ChildrenOfBodom

My dad bought an $88,000 Mercedes-Benz 560SEL in 1986 brand new. In 1991, my parents brought me home for the first time in that car. I loved it and adored it my whole life.

He gave me the keys when I turned 16 and I couldn't have been happier. He is a senior citizen with a handicap, so that's why I had the handicap placard on the license plate.

See the old Mercedes Cardomain page


I wrecked it on December 18th, 2007, lost control in the rain. After a good ol' 360, I crashed into a curb. I bent the right side lower control arm and tie rod, broke a motor mount and bent the coil spring perch.


The new parts were very expensive, though after fixing the damage with new bushings, etc, I kept driving the car. I couldn't go over 50 mph, though, because the front end would start jumping off the ground like Tom Cruise on Oprah's couch. I discovered the frame was bent from the wreck, so the car was totaled on March 11, 2008.


I needed a new car that was reliable. I was looking out of my bedroom window and saw a Realtor setting up Open House signs. He drove a silver 2002 Sport Edition. I thought it looked way cool. I could only afford a 2nd gen, but I couldn't find one that I liked. There were a few beater 96's in my price range, too.

The previous owner of my 4Runner passed through a family friend's smog test shop. He notified my dad, who borrowed it for a test drive.

He brought it by the house so I could take a look. It was a smoker vehicle and had been involved in 2 DUIs. The interior was very dirty and there was makeup smeared all over the steering wheel, shifter, and buttons. The radio was broken. Most of the bolt covers and a bunch of other parts were missing. I found a smashed cigarette in the glovebox and beer bottle caps under the seats. The paint was messed up, all of the plastic was faded, the tires were crappy, the antenna was broken, and there was a cracked exhaust manifold.

It just happened to look way better than any of the 1996 models that I had seen. It was the only 1999 within my budget, so I bought my 4Runner on March 30th, 2008. I paid $5,500.

I just wanted something to daily drive, I didn't think I was gonna own it for very long. 2WD Auto 4 cylinder just meant good gas mileage to me.

These 4Runners, though... they get to you...




Finally, I didn't have a car with more problems than miles! Please keep in mind that my car was missing a lot of stuff when I bought it, not to mention it was already lacking so many things. It was the bottom of the bottom.

The first thing that I had to fix was my exhaust manifold, because it was cracked. I saved for the first 5 months of 4Runner ownership to buy my LC Engineering 3RZ Street Header.




I did a bunch of little things at first. I installed a Broadway clip on rear-view mirror and a Pioneer head unit from the Mercedes I used to drive. I also put on a 311 sticker. I'd originally bought the sticker for a 1990 Toyota Supra that we used to have, but it sat in my room for 4 years.




I hated how low my 4Runner was. I couldn't afford a lift, so here is my second big mod. I bought a set of Tacoma wheels on some worn BF Goodrich Rugged Trail tires for $300. The tires were 265/70/16's, about an inch larger than my original 30x9.50x15 Hankook Dynamic tires.




Halloween "Eve" of the same year, I went to Target and bought some Vanillaroma Little Tree Air Fresheners. I parked it in my driveway and went to bed. In the middle of the night, it got vandalized. I come outside and find spray paint all over the sides of the 4Runner and a cut tire. Some high school kids were out with knives and yellow spray paint that they'd stolen from a nearby construction site. Unfortunately, the police were unable to do anything without any evidence of the suspects.

Update, 2/3/12:

A friend of mine calls me. He and I haven't been very close, but we used to hang out in high school. He said he was in the area and that he'd like to stop by. I opened my front door and welcomed him to come inside. Basically, the gist of what he said to me:

"I feel bad that you're so nice, I came over and you're already inviting me inside and being a good friend. I have something I need to talk to you about..."

I thought he just needed a ride somewhere or something, a favor.

"Remember when someone vandalized your car a while back...? Well, that was me..."

I was shocked. I asked who the other person was... and it turns out that he was another one of my good friends, too. When I asked him why, "It was just some stupid high school drama. I met you again recently and I realized that I had made a big mistake, so I came to apologize. It has bothered me for a while, and I accept full responsibility and want to pay for the damages."

The next day, both of them came over. We devised a payment plan to cover the damages. I paid for it all out of pocket back then, even though I mentioned that insurance had covered it. That was just a cover story for T4R, it sounds like less of a problem that way.

