MandAtaco
Observer
I've been on here for years, but have recently started to hang out more as I've been doing more Overlanding and expedition type stuff. I wanted to introduce myself and start a place to share my Runners, stuff I've been doing to them, and with them.
"Mine"
My rig is a 2000 4Runner Limited that I picked up in January of 2014, it was completely stock right down to the factory stereo. I purchased this rig to replace the 2001 Tacoma that my wife and I had wheeled for the previous 10 years. We loved that truck and had taken it all over the Southwest; Moab, Rubicon, Big Bear, AZ, etc. After we found out our 3rd kid was on the way though, we knew it had to go. I decided to go with the 3rd gen 4Runner because I knew that most of my "good parts" from the Tacoma would swap right over. The first gen Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner are very similar platforms. I began my search for a 1999 or 2000 with the 3.4L and rear locker. Funny enough, I had a hard time finding one in Vegas and ended up finding just the perfect one up in Southern Utah. I took my dad and 2 sons up to check it out. I drove it around the block, made sure the locker and 4wd worked, loaded it on a trailer and brought it home. Once I got it home I unloaded it, put it in the garage and immediately tore it all apart, I hadn't even put a mile on it. I need to swap all the parts off my Tacoma, so I could get it sold. I also wanted to get all the service stuff done as the timing belt and service parts were original at 193K miles. Once I got the Tacoma sold, I spent the next year building and getting it the way I wanted it, and its definitely not done! I've got a full build thread over at T4R, I'll link it HERE (Build Thread) if you want to take a look at all the little details I've done so far. The basic run down is as follows:
2000 4Runner Modifications
Suspension Mods:
-Donahoe (Icon) extended travel front coilovers
-Camburg upper control arms
-OME 861 Rear Springs
-Toytec Panhard drop bracket, Reinforced to the frame
-Custom rear sway bar links, longer built from Energy Suspension links
-OEM Toyota LC80 rear shocks, frame drilled out to fit the larger centering washer
-Toytec Diff Drop
Drive Train Mods:
-Yukon 4.56 gears
-ARB Front Locker
Current Body/Bumper/Armor
-ARB front bumper
-8" HID KC Lights
-9000# Smittybuilt winch
-Home Built rear bumper with Swing out
-Home Built low profile rack 3/4" round tube
-Home Built 1.75" Custom Sliders
-CBI ditch light brackets with LED flood lights
Engine/Trans Mods:
-Hilux Snorkel
-Airaid intake tube
-Walker catalytic converter
-Magnaflow 18" muffler with custom rear dump
-Tru-Cool 4589 Trans Cooler (radiator bypassed)
Current Interior Mods:
-Scanguage II with X-guage to monitor trans temps
-LED dome lighting
-JVC Stereo
-WeatherTech Front Floor Mat's in Black
-CalTrend front seat covers
-Bunch of OTRATTW rocker switches
-TYT quad band Radio
-PL259 Connector in Center Console to External Antenna for Mobil Radio's
Wheel's/Tires/Brakes
-Braided Brake lines from Wheelers Off-road front and rear
-Tundra 231 Brake upgrade with Duralast stuff
-BFGoodrich A/T KO2's in 285/75R16 on stock Limited 5 spoke rims
-Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers
-Matching spare
Camping/Expo/Comfortable Living
-Xantra 1000W inverter (Built into rear storage box)
-Puma Compressor (Built into rear storage box) with 1/2 gallon tank underneath
-6.5' Smittybuilt awning
-Custom rear storage box with table
-Heat Exchanger Shower System
"Hers"
My Wife's ride is a 2004 4Runner Limited V8. Back in June of 2013 we had a 96 4Runner that was a total Lemon, the truck was a polished terd and I never should have bought it. After actively trying to blow it up on the way home from Utah one weekend my wife decided we had spent enough time, heartache, and money on it, and it was time to kick it down the road. We wanted a 4th gen with the V8 as we towed a couple atv's at the time. The extra power and room vs the 96 would be nice also. We looked at a couple here in town and finally found a used one at a local Ford dealership they had taken in on trade. The truck was very clean but had some ridiculous low profile wheels and tires on it. When I looked under the hood I noticed it had Toyota filters and even a battery in it, we bought it hoping maybe it had been serviced by the dealership. After we brought it home, I got on Toyota's website with the vin; sure enough I was able to pull up all the service records back to when it was almost brand new! I knew when the last flushes had been done, Timing belt, brakes, etc. I feel like we really lucked out on this deal! I have done some mods on this one, but most have been subtle for minor dirt roads, daily driving, and towing our old pop-up trailer. I never did a build thread on this one but the mod list goes like this:
2004 4Runner Modifications
-Bilstien Shocks with OME Springs (slight lift)
-FJ Cruiser Rims and Stock Tires (for now)
-Powerstop Slotted and Drilled Rotors and Pads on the Front
-AirRide Airbags in the rear
-Rola Roof Rack with Extension, Welded together
-PL259 Connector in Dash to External Antenna for Mobil Radio's
-Blue Sea Distro box Under Hood
-Blue Sea 12V outlets added to dash
The only thing about this truck I wish it had, was the 3rd row seating. When we bought it, we had 2 kids and were "done". A year later we got a surprise and found out the 3rd one was on the way, should have got the Sequoia!
Anyway I'll keep this thread updated with any new stuff and trips we take, things are always moving around here! I'll probably add some of our more recent stuff too. I'm also part of a group of guys here in Vegas that call ourselves OverlandNV, we're weekend warriors who like to encourage others to explore whenever they can, even if its on the weekends in their own back yard like us. So you'll probably see that name pop up here from time to time.
