Grunt Build

*THIS IS A COPY OF EVERYTHING FROM T4R.org*
POST#1
Well, anyone that's seen my new members thread knows I'm trying to find the original owner of my 4runner. They were a member on here, there was a t4r.org sticker on rear windshield, so that's how I found out. As of right now I just have one picture, and a YouTube video of the vehicle, I will get more pictures up this weekend hopefully, showing what needs to be done to this vehicle. I won't be building it up quite like other members, I am only 15 and need to pay off my debt first. My mods will be mainly cosmetic, a couple of performance mods and maybe a lift once I have the money. By the way, if anyone knows the user that owned this before me, please post their username. This is a Connecticut vehicle.
MY NEW (To Me) 4RUNNER!!!!!!!! - YouTube

POST#2
Well, found out that the switch is for the aftermarket alarm/remote start system the previous owner had installed. Didn't know it even had remote start until my mechanic(who also works for a Toyota dealership) told me that's what it was for when I went to show him. Here is where the switch was. It is on the left side of the dash, below the switch panel, behind the fuse cover.


This is another project I am going to be working on, nothing really special, just for looks. I am taking this emblem (which was off a Tercel we cut up at the firehouse) and am going to paint it black. It will be going on the left hand side of the passenger's side of the dash, between the glovebox and airbag. This is a picture of it after the body mount posts have been cut and sanded, I need to get the rest of whatever the hell is on there off, and then I will paint it.


Also, here is my YouTube video on it. If you want to stay up to date with the project, I will have more visual explanations on the YouTube videos than I will likely have on here.
4runner "Grunt" Update #1 - YouTube

POST#3
Got the new neck in!



Here's how bad the old one was:


Here's a link to the thread about the replacement. POST#4
Well, the previous owner must have gotten a rock under their wiper blade, because this is etched into the windshield. You can't feel it when you run your finger over it, and I am told it may buff out. Windex doesn't do anything, any ideas?


To stop this from happening again, bought these. The old wipers didn't have any damage to them, but they were starting to get a little corroded.


While I was there, I got a new gas cap since I can still smell some gas.


Thank God it's...


Here's what the new wipers look like on, they have the same design as the Bosch wipers, which I like since they don't get frozen like other wipers when it gets cold out.


I got my learner's permit yesterday, so I should be making more updates now.

POST#5
Well, the rain worked to my advantage. The better looking of the two decals has bubbles in it because the bottom decided to stick good when I was laying it out so that I WOULDN'T have bubbles. With the raindrops on there, you guys can't see! =D Anyways the eagle w/ maltese cross I picked up at last year's fire chief show, the 9/11 one I got this year.

Here's the eagle w/ maltese cross, this is about a 3 inch-4 inch decal (haven't measured them)



Here's my favorite, got a shirt with the same thing on it, minus the ring around the outside.


This one is also reflective, so here's a shot of that (from camera flash)


And this is where I put that one

And here is a shot of how far out my tires stick from the body. Not much, but probably killing my mileage. I don't have a problem with gas mileage at the moment, I am not driving enough to notice anything.



Thanks to anybody that is still subscribed to this thread!

POST#6
Ok, nothing new, but what the hell. I took a few pictures(ok, more like 50) and narrowed them down to these couple of good ones.









POST#7
*NOTE* My dad told me he'd do everything so I don't "screw it up" to put it lightly, but as you can see by the pictures, he "screwed" it up with his crappy taping job. I went back and taped it off properly after he had put 3 coats on it, and now it actually looks decent.

I've never seen one with the paint scheme I decided to go with, everything black except the spots that are supposed to be white and red(which were chrome when I bought this vehicle) are still chrome. Here are some pics of the process:

Taped off


First coat dried


Second coat dried


Third coat dried


Peeled the tape. Reveals how crappy my dad tapes things off =) (look at the bottom of the leftmost chrome diamond)


After I taped it the right way =)



Now I just need to get it mounted!

POST#8
So I took a pretty close look at everything today. Opened the hood, and remembered that there is 3 zipties holding the grille on.

Here is one of the zipties, there is another on the opposite side(these are both up top) and the third is in the middle at the bottom.


