Looks great! I love the Durabak paint. does it come in a spray can or pale? Is primer required? Tanks for spending the time to share your build!

 

just saw your build thread and really wishing i had a 3nd gen runner, needs a supercharger for that bad boy......

 

Thanks man!

The Durabak liner comes in a standard 1 gallon paint can and is meant to be rolled on, it may be able to be sprayed on but I'm not sure. There is no primer required and it actually does better on bare metal surfaces. However, there is a lot of prep work required if you are putting it over existing paint like I did. You have to tape off the area that you will be painting (if applicable), completely sand off the clear coat and get down to the paint, wipe everything down with Xylene, then roll 2-4 coats of the Durabak on. It was kind of a PITA, but well worth it IMO.

I love my 3rd gen but I would also love to get an older project truck sometime in the future...

A supercharger is on the long list of modifications that continues to grow. I just wish they weren't so damn expensive.

 

I know this is out of left field, but when you did the 3 inch suspension lift (I just ordered the OME 3 inch suspension kit) and I know I need the diff drop, but would I need anything else? such as longer brake lines or the drop plate?

 

No worries at all man, that is exactly what the forum is for so ask away.

With a 3" lift the only additional thing that you need is the differential drop. Long story short, you will be good to go with the OME lift and the differential drop.

The only reason that you would need extended brake lines, panhard drop bracket, etc. is if you are lifting the rear more than 3", which is what I am doing. I bought some Land Cruiser coils that will give me 4-5" of lift so I am in the process of buying longer shocks, extended brake lines, and a panhard drop bracket to make sure the suspension is aligned properly and to make sure the longer coils fit are able to flex properly.

 

Thank you sir, your rig and your advice has put my mind at ease with the 3 inch lift. Good luck with yours!

 

Thanks! I'm always glad to help.

Haha I really need to just order the parts I need and get them installed, I have had the new coils just sitting in storage for like 2 months now.

 

It has been a while since I updated because I haven't had much time to work on my truck over the last couple months...Work, moving to a new place, life, blah blah blah have all gotten in the way. I have been able to do a few small things though:

1) Removed my "4Runner" windshield decal - I like the cleaner look so I doubt that I will replace it with anything.
2) Removed my TRD decals from the front doors and put some new ones in the stock location on the rear quarter panels. The decals on the doors were getting pretty banged up by dirt, mud, and other debris from my tires.
3) Found a better, more permanent mounting location for my exterior OBA compressor fitting.

Now, on to the most important part....what's next?

1) Install my LC coils. After having my LC coils sit around for months, today I finally ordered the parts I will need to get them installed. I ordered some extended brake lines and a panhard drop bracket from Toytec and ordered some Tokico GE4095 shocks from AutoAnything. While I was at it, I also ordered a front differential drop from Toytec that I will install when I install the OME coils in the front.
2) Install my OME 882/Nitrocharger 90004 coils/struts. A little while back I bought a lightly used set off another member with the hope that I could eventually install them when I get an aftermarket bumper, winch, etc. And I am happy to report that the wait will finally be over! (hopefully)
3) Order a Shrockworks bumper! (Hopefully) Earlier in the thread I mentioned that my company announced everyone would be receiving an annual performance bonus, however, at the time I didn’t realize that it wasn’t going to be paid until the 15th of October...Well the 15th is rapidly approaching and I am in the process of negotiating with the wife to let me use it to buy a Shrockworks bumper. I have wanted since the first time I saw it, but I haven't been able to afford one...Wish me luck and stay tuned (hopefully for good news!)...

 

Awesome news (at least I think so)....I just ordered my ShrockWorks front bumper!! I went with the following options:

-Standard width (I would like to get fender flares eventually, but I think it will still look fine without the extended width)
-Black powder coat
-Full tube center hoop & headlight guards
-1" or 2" body lift brackets (I didn't realize that they are actually adjustable which is perfect because I eventaully want to steup up to a 2" body lift)

I gave Mark a call at ShrockWorks and was able to get my order placed. I must say that I am extremely impressed with their customer service. Mark was able to answer all my questions and provide recommendations. I also explained that I was worried about throwing down over $1,300 for a bumper that I won't get until January-February, and he said, "no problem, you can just pay half now and the other half when your bumper is ready to ship." So that is exactly what I did. The only think I am kind of bummed about is the long wait...Hopefully it will give me some time to get some accessories together (Lightforce 240 blitz, PIAA 510's fogs, XRC winch). Let the waiting begin...

