Ripcord's Spruce Mica Build

I really don't want this thread to turn into a roof rack discussion thread.

Look again at the way prinsu racks mount. The side plates have a large bend in them (which I occasionally see threads about that bend cracking), the load is not directly vertical.

But think of it this way, when you put something on the rack (a tent for example) are you mounting it to the crossbars or to the side plates? Its the crossbars. So if the loaded crossbar is directly mounted to the roof instead of the load going through the side plates which have a large bend in them, that will be superior.

Both of these racks mount to the same points on the roof itself, both using spacers to position them off the roof itself.

 

First snow wheeling trip of the year, with the usual band of miscreants.

Went up Rollins pass as far as we could, then made a ski jump when we turned around.








FLEM0115 by alex fleming, on Flickr




















_DSC2400 by Will Oliver, on Flickr

_DSC2488 by Will Oliver, on Flickr

_DSC2507 by Will Oliver, on Flickr

_DSC2590 by Will Oliver, on Flickr

 

Hadn't thought of it that way, but you make a good point about the crossbar mounting.

Anywho, awesome shots from the snow trip. Looks like you guys had a blast!

 

Thanks! it was a fun day

 

Had to create an account just to share how much this picture made me chuckle..

The 5th Gen on the right looks bone stock compared to your taco and the 3rd gen in front of you..
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And I couldn't help but think..






Really though.. awesome stuff Ripcord.. figured I'd check this thread out after reading through your 4runner build. Thanks for taking the time to document!

 

lol, to be fair that 5th gen was on 285s with a locker.

But thanks for the compliments

 

Also real quick, (I haven't seen you comment on the following, or I missed it) do you find yourself missing the enclosed storage area of the 4runner at all, or now that you're back in a truck are you staying in a truck? Also.. in regards to wheeling, is the weight of the 4runner over the rear wheels missed, or is the light butt of the truck better for the type of wheeling you do? I'm just getting into the sport and really really really want a 3rd gen 4runner.. but already have a truck. What are your immediate thoughts between the two?

 

They each have their advantages. The 4runner had a more manageable size and the enclosed cargo area was always nice, and for what it's worth I liked the styling better than my Tacoma. But the Taco has a lot more power and is a nicer place to be in with more creature comforts. Even though I disliked the Tacoma wheelbase at first I would say the Tacoma is better offroad. Depends on usage of course, but I haven't really had any cargo in the bed of the Tacoma that I would not have minded to also have in the back of the 4runner.

I was Just about finished with the 4runner build at the time it was totaled, so that part sucked. The only other plan I had was to build a sleeping platform in the back.


As far as if I am staying in a truck, hard to tell. I don't really get attached to my cars like some people, so if I see some advantage in another vehicle I may end up going that way... and on that note I have been really considering an 80-series build lately.

 

Awesome detail on the build. Wish more folks would do that.

I'm a new 3rd gen owner, coming from the Jeep world. I've been following this thread for a while now (on insta too). I was wondering one thing. I see a lot of guys go Long Travel at least up front if not SUA in the rear as well. I've been looking for examples of trucks that climb well without LT. I don't feel like I need it since I daily my truck and I live in Virginia, so I won't be hitting and whoops or jumping my truck.

What made you stay away from LT lower control arms and the whole deal? The maintenance (you seem to be pretty damn capable so I'm thinking not)? The squads and other noises? The weak CV joints? And do you think you're missing anything capabilities that the LT folks have? I saw you made it through some pretty challenging obstacles without it so I'm wondering why everyone goes through the trouble of LT on these trucks?


Oh, Also, interesting choice on the rear for a shock relocation and not the hoops.

Lastly, thanks for that great advice on the SCA arms. Very very informative.

 

Thank you for following along with the truck, I appreciate the compliments!


My opinion on long travel is this:
If you really cared about an increase in wheel travel, then you would get a full 3.5" race kit and redo the rear suspension. People who spend 90% of that money and only get the 2" kits with no change to the rear suspension aren't seeing anywhere near the same benefit. The only other real benefit is the look, and it does look sweet...

All while the drawback of the LT kits (besides the immense cost) is the maintenance, noise, and track width increase. So why spend so much on the 2" kits for so little improvement to be forced into dealing with the negatives?



Now for my particular reasons:
-Trails in Colorado can be pretty tight, from shelf roads to dense trees and tight switchbacks. Full size trucks (like tundra, F-150, etc) struggle on these trails. So the track width increase was not something I wanted.
-Outside of desert racing, the wheel travel increase isn't THAT useful (it's always a good thing, just to a lesser degree). A good set of tires and a locker will get you much further when talking about crawling.
-I HATE noise, polyurethane bushings and rod ends are the devil in my opinion. Yes, I have the tools and ability to perform the necessary maintenance to reduce noise, but why would I want to?
-Durability. A big reason to own a Toyota is they are low-maintenance vehicles, why would you want to spoil that?

Those last 2 are also main reasons I went with the SPC upper control arms versus uniball arms.

 

Thanks for the reply. I haven't come across a section of trail where I found myself thinking, "If only I had long travel". And like I said I'm on the east coast, so there's no high-speed desert running out here. It just seems like so much headache for not that much benefit.

You've got a lot of travel in the rear it seems like. Any reason for not going SUA and hoops in the back?

Trying to decide exactly what route to go this spring with my suspension. The TRD Sport stock suspension is great for on road handling but it's a nightmare on the trail.

 

It all comes back to the cost versus benefit thing again.

I get tons of wheel travel from my current setup with the regular shock relocation. Sure, I could get a little bit more with SUA, but at a huge cost.

 

So with 12'' rear shock and going sort of mid travel up front, there isn't like tons more travel out back than the front?

Last one I swear. haha

 

Yeah the rear has a lot more travel. Thats just the nature of a solid axle, easier to get more out of it.

 

So forgive my beginner thinking here, but won't the rear having way more travel than the front create issues?

 

The rear also has more travel from the factory FYI.

What issues do you mean? The only issue I could see is if you think your truck has more travel than it does on any given axle and get into a tippy situation, but that would just be driver error.

 

Still happy with your winch choice? Seems to be a lot mixed reviews and I've been considering it. Love the truck been subbed for a little while and I like the write ups.

 

Only used it once, so far so good.

 

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