Here is how the rest are. No zipties, not held in place by anything.


Any ideas on how to fix that? New grille? Satoshi even?

Neither of the bumpers are stock, both are made in Taiwan. The front bumper has holes for the fender trim piece, which is not on this vehicle. Both bumpers were also plastidipped, which might have been to cover up this.


Custom bumpers eventually, I don't like the idea of having Taiwanese stuff on this.

And last but not least, the roof rack has left marks on the roof. I'm sure there is a bunch of threads on how to get that crap off, anyone have a link to a good one?



Thanks everyone, I appreciate the input.

POST#9
Well, no job. They are too slow, and even those two guys aren't even making enough money for themselves, let alone paying me as well. Asked why my rad. hose was rubbing and so close to the fan, he says it was on backwards. Which it is! He says most of the issues that shawn5800 was talking about are small problems, and not too costly if they should develop further.

Here is how close the radiator hose is to the fan. About 1/8" away.


Here is a view of the hose itself. Notice the end connected to the radiator is a shorter curve than the other end, it is supposed to be the other way around to clear the fan.


The picture I got of the hose rubbing the fan shroud doesn't show how much it is rubbing, it has at least a few pounds of pressure against the shroud.


Since I have to turn around the hose, will I have to prime the hose when I put it back on or something? I've never done this, and don't want to blow an engine. Thanks for the help again, guys!

POST#10
Well, I was afraid of frying my engine when the fan shroud finally cuts through the radiator hose, so I finally got around to switching it around the right way today.

The first thing I had to do was pop the skidplate off. I was told there was supposed to be a second plate on there, but there isn't, so that's long gone. Here's how the upper side of the skidplate looks, didn't get a picture of the bottom, but in 2 spots it is rotted all the way through.


This is the coolant I got, premixed, about $11 a gallon.


Toyota says to make sure the coolant has Ethylene Glycol, so I checked, and it does. Not sure if all coolant has it or not?


This is another thing I always look for when I buy something, no matter what it is. It is kind of like an addiction.


If you can remember from before, this is how much clearance I had before:



And now:


THANK GOD! And now the moment I've been waiting to be able to share for 2 months, after MANY delays...

BUNKER GEAR! I can finally go on calls! And if anyone has any ideas for the sleeping platform I mentioned before, add pictures or links on here, I'd love some input.

POST#11
Well, When getting my skidplate's bolt drilled out, I found out that the sideways skidplate that was ziptied to the tranny dipstick tube was actually the second one that protects the axle! ALL BETTER!


POST#12
Ok, I didn't really tow the boat with this thing, but it would have done just fine. This is my buddy's boat, got a Chevy 454 in it.



POST#13
Here's a mod I did today, writeup in the third gen runners section
Before:


After:


Ok, and if you are still reading this, this is my latest mod, not on the build thread. This is a little something I expected to take off after a few minutes, but it's staying cause it looks so cool:

Well, since I have no life, I decided to do the cheap man's eyelids on the 4runner: Electrical tape! As far as I can tell, the high beams don't even shine through, but it is day light so I will wait until night to fine tune it. The light does escape between the grille and headlights, because I am too lazy to fix it. I am not sure if the cops will have a problem with it, I will ask next time I go to the fire house(the police station is right next door). So, here it is. On a white 4runner. I think if I didn't have the bug guard, the look wouldn't work, the bug guard ties it all together.

 

DISREGARD THE FIRST ATTACHMENTS, THAT WAS BEFORE I UPLOADED THE PICTURES TO FLICKR AND USED THE LINK, SO IT SHOWS ATTACHMENTS FROM TACOMAWORLD INSTEAD OF MINE.

 

Well, some of you have seen my thread for the mini baptism of my 4runner. We had to wash it after that, it was muddy up to the roof from even those little puddles, and I had to make it presentable for a work detail at the firehouse this morning. So, as I was washing it, I noticed when I was washing the rear bumper, the water was going all the way through where the previous owner got rearended!



Here's a few of the chunks that came out, I guess plastidip was the only thing holding them in place! Mind you this was a garden hose not a fire hose!



Diamond plate bumper now?

And here's a vinyl that my buddy made up in school for me: