The hubs look great. Does your son drive it yet?

 

just around open parking lots, lol.
He turns 16 in July and here you must be 16.5 to get your license.
But he’s planning on it!

 

Time to buy your own 4Runner, he will not return it, that truck looks very good.

 

Hahahaha! Yes, I would like a blue one.

 

Just went through your whole thread. Excellent. Thanks.

-Herky

 

thank you, Love your engine rebuild thread. You are better at taking photos of work in process than me.

 

Trying to get my 2” hitch mounted somehow so i can use my bikerack. I don’t have anything to tow, so it’s just for bikes.



This is how i want it to mount.


i had the hitch on last summer, but never with the chrome rear step bumper. Then i got hit from behind recently at a red light and the 1/4” hitch plates bent.



Bent metal

so i figured i would straighten them out, and cut them down to bolt up to the bumper brackets.

Pizza box template.

Only problem, they were about 3/4” too short. I know my 110 Mig welder is not going to handle 1/4” plate easily but maybe good enough for a bike rack.



Ready to weld.

 

My welder has been down the street at a buddy’s house since i finished my bodywork, October ‘18.

Finally get over there Sunday late afternoon, begin to weld and promptly run out of mig wire. 🤬

Today, go to Lowe’s, buy both .025 and .030 mig wire(better for thick metal). Come home, load up welder with .030 and it sucks royaly. 🤬Trying to backtrack to how it sort of worked before i ran out of wire, switch back to .025”. Better, still not great. I mostly finish, then realize in all the focus of switching out wire, i forgot to turn the gas on! 🤬

The results pretty much suck.

I’m going to have to drill two bolt holes through that bead and i don’t own a drill press.

So, i’m scrapping this plan, will go buy some 1/4” plate cut to the right size and just drill some holes. Won't be able to use the carriage bolts but that’s ok.

 

So today i drive 30 minutes to go to the “Metal Supermarket” to buy an 8x8” piece of 1/4” plate steel. They are restricted from letting customers in the lobby so i have to call in from the parking lot. After 10 minutes a grubby kid brings me an 8x8” piece of 3/8” plate.
i say thanks but i dont think that is 1/4” and he says he’ll go check, comes back and tells me they are out and will have to order some.
I say thanks, i’ll come back in a few days. While i am thinking, WTF.?! Aren’t you the @#$&*-+,🤬 Metal Supermarket?!

Why does this simple project have to be so difficult...

Good thing i don’t need the bike rack until July!

 

Bummer! I've always had great experiences with the metal supermarket in my city. I've even given them basic drawings and they do basic cutting/bending for free

 

I eventually got my 1/4” plate from metal supermarket and drove down to CT to one of my best friend’s house for help. He’s got an amazing garage full of tools and racecars. Man, we sure did suffer as kids working on rusty old cars so he deserves this awesome shop!

 

With a plasma cutter and drill press he made quick work of my little problem. The hitch came out great and we’re ready to get on the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard this Saturday...or so i had planned...

Every now and then i like to test out the healthcare system for myself and in June spent a week in Tufts Hospital in Boston. I’m recovering now but don’t have all my strength/stamina back yet. My wife cannot drive the 4runner(stick) and the rental property rules require us to park a half mile away from the house. So all those factors combined made me decide that we’ll be bringing the wife’s car instead of the 4runner this time. It’s too bad; i started planning this vacation back in January and the ol’ 4runner was going to be our primary transportation for the week.

The very first trip to MV with my best man back in the 90s, we were waiting in the ferry line in his Honda Prelude and directly in front of us was a red 4runner with a black soft top. We both geeked out and I proclaimed, “next year, we are coming back in one of those!” And that was the impetus for building my first 4runner.

 

Some photos at the golf course nearby

 

Cool story, glad you're doing well!

And hey, tell the wife there's no time like the present to learn

 

To prove Damian812 and Magnet18 aren’t the only members who have been driving the wheels off their trucks, today my son and I logged about 280 miles on the ol’ 4runner from Melrose MA, to Lincoln, NH thru the White Mountains to Conway, NH then home. The only problem was after 125 miles on the highway, we exited and came to a stop light and the truck was running rough. With the A/C on the idle kicked up and ran fine. I popped the hood and went for the idle adjustment screw and smoothed it out. Later after another stop, same problem... Due to the heat, vibration, and dried out o-ring the idle screw was adjusting itself as we drove. Fixed as soon as i got back to the garage with a new o-ring i had gotten from 22re performance a while ago.

Entering the White Mountains on I-93.

One of the locomotives at Conway Scenic RR.

The Flying Yankee has been under restoration for about 10 years now at Hobo RR, Lincoln NH.

 

Good old Conway! We used to go up there a lot to go to Story Land when my son was little, good times.

that is some hill climbing right there.

 

My son has always preferred the railroad attractions...still does. No trouble with any hills along the Kancamagus highway. I drove the truck this morning and the idle problem is fixed!

 

More “driving the wheels off the 4runner” today as me, my son, my buddy and his daughter toured the NH and southern Maine coast.
We started in Salisbury MA. The east coast has a white shark problem...



“You’re gonna need a bigger boat...”

 

We made our way up to Hampton Beach and Rye NH. No parking allowed on the main route. Beach passes required for actually going to the beach in these areas.

 

Adventure team, stretching our legs near Rye, NH.




Not my house!