Rescue Runner build
- Thread starter the kid
- Start date
Wrek
I’m lost
Just voted. :beer:
Box Rocket
Well-known member
how many miles do you have on the Safari Ltd Steering rack? How's it holding up?
the kid
Juke Box Hero
i have less than 10k on it, so its really hard to tell, especially sense i still need to replace my UCAs and UBJs... but there are no leaks! thats always good right!? lol no yeah its kinda hard to tell, i mean my old rack was literally pissing fluid out, so im sure it was not as strong as a fresh rack, and so now i feel a lot more of the road, i feel like the truck will turn easier(both from my input, and input from the road ie groves), so its kinda like comparing a 31" tire to a 35", yeah they are both tires, but they are very different and hard to compare. sorry i can not give you some better advice or run down on the rack. but i have no complaints at this point
the kid
Juke Box Hero
ok i have been seriously neglecting you guys... im sorry and hope this makes up for it
as you can see i did win those wheels, and have them installed now. when i did that i figured it was time to change tires as well, after all new wheels deserve new tires right?! well i thought so, anyhow i ended up going with maxxis bighorns as i had run them before, and had great luck with them and they served me very well, and for the price i could not argue. i also jumped in size, i have been running 285 70 17s and i went to a 305 70 17. i have a little rub but its not bad, about the same as when i was stock with 285s. these tires have performed very well in the snow and ice as well as wet roads and mud and gravel. i finally bought a used matching spare tire in the same size and had it mounted up to the 5th wheel i bought as a match to the 4 i won, and that is now in the truck(not seen in the pictures -that tire and wheel is a 285 70 17 duratrac on a factory 17" tundra wheel).
well i have now installed the CBI rear hybrid swing out bumper, and had it on for a few weeks now and i am super impressed with it. the fit and finish is amazing and the quality of build is second to none that i have seen. much better then the ARB front bumper for instance. installation was smooth and direct, everything fit like a glove. if i had any complaints it would be that CBI did not include any instructions and i could not find any online for it, and all the related hardware like bolts screws ect were all put in one large ziplock bag and not seperated as per their intended use, ie fuel can holder, tire carrier, lug studs, frame bolts(although those are kinda obvious) and swing arm spindle bracket cap ect... there was a multitude of lengths, thread pitches, sizes, head styles washers bolts ect and then combinations among those as well. it was confusing and i probably spent more time on those getting that stuff sorted out as i did on the actual install of the bumper.
once i had the bumper on the truck i looked things over for ways to run power out to the bumper. i have the telescoping light pole for a camp light as well as license plate illumination light that will need power. one of the added options i got was for the fold down camp table, i had seen this one another CBI rear bumper and liked it so it was a must for me. as i got to thinking about that, i thought it would be nice to also have some small lights to help light up the "kitchen" and or work area for preping meals or just general work at night. so i installed some small PIAA LED daytime running lights i had laying around. they fit perfectly and will work just fine. another thing i did was add some rear fog lights for inclement weather driving, they are also PIAA, but these are red LEDs. on the telescoping pole im gonna be putting two more LED flood lights for a total of 3, that way i can have a good solid 180* illumination of camp or recoveries or work or anything i may need light back there for(the center light will also be on isolated switch up at the drivers seat for people who like to tailgate with their highbeams on...)
one thing i found out is that hauling fuel around in those cans will be a purely as needed only thing. all that weight back there was bit much and makes opening and closing that swing arm a real pain, and puts unneeded stress on the spindle and bushing, not to mention my springs and shocks. speaking of which, i blew the drivers side shock on my first drive with it "loaded wet", and it felt like a skinny kid carrying a fat kid the whole trip. i will be dumping my FZJ80 8wrap coils for some OME861 coils in the back. those should handle the load better especially while towing. so i will be needing 2 new rear bilstien 5125s and some 861 coils if anyone has a spare set laying around lol.
