2000 SR5 Budget Mod
06-26-2007, 08:14 PM
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2000 SR5 Budget Mod
We bought this 4Runner Dec of 99 for 29.5K, which at the time was a pretty decent price. For the most part, this rig was pretty stock except for the upgraded fender flares and other things. This truck was given to me as a 16 birthday present, and to be honest, i wasn't very trilled. First of all, its a 2WD, which means i still had to hitch rides from friend from snowboarding trips. And at the time, the 4Runner was still running tiny stock wheels that looked like they came from a lawnmower. And through my HS, like most teenagers, i toyed with the idea of modifying the rig. I went through the 20' bling bling phase, then the lifted off-roading phase, but i never put my ideas into action usually because of lack of fundings and my parents fear of violating the warranty. So three years later, coming home from my first year of college, i found myself having a three week break between Spring semester and my girlfriend's much anticipated Europe trip. So i decided i will dedicate this time to finally moding my 4Runner. My goal to is spent as little money as possible because the rig itself is worth about 7K, and pouring in 1K for lifts and ect. didn't seem to be worth it.
Here is the before picture, i put on 31 BFG's and painted the rims black, but other than that, it just like the day we bought it.
1. First off, i wanted to do some thing about the chrome bumpers. i had a big dent on the back, and in general, chrome on a 4runner just did not look right. I wanted to color match the chrome to the body paint, but after calling around, the cheapest would be around $450. So i went to my local Kragen's auto parts and bought four cans of gold spray paint, four cans of primer and four cans of clear coat. The bumpers turned out pretty good, so i decided to paint the grill as well. At 5.99 a can, the total cost with tax was $77.65
Total Cost= $77.65
3. Secondly, i wanted alloy wheels. Not only are alloy wheels lighter (save gas), but also looks a lot better than stock steels. My girlfriend's brother just got some 20 inch tires wrapped in Nitto Terra Grapplers on his Tundra, and they looked NICE. so i thought i will go with the same setup. I found some 20 Toyo Open Country tires for $200 and MC 20 inch rims that came off of a silverado for $250. Although Chevy and Toyota had the save bolt pattern, the center bores were different, so the rims could not fit. Unfortunately, i had already bought the tires the night before, but i was able to turn around and sell them for $270 three days later.
$200-$270=$-70
Total Cost= $7.65
3. My search for alloys continued. Fortunately, i found someone who was looking to get rid of their wheels for free. I had to drive to San Francisco to pick them up, but hey, their are free so it was well worth it. They were 97 16 inch limited wheels, they were pretty dirty but i decided i will paint it over later. the total cost was $0.00
Total Cost= $7.65
4. Then I wanted grill guards for the rig. The typical price them are around 200-250 on ebay and such, but i was able to find a set of WAAG bars on craigslist for 100. The seller was a nice, he offered to install the guard for me but unfortunately, we could not remove the towing bolts. At the end, we settled for $80 for the guards. When i got home, i went to my local auto 2000 shop to have the towing bolts removed. I went in there thinking they were going to do it for free since i always go there for oil changes and etc. but they ended up charging me 24.95. 24.95 for what?!?! for removing some f*&$*& bolts?!? unfortunately, someone i knew was behind me in line so i did not make a big scene. Then i went home only to find out the guards i bought what for the 96-98 model, and they did not fit the 2000 SR5... it was not a good day. the total cost was $80.00+$24.95=104.95
Total Cost= $112.60
5. The next step as get some tires. The free alloys i get came with tires but they were 265, and tread was pretty much gone. After a couple days searching on craigslist, I found some 285/75/16 BFG A/T Tire with 16 8lug alloys for 250. The owner ran the tires for about 7000 miles and their was at least 80% tread left. I when to a tire shop and had them swap out the tire onto the two sets of rims. the total cost for the labor and tax came out to be 112.85. the total cost was $250.00+$112.85=362.85
