Another Budget 3rd Gen 4Runner build

owyheerat

Adventurer
@Renegade_Medic, thanks for the update and the paint info. Sorry to hear about ongoing maintenance items. Once again, I think your 4runner looks great. I like the all tan with black wheels.

I definitely think your 4runner is an Expo rig. Keep updating this thread....please? :sombrero:

Durwin
 

LUGS

New member
Awesome job on the 4Runner!! Love the khaki with black trim combo. Definitely makes your rig unique especially now that Toyota has included the retro sand colour option on the new 4Runners. Did you Plasti dip the emblems or just use black gloss paint?
 
Thanks everyone. Yes the wheels were plasti dipped when I got them. I washed off some of peeling parts and just painted over it. One day I will actually peel them and paint them black, but honestly I'm looking at just replacing them with aftermarket wheels with less backspace so I can ditch the spacers.
I am set to meet up with a member from this forum next Saturday to get an ARB rooftop tent. I'm pretty excited. After i pick up the tent, I'm making a rack around it. I can't decide if it want to make it flat, more like a platform, or truly a rack.
 
So I looked at it work today and jacked it up and put it in gear and made some interesting discoveries. Wheel bearings are tight and quiet. The rattling is from the dust shield on the CV shaft where it enters the diff housing. So I'm not sure if that's supposed to be fitted on the shaft of the CV. I seem to remember I being loose when I put it together. The bad news I found is that one of my tires is out of round. That would explain my steering wheel vibration. The other thing I discovered is that 2 of my cheap craigslist wheels are bent and wobbling.
So I guess I'll hold on to my bearings for now and pull the CV and see if I can attach the dust shield. Also, I guess I'll gets some new wheels and ditch the spacers. Then I'll try and get the out of round tires replaced. What a headache.
 

owyheerat

Adventurer
Thanks everyone. Yes the wheels were plasti dipped when I got them. I washed off some of peeling parts and just painted over it. One day I will actually peel them and paint them black, but honestly I'm looking at just replacing them with aftermarket wheels with less backspace so I can ditch the spacers.
I am set to meet up with a member from this forum next Saturday to get an ARB rooftop tent. I'm pretty excited. After i pick up the tent, I'm making a rack around it. I can't decide if it want to make it flat, more like a platform, or truly a rack.

Hi Renegade,
In case you hadn't seen this one, it might be an option if you decide to go flat (rack).
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...13-s-1999-4Runner/page2?highlight=A.Wilson013

Good luck with your decision. Sorry to hear of more maintenance issues. Mods are fun, but maintenance and repairs get old.

Keep us updated on new wheel purchase.

Durwin
 
Hi Renegade,
In case you hadn't seen this one, it might be an option if you decide to go flat (rack).
http://www.expeditionportal.com/for...13-s-1999-4Runner/page2?highlight=A.Wilson013

Good luck with your decision. Sorry to hear of more maintenance issues. Mods are fun, but maintenance and repairs get old.

Keep us updated on new wheel purchase.

Durwin

Yep, that's pretty much exactly what I had in mind. I am picking up the tent tomorrow from another member here. It's an ARB simpson III with an annex. After I get the tent and get a chance to look it over I will plan out my rack.
And maintenance is maintenence. I don't mind spending money to keep it running, especially as well built as these things are, I know I'll only replace things once, for the most part. I have the bearings, so when I get time I'll get them done. I spent a ton replacing various parts on my CJ, and stuff would continue to break. I was looking for a good excuse to get some alloys anyway. I really like the Level 8 MK6 wheels from discount. I will get them with the least backspace possible. I think they have a -10 offset. I like them with the TRD center cap, they look good.
We have a VW Jetta TDI that VW is going to buy back in and couple weeks. I'll use a portion of that money to build the rack and wheels.
 

owyheerat

Adventurer
Yep, that's pretty much exactly what I had in mind. I am picking up the tent tomorrow from another member here. It's an ARB simpson III with an annex. After I get the tent and get a chance to look it over I will plan out my rack.
And maintenance is maintenence. I don't mind spending money to keep it running, especially as well built as these things are, I know I'll only replace things once, for the most part. I have the bearings, so when I get time I'll get them done. I spent a ton replacing various parts on my CJ, and stuff would continue to break. I was looking for a good excuse to get some alloys anyway. I really like the Level 8 MK6 wheels from discount. I will get them with the least backspace possible. I think they have a -10 offset. I like them with the TRD center cap, they look good.
We have a VW Jetta TDI that VW is going to buy back in and couple weeks. I'll use a portion of that money to build the rack and wheels.

I really like the Level 8 MK6 wheels also. What color? Black? What does the -10 offset equal in backspace inches?
 
I used a calculator I found online and plugged in some numbers. Current FJ wheels alone have a backspace of 4.84" (assuming 15mm offset, which is what I found for those wheels). The MK6 in 17x8 with -10 are at 4.1" BS. Currently I should be around 3.34" total BS with the 1.5" spacers, so the wheels won't stick out as far, but trade off is longer bearing and ball joint life. I do like the look of wheels sticking further out, personally. I like gunmetal the best but I think black would look best with this tan color.
 
Picked up my Rooftop tent last night. Grabbed it from another member on here, lilbluerunner. It's an ARB Simpson III with annex. He was nice enough to meet me a little closer to home. So between yesterday morning and this afternoon I logged a cool 1150 miles (and change)

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I drove from my house to the Frisco, TX area and dropped the wife off with some family that we were going up to see and headed out "for a couple hours trip" to Joplin, MO.

I did find a nice area I will come back to check out, maybe this summer or in the fall. It's the Eufaula recreation area. The lake was huge, and not a soul on it yesterday. I was surprised given our typical Texas winter temps (80s).

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I made it to frigid Missouri; in shorts, a T shirt, and flip flops, around 7 and checked out the tent. Seemed all there, so we loaded it up and off I went. Wade and his wife were very nice and gave me hand with it.
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Pretty uneventful trip home, except finding out nearly every highway in Oklahoma is a toll road. I had to time to talk to Falken and they said to take it to any Falken dealer and they will swap the out of round tire for free.
Met a nice state trooper, who let me off without even a warning. Finally I pulled in at my Brother-in-law's house just before 1am. What a day.
Today after hanging out with family my nieces wanted to see this tent, so we set it up in the bed of the truck and they approved. More pics to follow.
 
Got the tent set up today at work. Used a picnic Bench as a make shift roof.
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I finally got it set up. The instructions from ARB are lacking I'd say. I think it's just something you have to do. The only hitch I had was that one of the poles had a small piece of gravel in it and it was totally locked up. It was one of the bows that comes out over the ladder area. I got to dissect the system and understand exactly how it works now. Also washed the cover and cleaned it up a little.

FjhOczO.jpg

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The next thing I have to figure out is how in the hell I'm going to be able to close this thing up when it's on top of the 4Runner. I guess I'll be adding rock sliders, something to stand on. Maybe I'll be adding a ladder to the back too. Not sure.
 

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