It really took me by surprise, who vandalizes a car only to return and cover the damages? It took a big chunk of negative feelings away, and I am fine with forgiving them once the expenses are covered. It takes big guts to admit something like that, and I respect their mature decision to pay, even 3 years later.

Halloween 2008



I had to leave it outside under the car cover from my old Mercedes. I removed all of the paint with paint thinner and the coarse side of a household sponge. It looked horrific...



A local body shop fixed the damage. The spray paint got in between the cracks on the license plate molding, in the rock chip pits in my front windshield, and in the crevices of my emblems.

While it was away, I bought some used OEM fender trim, a new rear license plate molding, a power antenna mast, 4 265/70/16 Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires, and a used OEM roof rack. I also treated all of the bumper plastic with Meguiar's Back to Black.


The SR5 look I was going for started coming together. This was about the time that the LED tail lights came out for our 4Runners, so a set of OEM 2002 style replaced the ugly cloudy 1999 tail lights. I made a quick video of the tail light install with the same digital camera I always used. Yes, I did add an SR5 badge and put in the wrong spot.
My LED Tails + How To Video





When I used to drive the Mercedes, I began noticing that particular generation S-class much more. Someone once told me, "You only see what you want to see." The 3rd gen Toyota 4Runner, though, they're more than everywhere. With such a good population of different 3rd gens on the road, it wasn't long before I wanted a 2001-2002 grill. $80 on eBay and I had a brand new one.

I decided to buy some billet grille inserts. Installation of the billet required cutting the grille up and fitting the billet with L brackets. I covered the brackets with double stick tape, drilled a small hole in each bracket, and screwed in the billet inserts. A little piece of window stripping worked nicely to cover the rough edge around the emblem. I finished the project and took these photos on my birthday, March 26th.
Grille Update Thread



Used cars can be a nightmare. The previous owner of this 4Runner hadn't ever heard of car care. After cleaning up gallons of makeup, smashed cigarettes, 15 tons of beer bottle caps, and old french fries, the interior was still dreadful.

The previous owner didn't have the front floor mats at all and used the rear mats instead, which covered up two giant holes in the carpet. It wasn't long before new floor mats from Power Toyota Irvine, where my constant visits made me a few friends. I also fixed the plastic side of the drivers seat with a zip tie.


eBay came to the rescue again, where I bought some mint SR5 sun visors. My original sun visors were torn apart and flimsy. The vanity mirror was hidden by stained vinyl flap. A new roof console was installed, as the original was missing the whole door.



That weekend, I discovered spray paint for it's actual function. I painted the spoiler and bumper cover flat black.



Wow... so who knew modifying a car would be so fun? I was always on craigslist looking for 4Runner stuff. I saw an ad for "Toyota wheels." The ad only asked $150 for a set of 2002 Limited rims. Apparently, the seller bought them for his wife's Camry, but didn't know that they wouldn't fit. They were perfect, not a single scratch, wheel weight mark, or spec of dirt. I swapped my tires over, balanced, and mounted them at school in Autoshop.



My new mods brought about offroad use. The only local trail was Holy Jim's canyon, which was a cool, high clearance canyon trail at the time. The skid plate met the ground more than a few times. There was some left over spray paint in my garage. Krylon Flat Black and Clearcoat:


The skid plate itself was so damaged that it wasn't worth the hassle of removal.

Somewhere along the line, I think everyone eventually buys a set of clear corners. I bought mine on eBay from neondials. They were better suited with white 194 bulbs in them, rather than the orange that comes in the package.




My first car that I ever really modded was this 4Runner. A lot of people rice out their first cars with tons of aesthetic things. I was going down this route unknowingly, but since this 3RZ is so underpowered, I was forced to learn how to improve it's performance. I find the deckplate mod to be ridiculous, and I prefer form as well as function. Answer: K&N FIPK 57-9012. This eliminated the need for the elbow removal mod and the ISR mod, as well.



A guy who had a big van used to run 2 Alpine E10 Subs and 2 channel MTX amps. I bought them from him for $150 bucks. The amps went underneath my front seats. I had to take apart the sub box and patch a lot of holes, too, because they made the box sound horrible.
Subs




Round Table Pizza, Fullerton, CA 6/6/09

My first car meet ever, hosted by Pikeman. Attendees (in order) were juiceboxer, Stick Figure, Me, Kellogg, and Pikeman



Once more, on Craigslist, an ad for 4Runner seats was listed. The seller's photos showed a background similar to that of an eBay seller that I'm familiar with. It turned out to be the same person, and it was actually a junkyard called Crossroads Foreign in Mira Loma, CA. The yard was incredible. I went in just to buy sport bucket seats from a 97 SR5, but I also left with Imperial Jade mirrors, door handles, and a cargo mat.

