4biker

I found some video of Hole in the Rock trail that I forgot about so I put it up on Youtube.

This first one is just the shots from outside - the inner ones get a little carsicky, so if you don' like that, don't watch the 9 minute one.
http://youtu.be/6ttvyt9D1p0

Here is the long one with all footage:
http://youtu.be/3wF_kGJ60o0

habanero

Watching.....waiting....anticipating!
I stuck a 1" body lift on (285/75...not pizza cutters) and that helped a quite bit with rubbing too soon, but not entirely. That, and having the small chrome/rubber trim.

Love the vids but after that last concussion can't watch too much wiggly stuff at a time. Thank you very much for the warning!

4biker

Remember, the rubber side always goes down! That's true for cars, bikes, and shoes. That'll keep your brain unconcussed - trust me, I'm a doctor
(seriously sorry to hear about the injury though - doesn't sound fun)

I've actually thought a lot about body lifts, and I wouldn't mind going up an inch. The problem is that with the ARB bumper and the sliders I'll have to make too many modifications that just seem un....fun. I just need to get the dremel out and start cutting on that lovely fender trim, since I think that's the majority of the problem. (just wait - I'm sure I'll grow some sort of wild hair and start chopping things apart so I can do a BL. My brain is actually trying to figure out when I can do it as we speak, since it's a pretty good idea).

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

Hi 4Biker! I saw you link your build thread on RME, good to see another Utah 4Runner. We need to hit some trails!

4biker

Sweet - I'm just down in PG so I try to get out when I can. Did you see the RME run up American Fork Canyon coming up?

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

Yup, myself and a couple other 4Runners will be up there for sure.

4biker

Nice - I'll probably meet you there. That canyon is one of our favorite places

4biker

A couple months ago we squeezed the 4Runner into the back yard to pull some aspen trees down before they did a lot of damage to the yard (never plant aspen trees on purpose unless you own a forest - you will regret it!). We had to take a fence panel out to get the rig back there, and there was some romance in the air and paint was swapped.













There was literally about a centimeter on each side (I wish we used the metric system here!) so it was inevitable.

Anyway, the paint was a little marked up so I decided to try and do something about it. I used some Scratch Out brand polish, and rubbed it on & off three times and snapped some pictures.

Front fender before:


Front fender after:


Door & rear flare before:


Door & rear flare after:


Rear-most before:


Rear-most after:


When I was done, I didn't really think it did anything, but I took the follow-up pictures, and they are literally about 10 minutes after the "before" pics. Looking at the pictures in the same light conditions it looks way better, so I'm glad I took some time and prettied up the 4runner. Since it still looks rough I'll probably be re-coloring the trim in the future.

habanero

Same thing with bamboo, don't plant it unless you really mean it! I'd plant aspen in the far-back but it doesn't like my town.

You could just call your skritches trail rash...the home version.

4biker

Well, it's been a long time since I've worked on the 'Runner, and some decisions have been mulled over. For a long time I'd decided to sell the pig and get something with fewer miles that's a little more road-friendly. Really I just want something with a little more grunt on the freeway. I'm tired of being the slowest thing up every hill. I've been going back and forth for a long time now, but my wife has convinced me to keep it. My conditions were that I needed to replace the short rear OME 906 springs, get a supercharger, and maybe some new wheels. In other words, it needs to ride, look, and feel nice to drive. I was actually planning on getting a Honda Ridgeline FWIW. I also considered swapping in a Lexus 1UZ v8, but there is no way I could invest that much time into it.

Anyway, I picked up new rear coils yesterday and had them installed lickety-split! 906's swapped out for 890's



Here is the new stance. I was riding over an inch low in the rear. The driveway is admittedly really slanted down on the driver's side, but I was always wishing it were taller before. It was obviously sagging 48 hours ago. Now it's just a touch high in the rear, so hopefully the new coils don't sag too much over time. They obviously ride more smoothly than the shorter stiffer coils, so I'm glad about that.



Stay tuned for a supercharger and maybe a new look.

4biker

Ok, it's official - I'm off my rocker. After our 2002 Acura TL took a turn for the worse we sold it for cheap and I picked this up:







The install was about 5 hours, and it was tough mostly because of stupid stuff like 16-year-old vacuum hoses. In fact, the vacuum system was a little baffling since the instructions were far from comprehensive as far as that is concerned. I ultimately got it figured out and now it runs like a scalded ape!
BEST MOD EVER!!!!

