The build begins 2
FINALLY ITS TIME TO LIFT THIS BAD BOY!
March 2011
OME lift installed. Front torsion bars, firm shocks, rear 863 coils. So far it's what I planned. I have a rake for "daily wheeling" and then when loaded for camping I think I will sit level. Soon to find out.
April 2011
Finished my custom bling. I acquired the nickname 5Runner when I had my 4runner (there's five of us). My runner was debadged when I got it and I made it out of the SR5 and 4Runner emblems. Yeah...it's corny...but it's fun! Betcha I got the only 5Runner out there!
You've seen the stripping of the rear cargo area in the other pictures. Well after about 5 months of it like that while I planned my build, the time has come to build version 1.0. I have a trip to Moab and I've set a precedent for our camping style after building my 4runner kitchen. So...I am building this one as a test version. I have used all 1/2" ply to keep it cheaper and lighter to test the geometry of the system this season. I plan to disassemble it all next winter to rebuild with likely changes to the design and a combination of wood and steel. I will also build my full water/hotwater/compressed air system this winter.
Here is the 4Runner kitchen build that I plan to outdo in the LC:
I bolted a 1/2" sheet of plywood down to the metal cargo floor deck. In the final version I will use an insulation beneath it and filling in the metal corrugation.
Here is how it looked after the first weekend. This picture shows where the fridge will sit:
Here is how it looks now, after the second weekend. Here you see the two 7 gallon water tanks in the center. The plan is to use one and then move them and swap the faucet. That way I could tuck the one behind the center wall. The center wall will hold the fire extinguisher, mag light and etc. Unlike the 4runner kitchen (see link above) I will retain my visibility out of the upper portion (other than the center wall). I will use some nylon webbing on the cargo door side so the "granny's attic" as I call it (the area above the fridge and water tanks) can be stuffed with our clothes bags from the "extended cab" portion. (more on that later)
The recess in the drawer was necessary. The faucet is as far back to the door as possible, but I didn't want to have to move all the drawers back for clearance. The water tank area will be lined in rubber membrane that will extend out under the faucet and down the face of the recess. My plan is for that to act as a shield when water is used. It will direct water down and through the gap between the floor and the door (removed the cover). It will also direct water away from my stuff if the tank leaks. I have more to plan on this whole idea.
Drawers are raised so that they just barely rest on the tailgate when open. This helps support the drawers with the cheap slides I had...saves the $$ of having to buy heavy load slides. I had 24" and 30" slides on hand from the various 4runner versions, so I used both. I will decide this year what length I prefer. The drawers are 9 inches deep and 14" or so wide. They do not take the depth of the cargo area, as I have the extended cab area.
The area to the left in the photos above is for our dog. When the seat is folded down, this area becomes a one-man sleeping platform. I built the drawers at this height for that reason.
In the area behind and above the wheel well I can fit a lot of stuff. I have two hinged panels here. Because I hacked up the interior molding and stripped stuff like the speaker and factory jack/tools built into the sides. Future versions will include a much better finish in these areas, but I am just testing it out for functionality right now.
I put a plug in a little nook in the side for the fridge.
Here is the "extended cab". This area is not as wide as the whole rig, as it is cut short by the dogs area. However, the drawer does not go all the way back, so extended cab goes under the dogs platform. This way I can store long items. The hole you see goes to the small space behind the water tanks. Figured something would fit in there.
Yup, it's ugly, but I don't care. It may get wrapped in carpet or something when I am all done. This is making use of a bunch of space behind the panel. Now I can fit really long stuff in the extended cab, and I have more room overall. I thought it might also be integrated into a jumper seat type thing, but it is a bit too narrow back there for that, and the depth of the fridge limits the size of the extended cab.
Here is a test fit of the extended cab. I fit everything that used to be on the roof of the runner inside and I didn't fill above the seats. I fit 2 adult folding chairs, 3 kids chairs, 4 man tent, 5 sleeping bags, 4 thermarests, 1 small folding table, a large tarp and a back of emergency cloths for all five of us. Oh yeah... No more climbing up to the roof. The "attic" and the rest of the xcab area will fit our 5 clothes bags and we're set!!
Side by side here's the runner build compared to the LC build.
FEBRUARY 2012
Well, I had a busy summer/fall of 2011 building a new shop at my house, so I didn't do much with this build. It's all part of my LC build, a means to an ends, so I figured I'd post a few pics.
BEFORE (the foundation is being poured)
TEST FITTING THE LC FOR FUTURE WRENCHING. Its a two car garage...or really an oversized one-car. It's going to be tall though...
NOW: I've still got some siding to finish and electrical to do, but I'm getting there. It's detached from the house, but I can get to it through the new covered deck. It's got a 210 sf loft that fits over the large two car door when it's open. The one-car door in the back is nice for cross breeze.
OKAY, ENOUGH OF THAT, LETS GET BACK TO THE RIG!
So I bought a piece of HDPE (or something) from a local plastic supplier. I've got enough extra ones for another full set. PM me if you want to make a deal for them.
3/4" is about as much as you can go without having to mess with a bunch of other stuff. I figured it was wise to do before I move forward with custom steel for this rig. My sliders can be a little higher up now. My spare, a little higher. I can fit 35" tires if I want to now (so they say).
Here's the little gap that became at my front bumper. Gotta raise the bumper
Here's the new stance...uh...wow, what a difference... ha!
I scored some slightly used Wet Okole set covers for $80. Awesome steal, at $500 for a new set
(that is one sweet/clean looking 3rd gen BTW, that would be hard to let go) THe 100 Series will be looking perfect before you know it. Congrats on the sweet new rig.
