99nmtaco's 4Runner build

I tried installing the front suspension last weekend as well but there had been a mix up with my order and ADS sent me the top mounts for a Tacoma which slightly changes how the reservoir hose sits in the coil bucket. This caused the UCA to bind on the hose fitting.


After getting in touch with Tyler at ADS he sent me the correct top plates. I have to say their customer service is awesome! He made sure I had the right parts 3 days after I contacted him which was super cool considering it wasn't ADS's fault with the order mix up. Tonight I tried installing the front again only to realize that even with the correct top plates the shocks wont work with the All-Pro UCAs.


The way the UCAs are designed doesn't leave enough room for the hose fitting to clear. Im going to contact Tyler again to see if ADS has had any issues like this before. If not I may just have to bite the bullet and order a different set of UCAs.

 

Since I can't install the new front suspension yet I decided to start prepping the tire carrier for install. I started off by fabbing up a mount for a hi-lift.




After I got it cleaned up I painted and installed it.

 

Took a little break from working on the 4runner to enjoy driving it.

So far I've found that the OME 891s aren't going to work out as well as I had hoped. With all our gear loaded in the back plus the rear bumper and swingout weight I'm getting too much sag. Just driving down the highway I'm already hitting the bump stops on some of the larger bumps in the road so I know as soon as I hit the dirt it'll be even worse. I did a little more research and pulled the trigger on some OME 861s. Hoping I can get those installed to enjoy a few trails in the next few weeks.

 

Enjoying the NM desert.

10 mins after this picture was taken the fuel pump decided it was done . Luckily my dad was able to tow us back with his Tacoma and I was able to get a new Toyota fuel pump installed in about a day. I wanted to stick with a factory pump since this one lasted 18 years and 220,000 miles.

 

Took the 4runner over to a friends shop to have him weld on the panhard bar correction brackets. While we had it on the lift we installed the OME 861's too.


I have to say I was a little nervous at first because of how much taller the 861's were in comparison to the 891's. After getting it back on the ground it has a little rake but nothing too bad. It rides extremely well paired with the ADS shocks and made a world of difference! No more hitting the bump stops and still plenty of articulation.

 

That Tacoma snorkel looks awesome on there! MUCH better than the HiLux ones!

Looks like a great build so far!

 

Thanks man! I am super happy with how the snorkle turned out. I couldn't pass it up for the price I found it at. Now I just need to finish getting the rest of the front end put together.

 

Went for a short drive yesterday and found a small ledge to stretch out the new rear springs on. They flex really well and ride great through rough terrain.

 

Finally started preparing the AOR front bumper for paint last night. There was a bit of a mixup with my order so I didnt receive it until the end of October (4 months after ordering). Scotty was awesome to deal with though and made it right. It was a bit of a bummer though because I really wanted it installed before our trip to the southwest In November. Overall the quality of the bumper is great and I love how they look on the 3rd gens.

 

Have you gotten a chance to install the front bumper? Excited to see it as it's my favorite one on the market.

 

I finally had a chance to install it last night. I love the way these bumpers look as well plus they are lighter than some of the other options on the market. Ill get better pictures during the day today.

 

Here's a few daytime shots with the new bumper.

 

Getting out and enjoying the 4 day weekend.

 

Made it out for a group trail run today with a few local TW folks. Had a blast playing around in the VA mountains and really had a chance to test the new approach angle with the AOR bumper in a few spots. Unfortunately I didn't get any action shots of the 4runner but hoping someone else in the group did.

 

Finally got a few more pictures of the 4runner from the last trail run.



Hoping to spend some time over the next few weekends working on wiring up an external fuse block, winch, and some lights.

 

Awesome build man! Let me know if your ever in Santa Fe!

 

Thanks man! We are usually back in NM once or twice a year. I'll be sure to hit you up the next time we are. I would love to hit some of the trails up in Northern NM sometime.

 

hell yeah man. I’m always down!

 

Well with all the current restrictions on travel and having a little extra time off work I was able to finally get together most of the parts I needed to clean up some of my auxiliary wiring. I'll post progress pictures as I get things done but for right now here's a shot of the parts I've gathered so far.


What I'm working with:
-Duralast AGM Battery
-SDHQ battery terminals
-4 Gauge Wire
-14 Gauge Wire
-Blue Sea Fuse Block (12 fuse terminal)
-Bussmann 120 Amp Breaker
-Bussmann 100 Amp Breaker
-Delphi WeatherPack 22 Position Connector Kit
-Rough Country LED Pods with Amber DRL
-Amak LED Rock Light Kit (8 pods)

Electrical always seems to be the out of sight out of mind thing for me so I really did a lot of research into a few other builds for this project. Ultimately I hope to keep it all from looking like a rats nest under the hood when I'm done .

 

Made some progress today on the fuse block mount. I can't take credit for this design as I borrowed it from Ripcord's V2.0 4runner build. I started out with a black acrylic sheet and cut and shaped it with a cutoff wheel to fit next to the factory fuse block under the hood. Next I used an angle finder to determine what my bends were going to be on the mounting plate and the support leg. Once I had my measurements I used a heat gun to help make the bends.


Platform and support leg


Side view with the support attached


Fuse block and breakers attached

I should have install pictures by this weekend. After I get this setup I can start working on my wiring.