CYi5's '99 4Runner Buildup
- Thread starter CYi5
- Start date
red87
Adventurer
Fair enough.
CYi5
Explorer
Swing out complete
After many hours in the garage and the use of primitive power tools, I've completed the proposed swing out. It took an upcoming Death Valley trip to light the fire under me, but I now have an extra 10 gallons of fuel at my disposal.
I was initially going to run the standard red toggle clamps you see everywhere, but then ran across Wilman's updated latch design. Instead of using a clamp to hold the up down/side to side movements, he isolated them via a pull pin and a lock tab. I don't have to worry about the clamp coming undone, the arm swinging open, or the arm lifting off of the spindle. I also saved about $30 going with the two spring pins versus one clamp and one spring pin to hold the gate open on an incline. Spring pins were acquired from McMaster Carr.
The spindle is an Iron Pig Offroad (IPOR) creation consisting of 1.5" cold rolled rod surrounded by oilite bushings and wrapped in a piece of 2" DOM sleeve.
The side supports are bolted through the factory receiver hitch making it a snap to remove if necessary, as well as sell in the future if desired.
The jerry can holder clamps over the rear of the cans, but I'm still debating if I like it or not. I'd rather shed some weight and go with a locking strap design but I haven't quite figured out a system for that yet. It is also locking which I desire.
Total funds spent came to around $150 including parts, metal, and shipping. Total time i'd estimate around 25 hours. I just acquired a plasma cutter so that will cut the time down significantly!
After many hours in the garage and the use of primitive power tools, I've completed the proposed swing out. It took an upcoming Death Valley trip to light the fire under me, but I now have an extra 10 gallons of fuel at my disposal.
I was initially going to run the standard red toggle clamps you see everywhere, but then ran across Wilman's updated latch design. Instead of using a clamp to hold the up down/side to side movements, he isolated them via a pull pin and a lock tab. I don't have to worry about the clamp coming undone, the arm swinging open, or the arm lifting off of the spindle. I also saved about $30 going with the two spring pins versus one clamp and one spring pin to hold the gate open on an incline. Spring pins were acquired from McMaster Carr.
The spindle is an Iron Pig Offroad (IPOR) creation consisting of 1.5" cold rolled rod surrounded by oilite bushings and wrapped in a piece of 2" DOM sleeve.
The side supports are bolted through the factory receiver hitch making it a snap to remove if necessary, as well as sell in the future if desired.
The jerry can holder clamps over the rear of the cans, but I'm still debating if I like it or not. I'd rather shed some weight and go with a locking strap design but I haven't quite figured out a system for that yet. It is also locking which I desire.
Total funds spent came to around $150 including parts, metal, and shipping. Total time i'd estimate around 25 hours. I just acquired a plasma cutter so that will cut the time down significantly!
CYi5
Explorer
Sweet, looking forward to seeing what you come up with.
CYi5
Explorer
Damn, looks like you're right. It's always something in California isn't it? Red = gasoline container per DOT regulations. Guess it can be flat red
.
CYi5
Explorer
$6.98 from Lowes. Fabricated a little bracket that slides over the backside of the license plate bolts. Tapped into the parking light wire of the passenger side tail light. Do I expect it to illuminate the plate well? Not really, but it's legal .
Also painted the cans, thanks beast1210.
.Also painted the cans, thanks beast1210.
CYi5
Explorer
B&M tranny cooler installed to avoid the "strawberry milkshake" scenario many 4runner owners are now facing. I bypassed the stock cooler in the radiator and this guy is taking over fulltime. The 70264 model is a perfect fit. It is 1.5" thick compared to several other 3/4" thick models people are running.
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CYi5
Explorer
They power my Hella 4000's that I converted to HID. I'm tempted to run the G1s in the headlights but all the reports of shaking on dirt roads have turned me off for the time being.
CYi5
Explorer
No real updates, just a few pics from Big Bear, CA last week.
It was interesting to compare wheeling this on John Bull versus my old '01 extended cab tacoma. I figured this would do better with the shorter wheelbase, but I actually got stuck more frequently. The two biggest drawbacks of the 4Runner: The super low gas tank, and the factory trailer hitch. I even got a boulder stuck between my spare tire and receiver hitch...that required a tow strap to get off of Humiliating...
It was interesting to compare wheeling this on John Bull versus my old '01 extended cab tacoma. I figured this would do better with the shorter wheelbase, but I actually got stuck more frequently. The two biggest drawbacks of the 4Runner: The super low gas tank, and the factory trailer hitch. I even got a boulder stuck between my spare tire and receiver hitch...that required a tow strap to get off of
Humiliating...
CYi5
Explorer
Just picked up an Edgestar 43 qt. fridge this week and am in the process of getting it mounted. The drawer system I have setup in back makes the quarters too close for keeping the lid open, so the next best thing is replacing a seat. I normally drop this seat anyway to hold a cooler so no big loss to me, and good luck holding camping gear for four people in the 4runner.
So far i've been impressed with the quality of the unit. It cools down very quickly and doesn't feel as cheap as the amount I paid for it. From what i've read on expo this fridge is a great value, time will tell! Right now i'm still on a single battery system...so may do some stress testing on leaving it plugged in overnight before i'm in the middle of nowhere. To be on the safe side the fridge will most likely just be unplugged at night, i'm sure the temps won't rise considerably. I can't wait to use it, but also feel like I should be delivering blood part-time...
So far i've been impressed with the quality of the unit. It cools down very quickly and doesn't feel as cheap as the amount I paid for it
. From what i've read on expo this fridge is a great value, time will tell! Right now i'm still on a single battery system...so may do some stress testing on leaving it plugged in overnight before i'm in the middle of nowhere. To be on the safe side the fridge will most likely just be unplugged at night, i'm sure the temps won't rise considerably. I can't wait to use it, but also feel like I should be delivering blood part-time...
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