Well, half way through my 3.4l swap in my 93 4runner I saw a good deal come up on a third gen and just had to have it, so now I own two 4runners!
Completely stock, but not for long. I've just ordered an OME 2.5" lift kit which I hope to receive soon. Before that I'm going to remove the running bars, hitch, and rear bumper (I love my ground clearance)! Once it's lifted I'll be on the lookout for some wheels/rubber. I run 33's on my 93' which I would use if I could, but my 15" rims unfortunately won't fit over my calipers. I'd like to go up to a 315/75R16 Nitto Mud Grappler, though I think I may need some body lift for that as well, we'll see.
I'm not sure what the fate of the 93' will be now - it's all torn apart with the 3.4l already in place, though there's a lot of work still to be done. I may end up just parting it out and salvaging anything that I can use on the 97'.
Keep an eye on this thread for updates!
Truck as it currently sits:
are you planning on doing a sas to either of these? the runner with the 3.4 would be sexy with a solid axle up front, if your going to part it out you going to keep the 3.4?
It has a fair amount of underbody rust and I'm now thinking it may be more hassle than it's worth in the long run. I don't have a welder or the knowhow to do a sas myself so it would end up costing a fair amount which might be wasted on this truck. My current plan is to use the 97' as my winter truck while I finish the 3.4l swap. Even if I do decide to invest heavily in the 97' I'll probably still finish my 93', even though it's defeating me a bit right now!
Bought some new toys for the new 4runner. Cheapo's special, but they'll do the job!
Headunit & CB wired up and ready to go in the truck. I also bought a CB-AM/FM splitter which allows me to run AM/FM radio through my CB antenna. I plan to pull out the factory antenna and install the CB antenna in its place. I did this minus the splitter on my 2nd gen and it worked great
Installation process. This was the easiest stereo install I've ever done - no issues whatsoever, whole thing only took 20 minutes including wiring. The dash trim pops off these things sooo easy! CB is wired up as well but I haven't gotten to the antenna install yet, it's getting too dark. I bought one of the single din plastic filler things and just cut out the middle for the CB. I might fill in the sides with black plastic and mount fog light switches there at some point in the future.
How much you pay for that firestik? I have a cobra cb ready to rock but Im lacking an antenna
The firestik was about $50 which included mounting hardware, spring, cable.. basically everything you need. I bought it from Right Channel Radios along with a few other things. Shipping was a tad high but the service was really good/fast.
Hmm, right on. I've been in need of a decent new one ever since my old one fell off mid run and I happened to run it over a few times :) theres a shop in town where jesse got his, right out on boys road. I might try there too
Some pics from my first couple runs.. I can't wait until I get my lift in and bigger tires! I got high centered on the silliest little bump.. lol
Haven't had an update in a while.. This sucker is now lifted and sitting on 35"s
Some pics from my last trip out.. Unfortunately I put a branch through the rad and we had to tow it home (hence the tow strap in the last pic) - got a new rad in now though and she's good to go!
The old rad.. Amazingly no damage to my front bumper
Wow, looks alot different than the last time I saw it! Diggin the wheels
Well I've made some new purchases for this thing.. but it's going to be a long while before they get here. On order is a new Shrockworks front bumper, set of rock sliders, and a badass looking Whitson metalworks full length roof rack. These things are all built to order though, so unfortunately delivery is months off. The wait is killing me.
I also picked up a new LED light bar, and a set of beautiful metal jerry cans from negativentropy on the forum.
While I wait for the big pieces to arrive, I've been playing with a 3d model of the truck to try to get a feel for what it will all look like painted and put together. Figured it was worth a short update to show what I'm envisioning - Hopefully I can get the real thing going for the summer!
That will look killer!
Still waiting on my bumper, but in the meantime I bought some new wheels and tires. These things are a bit bigger than the old ones, and rub like crazy so far. I just put some Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers on the front, which helped a lot, but I still have some major fender pounding to do.
Without further ado, I give you 35" Nitto Mud Grapplers mounted on Level 8 Strike 6 rims.
Combo update. Got my new Whitson Metalworks Full Length Roof Rack mounted up, and stuck on some window visors for the rainy season (assuming they hold on for that long)!
I really can't wait for my bumper and sliders now - they'll really pull this thing together.
Sexy!!
Daaaamn!
I mounted a bunch of LED light bars to my new rack, and it works great. In total I've got 6 bars. One 24" on the bumper; one 36" on the front of the rack, and four 6"ers around the sides and back. Daylight at the flick of a switch!
