4RunAmok Build Thread

[4RunAmok]

I wrote up a build thread on another forum, but never did one here.

There are a LOT of awesome 4runners on ExPo, I doubt you will learn anything groundbreaking from me, but here goes...

We bought our 1999 4Runner SR5 4WD in 2000, it had 61K miles on it, but it looked good and ran good. And we got a decent deal.


The stereo was one thing I did shortly after getting the truck. It finally finished out with an Alpine CDA-9856 with iPod, Linear Power XO-3 Active Crossover, Linear Power 2.2HV Amplifier running the two Kicker 10" CompVR subwoofers, Kicker 600.4 amp running Polk Audio components and Kicker mid range rear door speakers.

It remained stock until 2005, when my brother-in-law took my wife and I out on a trail in Mojave in his Jeep Cherokee. The bug was set. We started modding the 4runner. First tires, then some new bilstein coilovers for the front.

I got my HAM ticket pretty early on, and started out with a Yaesu 1802 2M radio. I also had no qualms about drilling my roof, since I'd done that many times before for other reasons on other vehicles. I now have a Yaesu 8800 with the face mounted up front.



The running boards didn't last very long... Those got bent up in the El Paso's coming out of Goler wash. So it was time to call Jason Demello and get some sliders. I assured my wife I did NOT bend them on purpose just as an excuse to get sliders.



The suspension setup was ok for awhile, but having to be left behind because I couldn't follow up Coyote Canyon in Anza Borrego was too much to bear. (in the defense of my 4runner, we were very loaded down with an Oasis Roof Top Tent, and LOTS of camping gear!)



So along came King. I can't find their website, but I think they're still around, ProTrux in San Diego did the lift. (Sorry about the whitebalance here)


These are the Old Man Emu Nitrochargers and their 891 springs. The Spare has since been changed to a BFG AT.

Now that the body is situated where it should be, it was time to work on the electrical system (It's now time again, but that will be a followup post in this thread). With the camping we've been doing, with the thermoelectric fridge (can't afford an Engel yet), I needed a better battery. Enter Odyssey PC1700. Typical fuse block installed as well... Custom bracket welded by a friend.


Here's how she stands today...


Wishlist:
Aluminum front and rear bumpers
New Engine with Supercharger
Streamlined tent mounting solution.. (see next post)
Cargo area redone (anyone got a wood shop near Glendale, CA?)
Some other stuff...

[4RunAmok]

When I first got my Oasis RTT, it was a total pain in the butt to mount it.

You had to balance it on the yakima's and try to clamp the U bolts with the plates that come with it.. Total hassle...


And completely ineffective... Wind force even caused it to slip off of the yakima's.

So I went to work thinking of something better (I think I even posted a thread on here about it)... I thought back to my roadie days and remembered Gibraltar had nice clamps for their drum racks. So I picked up a bunch from Guitar Center. This is NOT a cheap way out! These clamps are $30 EACH, and I needed SIX!

There was also the problem that the Gibraltars are a 1 1/2" diameter clamps to attach to their rack. So, I picked up some 1/4" rubber to reduce the size down to the 1" tent legs. This had the added benefit of dampening the connection of the tent and the rack.


A MUCH better solution overall, and now my larger than small body feels pretty secure up there...

[4RunAmok]

Ever seen a $150 small Rubbermaid Action Packer?

I should start out by telling you that I HATE rattles, squeaks and odd noises interiors can make while offroading.

I KNEW that throwing various items inside of an Action Packer would bang around, make noise, and in some cases, rub through the plastic, destroying the container.

So I set out to find a way to not only dampen noise, but beef up those little action packers. The end result was a Rhino Liner Action Packer.



I did 3 of them for a total of $150 to coerce the guy to spray Rhino Liner into the action packers, he did a good job.





They're QUIET alright, and sturdy. Mission Accomplished!

[4RunAmok]

After getting the King's installed, I had issues trying to get a decent alignment.

The only way I was going to get it back to straight was by changing the upper control arms.

I went with Total Chaos because of their maintenance free Uni-ball design.



After the install, I was able to get a good alignment again.

[Redline]

Nice 4Runner.

Great battery.

How many miles on your Total Chaos A-arms? Any complaints?
I put a set of TC A-arms on my 4th Gen last year and I'm hoping they are low maintenance.

[4RunAmok]

I think I have about 30K miles on them, and no, ZERO complaints.

One of my friends recommended that I lube the uniball, and a Total Chaos rep I met at a show said "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Don't lube it!", so yeah, maintenance free.

[Redline]

I will be very happy if I can get 30k out of my TC A-arms with zero maintenance (other than greasing the zerks).

Thanks for the NO LUBE warning. Not that I was itching to lube them, but the little surface rust on the top of the Uni Ball could give someone the wrong idea.

I think I have about 30K miles on them, and no, ZERO complaints.

One of my friends recommended that I lube the uniball, and a Total Chaos rep I met at a show said "ABSOLUTELY NOT! Don't lube it!", so yeah, maintenance free.

[Mist3rray]

nice build, keep it coming

[4RunAmok]

Did you know that plastic water bottles, left loose enough to rub against each other and other things will, over time, develop a hole and leak all over the back of your truck?!?! I didn't...

So it's time to get some of that back end in order, to keep a better grip on things and give me a bit more storage space to boot!

I started with a half sheet of 3/4" premium plywood. Cut to 46"x21" (21" is my depth because my amp rack and speaker box (and yes, it's required!) will sit behind the new deck)

I intend to store my tool bag, some 1 gallon Crystal Geyser water bottles, my PETT toilet, and some miscellaneous items under the deck. The Pett is 19" wide and shorter than the water bottles, the water bottles are 5 1/2 square.

I cut 3/4" dado's 1/4" into the deck, spaced 5 3/4" apart, and the last 19 1/4" apart to fit the PETT, the legs are 5 3/4"x21". I allowed some slack in the spacing to accommodate the carpet that will cover the wood.

Assembly, I used some outdoor patio deck screws and some wood glue along the dado's.

I only got the assembly finished. It started raining while I was out gathering pieces, so it won't go into the truck tonight. I'm taking it to the local stereo shop to have them trim the driver side to go around the wheel well, and carpet it, and install some tie-down's to keep it from jumping around.

And now, the pictures. Enjoy!

[4RunAmok]

Over to the stereo shop to make some final cuts for fitting into place, and begin carpeting!

I'd say it came out pretty good.