pattycakes77

iTrader: (2)

hey gang. just wanted to make a little showoff thread and introduce myself.
i'm Patrick, i live in iowa, i love my 4runner. i bought it about 3 years ago, totally stock and very well preserved and maintained. up until last week i managed the "detail" department of a local auto dealership, so my 4runner is well waxed and bathed and in excellent condition.

here are the pics to keep you interested:
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...7/P5080111.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...7/P5080109.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...7/P5080112.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g1...7/P5080110.jpg

here are the specs:

1998 Toyota 4runner SR5, Desert Dune Pearl with Chrome. 84k miles, all options except leather (yay!) and the Diff lock. what i've done to it so far...
i had it undercoated (iowa, snow, salt)
Deck plate mod
Amsoil Air filter
NGK plugs and wires
and a pretty TRD Billet oil cap
TRD cat back exhaust
rear license surround painted to match
TRD Off-Road stickers on sides (i plan on doing the Sonoran Tundra lift eventually, but just the stickers for now)
SR5 badges between rear door and rear windows (i know most people DE-badge but i like the SR5 emblems so i added them where they usually put the "Limited" badges on the others)
In channel vent visors
'02 Grille (but i'm Satoshizing my '98 grille right now)
'02 headlights and corners
'02 tail lights
Clear bumper lights (but, i've recently smoked them and they look sweet)
Tacoma skid plate
and an air horn! i have a switch that i can flip to go back to the stock horn though when i feel like it.
polished and painted my stock wheels. inside of the spokes are black and i refinished the center caps in black with a silver toyota symbol.
265 75 16 BF Goodrich All Terrain TAs
and because i hate ABS, i have a switch inside that cuts power to the ABS fuse and disables it.
Alpine head unit and speakers for a nice audio experience.

that's all for now, till more $ comes my way. hope you all like it as i've enjoyed browsing here and seeing some really nice 4runners.

patrick

FUZION

Cool
Like what you did with your wheels

xcmountain80

Second the sweet ass wheels... like some originality..

Aaron

Skrillah

The wheels definitely put a nice touch to it! Howd you do that if you don't mind me asking!!??

emptypockets

Very nice rig! Where about in Iowa r u from pattycakes? I live in Okoboji/Spencer area.

99_Runner

Looks really good. I like the wheels also.

pattycakes77

iTrader: (2)

i loved the job i did on the wheels for about a month. i did it one wheel at a time last summer and tried a few different things. first i used some spray called aircraft coating remover to get the old chipped and cracked clear off. then i sanded what i wanted to paint, cleaned it really good, masked off what i could with tape, applied some self etching primer to the metal, applied several coats of paint, let it dry over a few days, and removed the masking tape. there were places that the paint got through the tape and other spots that i couldn't contour the tape around the little bends, so i took some thinner and a thin cotton towel and went over the edges to clean up the lines. then i used a polishing pad from sears on an electric drill and used some stuff called Wenol to polish the aluminum.

now, this is where i should have stopped, but didn't. i tried some stuff that was supposed to be the greatest clear coat ever, Por 15 Glisten PC, but unfortunately it didn't go well with my paint and once applied it made the paint bleed all over and made a real mess. i'm sure it's a nice product but it didn't work with the paint on the rims, too bad. so i tried some spray on clear from the auto parts store. went on no problems and looked nice, until the temp got below 40 degrees last winter. then it cracked, flaked, and yellowed which is what it said it would NOT do on the can. so, since it flaked off so well, i just took a plastic razor blade and scraped it off and re-polished the spokes.

i know they don't look awesome anymore, especially since the guy that put my tires on used a hammer to apply the wheel weights and missed several times which chipped the black paint all over. they look good from 10 feet which is all i care about right now. not entering any shows anytime soon.

i was kicking around the idea of having them powdercoated black, then just sanding the spokes and lip and polishing them up again, but for the money and time put in to do that i could have a nice set of rims and keep these for winter driving.

i'm in Cedar Rapids Iowa btw for you who asked.

thanks for the kind words.

patrick