I'm back, with another 4Runner to add to the legacy!

My last rig had to go, which left me with an empty space in my heart:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/o...thread-187194/
Now, I'm working down the 4Runner lineage with my newest edition; a 2003 Limited 4WD!



A little background: I moved from Northern CA to San Diego where 4WD 4Runners don't seem as abundant down here. After weeks of searching through lousy Tijuana salvages and overpriced 5th gen mall crawlers, I found this gem at a decent price and pulled the trigger.

The biggest challenges are cosmetic, as the drivetrain sounds, feels and drives beautifully. Case in point; a fully-disclosed side impact leaving me with driver-side door that needs some attention:



Plans:
Fix door (BFH?)
3" spacer lift (To be honest, for minimal offroad and mostly looks)
265/70/17 BFG AT's
New stereo (has JBL, but headunit motor runs for a few minutes at startup and I don't know why. Would love to stick with factory look, but really need iPhone compatibility).

Looking forward to researching and wrenching again here on YT! This is my first 4th gen so there's a lot for me to learn. Any help or suggestions are always appreciated.

 

Took a stab at some body work today.
Due to some sort of side impact, the top corner of the driver's door protrudes out slightly. This has made annoying wind and road noise in my left ear. I contemplated how to correct this:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f117...r-back-295886/

Harnessing the laws of physics, I ever-so-slightly bent the corner back towards the truck:



Success!



For those attempting this, put a towel around the top 2x4 or else you'll ding the paint like I did..grrrr!

I also took the same 2x4 and pounded down the lower door area. Feeling on a roll, I tried to bend the step back up with a bottle jack:



Still slightly off, but nevertheless a significant improvement from before.

 

#seafoam