2003 4Runner Limited 4wd V8 FJ tcased overlanding rockcrawling do-it-all build

Yup, I'm happy with these tires. The wider tread lugs (not tire width) keeps them from picking up small rocks as badly as the ATIIIs did. Slightly louder on the highway but not excessively so. The ride way better offroad as well. Now that might be due to them being new and also being larger by a full inch. But they were much smoother on the same dirt road I drove on with the ATIIIs last month. And that's at full street tire pressure on both sets. Don't think I flexed the suspension enough to figure out the contact areas but I'll be checking it over tomorrow.

 

Little prep work for my drive to Seattle. There's a couple of areas that could potentially pose a gas problem, since I am still working out the range with the new tires. So I got a Wavian can and a mount from 4xInnovations for it.

Test fitting after getting holes drilled to mount it. Decided on that route instead of welding it in place so I can remove the mount for when I don't need it. The red outline is material I removed to lighten the mount up. 4xInnovations makes these out of nice 3/16 steel, so they are a little hefty to start but it gives you options.



I'm using one of the existing bolts for the license plate to mount the carrier.



And here it is all done. Used bedliner to paint it, just like everything else.

 

That just gave me an idea

 

Finally got and installed something I've needed for a while. You lose a little storage space but having a mobile safe in the truck outweighs the negatives.

 

Currently in Issaquah, WA. Done just slightly over 1400 miles on the trip so far. The 4Runner has been rock solid the whole time with no issues other than a slightly wet looking power steering cooler; I'm using the OEM trans cooler for the power steering cooler and have a larger aftermarket cooler for the trans. Tightened the clamps on the hoses going into the cooler and will look at it closer when I'm back in Tucson.

I did get some good average mpg numbers for a little bit.



That dropped down to 17.5mpg by the time I filled up again. Probably the best I have seen in the truck since I bought it. Overall tho, with all the hill climbs, head winds and traffic, it's been more around 14 to 15.6mpg.

Motel I stayed at in Utah on Friday night.



The room I stayed in was Harley Davidson themed.





Found Butch Cassidy's boyhood home. He lived there from 14 to 18 apparently.





Also saw a bunch of hot air balloons being launched.



Random shot driving thru some of the mountains of Oregon today.



I'll be up here until July 5th with my brother. We're dealing with my dad's estate, so not really for fun times. But at least I get to hang out with my brother for a while, so that's good!

 

Sorry to hear man. Glad the 4R is going strong. What are you using to keep track of the MPG? Been looking for something similar, but haven’t kept up. Last thing I remember being the go to was scangauge, but that was a while ago.

 

Using Ultragauge for the additional monitoring.

 

Sorry to hear about your dad, Todd. That’s rough, but hopefully the estate stuff isn’t too crazy.

Glad to hear the Runner is doing well! It’s looking great!

 

Back from my Washington trip. 3317.1 miles round trip. 4Runner did great except for being a bit of a thirsty bitch. Best avg mpg I got was 17 and a bit, highest avg at one point was 21.2 but that dropped by the time I filled up to 17. She cruises at 90mph pretty nicely, sitting at about 2500 rpm. Definitely need to regear now as hills were the 4Runners worst enemy. I took 2 days to drive from Redmond, OR (my mom lives there) back to Tucson, AZ. 600 miles the first day and 839 the 2nd. Gotta love the long summer days to really be able to get the miles in.

First order of business w3as oil and filter today. I put together a makeshift dent puller and got most of the dent out of the oil pan with it. Some spare bolts and the main body of a steering wheel puller. Would have worked better with longer bolts or if I had a bearing puller.



Hard to tell but the dent is much shallower now.



And a few pics from the trip. I didn't take many.

The motel I stayed at the first night, in Hatch, UT. This was at 9:15pm.



The room was themed...





Stopped here the next day as it's just north of Hatch on highway 89.







Little further up, they were launching balloons.



Entrance to NAS Whidbey in Oak Harbor, WA.



My brother and I took half a day off from dealing with things to go up to Deception Pass as well.







The main bridge is amazing.



When I was done on Whidbey Island, I drove down the Redmond, OR where my mom lives and stayed with her for a couple days before driving home. This is the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge that crosses the Columbia River between Washington and Oregon.





And finally, the reliable steed that is the 4Runner, sitting in the driveway at my mom's.