Also did some wheeling with my 1/10 scale SCX10 :)
Remember those big purchases I mentioned back in April - well they finally arrived. I'm a happy wheeler.
New bumper, winch, and rock sliders. Huge thanks to BeRadical for helping me with the welding.
Action shots to come!
That looks badass. Really looking forward to the slow process of making my truck look more like that.
Just went wheelin with another member with a 4Runner and I think I'm hooked. Seriously considering selling my pickup to get one. Any advice? Model or year? Things to watch out for? Please let me know.
^^ Do it! 4Runners are by far my favorite vehicle for wheeling around here. Small enough for the tight stuff, but big enough to be comfortable.
As for model year, you can't really go wrong as they all have benefits. Some earlier 1st gens come with a solid axle, which is probably your best bet for low cost hard wheeling, but you might not be able to find one. 2nd gens (90-95) start to get a lot more comfortable, look the best imo, and have tons of aftermarket support. 3rd gens (96-02) are more costly to upgrade, but in my experience are the most capable stock. They're also the most comfortable - nice room for sleeping if you like to camp, and lots of engine power (comparatively speaking). Don't bother with any models past 02' because they're generally not very good for what we do. 4th gen and beyond are generally only good for mall parking lots and picking up kids from soccer.. :)
Some things to look out for: rear windows in these things suck across most model years. They often fail especially on the older models so make sure you test it out when buying. Beyond that rust is the biggest issue I've run in to personally, and some of these trucks have the cancer bad (check the frame).
If you're looking for a 3rd gen, try to find one with the factory e-locker (little orange button to the left of the steering wheel that says 'rr diff lock'). This is the single best off road upgrade you can put on these trucks, so it's nice to have it from the factory.
Good luck with the search!
Thanks for the great info. Also found an awesome 3rd gen buyers guide online with even more good advice. Definitely gonna get one now. Just have to find the right one and then sell my 89 pickup. Know anyone who might want one?
Just installed a new snorkel so figured I'd go out and take some new pics on the trail. Truck is pretty much complete now.. until I think of something else I want.
Is that a hilux 167 snorkel? I'm planning on ordering one. Did yout get yours from amazon.com?
It looks awesome. How was the install?
Yea! I just found out about the hilux snorkel a couple weeks ago and immediately bought one. I've been looking for a snorkel for a long time but the only ones made for these trucks are the arb safaris for $500 USD.. Got this hilux version on ebay for ~$150 with free shipping. It's cheap, and fits great (and I actually like the look better than the arb). Installation was pretty straight forward - the template doesn't match exactly, but it's close enough to get you started. Definitely go for it if you're considering doing the same!
Cool. Will be ordering mine tonight. Saw them on amazon.com for $167usd with free shipping. Weren't nervous cutting that big hole in the front quarter panel?
Hah, I've beaten this truck pretty hard and the fenders are far from perfect so there wasn't much hesitation before cutting. I also installed a snorkel on my old 2nd gen, so I was fairly familiar with the process as well. There really isn't much to it though, just make sure you measure twice :)
nice man, looking good.
Right on. Thanks for the advice. I'll post up some photos when I get it done.
Good lookin truck!
Just snagged myself a 96 4Runner, am ordering a lift shortly. What kind did you use? I'm leaning towards bilstein 5100s and ome coils. Seems like a good combo. Haven't been able to find much 2nd hand on the island, so most likely will be getting it all from west shore spring and 4x4. Build thread will be up when everything arrives.
Welcome to the 3rd gen family. Got mine in January this year and have been loving it. Wondering how I lived without one.
What are the details on your truck? V6 or 4cyl? Auto 5 speed etc.
I put in a Toytec lift. Eibach/Billy coilovers in front and OME coils and 5100 Billies in the rear.
It's a 96, v6, r diff lock, manual 5 speed. Bone stock. Had a pickup before which I really liked, but the shorter wheelbase on the 4Runner is going to be great. This will be my weekend camping 4x4 rig.
Did you get your lift online? I've been quoted 1150 for all the parts locally. I've read the eibach combo is also good, I just couldn't find one. I will also be adding a diff drop. Did you put in a pan hard drop in yours?
Thanks Jay - In the front I'm running OME 881 coils paired with OME 90004 shocks. In the rear, 890 coils with 60027 shocks. No complaints, though I've read reports that the 5100's are a bit softer. If I could go back I would probably go with the Blisteins instead, though the OME shocks aren't terrible. Also, the 5100's have adjustable perch height so you can get some additional lift out of it if you want. We'll have to meet up and do a OME vs. Blistein shock comparison once you get your gear! Look forward to seeing your rig.