as you can see i did win those wheels, and have them installed now. when i did that i figured it was time to change tires as well, after all new wheels deserve new tires right?! well i thought so, anyhow i ended up going with maxxis bighorns as i had run them before, and had great luck with them and they served me very well, and for the price i could not argue. i also jumped in size, i have been running 285 70 17s and i went to a 305 70 17. i have a little rub but its not bad, about the same as when i was stock with 285s. these tires have performed very well in the snow and ice as well as wet roads and mud and gravel. i finally bought a used matching spare tire in the same size and had it mounted up to the 5th wheel i bought as a match to the 4 i won, and that is now in the truck(not seen in the pictures -that tire and wheel is a 285 70 17 duratrac on a factory 17" tundra wheel).
well i have now installed the CBI rear hybrid swing out bumper, and had it on for a few weeks now and i am super impressed with it. the fit and finish is amazing and the quality of build is second to none that i have seen. much better then the ARB front bumper for instance. installation was smooth and direct, everything fit like a glove. if i had any complaints it would be that CBI did not include any instructions and i could not find any online for it, and all the related hardware like bolts screws ect were all put in one large ziplock bag and not seperated as per their intended use, ie fuel can holder, tire carrier, lug studs, frame bolts(although those are kinda obvious) and swing arm spindle bracket cap ect... there was a multitude of lengths, thread pitches, sizes, head styles washers bolts ect and then combinations among those as well. it was confusing and i probably spent more time on those getting that stuff sorted out as i did on the actual install of the bumper.
once i had the bumper on the truck i looked things over for ways to run power out to the bumper. i have the telescoping light pole for a camp light as well as license plate illumination light that will need power. one of the added options i got was for the fold down camp table, i had seen this one another CBI rear bumper and liked it so it was a must for me. as i got to thinking about that, i thought it would be nice to also have some small lights to help light up the "kitchen" and or work area for preping meals or just general work at night. so i installed some small PIAA LED daytime running lights i had laying around. they fit perfectly and will work just fine. another thing i did was add some rear fog lights for inclement weather driving, they are also PIAA, but these are red LEDs. on the telescoping pole im gonna be putting two more LED flood lights for a total of 3, that way i can have a good solid 180* illumination of camp or recoveries or work or anything i may need light back there for(the center light will also be on isolated switch up at the drivers seat for people who like to tailgate with their highbeams on...)
one thing i found out is that hauling fuel around in those cans will be a purely as needed only thing. all that weight back there was bit much and makes opening and closing that swing arm a real pain, and puts unneeded stress on the spindle and bushing, not to mention my springs and shocks. speaking of which, i blew the drivers side shock on my first drive with it "loaded wet", and it felt like a skinny kid carrying a fat kid the whole trip. i will be dumping my FZJ80 8wrap coils for some OME861 coils in the back. those should handle the load better especially while towing. so i will be needing 2 new rear bilstien 5125s and some 861 coils if anyone has a spare set laying around lol.
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the kid
Juke Box Hero
welp this week i bit the bullet and bought a new alternator. i thought my stock original(280+k mi) one was on its way out, but nope, it was just a broken wire... well i got a new plug from Toyota the yesterday with the pinned wires to go with it, and i will be repairing the old plug and installing a GM cs144 alt at that time. this alternator can be found is a lot of mid to late 90s GM cars and trucks, like Caprices(police cars), Cadilacs, tow trucks, ambulances and others. the alt i bought was not just a stock cs144 though, it was a high output variant of it, producing a health 170amps and can be upgraded to make over 200amps with very little work, the stock version puts out about 140amps. the stock Toyota alt puts out 80-85amps... i figure that should be enough to keep all my lights and winch going along with my stereo(deck, speakers, sub and amp running it all). i also have plans to get a fridge and large -probably 2500+w inverter in the future as well as a trailer build i will be starting on next year when i return home from my upcoming deployment. anyhow the alt swap is pretty much a direct swap, there are some small little things you will need to do. first off the mounting ears on the cs144 are shorter than the toyota denso alts, so you will need a spacer of sorts, basic bolt washers will work for this, and some people say you need a shorter belt, others say the stock belt will work. im not sure on belt length so i cant comment as of yet but as soon as i install i will post up the results, the other thing is the pulley is different, the stock GM alt is a 6 rib design, but the Toyota is only a 4, so you will need the belt all the way back on the pulley closest to the alt. the alt i ordered already came with the Toyota style pulley as i told them my application was a Toyota 3.4l 5vze motor, so im hoping i will not need any thing extra other than the washers. the other thing i bought was a wire harness adapter to go from the Toyota plug to the GM so its 100% plug and play, plus i can revert back to stock in the case that i would need to or it was all i had available at the time. one of the reasons i went with this alt is it was actually less money than a OE replacement remaned alt from napa, that wasnt even a denso and was made in mexico. this cs144 is brand new, not remaned, and is made in the USA, also there is no core charge on them.