Original Thread: I went to heaven today

Video:
[YOUTUBE]Wz3WlTFP16g[/YOUTUBE]

A good wash. July 2009:


The spare tire showing underneath the car start bugging me. A member on T4R, mike_1305, had an old hitch from his 1998 SR5. I painted it flat black and used it to cover the spare.



Eventually, I got tired of the hitch hanging so low. Alongside my dented rear bumper, it looked horrible. The hitch came off and I bought a new rear bumper from another Mike, Pikeman, after his custom bumper build.


For a little while, I had to stop frivolous modding and concentrate on maintenance. New polyurethane bushings for the sway bars, rear brakes, and a pesky oil filter housing seal were installed.


While at work, there was a guy tinting a 2010 E350 right after the new E-Class body style arrived. He said that he would only charge me $45 to match my front windows. That was the best price I'd heard yet. Unfortunately, he did a horrible job matching the darkness. The fronts are much lighter.


Due to excessive flat tires with the Goodyear Wrangler RT/S tires, I sold them on Craigslist to a guy who converted his 02 Limited to a 1KZ diesel. They still looked great, but $450 was greater. Finally bought a set of tires worthy of dirt, 265/70/17 BF Goodrich All Terrains, for $640. My best friend's uncle sold his wheels to me from his 2003 Tundra Step-side. I didn't want my tires to be mounted with white lettering. The tire shop never asked me.



My drivers side door had been misaligned since I bought it. The lowest tip of the drivers door was bent out. The door and fender look like the may have been in a fight or two. It never gave me any problems, though.

There was some serious rubbing issues with my new tires, though. I took off the front wheels and hammered away at the pinch welds. I missed one swing and hit the inner fender (I was swinging the hammer away from the engine, towards the outside of the car). It looked fine, and didn't stop until I finished both sides. Wheels back on, opening my drivers door and BAM, the door squashed in the fender and the fender popped out making a huge noise, which scared the **** out of me. I ended up having to pull the fender out with my hands just to get into the truck. It only shed light on the fact that the fender and door were already in need of repair. Another insurance check came in, and my 4Runner was off to my dealership where we have the largest state of art body shop in the US. It's also the largest Mercedes-Benz authorized body shop in the world.


Which ultimately led to:















Since this is at my work, I slipped it past the tire guy after paint. He flipped the tires to black wall for me.

got it back today, went to the beach for some pics. Taken at Aliso Creek and Capo Beach.

Aliso pics:




Capo pics:








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Painted the grille inserts and the badges Flat Black.









New transmission



new bumper valance!





Installed my Diamond M5 series components.

Also ordered a Magnaflow 24" via the 30% off sale on Amazon.com, woot!







tons of work! Pulled the old trans, WOW

main rear seal = leaking badly

oil pan = leaking badly

crank seal = leaking moderately

differential = leaking badly

swapped to new tranny, new rear main seal, new oil pan gasket, cleaned oil pan. pulled trans pan off, clean as hell, pulled filter out.

later flushing out new trans, installing new filter, installing new gasket, reinstalling pan and refilling trans with Toyota ATF.

Since the starter is still out im gonna do the fuel filter since it's in hell on the 3RZ.

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Got it going, finished the work. In total, new transmission, rear main seal, oil pan gasket, Mobil 1 5w-30 full synthetic (5 qts), fuel filter, transmission filter, transmission gasket, Toyota ATF. Total of $1,196.20

Took it out for a spin and I noticed my idle's really rough, my skid plate was rattling and all that jazz. I knew it wasn't the new trans, turned out to be my harmonic balancer is going. I need to do that (won't drive the 4Runner til it's fixed) as well as the crank seal since they both require the radiator and belts removed. Ordered a new harmonic balancer for $96 from Rock Auto. I'll install it when it gets here as well as the seal.

Muffler is here, new catback system going down Wednesday (2.5" piping, 24" Magnaflow, stainless tip). Ordered an Oxygen Sensor Weld-On Flange from LC Engineering too, should be here by Wednesday. Another $150.

http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGe...7-27821BE183F0

My differential axle seal is now leaking! woot! now I get to read all the million threads about it and why!

