toyota_jon
Adventurer
nice to see another 1st gen! and i'm really diggin that rear bumper you made looks great! have you had any issues with it?
AxleIke's First Gen 4Runner- Baby Beast
- Thread starter AxleIke
- Start date
toyota_jon said:
Sort of.
Function wise, it is amazing. Its taken quite a few "come down a ledge hard and scrape/drags" with no issue, zero movement. It also gives me a lot more clearance than my old bumper with the stock hitch underneath it.
It has also taken a side scrape, and deflected from the body really well.
However, about 2 minutes after getting it back from the powdercoater, I realized that what I really wanted was a tire carrier. Talk about a big oops.
Dual Case Instal:
I had a single 4.7 case that I put in about 2 years ago. I found the lower gears to be a blessing and a curse, since they were great on the obstacles, but horrid in between. For regular camping, I had to go between 4 hi and 4 low constantly. Not fun.
So, I got an adapter, bought a junkyard case, and did it up:
It took me 4 hours to clean the reduction box from the 25 years of grease and sludge built up on it.
The parts you need:
The parts you don't:
The crossmember I chose was the Budbuilt budlight. Its 3/8" thick, which I liked. I had a budbuilt single case crossmember before this, which I bent, and had to cut/reweld. It was only 3/16". Bud is a great guy, and I HIGHLY recommend him.
I picked this one because of the easy of bolt on, and the protection offered.
However, in doing this again, I would not choose this crossmember. It hangs down really low, and is a significant rock anchor. A small drive train lift and a front range offroad crossmember would have served my needs more. Ah well.
At this point, it was just a matter of putting it together. www.marlincrawler.com has EXCELLENT instructions, which you can print out (highly recommended) and make this easy. Only thing that is a must have: HIGH quality snap ring pliers. The rings in the transfercase don't mess around. I broke mine.
Inside:
I had a single 4.7 case that I put in about 2 years ago. I found the lower gears to be a blessing and a curse, since they were great on the obstacles, but horrid in between. For regular camping, I had to go between 4 hi and 4 low constantly. Not fun.
So, I got an adapter, bought a junkyard case, and did it up:
It took me 4 hours to clean the reduction box from the 25 years of grease and sludge built up on it.
The parts you need:
The parts you don't:
The crossmember I chose was the Budbuilt budlight. Its 3/8" thick, which I liked. I had a budbuilt single case crossmember before this, which I bent, and had to cut/reweld. It was only 3/16". Bud is a great guy, and I HIGHLY recommend him.
I picked this one because of the easy of bolt on, and the protection offered.
However, in doing this again, I would not choose this crossmember. It hangs down really low, and is a significant rock anchor. A small drive train lift and a front range offroad crossmember would have served my needs more. Ah well.
At this point, it was just a matter of putting it together. www.marlincrawler.com has EXCELLENT instructions, which you can print out (highly recommended) and make this easy. Only thing that is a must have: HIGH quality snap ring pliers. The rings in the transfercase don't mess around. I broke mine.
Inside:
Underneath:
Now, you have to cut a hole into the floor, which some leave, I can't, so I fabbed up a cover plate:
Used Foam to seal and get no vibrations
And attached a boot:
Lastly, when doing this mod, you have to have your driveshafts lengthed/shortened.
I had both of mine retubed to .120 wall, just for added piece of mind.
Now, you have to cut a hole into the floor, which some leave, I can't, so I fabbed up a cover plate:
Used Foam to seal and get no vibrations
And attached a boot:
Lastly, when doing this mod, you have to have your driveshafts lengthed/shortened.
I had both of mine retubed to .120 wall, just for added piece of mind.
In review, I love it.
I have my stock low range back, which is PERFECT for getting up many dirt roads, and back into camping areas which I love.
I have 4.7:1 for really rocky areas, and obstacles, and finally 10.7:1 for situations where control is key. I use it in situations where I feel that I am tippy, or uncomfortable, and don't want to stall.
4.7:1 is also perfect for decents on steep terrain. I find myself hitting the gas instead of the brakes. Lots of control=less scared Isaac.
Here's a vid of it running:
And a vid from 4 days after finishing it, we took a trip to Black Dragon Canyon, and ************** Benches. over 100 miles of off pavement driving, and all 4 speeds of my transfercase got used.
I have my stock low range back, which is PERFECT for getting up many dirt roads, and back into camping areas which I love.
I have 4.7:1 for really rocky areas, and obstacles, and finally 10.7:1 for situations where control is key. I use it in situations where I feel that I am tippy, or uncomfortable, and don't want to stall.
4.7:1 is also perfect for decents on steep terrain. I find myself hitting the gas instead of the brakes. Lots of control=less scared Isaac.
Here's a vid of it running:
And a vid from 4 days after finishing it, we took a trip to Black Dragon Canyon, and ************** Benches. over 100 miles of off pavement driving, and all 4 speeds of my transfercase got used.
bmh said:
It was around 400, including hardware and powdercoat, but not including gas to drive up to my folks place, where I built it (my dad has a pretty nice shop).
I have not considered making them for others, based upon time considerations, and the fact that It would be tough for me to build them not "on vehicle".
However, I moved to a place with a garage, and I'm working on getting 220 down there, so we'll see.
My latest project is a center console for my rig. The twinsticks are sort of unsightly sitting there, and my old console no longer fits.
I plan to fix two issues while building this: Complete lack of cup holders in a first gen 4runner, and two, a place for a cell phone or cell mount to fit.
I plan on copying the tuner kids' method for building sub enclosures, and use spandex + fiberglass resin to make it. More to come on this!
I plan to fix two issues while building this: Complete lack of cup holders in a first gen 4runner, and two, a place for a cell phone or cell mount to fit.
I plan on copying the tuner kids' method for building sub enclosures, and use spandex + fiberglass resin to make it. More to come on this!
toyota_jon
Adventurer
your bumper looks very close to one i have been planning out. but funny you should mention the lack of a tire carrier cuz thats exactly what i was thinking it needed.
also for your dual case not quite sure i understand the setup. you have one tcase with 4.7 gear and the other with the stock gear? why do you have twin sticks in the rear?
also for your dual case not quite sure i understand the setup. you have one tcase with 4.7 gear and the other with the stock gear? why do you have twin sticks in the rear?
toyota_jon said:
The tire carrier I continue to kick myself for. LOL.
On the transfercases, you are correct, I have 2.28:1 in the front case, and 4.7:1 in the rear case. I have twin sticks so I have independent 2wd/4wd and Hi low selection.
So, for example, should I come to a very tight turn on the trail, I can shift the truck into 2wd low, and turn more easily without the front driving.
Or, should I break a CV and am on a trail that I can get out of with just the rear locked, I can unlock my hubs, put it into 2wd and drive out in low range without spinning the front end. That way I can change the CV from the comfort of my garage rather than in the dirt/mud on the trail.
The twin sticks are in the rear because that is the only case with 2wd/4wd any more. The front case only has high/low.