Great to see this thing finally out on the road. I am stoked for you Scotty.

 

One of the Sweetest 4Runners on the Planet

Now just hang on to this one for awhile

 

DANG! Gorgeous ride! Great work, Scottie, you have quite a talent there.

 

If he decides to NOT hang on to this one.... I CALL FIRST DIBS!!!! I will sell my first born for that rig! just kidding, but no really!

 

I just love them solid axle 3rd gens and this one is the most exceptional one I have seen to date. Your really giving your shop some good rep with this build Scotty, nice work.

 

So, after a couple days of dialing things in, I am stoked with the results. It drives excellent down the road. All the work dialing in the geometry on the computer has really paid off.

I only get a very slight amount of rear squat when I accelerate. It corners and handles pretty well despite the lack of sway bars too. And I really think that if I add only a front sway bar it would be perfect. Its more than drivable right now though even as is.

The power steering is bled out finally, but the leak which I thought was the pressure line was actually come from the input seal on the box. Luckily I had an another box that I had in the shop. So, I pulled the original one and slapped the new one in. It took a very long time to bleed the system, but its good to go now. It really is amazing how much power the 78/79 Ford F150 box has. It steers right through the ARB on dirt, but we'll see how well it works when I get some trail time under it.

It still needs sliders, a front bumper, and a rear bumper as well. I am going to do something different again with the tire carrier and build something that is easily removable for trail time. For now a simple 2x4" with a hitch is going into place to get it down to Penrose and Buena Vista next week for the 4runner Jamboree.

 

So, I got the ride height adjusted out. Its perfect IMO. I have just enough up travel and tons of down travel. Frame height is at 23-1/4" too. So, its even lower than I aimed for. And, it drives like a dream with the lower height too.

Now, I honestly think that no sway bars are needed at all. It drives great with no more body roll than my old 4runner. I couldn't be more happy with the results at this point.

So, the list for this week to prep for the jambo is:

1. Sliders
2. Something to tow with. I doubt it will be a complete bumper.
3. Front bumper mocked up and welded into place enough for the trip.
4. Bump stops
5. Limit straps
6. Tires balanced

Other than that its ready for the trip.

 

What a beautiful thing! GREAT work, sir! What a BEAST!

 

Looking forward to the bumper builds. I have a sneaky suspicion that they are gonna be pretty alright.

 

Great job man!!!!!!

 

What happened to the 4WD console? I thought you picked one up when you got the tranny, and I'm guessing there is no e-brake? And is it disc brakes all around? how hard was that to plumb? Jeez, Scotty, if I ever start makin the big bucks I'm gonna have you build me a 3rg gen!

 

WOW! I am at a loss. That is beautiful!

 

4wd console wouldn't work anyway. No Ebrake and yes, disc brakes all around. I will deal with a line lock later at some point.

 

Front bumper is mounted. This is NOW the production bumper for these 4runners. Its now available for order with a simple weld in crossmember.

I also got the sliders built and installed. These WILL be a production model. They are 65" long sliders and utilize four mounting legs. You do NOT need to cut out the pinch welds to mount these sliders to the frame like on my TG sliders. I am using 1.5x1.5" .250 wall legs to mount them to the frame and my usual frame plates (not included with the sliders). The main body is 2x2" .188 wall with 1.75"x.120 wall outer tubes.

 

Nicely done sir. Two questions...

Any chance you might be willing to post a photo of the attachment points for the sliders?

Will the (eventual) rear bumper be tube or some type of box/angle/plate?

 

I will get some pics of the mounting plates.

The rear will likely be a cross between tube and plate. I will be building one today for the trip, but am not sure if it will be a production one yet or not. Lets just say that I will be playing with designs a bit.

 

Rear bumper done yet?

 

Looks good Scotty.

 

Thanks for the response, I've started working on my rear bumper... just wanted a little inspiration.

I do have one follow up question... What did you do with the exhaust? Will you be straight-piped for the jamboree?

 

I pieced it together for the jambo. Magnaflow stainless steel muffler with a quick turn down before the axle. I also converted it over to a single cat even though its a CA model with originally two cats and two O2 sensors.

I will be replacing the exhaust as some point with a complete new system with the same new SS Magnaflow. It sounds great, but it needs the tailpipe run longer and out the back as its a little loud at hwy speeds due to where to exits the system.