Total Cost= $475.45
6. Like i said before, the 4runner alloys were pretty dirty, i when to Home Depot and i bought a grinder in attempt to polish the rims, but it did not work out too well. So i decided i will paint the wheels. I went to Kragen Auto Part and bought one can of primer, once can of "Gun Metal" wheel paint, one can of Caliper paint, and one can of clear coat. The wheels turned out more Charcoal/ Dark Grey than gun metal, but they ended up ok. the total cost of spray paint and grinder came out to be $5.99+$5.99+$5.99+$7.99+$59.99+TAX=92.83
Total Cost= $568.28
7. When i was installing the wheels, i removed the fender flares and running boards because it was a tight fit, only to find out the rig looked a lot better without them. So i posted the fender flares and running boards on here and on craigslist and they were sold for 250 and 150. Total cost $-250+-$150=-$400
Total Cost= $168.28
8. my search for grill guards continued and i was able to find a set of guards that came off a 01 4runner for $150. The seller also threw in a set of Hella lights for $25. We installed the guard at his place and needless to say, it was a perfect fit. Total cost was $150+$25=$175
Total Cost= $343.28
9. Now i am starting to have a lot of stuff pilling up in my garage. I have one 96-98 WAAG grill guard, one set of 15 stock steel wheels with 31x10.5x15 R/T wheels, and a set of 16 inch 8 lug alloys with crappy tires. So i post them up on craigslist and they were sold for $180, $220 and $150 in that order. the total cost was -$180+-$220+-150=-$550
Total Cost= $-206.72
10. Without any body lift, the new 33 inch tire were rubbing a little bit. It not too bad, only noticeable when making sharp turns and such. After doing a little searching on here and google, i found trimming the plastic around the wheels might solve the problem. So i spray the plastic surrounding the wheels with a layer of primer i had left over. The i drove around the neighborhood, making sharp turns, sudden stops, speeding over bumpers a such. Because i had spray on a layer of white primer, any parts of the plastic that was rubbing against the tires were noticeable because the primmer was rubbed off. After cutting off the plastic, i covered the holes with a layer of Gorilla Tape and sprayed it over with black bedliner spray. It worked out perfectly, now i have no rubbing whatsoever. Total cost of tape and spray was $4.99+-$9.99+TAX=-$16.18
Total Cost= $-190.54
11. Last but not least, i wanted louder exhaust. I bought one chrome exhaust tip at Kragens and planned on ordering one Borla Pro XS. But before i did that, a friend suggested drilling a hole in the piping infront of the stock muffler might have the sound that i was looking for, and since i was going to remove the stock muffler, i thought why not. I used a cutter and cut out a 1inx0.5in in the piping and the sound was AWESOME. I sounds was a deep rumble, and it sounded a lot better than my friend's tacoma with a magnaflow. So i went ahead and canceled my order for the Borla. The total cost of the exhaust tip was $16.99+TAX=$18.35
Total Cost= $-172.19
Here are pictures of my rig after everything was done.
Well folks, mission accomplished. Not only does the rig look better, but i also pocketed 172 bucks. No too bad for a newbie. My overall impression of the rig is that it look a lot more aggressive with the bigger tire and the grill guard. The ride is also a lot more smooth due to the bigger and better tires. As far as sound goes, the exhaust sounds bold with while cruising with the windows down, but hardly noticeable with the windows up. The painting and installation took me about 7-8 days, approx 3 hours a day. All in all, i am very happy with the result.
Just before i started writing this thread, i bought a set of JDM limited fender flares on ebay for 190+30shipping and a 37x40 rag top, the same style as the ones found on streetbeatcustoms.com for 132 shipped. I will post more picture after i installed it in a week or when i come back. thanks for checking this out, hope you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
Here is the before picture, i put on 31 BFG's and painted the rims black, but other than that, it just like the day we bought it.
