

[4-Ripcord]

All the snowboarding decals I used to have. Took me 3 1/2 hours to get the dang things all off cleanly.

Also wish I would have researched a lift more before I bought it, doing it twice isn't cheap.

 

[Gerdo]

My worst mod?

I removed the stock rubber bumpstops on the front LCAs and installed low-profile poly bumpstops. True I did increase compression travel but when they came in contact it was a harsh hit. I'm not desert racing but I could feel them when rock crawling.

The poly bumpstops are made by molding poly around a bolt. The bumpstop is just threaded into the LCA. Inside the LCAs are nuts welded on.

The problem that I had when I tried to go back to stock rubbers? The poly between the bolt head and the LCA compresses which causes the welded on nuts to pop off. Now the bumpstops are loose and just spinn when trying to remove.

The cure? I had to remove the LCAs. I had to cut the poly stops off, cut the bolt head off and let the nuts fall into the LCAs. Then I had to open one of the existing holes in the LCAs to allow the nuts to be pulled out. (opened ~1/8") Now that the nuts were no longer in the LCAs I had to weld the stock stops back on.

The biggest hassle? One LCA unbolted easily and came right off. The other one had galled threads on both bolts. Also one alignment cam was seized inside the LCA. I had to air chisel the ends off so I could remove the LCA. I then took the LCA to my friends shop and we drilled and pressed the adjuster out.

The good news? I found and replaced some parts that needed some attention anyway. My aftermarket lower balljoints were already bad, replaced with Toyota OE. The bushings on my shocks were shot, replaced with replacement Bilsteins and built them up with Toytec coilover parts. I also power wire wheeled the LCAs and re-painted them.

The total parts list? 2 adjuster bolts, 2 adjuster nuts, one adjuster cam, 2 Bilstein shocks, 2 Toytec coilover kits, 2 Toyota OE lower balljoints, a can of chassis spray paint.

 

[LINY4Runner]

Awesome idea, Wes...I think we can all agree...

Hitch mounted tire carrier on a hitch that hangs low because of a 2" body lift...I get chills just looking at the pic...ewww:barf:

 

[JohnsD90]

Rust!

 

[atokin]

my worst mod has to be the diy bedliner i put on my limited's fenders, bumpers, cladding.... maybe i effed up rolling it on i dunno but that ish looks bad... i shoulda went with a paint or had it professionally bedliner sprayed :dammit:

 

[Deceptiwave]

RevTek spacer lift - waste of money.
Crystal black headlights - waste of money.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

I think twice about the clear corners sometimes, but beyond that, I haven't done anything to my truck that I regret. Do it right the first time.

 

[muddertrucker99]

Mine is a 5Spd with a auto radiator in it! I hada buddy tell i oughta use it for a ps cooler. So i did so back in the summer well during the winter i kept having trouble with the lines blowning off for the oil was getting hot after runner was shut off. Changed the lines back to normal and havent had it do it since. That was the worst mod ever.

 

[twitchee2]

I hate not doing wiring right the first time and just getting it in so i can use it. Im gonna go through this summer and wire up my fan so that its controlled by an arduino micro processor that way i cant accidently shut it off and have it over heat like it did the other day.... im also going to control my VSC and possibly have an on the fly adjustment for the airbags in the back.

 

[durrell]

I hate not doing wiring right the first time and just getting it in so i can use it.

That's probably my biggest regret. Not doing things as cleanly as I should. I've gone back and fixed some things like that, but there is still some wiring to be fixed.

 

[Rc4r]

Nerf bars.... Dumbest waste of money I've spent. P