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwTajmuynSA

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3045612/2





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BEFORE


AFTER






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New 2.5" MagnaFlow catalytic converter (CA CARB legal), so exhaust is now 100% done!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnxxvKbBXwA

I've got plans to do my 231mm Tundra brake swap within the next month as well as new ball joints and some other miscellaneous bushings, etc.

My check engine light is on and it says my Idle Air Control Valve is malfunctioning. I figure I'll just disassemble it and clean it as best as I can to hopefully remedy it. If not, it's a 278 dollar part.

Also looking into plans to get a larger, bored out throttle body from LC Engineering to allow for more airflow and increase the effects of the intake and the exhaust, and best of all, MORE POWER!

http://www.toyotacatalog.net/M1WebGe...6-E363178C4461

More to come!

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So I put the LC engineering throttle body a little further down the list since it isn't quite necessary right now, but I went ahead and cleaned the Idle Air Control Valve and it's fine with no codes.

I ordered 231mm NHT Brake calipers that are powdercoated red and brembo blank rotors (pretty much what juiceboxer got). I originally ordered the cross slotted but they're back ordered nationally and wont be available for at least two months. Still deciding on EBC Greenstuff 6000 series pads or Toyota OEM.
juiceboxers thread on his brake swap: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...e-upgrade.html

Also ordered both new O2 sensors but have yet to come in.

I found a Toyota specialist who runs a shop less than a mile from my house who I will have do a valve adjustment for my 3RZ. I've still got a leak going and I guess it's just the valve cover gasket which will be replaced during the valve adjustment anyway.

New ball joints on their way too, need to find out what's squeaking over bumps and replace the bushings or whatever doing so.

That LC throttle body is bored 4mm which sounds deliciouso aha.

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Goodies









Should be done with brakes, new O2 sensors, ball joints, and valve adjustment/valve cover gasket by at most early friday

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Over the last day:

Cleaned Idle air control valve
Both lower ball joints
Both upper ball joints

I had to remove the lower control arm and straighten the frame tabs because they've been smashed in from poor offroad use (smaller tires, less clearance)

231mm brakes as shown above, rotors, pads, calipers, and removed the dust shield completely.

Did front O2 sensor, spark plug wires.

Monday, I'm taking it to the shop to have the valve adjustment done, where the gasket leak will be fixed as well, includes new spark plug tube seals.

I've still got to do a new oil pump O-ring which I should have done before, but it's gotta be done. I have to replace the front crank seal again and new belts.

Topping it all off with a Skid Row skidplate (powdercoated black) which I ordered yesterday. My OEM one is destroyed.

Updates/pics will come later today, then Monday or Tuesday

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brake pics/ball joints/spark plug wires/awesome



dirty lol


skids rubbing on the radiator so a new skid row is on it's way



and lower ball joints





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I installed my new skid plate. My friend Steven opted to hold it in place while I got the bolts in.





stupid cheap sockets





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Had a bad shaking issue on the road. I thought I should get a realignment (just got one last week), tire balance, all that. My friend Mike who owns his own tire shop went with me on a test drive and said something else was up.

Went down to his shop and throw it up on the lift. We spun the rear tires and noticed a weird noise coming from the diff. I started the ****er up, put it in drive and the nastiest noise came from my 3rd member. Fluid is fine and new, not sure what the cause is. the driveshaft is not balanced extremely well and so it really makes some gnarly vibration. That turned out to be front U joint, bad. The gears make the most god awful noise, it's time for new gears.

So ultimately, I've decided it's time to just say f%ck it and get my 4.56s and locker.

I'm ordering from Jaws gear a fully assembled carrier with all new jazz with Powertrax lock right locker. Cool to know that powertrax is made by Richmond, they're very reputable.

I'm gonna take the driveshaft to a nearby shop and have it rebalanced.

On a funny note, I got hit by a Jeep today! I was driving through a parking lot when he backed up (just as I was driving past him) and my tire hit his tow hitch, I pushed his jeep cherokee sideways a good foot haha. probably might need that alignment after all. Shook his hand and went on my way.

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Will be in tomorrow with new U-joints finally, I haven't been able to drive it since July 8th.



I'm just about done breaking in the differential. I still have to change the fluid at the 500 mile mark (at mile 410). I am choosing Redline synthetic for the job.

