Project Cherry Bomb

[CreeperSleeper]

I am proud to say ol Ben did great on the Christmas Tree Run! The PS fluid level never dropped, I never lost assist, and you could barely hear the pump with the radio on. LOL! In all seriousness, my fiancee got sick and we ended up leaving the group early to get her to urgent care. I drove a little over 15 miles on pavement at 8 psi in the tires and never had an issue with control or assist. Once we got there, I checked on the flow in the reservoir. There were no bubbles and everything looked to be proper. It hasn't earned my complete trust yet, but close! I think it's an excuse for a couple more snow runs...

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Amy and I had a chance to take the Runner up in the snow again yesterday, but we didn't have anyone else to join us so we had to be a bit careful. We had a lot of self-recovery gear, warm clothes, and survival equipment, so I wasn't too concerned. To start the day off, I realized that my Optima Red Top lost a cell and wouldn't hold more than 10.5 volts... So after swapping batteries in the parking lot, we were ready to go. I must say the day was perfect! The snow was nice powder and the weather was clear. What more could I ask for?!?

We decided to stay off trails, but the snow was deep enough that we soon got into areas that hadn't been driven yet. The Runner did great breaking snow and I was impressed with how well everything was going... Until I buried the truck up to the top of the tires, LOL! I figured that would be a good time to air down. 8 psi in the tires and a little shoveling made it so I could drive out without using the winch. I'm happy to say that everything worked as it was supposed to. Now, onto the pics (in no particular order):

 

[Benc]

Looks good chad!
I wish we would get some snow like that here in Cali.
I guess i need to build something for the second gen 4runners now that you sold the lx so you can come down and visit


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Yes please! I really want a rear tire carrier built for it. I may end up trying to reinforce my TG bumper to add a swing out.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Last night I decided to spend some time figuring out why my high beams weren't working. The indicator on the dash would light up if you moved the stalk to high beam or flash, but the headlights would just go out. You could hear the relays click when messing with the switch, so I figured it had something to do with the multi-function switch on the steering column. I pulled off the trim and steering wheel, removed the switch from the column, and pulled the cover off the headlight and blinker part of the switch. From there I cleaned up the contacts and adjusted the brass arms so that everything worked and put it back together. Sorry, I didn't take any pics because the procedure is very well documented on the webs. If you have any questions, just ask!

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Not much of an update, but Ben is conquering the Portland "snow storm" and got me to work.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I got some work done on the truck! Last Saturday, I replaced the driver side rear bump stop. It had one of those stick on ones that I lost at some point. I ended up welding a nut onto the metal pad and bolting on a replacement.

I also started working on storage and usability. Trying to figure out what needs to live in the truck and how to secure it. I need my tools, recovery gear, fridge, Hi-Lift, shovel, pulaski, bug out bag, 20lb CO2 tank, compressor, first aid kit, fire extinguisher, and a bunch of misc items. The first order of annoyance was my Hi-Lift. There was only one way that it fit in the back and it was in the worst spot! I know that eventually I will have a LabRak modular roof rack on the truck and that will hold my Hi-Lift, shovel, and Pulaski, but I needed a solution now. I ended up bolting the LabRak Hi-Lift bracket directly to my factory roof rack rails. It's not my favorite set-up, but it is out of the cab and shouldn't kill anyone. Just in case, I decided to stick with my small Hi-Lift for now. LOL

Next on my list was replacing my sub box. The Runner came with 2 12" subs in a massive box that stretched wheel well to wheel well. Come to find out, only one sub was wired up... After looking at the amp, I have determined that wiring was not the PO's strong suit! I will get to that in a minute... After a little searching, I found a single 12" box on Facebook Marketplace that was the perfect size. I struck up a deal and had my starting point.

TonsOFun was kind enough to kill a night in the garage rewiring the amp so it wasn't a fire hazard. Then we mounted Quik Fist clamps to hold my CO2 tank to the new sub box. It will sit braced against the back of the rear seat, sub box, and floor. Last, we drilled down through the bed of the Runner to bolt everything in place. Everything worked out just as I had hoped.

As you can see, that took care of my sub, CO2, and first aid kit (the red pack). The fridge will be mounted long ways between the sub and the tailgate. I think tools and recovery items can go between the CO2 tank and the passenger wheel well, but I need to play with it once the fridge is mounted. Overall I am stoked with how this is turning out! Big thanks to Brian for the help. Ih8wiring.

 

[MCObray]

I've seen you around town in your previous LC and now this 4Runner... Nice rigs!

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Thank you! I miss having the 100-Series as my daily, but I guess that means I just need to drive the Runner more!

I will keep an eye out for you.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Quick update: Since buying Ben, I knew that the Iroks were going to have to go. It is a bit sad because I love the way Iroks perform in our PNW terrain, but I needed something that had better road manners. I still have my beadlocks from my previous trucks, so I figured I would put a nice radial 37 on those wheels. After shopping around, I decided to try out Kanati Mud Hogs in 37x12.50R17. The tires were delivered last Thursday and they look impressive! Here they are compared to my almost new 36x13.50x15 bias Iroks:

I ended up selling my 36" Iroks and Street Classic II Mickey Thompson wheels to a buddy, got my old Iroks and beadlocks back, and picked up a new quad all last weekend. To be honest, I'm more excited about the quad! I scored a 2007 Grizzly 700 EPS Ducks Unlimited Edition for a killer deal.

My next step is to rip off my old Iroks, repaint the beadlock wheels, mount the Kanatis, and have them all balanced up. This combo should work very well on the road and I'm hoping that I don't loose much off-road performance.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Got the wheels all painted up. The rock rings didn't come out quite as well as I hoped, but they are going to get beat up anyway. LOL! Now I just need to mount the tires up...

 

[CreeperSleeper]

With the help of awesome friends, I got the tires on my beadlocks! I am super happy with how they turned out and will be getting them balanced on Saturday. Woohoo!

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Here are some random pics of the beadlock revamp:

 

[CreeperSleeper]

And a few more... Because everyone likes pictures.

 

[Flyboycoe]

Sub'd. Awesome project you've got here, I would love to pick up one of these 4Runners.