Purchased this beast last week, first photo of it at the dealer's lot. Came with new but really really crappy street tires, not cool seeing as how this IS a 4wd vehicle. Hard core offroad rig? No, but come on guys. we negociated a check for the cost of 5 brand new BFG AT/KO's out of the pricetag which will go on this thing pretty soon so I can actually take it offroad. Going with stock size 275/65 R18's. Here's the list of goodies it has: SR5 model, 4x4, 5.7L (3UR-FE) w/6speed Auto, w/tranny cooler and full towing package. the UR series engines have timing chains instead of belts, pretty sweet. 381hp stock (and 16.5 mpg so far, ouch) Full length roof rails, step boards (soon to be chopped off) and sun roof BU camera, heated mirrors, power everything including ALL the seats! Black with black/grey interior, 3rd row seating. 4 wheel disc brakes/ABS, VSC, rear brakes are drum on disc for the parking brake. Mods/upgrades to come very soon: BFG AT/KO tires x 5, bought a matching wheel for the spare ARB front bumper and aux lights Complete interior LED lights replacement, dome lights, courtesy lights, etc... Hawks performance ceramic brake pads (front only for now) I will also be making a full set of custom seat covers, black with grey centers; 1050 ballistic nylon cordura fabric. Made a nice toolbag already and a emergency roadside kit Mods to come later on: SUPERCHARGER KIT!!!!!!!!!! = 501hp/550ft lbs torque!!! I can't resist; totally unnecessary but totally happening anyway, hahaha! love this thing so far, it's basically the wife's car now. it's our family camping assault vehicle, ha! needed more space than the 4runner has for 2 kids and a 90lb lab. This summer its, ROADTRIP! to glacier nat'l park in Montana

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already posted these on another thread but here's the toolbag I made for her:



Need to buy some different fabric to make up the seat covers, can't wait to get those on! it's got fake leather interior but need to protect it from dog claws and muddy boots. plus, the front seats will have pockets behind them to hold first aid kit, jumper cables, etc...

Now we are an all Toyota family! (once we sell the 97 honda accord next month)

Nice rig, You made the bag?

Yup! I have a small business on the side making tactical kit for military/law enforcement so I have big industrial sewing machines and lots of fabric and webbing, zippers, fastex, etc... I do mostly custom work locally but do online business to a limited extent.

I don't know what I would do without this capability, I'm always making stuff for the vehicles and I do a ton of shooting so I have plenty of kit and range bags, never enough though.

I will be making a fabulous set of seat covers for this beast with my equipment/materials; done a few other seat covers for friends and of course my other two yotas.

I need to get a welder though, fabric is easy to work with and all, but need to finally get to fabbing some metal goodies. need to do my SAS still on the runner and fab up some bumpers, weld sliders, etc... time and $$$...

I'm very industrious by nature, doesn't matter the material! must..... build.... stuff.....

LED's showed up today, replaced the 3 dome lights (3 x 2 194/168's) with 9SMD LED's and the rear hatch dome with a 6 SMD festoon LED bulb. courtesy lights on the doors now have 6 SMD leds also (194/168's). you could do surgery in there now! nice clean bright light and minimal currant draw.

kinda bummed this thing didn't come with HID's for the headlights but has separate halogens for hi/lo beam plus fogs down low. retarded bright already, will probably do a wiring upgrade for now and maybe HID's down the road when I run out of other mods.

Cool, Do you have a website? you sell any of your stuff to regular people? If it helps Im in law enforcement

absolutely! check out www.amicktactical.com

been in business since january 2006; it's a side business, but I really enjoy it.

we are rebuilding the website right now, it's pretty basic and lame but gets the job done; will be much better here shortly. I do almost all custom work, I don't keep very much in stock but have tons of material and usually have a quick turn around on orders. I will occasionally hit up gunshows locally (Centralia gun & knife and maybe portland, OR soon) but phone/internet mainly. I've sewn just about anything and everything, just started a facebook page so I can post pics of my projects as I make them for all to see as an example of my work.

finished out the LED's inside the Sequoia, burnt out a fuse in the process, oops. nice bright domes/courtesy lights now. can't get the stupid 74 bulbs to work in any of my glove boxes; my truck, no dice. Sequoia, no dice... hmmmm...

here's another pic:



and some of the interior:







and a shot of the stock wheels:



BFG's tires next, then will go see a buddy at 4wheelparts to get a good price on the ARB bumper, itching to get these done soon.

Looks good. That thing looks.huge inside.

sure thing; we love our runner but it's just not big enough for kids, dog and all our crap; not near as capable offroad but we don't do super hardcare wheelin' anyway when camping as a family. Eventually,the runner will be the dedicated offroad crawler on a trailer behind the Sequoia.