I tested it out off road already and it's so much nicer than an open differential... I had no idea... I teamed up with a 4WD Xterra and managed to get stuck less than it. I didn't take many photos but I did climb things I was very proud of. I did manage to high center it once but I rocked myself off of the mound.






And I also bought two Oznium 25 LED dome lights and they're amazingly bright. I am going to get two more for the map lights as they do fit. They're ridiculously bright. I got mine in Warm White as I prefer it over cool. I tried to take photos of them but I can't really get a good photo that does them justice.

The last thing is a new TRD oil cap I snagged from Toyota for $45. It's a little engine dress up, why not. The logo is actually seperate from the billet cap and is placed on after the cap is screwed in to make sure the logo is straight.

Here:





In other news, new windshield/wipers coming next most likely.

thanks for giving a damn

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I went to a partout of a 99 Limited and took out the passengers seat (torn and jacked up anyway). I took off the lower seat skin and removed the sensors and took the seatbelt plug with one that had the sensor.

I took my seat apart and cleaned up the tracks and stuff. I switched out the seatbelt plug and installed the sensor (I have seats from a 97 that didn't have the sensor in the passengers seat.

I fixed another issue where I couldn't move the seat back and forth (there's a wire that extends from the seat lever to the other side of the seat track that was loose)

Got a few misc bolt covers too... yeah. Good day.

I am now looking for 4 cargo cover brackets and a cargo cover. Anyone?

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WOW!

Insane day.

I won the Castrol Unlock Your Performance contest!

I get $500 and a case of Castrol Edge.

On top of this, I get a filmed interview with me and my 4Runner. They are coming on Wednesday to film it. I will definitely post it! I can't believe I won the contest, out of so many rides, they chose mine.

http://www.cardomain.com/id/CastrolEdge

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3045612

They won't post my car up until they make the video, but man, I am so happy! I can finally get that new windshield/wipers.

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I did the filming today, and while the video will not be done for a few days, I will share some photos.



















this one is cool, mid drift, but there's a red thing dangling from a tree haha




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Hey guys, thanks for everything.

I've got the finished video from the editor, ready. I cannot, unfortunately, show it until the video is officially released on CarDomain.com so I will post a YouTube version as soon as it's been released.

Thanks again guys, because I know if it wasn't for this forum, my passion and love for my car would not be where it is today.



On another note, I finally got enough room for two cars in the garage, which has never happened once since I moved here in 1997. My 4Runner will be the first heir of the extra spot, but once that hunk of crap truck is gone, the Mercedes will join.

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The video is undergoing a few changes, sorry for the delay.

On another note, since it was cheap and gave me something to do, "bling diff breather"

I started by removing the existing differential breather. I bought a few adapters from my local Home Depot. The adapters consist of Watts A-715 and (2) A-734. I also bought a 50' Amflo recoil air hose.

One adapter screws into the differential breather's original hole (A-715). A brass nipple (A-734) was then fitted to that, where the air hose was then fitted. I cut the hose down to 30' and moved the original brass ending to the new end. I screwed that into another A-734 fitting and replaced my differential breather behind the gas door.








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Today was a big day for the Toyota's in the family. First off, I sold my mom's 1995 Previa LE S/C today. At the same time, my 4Runner got a new windshield (FINALLY!), Rain-X Latitudes, as well as new shackles for my new mounts.

The windshield was done by Rufino, owner of RJ Auto Glass. Fantastic work. $135





A few weeks ago, I bought some shackle mounts from a member on another forum. I painted them, installed them, but never had the shackles. Shackles came in the mail today, came unpainted from JCR Offroad (only $15 a pair!) and I tried them out before paint.



I decided I'd prefer them painted and matching the calipers. Some self etching primer, Krylon Banner Red and gloss clear on the shackles, some Krylon Flat black and flat clear on the screw in portion, came out with this:











I also put a small piece of sticky felt on either side of my skid plate to prevent both a clink noise every time the shackles would swing backward and scratching. The shackles don't even really swing when driving much, but reassurance is nice. Don't wanna scratch the red or that fancy black skid plate powdercoat.

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HERE YA GO!

http://blog.cardomain.com/2010/09/26...nner/#comments

CLICK THE WINNERS TAB:

http://www.cardomain.com/id/CastrolEdge

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUUxun1jqtk[/center]

AlexXx

Pretty cool dude! Keep up the work and I'll keep on reading!