Thanks Guys!
"Mine"
My rig is a 2000 4Runner Limited that I picked up in January of 2014, it was completely stock right down to the factory stereo. I purchased this rig to replace the 2001 Tacoma that my wife and I had wheeled for the previous 10 years. We loved that truck and had taken it all over the Southwest; Moab, Rubicon, Big Bear, AZ, etc. After we found out our 3rd kid was on the way though, we knew it had to go. I decided to go with the 3rd gen 4Runner because I knew that most of my "good parts" from the Tacoma would swap right over. The first gen Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner are very similar platforms. I began my search for a 1999 or 2000 with the 3.4L and rear locker. Funny enough, I had a hard time finding one in Vegas and ended up finding just the perfect one up in Southern Utah. I took my dad and 2 sons up to check it out. I drove it around the block, made sure the locker and 4wd worked, loaded it on a trailer and brought it home. Once I got it home I unloaded it, put it in the garage and immediately tore it all apart, I hadn't even put a mile on it. I need to swap all the parts off my Tacoma, so I could get it sold. I also wanted to get all the service stuff done as the timing belt and service parts were original at 193K miles. Once I got the Tacoma sold, I spent the next year building and getting it the way I wanted it, and its definitely not done! I've got a full build thread over at T4R, I'll link it HERE (Build Thread) if you want to take a look at all the little details I've done so far. The basic run down is as follows:
2000 4Runner Modifications
Suspension Mods:
-Donahoe (Icon) extended travel front coilovers
-Camburg upper control arms
-OME 861 Rear Springs
-Toytec Panhard drop bracket, Reinforced to the frame
-Custom rear sway bar links, longer built from Energy Suspension links
-OEM Toyota LC80 rear shocks, frame drilled out to fit the larger centering washer
-Toytec Diff Drop
Drive Train Mods:
-Yukon 4.56 gears
-ARB Front Locker
Current Body/Bumper/Armor
-ARB front bumper
-8" HID KC Lights
-9000# Smittybuilt winch
-Home Built rear bumper with Swing out
-Home Built low profile rack 3/4" round tube
-Home Built 1.75" Custom Sliders
-CBI ditch light brackets with LED flood lights
Engine/Trans Mods:
-Hilux Snorkel
-Airaid intake tube
-Walker catalytic converter
-Magnaflow 18" muffler with custom rear dump
-Tru-Cool 4589 Trans Cooler (radiator bypassed)
Current Interior Mods:
-Scanguage II with X-guage to monitor trans temps
-LED dome lighting
-JVC Stereo
-WeatherTech Front Floor Mat's in Black
-CalTrend front seat covers
-Bunch of OTRATTW rocker switches
-TYT quad band Radio
-PL259 Connector in Center Console to External Antenna for Mobil Radio's
Wheel's/Tires/Brakes
-Braided Brake lines from Wheelers Off-road front and rear
-Tundra 231 Brake upgrade with Duralast stuff
-BFGoodrich A/T KO2's in 285/75R16 on stock Limited 5 spoke rims
-Spidertrax 1.25" wheel spacers
-Matching spare
Camping/Expo/Comfortable Living
-Xantra 1000W inverter (Built into rear storage box)
-Puma Compressor (Built into rear storage box) with 1/2 gallon tank underneath
-6.5' Smittybuilt awning
-Custom rear storage box with table
-Heat Exchanger Shower System
"Hers"
My Wife's ride is a 2004 4Runner Limited V8. Back in June of 2013 we had a 96 4Runner that was a total Lemon, the truck was a polished terd and I never should have bought it. After actively trying to blow it up on the way home from Utah one weekend my wife decided we had spent enough time, heartache, and money on it, and it was time to kick it down the road. We wanted a 4th gen with the V8 as we towed a couple atv's at the time. The extra power and room vs the 96 would be nice also. We looked at a couple here in town and finally found a used one at a local Ford dealership they had taken in on trade. The truck was very clean but had some ridiculous low profile wheels and tires on it. When I looked under the hood I noticed it had Toyota filters and even a battery in it, we bought it hoping maybe it had been serviced by the dealership. After we brought it home, I got on Toyota's website with the vin; sure enough I was able to pull up all the service records back to when it was almost brand new! I knew when the last flushes had been done, Timing belt, brakes, etc. I feel like we really lucked out on this deal! I have done some mods on this one, but most have been subtle for minor dirt roads, daily driving, and towing our old pop-up trailer. I never did a build thread on this one but the mod list goes like this:
2004 4Runner Modifications
-Bilstien Shocks with OME Springs (slight lift)
-FJ Cruiser Rims and Stock Tires (for now)
-Powerstop Slotted and Drilled Rotors and Pads on the Front
-AirRide Airbags in the rear
-Rola Roof Rack with Extension, Welded together
-PL259 Connector in Dash to External Antenna for Mobil Radio's
-Blue Sea Distro box Under Hood
-Blue Sea 12V outlets added to dash
The only thing about this truck I wish it had, was the 3rd row seating. When we bought it, we had 2 kids and were "done". A year later we got a surprise and found out the 3rd one was on the way, should have got the Sequoia!
Anyway I'll keep this thread updated with any new stuff and trips we take, things are always moving around here! I'll probably add some of our more recent stuff too. I'm also part of a group of guys here in Vegas that call ourselves OverlandNV, we're weekend warriors who like to encourage others to explore whenever they can, even if its on the weekends in their own back yard like us. So you'll probably see that name pop up here from time to time.
Thanks Guys!
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