 

Dang. Born and raised in Oak Harbor. The next street up the hill after the NAS sign was named after my family. Great, great grandpa had a farm out there and was one of the 3 founding families in Oak. Also have a house in Redmond. Could've met up and shown you around a bit. In Reno currently and could've done the same here.

Glad your rig treated you well though. How are the tires treating you? I was set on the Toyo R/T's in the same size but am now seeing that Falken joined the R/T game and offers a 285/75/17 in C load. Curious how you like them and if it is worth it to go E load.

 

Love the new Toyo R/T Trails. They are slightly louder on pavement but they handled the trip very well and were smooth the whole time. The previous ATIIIs I had were also E load and I had zero issues with those too, even with around 40k miles on them when they got swapped out. My preference is the E loads, for both on and off road. Yes, they are a little heavier but the added weight seems to provide a smoother ride on pavement and are tougher offroad.

 

Added some more molle panels today from OrangeBoxx fabrication.

Rear hatch window. I went with the larger squares to make sure visibility wasn't impaired much more that it already is out the back window.





Standard molle panels for the rear side windows. These use existing mount points. Biggest drawback, and not that big a deal really, is loosing the ability to use the cargo cover.









Might add some bug screen to the rear hatch window to keep bugs out when I have it down while camping.

 

Very nice

 

Upgraded the trans cooler I had installed. The Koyo radiator doesn't have an internal cooler for the trans and I've been seeing slightly elevated temps while driving since the rad install. Nothing serious but I want to play it safe.

I've had this monster since I first got the 4Runner - https://www.oregonperformancetransmission.com/product/LNG-4590.html It was the cooler I was originally going to install. But decided at the time that it was too big and would take too much work to fit. So I picked up a smaller one that fit without much work. This was the old one - https://www.oregonperformancetransmission.com/product/LNG-4543.html

I had to remove the center support for the hood latch since this new cooler is much bigger. But, I was able to make the cooler the new center support and it all worked out. Installed new reinforced silicone hose. Should hold up better over the long term than regular rubber hose.

Thickness difference between old and new.



New cooler all hooked up and tightened down. I also used the new cooler the the one mount of the power steering cooler aka the OEM trans cooler.

 

Ordered a PML trans pan a little while back. Got it a couple weeks ago but didn't get around to installing it until today. Note that on my 2003 or any A750 that has a dipstick, the PML pan doesn't have accomodation for one and you have to use the fill/check hole to fill it. Pain in the ass but it works. Note that my 2003 A750F does not have a fill port on the transmission housing. Newer models that came stock without a dipstick do have a fill port, located on the passenger side tailhousing, near the transfer case.







Holds 2 quarts over the stock pan. A drain and fill with the stock pan take about 1.37 quarts and maybe a little more with replacing the strainer, which I also did. I filled it with almost 5 quarts I think. One bottle was already open and I think around the 3 quart full mark. I emptied that and used about 2 more quarts from the new gallon bottle. Fluid level checks good, dribbling out when the fill/check plug is removed.

Old pan and dipstick removed. You do not transfer the magnets to the new pan either.



Still plenty of clearance for any aftermarket or homemade transmission skidplate. Something that is on my list to do.





Replacement carpet also showed up today. Install in a few weeks I think. Need to get some sound deadening material.

 

Two more quarts huh?

I may look into that when I decide to pull the pan off as part of my preventative maintenance.

 

Yeah, PML states that it's about 2 additional quarts over stock. I put almost 5 quarts into it doing the refill.

 

When did you get the GX? I must have missed the post about that.

 

Yep just over a month ago.

The LC was ridiculous easy to wheel with, especially with a center and rear locker and +10" shocks front and rear. That made me decide I wanted a dedicated trail rig (single cab) and get a daily driver instead.

Sway bar still on in the rear, and accidentally had left my extended bumpstops limiting my travel.



Got rid of it for the GX and you can see little dude enjoys the rear air back there.



Would be easier getting into a project that needs work too since I can just easily make my own parts when needed at home. Been churning parts out for two local shops as I'm their parts maker from home.

 

New carpet installed. Something I have wanted to do since buying the 4Runner almost 4 years ago now but never got around to doing. Took about 2 and a half days to complete, not too difficult. I only cut it short in 2 small areas that are still hidden with all the trim in place. I added a layer of Kilmat to the floor as well, over the factory spray in sound deadener that works very well. It did have some cracks in a few spots so the Kilmat will help keep it all together.

New carpet is ACC cutpile with mass vinyl backing from RockAuto.com.