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

sweet truck...

interesting approach on the shackle mounts...have you used them yet?

looks to me like the mounting bracket in front of them will get bent up when front pulling force is applied

ChildrenOfBodom

Haven't used them yet. I suppose they can hit (the shackle does reach that far) but I can't imagine that it will do much with the kind of stuff that will be pulling my 4Runner. Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

and Thanks AlexXx!

ChildrenOfBodom

09-28-2010, 03:58 PM

Got my 10mm trim packers (2) from Dylan with Toytec today, installed them and also got a new sticker... sorry MillerPKA!







And the sticker:









Final photo with the trim packers and the Alice in Chains sticker.



[youtube]2uKg3i1wRK4[/youtube]

4xInnovations sliders are being shipped![/quote]


12-07-2010, 09:12 PM

Little update:

New mudflaps, came with new hardware which is always good.

part numbers

PT413-35966-DF MUDGUARD, 1 26.49
PT413-35966-PF MUDGUARD, 1 31.79

New bulb for rear window switch (I am so not spending $80 on an LED conversion, no thank you, maybe another time after I get new reverse glow gauges)







This be all for now, yes it is.


------------------------------------

12-14-2010, 05:34 PM

They need a little more treatment before they'll match the new mudflaps but it won't be long




On another note, I went to driffter33's house and he made a mount for my CB antenna. It's pretty awesome, I just got around to painting today. No pics of painted product yet. If you like it, he's interested in making more. Looks great and doesn't interfere with the hatch.







Also forgot to mention, got some stuff from driffter33 including a set of OME 890's and rear OME shocks. Gonna get his front set when he replaces them and I've gotta buy a panhard drop, voila, lift!

some pics of the CB antenna mount painted flat black, btw:

MB4runner

Very very nice work and dedication!

One question, that sliding cargo cover? Is that a toyota item or aftermarket? I just bought a 99 4runner also and I don't recall seeing that in the back but it would be nice!

yotarob2005

I really like what you have done with your 4runner. It is very nice and clean, not tacky at all. Keep up the great work.

ChildrenOfBodom

Thank you!

The cargo cover is OEM, yes. If yours did not come with the brackets to hold it up, then you would have to swap out your cargo panels to accommodate such. Some people have gotten away with just cutting their existing panels but there are brackets that are required to hold the cover open will not have a place to screw in. I love and totally recommend it, it's always open and it's great to hide your valuables or just make it look better presentable from the outside.


Thanks bud, it means a lot coming from you Yotatech guys.

space-junk

iTrader: (1)

lookin great...

that thing is 2wd..

ChildrenOfBodom

Thanks for the compliment.

And while it is a 2WD 2.7, doesn't mean it will always be. Looking for a good wreck to swap me some stuff

Epcofabrication

Sweet ride, I love the 2wd route my last truck was a 2000 Ranger that was turned into a Pre-runner and it was a lot of fun. I noticed you took off you Toyota badges and painted them black how hard was that to do and what did you use to glue them back on?

Thanks

Tony

traxxi2003

Hey I really like what you have done to your truck! I own a 1997 SR5 myself and I'm in the process of fixing it up a little. I do have a bit more fixing up to do with mine, since my truck was negleted a lot. Hey I will be getting new tires in Jan and I want to install the same flares you got on your. Can I ask you, How much did you pay for your flares? I assume they were used? Thanks again for keeping us updated.

Birdbrain

There was a thread or still is one, on Toyota120 about doing a 2wd->4wd IFS swap... End result I believe was no good....

Itd be easier, more efficient, and cost effective for you to find a transmission matching the 2.7, and then getting a Dana 44 or other drivers side drop housing and doing a conversion to a solid axle.

But looks fantastic man!

ChildrenOfBodom

They're a pain to remove. They have to be heated then removed with dental floss. When I did it, there was tons of residue left over. I spent hours getting that crap off. I cut some 3M double sided tape to put them back on. 1 year and no problems.

Awesome dude, yeah. I bought my flares used from another member. I paid $100 and I gave him a spare 16" rim I had lying around.


All for another day, thanks for the input.

Apparently it's been done a few times and each time I've seen was successful. If it was on Toyota120, you sure it wasn't a 4th gen?

Here are a few of the builds I've seen.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=622105 or http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...rawlerbox.html

This one is really what I like, all OEM:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/2...mplete-141506/ although the thread lacks any info on other things, such as wiring up new harnesses or if there is no ECU change involved, or if the 4WD gauge cluster can be swapped in/if it needs extra wiring... SO MANY QUESTIONS....

