chris's white 3rz ex-cab build

1998 Extended Cab SR5 4x4. All manual everything



The setup:

Mickey Thompson Classic II 15x8 3.75 BS
Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac 33x12.5x15

Relentless front bumper
RAT rear bumper
Warn M8000
Hella 500's
Trail Gear Sliders
4.56 Sierra Gears
TrueTrac LSD front
E-locker Rear Axle swap

Old SAW front coilovers, 700lb springs
All-Pro 3" lift rear leaf springs
5100's in the rear
Stock shackles

Uniden CB Radio
Yaesu FT-7800R Ham Radio
Various antennae
Blue Sea fuse block
Hella Supertones

Tepui Kukenam RTT
Homemade bedrack (RIP.. lost in a move)

 

Prior to owning the truck I had been thinking of transitioning away from BMW's. They are fun, but weren't entirely practical for my needs. I wanted a vehicle that I could easily get my mountain bikes, gear, and other stuff around. I wanted something that could take me off road and to places I otherwise could not get to. I wanted a truck.

I had been searching and saving for about a year and a half, watching many trucks come and go on craigslist. One Sunday afternoon I noticed an ad only 30 minutes old that seemed to be very promising. It was (surprise) a 98 4x4, 2.7L 5sp, manual TC, manual everything really. It was within my budget, mileage, and even came with a sweet shell.

I checked it out, and it was in pretty decent shape, so I bought it with my hard earned cash. Best purchase I've made.

Here are the pictures from the for sale ad:



I drove it stock for a while until the mod bug hit me. I had taken it on a trip to Downieville for some mountain biking, but didn't realize it was riding on the bump stops until I had set out. It was a rough ride, but a very fun trip.



After some research, I ordered the Bilstein 5100's and also picked up an AAL. This helped out quite a lot, and kept me over for a while.

The mod bug hit me hard. The next few things I installed were the Uniden CB Radio and a Yaesu Ham Radio.





Then I picked up some Trail Gear sliders to get ready for a Gold Lake trip I committed to. I planned on going up with some dudes from t4r.org but had no armor at the time. I ordered them from 4wheelparts, because I could pick them up pretty fast in Oakland. Well, I drove all the way out there, got them home and realized they sent me two of the same side. A giant WTF and I called them the next day to sort it out.

They finally got me the correct set the day before my trip. I spent that night welding them on and did a quick rattle can job. Even though I got to bed at about 2am, I really wanted to hit the trails!







Some pics from the trip:















The next major change was wheels and tires. I picked up these Mickey Thompson wheels on craigslist a while back and finally decided on a set of tires.



Definitely had some rubbing as I rolled out of the tire shop so I got to work with the BFH and went apeshit on the pinch weld. Still rubs a bit under compression. I'll have the caster cranked at the next alignment and that should help a bit.







Over Thanksgiving break I picked up a Tepui RTT and ordered the Relentless kit. It wasn't until these past few weeks that I've had the time to put everything together.




I roughly finished the structure of the bed rack and mounted the tent prior to a TW trip to Hull mountain. First time out camping with the tent was awesome.



All mounted and ready for the trip.





Some pics from that trip:













At the summit of Hull Mtn





Then comes the Relentless bumper. The 98-00 models require trimming the frame to install.

Spent a couple of full days lining up all the parts, tacking it up, welding, blending, etc.

 

Installing the new bumper created more projects.. I needed to wire the aux lights and do the turn signal relocation.

For the turn signals I went down to the auto parts store and picked up these sockets for some older cars.



Used 921 bulbs as they are the brightest that you can fit in that socket. Also, they draw enough current to let the relay blink at the correct speed.











With the aux lights, wiring was about to get messy. After much deliberation, I came up with this bracket to mount the aux fuse block. I almost mounted it over the stock fuse box, but didn't want to make it hard to access those fuses. I'm certain that the one time I have an electrical fault it would be dark out, and I'd lose the fasteners trying to get to the fuse I need.

 

I think it looks awesome. That bumper style has grown on me a lot. At first I was like. and the more I see it, Now I'm like Nice work on the truck man.

 

Thanks! I love how it changed the look of the whole truck.

I did a few more things today. Finished the side mounts on the bumper and the skid plate mounts as well. Painted everything behind the bumper black and also removed those brackets from the stock bumper that were sticking out.







All buttoned up.



Also I painted and cleaned up the mount I made for the aux fuse block.

 

Today I worked on the bed rack. Added hi lift mounts

 

Craigslist score!

All pro springs, shackles, and 12" 5125s

 

Looking good Chris! Bumper turned out awesome

Oh and thanks for the sig pic!

 

Thanks Jason.. I should have taken more pics of everyone's trucks! Next time

 

Mounted the hi lift jack.





Installed 881 springs

before


after



And the front shot. ARB shackles

 

Finally a build! Looks awesome buddy!

 

Thanks Andrew!

 

Truck is looking great! Finally found a white one that isn't going sky high!! haha. Gives some good ideas for my truck! You going to get a rear bumper?

 

Thanks! Probably not going to get a rear bumper any time soon. Trying to save up for Alaska this summer and its not a priority. A winch is the next big item The rear suspension makeover is coming eventually but I don't have the down time with school starting again. Maybe spring break.

 

I will definitely be watching where this build goes!

 

Need.. more.. switches......

 

looking awesome! how much did you score the Mickey's for?

 

I'm slowing down on the mods with school in session but will be back at it soon enough!

Thank you! I scored the MT's for $150 in rough shape but I cleaned them up.

 

Sweet! I love the low and wide look. Are those 15 or 16" rims?

Edit: sorry I see the dimensions now