1. First off, i wanted to do some thing about the chrome bumpers. i had a big dent on the back, and in general, chrome on a 4runner just did not look right. I wanted to color match the chrome to the body paint, but after calling around, the cheapest would be around $450. So i went to my local Kragen's auto parts and bought four cans of gold spray paint, four cans of primer and four cans of clear coat. The bumpers turned out pretty good, so i decided to paint the grill as well. At 5.99 a can, the total cost with tax was $77.65
Total Cost= $77.65
3. Secondly, i wanted alloy wheels. Not only are alloy wheels lighter (save gas), but also looks a lot better than stock steels. My girlfriend's brother just got some 20 inch tires wrapped in Nitto Terra Grapplers on his Tundra, and they looked NICE. so i thought i will go with the same setup. I found some 20 Toyo Open Country tires for $200 and MC 20 inch rims that came off of a silverado for $250. Although Chevy and Toyota had the save bolt pattern, the center bores were different, so the rims could not fit. Unfortunately, i had already bought the tires the night before, but i was able to turn around and sell them for $270 three days later.
$200-$270=$-70
Total Cost= $7.65
3. My search for alloys continued. Fortunately, i found someone who was looking to get rid of their wheels for free. I had to drive to San Francisco to pick them up, but hey, their are free so it was well worth it. They were 97 16 inch limited wheels, they were pretty dirty but i decided i will paint it over later. the total cost was $0.00
Total Cost= $7.65
4. Then I wanted grill guards for the rig. The typical price them are around 200-250 on ebay and such, but i was able to find a set of WAAG bars on craigslist for 100. The seller was a nice, he offered to install the guard for me but unfortunately, we could not remove the towing bolts. At the end, we settled for $80 for the guards. When i got home, i went to my local auto 2000 shop to have the towing bolts removed. I went in there thinking they were going to do it for free since i always go there for oil changes and etc. but they ended up charging me 24.95. 24.95 for what?!?! for removing some f*&$*& bolts?!? unfortunately, someone i knew was behind me in line so i did not make a big scene. Then i went home only to find out the guards i bought what for the 96-98 model, and they did not fit the 2000 SR5... it was not a good day. the total cost was $80.00+$24.95=104.95
Total Cost= $112.60
5. The next step as get some tires. The free alloys i get came with tires but they were 265, and tread was pretty much gone. After a couple days searching on craigslist, I found some 285/75/16 BFG A/T Tire with 16 8lug alloys for 250. The owner ran the tires for about 7000 miles and their was at least 80% tread left. I when to a tire shop and had them swap out the tire onto the two sets of rims. the total cost for the labor and tax came out to be 112.85. the total cost was $250.00+$112.85=362.85
Total Cost= $475.45
6. Like i said before, the 4runner alloys were pretty dirty, i when to Home Depot and i bought a grinder in attempt to polish the rims, but it did not work out too well. So i decided i will paint the wheels. I went to Kragen Auto Part and bought one can of primer, once can of "Gun Metal" wheel paint, one can of Caliper paint, and one can of clear coat. The wheels turned out more Charcoal/ Dark Grey than gun metal, but they ended up ok. the total cost of spray paint and grinder came out to be $5.99+$5.99+$5.99+$7.99+$59.99+TAX=92.83
Total Cost= $568.28
7. When i was installing the wheels, i removed the fender flares and running boards because it was a tight fit, only to find out the rig looked a lot better without them. So i posted the fender flares and running boards on here and on craigslist and they were sold for 250 and 150. Total cost $-250+-$150=-$400
Total Cost= $168.28
8. my search for grill guards continued and i was able to find a set of guards that came off a 01 4runner for $150. The seller also threw in a set of Hella lights for $25. We installed the guard at his place and needless to say, it was a perfect fit. Total cost was $150+$25=$175
Total Cost= $343.28
9. Now i am starting to have a lot of stuff pilling up in my garage. I have one 96-98 WAAG grill guard, one set of 15 stock steel wheels with 31x10.5x15 R/T wheels, and a set of 16 inch 8 lug alloys with crappy tires. So i post them up on craigslist and they were sold for $180, $220 and $150 in that order. the total cost was -$180+-$220+-150=-$550
Total Cost= $-206.72