Thanks for the compliments guys.

ChildrenOfBodom

12-17-2010, 12:25 PM

I did a great job covering my ground with paint lol, so I had to go out and fix that. I went hardcore rompin a few days ago and there's no worry about flex, it didn't contact the hatch or anything. Sturdy mount.

Like I said, though, if you guys like it, driffter is definitely interested in making more. This one was just a prototype.










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I went down to driffter33's house. We welded my sliders on.

Great way to start off the year.







We also cut some slots in the rear flares for the sliders to fit inside of. Speaking of the flares, I decided to try PlastiDip on them. They look like they just came off a brand new truck.









Next up: PlastiDip the front and rear bumper valances. This stuff is fun.

Also gonna buy a new CB antenna. I checked out a new Wilson one that my buddy had, man, they look much more advanced. That should be worth it if it fixes my reception. I love the extra ground wire. That would help me so much.

ChildrenOfBodom

Oh plastidip, how I love you not the best pics and I have to adjust the front bumper to be a little more straight, but damn this stuff takes the front end to new heights as far as OEM.

Gotta redo the billet in the grille.

ChildrenOfBodom

So much for all that bumper work. Gotta start all over again after I find a new one.

The story goes like this. I went out to help my friend Justine who got her Cherokee stuck driving off road. Holy Jim's canyon is all new since the flooding here... so after the jeep was out, it was dark and I went mistakenly into an eroded new ditch and smashed in the bumper and broke the bumper lenses and mutilated the support for the bumper. thank god for that skid row plate, save the radiator, oil pan and other vitals.

Thanks to Tracmstr, I just went out and got his 2000 black limited bumper on the cheap. After much deliberation, I've decided I'm not gonna use the actual bumper part, but he gave me all of the harnesses for the lights, some OEM Hella fog lights/brackets (AWESOME!), OEM signal lights, and most importantly, the whole bumper support bracket assembly, etc. Just need to find me a chrome matching bumper/lower valance and I am good. Only reason I can't use the one he gave me is because it has holes for the fender flares. Should be picking one up in the morning.

More updates as they come, will have photos when I get the new bumper on (after plastidipping the valance of course)

4ever4running

iTrader: (1)

I am curious, why did you chose to plastidip the bumper valence and other trim pieces? Does it provide extra protection? Is it rolled on, painted on, sprayed on, etc. I am not familiar with plastidip so I'm not quite sure what it does, how its applied, etc. but it looks great!

I have been looking for a coating that will provide a little extra protection but still look good so this looks like something to consider. Any additional information on how you did this mod would be great!

ChildrenOfBodom

My main purpose was because it looks great in comparison to my existing fading gray bumpers/flares. On top of that, yes, with enough coats (I did 2 but the can claims 3-4 average) you can prevent minimal likely wear and tear with rock chips, etc. It can resist a good scrape or two. It's like a strong alternative to paint, almost.

It can be applied though a spray, dip, etc.. but for this I chose the spray can route. Literally apply as a thick coat of spray paint, the coating adheres to itself and forms a rubberized coating. I love how it does not show any uneven coating, a picture perfect flat black appearance every time.

Best of all, if you dislike it or want to redo it, getting it off is as easy as getting under it and it all peels right off. Getting through it can be difficult, so don't expect it to come off without the intention of removing.

A few things to take into consideration: If you hit the mud, they get pretty spotted up, but with simple car soap and water, it's back to looking great. I've only had the stuff on for 3 days and I've driven through thick mud, spun the tires which chucked rocks at them, and pressure washed them. Still lookin good. Armor All and goo gone only ruin the finish according to other websites, but that shouldn't be on the truck anyway . Also, when spraying, make sure the edges of your work are suspended, or else when you attempt to pick up your now dry project, it will peel as the coating has adhered both to your project and to the surface it was painted on.

Easy as pie, easy to remove, easy to redo, and at $6 a can, who can complain? I did all the flares, mudflaps, bumper plastic front and back, 2 coats each, with 3 cans.

4ever4running

iTrader: (1)

Great! Thanks for all the info! I think I just found my next project. I have tried to paint the lower valance and all the other gray trim pieces before because they looked terrible but no matter what I used, the paint would chip, peel, or flake off. This stuff seems to be stronger and more durable so I think I will give it a try.