this is a link to the alt i bought
http://store.alternatorparts.com/cs144-series-170-amp-standard-duty-single-rectifier-alternator.aspx
here is a link to the wire harness adapter
http://store.alternatorparts.com/partno4618061.aspx
this is a link to the alt i bought
http://store.alternatorparts.com/cs144-series-170-amp-standard-duty-single-rectifier-alternator.aspx
here is a link to the wire harness adapter
http://store.alternatorparts.com/partno4618061.aspx
the kid
Juke Box Hero
so saturday night i replaced the alternator in my 4runner, and did a little wiring clean-up... first on the list of to-dos was fixing the broken wire harness plug for the back of the alternator. this was a intimidating task that was really a lot easier than i thought once i got into it. basically the wire to the idiot light on my dash was damaged, the insulation around the wire was cracked and damaged, thus causing the light to flicker on and off suggesting that i was having a charging issue(thus the reason for me to buy the new alternator), but when i would check the voltage at the battery while the truck was running and the light was on i was right around 14.5-6v. the battery was never going dead so i was perplexed until i spoke with someone who told me to go look at the back of the plug and inspect the wires, sure enough the white wire(the one that sends the signal to the dash) was cracked, and if i would wiggle it the light would come on and go off... so buy this time the new alt was here and yeah. so i just went down to toyota and bought a new plug and pigtail to replace the old plug. i soldered the new wires together inside of a bare butt-connector and then heat shrinked it all up and sealed it, then wrapped it in two layers of wire loom. -i took the old plug and pulled it all appart and was able to de-pin the "bad" wire out of the connector and pull it appart enough to put a short section of shrink wrap over the bad section and reinstall it, so now i have a spare good plug, more on this and the good alt later. so the alternator i decided to replace my stock unit with is a GM alternator... i know i can hear you Toyota die-hard rolling in your graves and the face-palms occurring as you read... well its the cs144 alternator, the same alternator that was put into many mid to late 90s police crusiers, and tow trucks and ambulances as well as some cadilacs... in stock form it puts out a whopping 140-150 amps out of the box. there are several other variants out there that can put out as much as 400amps. while im of the mind set of moderation is for cowards, even i think 400amps is a little much for my needs. i opeted for a 170amp alternator, and for the price its really the best bang for the buck imo. at $250 shipped to my door and no core charge, and it being a brand new unit, not a remaned ect made in the usa. its hard to argue, even a stock oe replacement alternator is $180 after the core charge and its some made in mexico reman, not even a denso reman at that. so yeah. and along with that i bought a wire harness adapter that goes from the OE Toyota plug to the GM style plugs so everything is plug and play and i can always go back to stock if need be. i also have the option with this alternator to upgrade it at a later time with an aditional heavy duty bridge rectifier to increase its output to 200amps for like $45...