'93 4runner has 0 airbags and weights 4000lbs, Sequoia = 6000+ and has 11 or 12 airbags!! it's all about survival in a wreck.

Still wondering why my taco and runner have 6 lugnuts and this beast only has 5 ??? wasn't pleased about that but I'm sure she will be fine. I think more police departments should have these although I'm sure cost is the major issue. with a good bumper and especially a blower, this thing is unstoppable!

I have wondered that too. Sequoia and the Tundra both 5 bolt.Figure it would be 6 also. Course that would make since to us and not to the automakers. I think its so people cant just use the wheels off runners and tacos if others are needed.

ARB bumper might be a bit overkill for a 4 wheel IFS vehicle, but if installed it will drop the front end further so plan for a supension upgrade with a steel bumper mod.

What makes you think that an ARB will be overkill for an IFS equipped rig? Just wondering.

I should have said 4 wheel independent suspension rig, not 4 wheel IFS rig. Toyota elimated the 2nd gen sequoia off roading capability with the change to rear independent suspension. An ARB bumper will add weight that will droop the front end and change the handling. I don't see a practical use or benefits for adding a big steel bumper to a 2nd gen sequoia.

Ah, gotcha.

it's not THAT heavy guys, my truck is fine although I realize this will be much heavier than what's on my taco due to the size difference. Still, you are right, suspension upgrade will be something close to necessary to return stock stance but I can live with an inch loss or so; bumpstops will still do their job and remember, this thing is already huge; we're talking minimal weight in reality here overall.

And for sure, not necessary as there will be no winch going on anytime soon but it will for sure protect a lot of vital components; the plastic trim just doesn't cut it as a bumper by any means.

my buddy had his H3 stolen 2 months ago (with an ARB bumper on it) and the idiots used it to DRIVE THRU A BUILDING (which happened to be a marijuana dispensery) and the vehicle was perfectly fine minus some damage to the bumper itself. radiator intact, frame was unaffected, only the bumper! insurance paid for a new one and back on the road good as new a week later.

that same story minus a bumper, = totaled vehicle. will that happent that good every time? of course not but I like to even the odds when I can!

and plus, who can resist the great looks of an ARB?!

it will scare smart cars, hahaha!

but seriously, yes, suspension will come down the road to counter the added front end weight.

just ordered tires, got an appt. this week to get the BFG AT's on this monster.

sc'd yet?

soon hopefully! it's spendy, need to save some $$ for it... the install looks pretty much the same as our 3.4's, then need to drive it (carefully) to a Toyotaship and have the ECU reflashed for it.

found the SC and install kit for $5200 at trdparts4u.com (I bought my 3.4 SC there new also)

I will be sure to post up with lots of pics and maybe a dynograph too when she goes in!

Tires, seatcovers, ARB bumper next in approximately that order. the LED lights on the interior are insanely bright; you can do surgery in there, hahaha

got a call from discount tire this morning, install of new BFG AT/KO's are on hold until early next week; apparantly this is a super rare tire, hahaha; the shop couldn't find any by thursday this week which was the earliest available that I scheduled online.

now I'm off to the dealer to get my $1200 check that they magically seem to have forgotten about.... gettin' real tired of you duckin' me man! where's my money!?

it's been almost two weeks, I gave them a check from my bank in 3 minutes, should've just demanded the money upfront before we left. it's a reputable big-shot dealership with "35 years experience" in trying to shmooze people out of their money, gotta stay on their heels the little weasels.

would someone actually FORGET a check for $1200?????? it's like rebates, they count on only about half of people getting around to collecting.

OK, some good progress with my beast;

went to the dealer last week Tuesday and got my money; amazing, they just cut a check in 2 minutes.... $1200 big ones back to me, and off to the bank that went...

had 4 days of no power, no water, finally up and running good despite the weather we're having. My thursday appt got pushed to monday and then today tuesday, finally got the new tires installed today at lunch.

Said earlier but: BFG All Terrain KO's in stock size 275/65 R18 on stock 18x7 Toyota wheels (bought a 5th matching spare off eBay for $124 that checked out OK)

Soooo... for $1270 out the door, I got 5 new meats installed! They ride just great and have slightly noticeable noise compared to the street tires but you really have to listen to identify any whirrrrrr from these. This is my 3rd set total and couldn't be happier; these are the perfect mix of street and offroad plus extreme longevity.

and of course, pics or it didn't happen...





front close up:



...and rear close up:


was raining cats and dogs today, dirty already...

forgot to look at the manufacture date on these but will check that tomorrow. I do NOT have the TPMS, wasn't sure until today if these had the sensor in them or not. Just as well, crap I don't need. I check pressure pretty regularly as it is and never had a problem, especially with these.

