Nice job man....im chopin at the bit..... want my engine back so bad i can taste it.

 

^^^like chewing on foil!

 

Looks darn good with that soft top on it!

 

Yeah I love the black soft top, but I am partial to the colored hard top.

A few for your viewing pleasure. A bit of a spin on the

Not sure if I like the stripe going up to the hard top on these designs.

 

I like it on the hard top. I think those look awesome you have made me rethink my new paint scheme

 

more...i think of TCs helo in Magnum P.I....
This was an eighties truck, and the paint should reflect the era it came from, i will refrain from short Op shorts, and feathered hair!


this was my first idea when i bought the truck....

 

one more, without the black

 

Black looks better IMO. I do like the stripes carried over to the top though.

 

^^^ i agree.
I like my red truck, and we all know red is the fast color! My second favorite would be white.
The last two concepts play off some of the first gen schemes, but because of the squared body/fender lines, the three color stripes found on the first gens won't work...like:

 

and i just found this site....like i need more distractions:
http://www.jamesdeancreations.com/toyota.htm

 

haha yeah thought you knew about that site already. But he sells stripe kits. Although he might be still OOC due to health reasons not sure.

 

I have a friend that owns a sign shop locally, so i will send him my designs, and he will cut them out of vinyl.
when i painted my bike, i went through many concepts, tweaking minor stuff along the way. I actually had some vinyl cut so i could play with the design on the vehicle, and live with it for a while before i painted it. I plan to do the same this time....get some vinyl stripes cut, apply, reaarrange, tweak...then get vinyl mask cut(makes taping logos and stripes much easier), then paint.
The current plan, will be all flat stripes/color...like this...

 

the black one looks sweet

 

got back to working on my tire carrier. this is before i welded it up.
80% done and i ran out of wire...DOH! and daylight.
Hopefully i can get another roll today and have it finished.

 

the concept:

 

Good looking 4Runner.
Think the soft top looks great.

 

the tire carrier looks great! motivation for me to start one, i guess

what kind of welder is that, what size tubing, and what are you using to cut?

 

thanks for the compliments, i think she looks pretty good, but she needs new shoes, and the mod list keeps growing.

Welder - Lincoln Sp-125
Steel - 1-1/2" thin wall(not sure the gauge, but i think it is 3/32")
I have a metal chop saw with a 12" or 14" blade.

Forgot to mention...
After cleaning up, i went inside to unwind before hitting the sack. As i recall the events that evening, and my wire shortage i start to make a list of things i need to get. One of these things are a new knotted/twirled like this:



Mine is very worn out as i was using it to remove rust from the tube before i started welding. As i was grinding the rust off, i could hear and feel sometimes, little bits of wire flying off, typical. Not an issue i had on a long sleeve shirt and my trusty safety glasses(note i have scratched my cornea in the past while wearing safety glasses).
Back to sitting on my couch recalling the evening. I take my sneakers off, much like the opening scene in Mr. Rogers neighborhood minus the creeping singing and red cardigan. I then notice i have what appears to be a scab on my lower shin, but when i pick at it i can't get it to pull off. I know, gross, a bit of OCD here.
I am able to get two fingers to pinch this little piece of foreign matter and proceed the extraction. With little effort i retrieve a 1/2" piece of wire wheel fragment from my leg. I never felt it, and pulling it out was pretty painless. But WOW that could have been my face, i thought to myself.
Now i frantically start searching for any other anomalies that may have taken up residency(note: i could have said i ran my hands all over my body caressing ever so softly, inspecting every crease and fold but i didn't...you are welcome!) and came up cleanish.

I think i will wear the face shield next time.
And remember kids.....The more you know!

 

progress, crappy phone pics with the added crappiness of a night shot:

 

Nice progress on the tire carrier. Do you plan on carrying anything else on it, like a hi-lift or gas can?