10. Without any body lift, the new 33 inch tire were rubbing a little bit. It not too bad, only noticeable when making sharp turns and such. After doing a little searching on here and google, i found trimming the plastic around the wheels might solve the problem. So i spray the plastic surrounding the wheels with a layer of primer i had left over. The i drove around the neighborhood, making sharp turns, sudden stops, speeding over bumpers a such. Because i had spray on a layer of white primer, any parts of the plastic that was rubbing against the tires were noticeable because the primmer was rubbed off. After cutting off the plastic, i covered the holes with a layer of Gorilla Tape and sprayed it over with black bedliner spray. It worked out perfectly, now i have no rubbing whatsoever. Total cost of tape and spray was $4.99+-$9.99+TAX=-$16.18
Total Cost= $-190.54
11. Last but not least, i wanted louder exhaust. I bought one chrome exhaust tip at Kragens and planned on ordering one Borla Pro XS. But before i did that, a friend suggested drilling a hole in the piping infront of the stock muffler might have the sound that i was looking for, and since i was going to remove the stock muffler, i thought why not. I used a cutter and cut out a 1inx0.5in in the piping and the sound was AWESOME. I sounds was a deep rumble, and it sounded a lot better than my friend's tacoma with a magnaflow. So i went ahead and canceled my order for the Borla. The total cost of the exhaust tip was $16.99+TAX=$18.35
Total Cost= $-172.19
Here are pictures of my rig after everything was done.
Well folks, mission accomplished. Not only does the rig look better, but i also pocketed 172 bucks. No too bad for a newbie. My overall impression of the rig is that it look a lot more aggressive with the bigger tire and the grill guard. The ride is also a lot more smooth due to the bigger and better tires. As far as sound goes, the exhaust sounds bold with while cruising with the windows down, but hardly noticeable with the windows up. The painting and installation took me about 7-8 days, approx 3 hours a day. All in all, i am very happy with the result.
Just before i started writing this thread, i bought a set of JDM limited fender flares on ebay for 190+30shipping and a 37x40 rag top, the same style as the ones found on streetbeatcustoms.com for 132 shipped. I will post more picture after i installed it in a week or when i come back. thanks for checking this out, hope you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
06-26-2007, 08:56 PM
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I like your style - that's how i started with a 97 base 2wd and i just bought and sold so i could afford new stuff...
Crazy you fit 33's with no lift.
They look like 32's
Crazy you fit 33's with no lift.
They look like 32's
Last edited by FUZION; 06-26-2007 at 08:57 PM.
06-26-2007, 09:07 PM
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I ALMOST stopped reading in disgust when I hit "This truck was given to me as a 16 birthday present, and to be honest, i wasn't very trilled". I continued on, however and am impressed by your bargain hunting. I have been waiting for some 265/75s to show up on CL for months now. YOu decide on a whim to look and score a set for $250?!? Ridiculous. I need better luck. I wonder how all that spray paint will hold up on your wheels.
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06-27-2007, 09:27 AM
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thanks for the prop guys. i sold the stock sr5 flares and i have JDM limited flares on order. as far as cutting the plastic, i had to trim away a lot. Not so much on the left side, but on the right side, i had to remove the whole plastic cover that was covering the washing fluid. And another question, do you guys know anything about Jaos Battlez 2' lift coils? i have some guy selling them for pretty cheap and i was just wondering if they are any good, thanks!
06-27-2007, 09:51 AM
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very nice looks great and on a side note i have a brush guard just like that for the mid 90s land cruisers i am looking to sell so someone buy it. it looks identical but w/out the lights
06-27-2007, 02:16 PM
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Cutting a hole in your exhaust is such a cliche teenager thing to do. Do it right and buy a real exhaust eventually since those holes will just start rusting easier and you'll have a bigger hole. Plus remember all these "mods" will be hurting your resale value.
Also be glad the 20"s didn't work out;IMO they look silly on 3rd gens and you hurt every performance aspect of your truck with them.
Also be glad the 20"s didn't work out;IMO they look silly on 3rd gens and you hurt every performance aspect of your truck with them.
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