I've got some ping, but we'll see what happens in the next several hundred miles of driving. TRD is pretty insistent that it will resolve itself, but if not, I'll look into a 7th injector kit, which will give me even more getupandgo. It's funny how I never, Ever, EVER ran my engine hard, but now it's just so fun! With the 4.88 gears and 33's, it's absolutely perfect around town, and oh, my goodness on the freeway
BEST MOD EVER!!! (did I already say that?)

4biker

Updates:
I ended up needing a 7th injector kit that I picked up from URD. I'm still trying to get it tuned, but along with that I picked up a 2.1" pulley so I've pretty much maxed it out. Speaking with Texas Ace and URD I decided the 2.1" is best for me since I'm living at above 4000ft elevation. At this point I'm actually thinking of selling the SC and maybe putting a turbo on, or just plain v8 swap. It's absolutely awesome to drive on the freeway, so maybe I'll see if I eventually fall back in love with it again. I just wish it were quicker.


I also picked up some used LC wheels for a very good price with Toyota center caps. I've got five, so I just need one more to finish off the trailer so it all matches - how cute! I re-finished the paint on the center caps and clear-coated them all, so they look almost brand new. I think the LC wheels are absolutely the best for my rig right now - I'm glad I didn't settle for black wheels like I was looking at. It makes my tall skinnies look fatter so that's good IMO. The factory 5-stars were just too narrow and not enough offset. Now let me find some pics...

Oh, yeah - also picked up Tepui RTT very cheap - the day I bought it:


Camping in American Fork Canyon Late Sept (cold)




Elk Hunt - FREEZING COLD (tires were frozen to the ground):




Overnight mountain bike trip to Moab in late-ish Oct I believe, with new LC wheels:

habanero

I dunno what's more awesome, the wheels or the RTT.
Nope, it's the camping pics, especially the one with the in-the-woods trainee.
Your wife's cute little bump is even cuter unwrapped.

So, assuming you've also camped on the ground- what sucks more heat out from under you, frozen ground or the open airspace?

4biker

Agreed - the camping is the coolest thing about the 4Runner, but that little boy is the apple of my eye.

Honestly I love the tent on the roof. The floor is aluminum, and the pad is super thick, so it's pretty well insulated. I'd rather be on the foam cushion than an inflatable mattress, which is my usual poison. I've never spent a warm night in it yet, but I can't wait to have it all opened up with a nice breeze blowing through.

I think I just decided to do the AXS Moab 12 hour race, so that may be the next time I use the RTT. Moab in April - still isn't warm yet, is it?

habanero

I'm usually in Moab sometime in late June, July or August. It's warm then!

4biker

Yeah, it's probably safe to characterize that as "warm"

8dilley8

[QUOTE="4biker;52162444"]Updates: I ended up needing a 7th injector kit that I picked up from URD. I'm still trying to get it tuned, but along with that I picked up a 2.1" pulley so I've pretty much maxed it out. Speaking with Texas Ace and URD I decided the 2.1" is best for me since I'm living at above 4000ft elevation.

When you did the 7th injector did you have to tune it with a computer/maps or did it self tune? I was told it was plug and play... but I'm skeptical. Looks like a great Runner! I live in CO and always wanted to run out to Utah, looks like a blast!

4biker

Just FYI, the 4Runner was sold a few months ago and I'm enjoying my new-to-me Nissan Titan. Love the v8!

Honestly I was never really happy with the 7th injector, the supercharger, or the meth injection. You just can't turn a pig into a rabbit (without lots of heat issues, that is). I was never able to eliminate ping altogether, and I'm at high altitude relative to sea level. I played with the tune multiple times, but every single time I went up a long hill or had my 700lb camp trailer on the back it would immediately start pinging, and I would have to get off the gas pedal. It frustrated me enough to pull it all apart, sell it all, and just get a truck with a v8.
I loved the 4Runner but the miles were racking up, and I've been missing my old pickup for a while. The whole frowny-face supercharger thing was kind of the last straw. I see it driving around town sometimes and it makes me smile.

I would be more prone next time (in theory only - trust me) to doing a turbo setup instead of the SC since there isn't so much heat buildup in the block. Heat is the nemesis of forced induction. Even then you have fueling issues and crap to worry about so I'd really just go 4th gen with the 4.7L. They're uglier but powerfuller...er. Plus that 4.7L will go forever just like the 3.4L so high miles are no problem.