 

Congrats man, too bad your not still in TX...could've saved a ton on shipping (Shrockworks is in Houston). I would stay away from a BL if I was you, I have a 1.5" I'm fixing to take off cause it makes our top heavy runners just that much more tipsy.

 

Very true, shipping was $200 so it would have been nice to be able to pick it up and have them help me install it.

Yeah I know that BL aren't good for our center of gravity, but they are really the only way that we can fit 35's...

 

I was finally able to get my LX450 coils, shocks, and new sway bar end links installed this past weekend. I wasn't able to get the extended brake lines installed because my wife wasn't around to help me bleed the brakes but I am hoping to get that done sometime this week. I also wasn't able to install the panhard drop bracket because I don't know how to weld so I will probably take it to a local off road shop and have them weld it on for me.

Overall the install went pretty smoothly but it took me a little longer than I expected (about 5 hours from start to finish). It was a little tricky to get the axle to flex enough to replace the coils since I was just using a floor jack and 2 sets of jack stands. Also, it was also a PITA to get to the top shock mounts to get the bolt on and off. Since I have a 1.5" body lift, I was able to reach my hand through the gap in the frame and the body to get to the bolt, but I can't imagine trying to do it without a body lift. There has to be an easier way to get to that bolt, right?

New coils
Blue, yellow, white - 8.75 wrap = Drivers side
Green, yellow, white - 8.25 wrap = Passengers side


Old coil and shock removed


Old coil vs. new coil


Old shock vs. new shock


New coil and shock installed


New sway bar end links - Rather than spending over $100 on extended sway bar end links, I build mine using trailmix's thread: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...my-runner.html. Thanks trailmix!


The final product, I am really happy with the result! (Sorry for the crappy pictures, it was dark by the time I finished everything up and Hurricane Sandy has prevented me from taking better pictures over the last couple of days so there will be more to come).







For anyone doing this with a floor jack and jack stands, here is the easiest way that I found to get the axle to flex enough to get the old coils out and the new coils in:
1) Remove the lower shock mount and sway bar end links
2) Using a floor jack (I would recommend at least a 3 ton) positioned at the lowest point on the frame (I used the gas tank skid plate) jack the truck up as high as the jack will go.
3) Place a set of 6 ton jack stands under the frame (I placed the jack stands under the factory trailer hitch) and allow the jack stands to support the frame.
4) Use the floor jack to raise the rear axle
5) Remove the tires
6) Use the jack to raise the rear axle as high as it will go without lifting the frame.
7) Place only one 3 ton jack stand on one side of the axle (I started with the passenger side)
8) Slowly lower the jack (This should cause the axle to flex since only 1 side will be supported)
9) If necessary use coil compressors to remove the old coils and install the new ones (My old coils didn't need to be compressed very much to get them out, but the new ones definitely did)
10) Use the jack to raise the rear axle again
11) Switch the 3 ton jack stand to the other side of the axle and do the same on the other side.
12) Reattach the shocks and sway bar end links and put the tires back on.

 

How much did you buy this Runner for?

 

I paid $8,000 for it a little over 4 years ago.

 

little high but not bad, still needs a super charger

 

beef. i like it

 

It definitely sits higher, but I like the slightly raked stance. Haha yes it does, I just wish they weren't so damn expensive.

Thanks dude!

 

are you planning on any side-protection? eg- sliders?

 

Absolutely, sliders from 4XInnovations are at the top of the list after I get the ShrockWorks bumper, winch, and lights installed.

 

Last Thursday, I got my extended brake lines installed. I ran into one snag because one of the connections was pretty seized up and wouldn't budge. So, I had to bend the hard line to be able to get enough torque on it to break it free. Other than that everything went pretty smoothly and I will feel a lot better about flexing it out this weekend.

Old vs. new


Installed



I also got some pictures of the measurements with the new coils. I have right around 2" of rake.

Driver Rear


Passenger Rear


Driver Front


Passenger Front