So I have some new Kumho Solus KL21's for sale cheap! anyone? ... beuller?....

oh and yeah, I went whitewalls out... only because this thing is black, I think it looks decent enough.

Now off to save for the ARB bumper....

all right, did some work under the hood today, changed spark plugs and bled the brakes.

The iridiums (stock denso's) didn't look terrible but not super either, they would have likely lasted much longer but wanted some fresh ones. NGK iridiums went in with no problem (other than some skinned knuckles, had a lot of fun with the driverside plug closest to the firewall, err)

Here's the engine bay prior to starting:



and a bit closer...



removed the air filter box and unplugged the MAF connector...



cleaned the air filter and airbox....



the old plugs, not too bad:


...and the new NGK's, anti-seize already lubed up; also see the part number on the box if anyone needs it...



then moved over and finished this side:



the throttle body/butterfly plate, small amount of dirt and varnish, nothing too bad; cleaned it anyway...



kept track of the plugs for future reference although they all looked identical so not really necessary... just in case...



and brakes on the next post.... time to take a break.... no pun intended, ha!

left the gaps alone on the plugs as they are supposed to be set already, checked them carefully and they seemed to be dead on from the FSM (I should say the snippet of FSM i managed to find, no Haynes or Chilton for this thing yet, krikey...)

Brakes went smooth, pulled almost all of the fluid out of the MC resevoir with a bulb and then a 10cc syringe to reach all the way in there. Fluid was yellow, no good. Most assuredly this is the factory fill, first time in 4+ years anyone has done this.



blah...


used this stuff, exceeds the recommended no.116 and whatever the other number was. Used this to do my brakes and clutch MC's in my other two yotas, 2 bottles pretty much did 'em all with a little left over.



so here is a funny side note; all of our 4runners/tacos have 10mm bleed screw fittings, this thing has 8mm in the rear but 10mm up front????? what is the point of that? the front ones are recessed far enough in they were kinda a PITA to get at with my little combo wrench. for sure need a combo wrench with an offset for the next bleed.

Topped off the resevoir and took her for a test drive, engine making full power, no CEL or strange noises and full braking power, good to hook!

next will be power steering and a transmission flush before too long; might pay toyota to do the tranny and get the good fluid, not sure yet though.

Also today, sold my old meats off my Taco to add to the ARB bumper fund for this thing; got $125 for them thru CL, woo hoo!

Went ahead and ordered my ARB front bumper today, jeezus, I can't wait for tax season to come to fruition... my credit card is not doin' so well right now..... will get some money back from uncle sugar shortly...

anyway, ordered from a buddy at 4WheelParts here in Tacoma, even with discounts and no shipping/instore pickup, I walked away dang near $2K poorer today... ouch....

ramen noodles for dinner tonight???

Anyway, pulled the part number from ARB's website, matches Tundra/Sequoia from '07 thru 2012, anything after 2010 requires grille modification so no worries for me there.

The other side note (#3 to be exact) was that heavier springs will be necessary to return stock ride. According to 4Wparts computer, the bumper weights in at a whopping 250lbs!!!! thats about 75 over what I had figured.... oh well...

so the next decision once this beast is installed is to decide to just do front coils or go all out and do full suspension/shocks... comin' up on the time for new shocks anyway....

hmmmm.... I'm sure it will handle the weight fine for the time being, but for sure expecting to lose a good inch in front end droop.

shows up Monday, install to soon follow! and of course, there will be some super pics when this thing is on, hahahha! can't wait

Dang, its like you building it in to a tank haha

hee hee... it will be a monster for sure. I don't want to lose all of my radiators and other front end vitals if I smoke a deer at highway speeds; also makes for a great zombie apocolypse getaway vehicle! hahahaa... maybe I should weld some spikes on it...

looking at HD springs, can't decide if I just want to do all four corners now or just the front springs; might just do front springs for now and then full suspension later, about a 2.5" lift total. After doing the OME HD's on my truck (and lovin' it), I might just opt for a full kit and lift this joker the 2.5" and be able to load this sucker down heavy (as we always do when we go camping, I bring enough guns/ammo and beer/food to sink a small ship).

The 'lift' is really to keep it close to stock height when fully loaded from what I gather, empty, she will be sitting up just a tad. No problem there!

here is a dream (to soon come true) pic of what she will look like. In black too! this was off of ARBUSA's site...



muahhahahhaa!