so the install of this was almost too easy. i unbolted and unplugged the old alt and pulled it out. when i did i could tell my stock unit was on its last legs, as i spun the pulley not only could i feel it, but i could hear it. the bearings were shot and it was only a matter of time before it would go south on me. sitting the old alt next to the new one and wow there was a size difference, the new one dwarfs the stock denso unit. the fan on the denso is also much larger and thats a good thing. when i ordered my alt the company asks what its intended use is for, and i was unsure of what to put for the answer as i feared that saying im going to use a GM alt in a Toyota might void any warranty i was getting, or even not let me buy that alt because it was not meant for my intended use... well i ended up saying it was for a 1997 toyota 4runner with the 3.4l v6 5vze motor, and im glad i did, they tool the standard cs144 alt and its pulley and swapped it out for the correct diameter and ribbed pulley that would match what my 4runner already had, so not modification was going to be needed for the belt or pulley to make this work. it was so nice -the standard cs144 GM pulley is a smaller 6 rib thus requiring you to source a shorter belt and have to run the belt on only half of the pulley -not a big deal just more of a pain when ordering a belt. with this pulley they gave me it was almost a perfect match. the only issue i ran into was that the pulley actually sat too far in(back closer to the alternator) causing the belt to be at a bad angle and not strait. so i took an impact gun and zipped off the nut on the pulley and added two washers between the external fan and the pulley to space out the pulley. -this required me to have to eliminate the lock washer on the nut and pully, but i figured i would just use some blue locktite and call things good. now when i reinstalled the alt everything was linning up great and perfect. i should note here that the only other modification -if you can call it that, is the top mounting ear on the GM alternator is shorter/shallower than the Toyota Denso one by about a 1/4" so you will simply need to stack some washers at the back of the ear on the alt when you install it and put the bolt through. it worked great and is nice and snug. the only other "trick" to installing the cs144 alt is losening the lower bracket mount at the block so to allow for the physically larger case size of the cs144 alt to be wiggled into place. once installed with the upper bolt in (not tight yet) and the tensioner bolt(s) in place then you can tighten up the lower arm bracket bolt to the block and then tighten up the slack adjuster bolts then tighten up the top bolt.
overall from start to finish it was about a 4hr job including my fix of the original plug in and the installation of the new plugin and pigtail as well as a short natcho break for refueling myself. -a second set of hands is also helpful when doing this but not necessary. over all this is basically a plug and play deal as long as you buy the wire harness adapter.
cs144 170amp alternator-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/cs144-series-170-amp-standard-duty-single-rectifier-alternator.aspx
wire harness adapter-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/wi...cs-style-plug-to-toyotal-oval-style-plug.aspx
heavy duty bridge rectifier-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/dr5180pf-heavy-duty-bridge-rectifier.aspx
ill post up some pics in the next day or two of the new alternator, i failed myself and did not take pics during the instal...
so the install of this was almost too easy. i unbolted and unplugged the old alt and pulled it out. when i did i could tell my stock unit was on its last legs, as i spun the pulley not only could i feel it, but i could hear it. the bearings were shot and it was only a matter of time before it would go south on me. sitting the old alt next to the new one and wow there was a size difference, the new one dwarfs the stock denso unit. the fan on the denso is also much larger and thats a good thing. when i ordered my alt the company asks what its intended use is for, and i was unsure of what to put for the answer as i feared that saying im going to use a GM alt in a Toyota might void any warranty i was getting, or even not let me buy that alt because it was not meant for my intended use... well i ended up saying it was for a 1997 toyota 4runner with the 3.4l v6 5vze motor, and im glad i did, they tool the standard cs144 alt and its pulley and swapped it out for the correct diameter and ribbed pulley that would match what my 4runner already had, so not modification was going to be needed for the belt or pulley to make this work. it was so nice -the standard cs144 GM pulley is a smaller 6 rib thus requiring you to source a shorter belt and have to run the belt on only half of the pulley -not a big deal just more of a pain when ordering a belt. with this pulley they gave me it was almost a perfect match. the only issue i ran into was that the pulley actually sat too far in(back closer to the alternator) causing the belt to be at a bad angle and not strait. so i took an impact gun and zipped off the nut on the pulley and added two washers between the external fan and the pulley to space out the pulley. -this required me to have to eliminate the lock washer on the nut and pully, but i figured i would just use some blue locktite and call things good. now when i reinstalled the alt everything was linning up great and perfect. i should note here that the only other modification -if you can call it that, is the top mounting ear on the GM alternator is shorter/shallower than the Toyota Denso one by about a 1/4" so you will simply need to stack some washers at the back of the ear on the alt when you install it and put the bolt through. it worked great and is nice and snug. the only other "trick" to installing the cs144 alt is losening the lower bracket mount at the block so to allow for the physically larger case size of the cs144 alt to be wiggled into place. once installed with the upper bolt in (not tight yet) and the tensioner bolt(s) in place then you can tighten up the lower arm bracket bolt to the block and then tighten up the slack adjuster bolts then tighten up the top bolt.