That's a good price. I paid 1500 for my set up through BCC on the mainland. Ya diff drop is a must. I didn't put one in and blew my inner cv's right after I did the lift. Put in a diff drop and rebooted the cv's and they've been great since. No panhard drop done. Don't think I'll need it with the 3" lift. If you go higher than that you'll prolly need it.
Diff drop is probably a good idea. I don't run one, but I should. I break cv's like they're toothpicks!
Thanks for the info. I plan on putting 861 coils in the rear for a full 5" lift, as I pack a lot of gear which hopefully will bring it down to 4" at ride height. 881 coils in the front. I'll get a build thread up and running once parts start trickling in.
Ya then a pan hard drop bracket would be a good thing to do.
theshanergy, when you mounted your bumper and did the end cap mod did you just cap the frame rails for did you cap them with a cap that had a hole drilled through it and had a nut welded to the back of it?
The caps I used had holes in them with a nut welded on the back. I don't think it would serve much of a purpose if you weren't bolting to the end caps. I found that made it easier to mount the bumper as well as you could pull the brackets on with the end bolt.
Cool thanks. What thickness? 1/4" or 3/16" I'm getting the ends capped at a local fab shop tomorrow morning then mounting my bumper in the afternoon.
Not sure, I would guess around 3/16 - they came with the bumper.
Did you have to do much trimming to get the 35s on? What about re-gearing? I've read 4.10 gears are required to roll 35s. They sure look good.
Thanks - Yea there was a fair amount of trimming, and I still rub at lock and full compress. Overall though 35's kill on these trucks - so much more capable, even over 33s. Highly recommended.
As far as gearing goes, I started with 4.10s but now I'm running 4.30s. Both still have lots of low end but I would like to move to a 5.29 at some point (I rarely highway drive). Dual tcases would be the best, though a bit more work to get installed.
PS. I happen to have my old 35's for sale.. if you're looking ;)
Not running the graps anymore?
Still running the mud grapplers but I have my old km2s that I'm not using. You can see them in post #11 of this thread
Oh very tempting to go to the km2s, are they on rims? What measurements are they? I have some bfg 33x12.5 I was going to put on, but we'll see how it looks after the lift.
Question, what size hole saw did you use for the snorkel? Mine just arrived in the mail; time to install!
I used a 31⁄2 but it was a tad too small - still worked but it would have been easier with a larger size. I couldn't find one in a 39⁄16 or a 35⁄8, but that's probably what you want.
How are you liking that lightbar you've got on your roof rack? Thinking about getting one but I've heard that if its not mounted right at the front of the vehicle then it's kinda useless. Any advice would be much appreciated, mounting location, light brand, spot or flood etc.
It's awesome - definitely a huge improvement. Also, the lightbar I run up top is the dual kind, where the outside edges are flood lights whereas the center is a spotlight. really helps illuminate the sides of the trail and get light on parts the lower lightbar misses. The one complaint I have would be that it also lights up the front part of my hood, which is a bit annoying when it's very dark. more pros than cons overall though. As for brand, I always go cheapo china made from ebay. I break lots on my truck and it would be stupid to have to replace a $500+ lightbar every year or so. I only paid around $100 for my big one.
Right on. I've been doing some reading and it sounds like you can eliminate the hood glare if you paint your hood flat black.
I was thinking cheapo lights too, but most of the mid priced ones have lifetime warranty like speed demon led and UE lighting.
Might extend my cargo rack first before I get a light bar. Was thinking 30", is that what you've got up top?
A friend of mine has a small business setup, he sells lights and lockers. I believe there's no shipping charges and he is cheapest on the island.
http://lokilights.ca/
Check him out, I'm pretty sure he has more stock than what's posted on his webpage and I think pricing is flexible.
Shane if this is not allowed feel free to delete.
Ya I have a look at his website and chatted with him briefly of FB. Will probably see him about a 30" bar.
If you're wanting el-cheapo, I grabbed a couple of these, and they're actually quite good so far. I have seen the same bar rebranded elsewhere for closer to 70$. Take about a month to arrive in the mail, but its nice to not have to worry about breaking them.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/281504923704?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&ssPageN...
Got a 30" speed demon light bar from Eli at loki lights.ca. Great deal and great service. Personally delivered to my doorstep! Thanks Eli.