overall from start to finish it was about a 4hr job including my fix of the original plug in and the installation of the new plugin and pigtail as well as a short natcho break for refueling myself. -a second set of hands is also helpful when doing this but not necessary. over all this is basically a plug and play deal as long as you buy the wire harness adapter.
cs144 170amp alternator-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/cs144-series-170-amp-standard-duty-single-rectifier-alternator.aspx
wire harness adapter-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/wi...cs-style-plug-to-toyotal-oval-style-plug.aspx
heavy duty bridge rectifier-
http://store.alternatorparts.com/dr5180pf-heavy-duty-bridge-rectifier.aspx
ill post up some pics in the next day or two of the new alternator, i failed myself and did not take pics during the instal...
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Links are no good.
the kid
Juke Box Hero
rickashay
Explorer
Awesome photos Isaac. You picked a really cool location and even the weather and damp ground really ad to the photos, thanks for sharing! I have to say, your 4Runner is looking fantastic. The SCS wheels, bigger tires, and CBI Hybrid just make a deadly combo, especially with the unique color set you've chosen - burgandy/silver and black accents. Killin' it!
the kid
Juke Box Hero
got my 861s installed last night, man what a difference those coils make. the ride is so much better now. that rear bumper was killing the 8wraps, they just could not handle it. also found out that my airbags are leaking at the brass fitting in the top of the bag, so ill just buy new bags and install those. i blew out my back (again) last night installing the springs, thankfully i had a friend come over and give me a hand finishing everything up so i had a driveable vehicle. last night i didnt get much sleep, and today i was miserable, my wife had to dress me, and i walk like a crippled old man now. but i did do a few small interior upgrades. i pulled off all the "oh ********" handles and cleaned them up and repainted them a darker gray/blue. i only painted them because i added one over the drivers seat like all the other seats have along the top of the door. anyhow yeah i pulled out of my 95 4runner and compared it to the ones in my 97 and they are identical so i cleaned it up and painted it(it was tan in color and i have the blue interior in my 97). anyhow all the 4runners and tacomas are pre drilled and tapped for the grab handles but the drivers side never got one. well i figured with my bad back it might be nice to have one up there. also on the A-pillar grab handle on the drivers side i had stripped out the head of the screw a few years back and then tried to drill it out, well i drilled it off center and i didnt have any easy-outs with me at the time so i had just left it. well today i also easy-outted the rest of the screw and installed a new screw -one it took out of the 95 runner, and made that handle useable again. it has definitely made i easier to get in and out, and the slightly different color of the handles really adds some nice contrast and makes them stand out but its still very tasteful.
the kid
Juke Box Hero
another up date, i pulled all of the fender flares off, cleaned and painted them black with some bumper/rub strip paint and then put a rubber "buffer" strip around the edge of the flare between it and the paint to prevent any more scratches to my paint.
also i have made it to the T4R of the month comp over on T4R.org... so if you have time and have an account over there, or even if you dont have an account head over there and check it out, there are some good rigs in this months comp, -two SASd rigs, one SCd, and two other very very impressive rigs. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/168383-t4rotm-may-2014-a.html we are all in the running for an adjustable rear panhard bar from Toytec.
also i have made it to the T4R of the month comp over on T4R.org... so if you have time and have an account over there, or even if you dont have an account head over there and check it out, there are some good rigs in this months comp, -two SASd rigs, one SCd, and two other very very impressive rigs. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/168383-t4rotm-may-2014-a.html we are all in the running for an adjustable rear panhard bar from Toytec.
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