2003 4Runner Limited V8 slow build (1 Viewer)

[tchughes]

I'm on "mud" off and on looking at what others are doing to their 120's. I like the GX's style and looked at several before finding my 4Runner and noticed there are more GXs builds here than 4R, so sharing mine. I'm reposting from another site so most of this will be older and I'll work up to current. Looking forward to everyone thoughts.

I was fortunate enough to stumble on a 2003 Limited V8 in Galactic Grey Mica. It is in great condition with 136,000 miles. I'm going to use this page to document changes/additions/maintenance/trips and anything that might interest everyone.

Daystar 2.5"/1.5"
Spidertrax 1.25"
BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A KO2
Hydrocarbon filter removal
Fog light-Independent control and on with Hi beam
Interior light LED swap

4Runner sitting on the lot when giving it the initial once over.


Test drive.


Once home the Runner was gutted with seats and center console pulled to clean the carpet. The center console was disassembled and cleaned of the previous owners dirt. Interior plastics wiped down and seats cleaned with leather cleaner/conditioner.

During the cleaning process I realized the rearview mirror was loose and would drive my crazy until fixed. Once pulled from the windshield I used a small screwdriver to separate the plastics. The mirror has a small bolt in the middle that needed to be tightened and fix the problem.






Once the interior was good and the mirror fixed I turned to the exterior. The paint was in pretty good shape but needed the normal 12 year pick me up, wash/clay bar/buff/polish and wax.


Since she was clean it was time to get rid of all the chrome. I plasti dipped all badges except the Toyota emblem on the front and rear. I also dipped the front and rear apron since they were silver, which was unacceptable. I also baked the the headlights and painted them flat black.



The 04 SR5 had a cracked taillight which needed to be replaced. I ordered some black taillights for the 03 and moved the old stock lights to the 04.


New on left, old on right.


While performing all the maintenance I ordered the Spidertrax 1.25" spacers and a Daystar 2.5"1/5" lift.
Installed spacers in anticipation of the lift coming in.


Lift installed, but this pic doesn't do it justice.


Today I picked up some NGK spark plugs and spent an hour replacing. While dirty I decided to clean the MAF/throttle body.
Nice and clean.

 

[tchughes]

Stumbled on an inexpensive small shovel from Harbor Freight and decided to see how it would mount up on my custom roof rack.



As I have time I'm also going to add mounts for two scepter water cans and possibly a fuel can.

 

[tchughes]

I've been saving for sometime now so I could pick up a compressor to be mounted in the engine bay. I had the MF50 in the past and it simply couldn't handle the load. After reading many reviews and looking over specs I decided to go with the ARB CKMTA12 dual due to it's output. I was able to mount the compressor under the hood and paired it with a stock looking compressor button inside. I will be using the ARB switch in the rear of the Runner but thats a future project.







I soldered the new switch into the ARB wiring harness.

 

[tchughes]

Originally posted 10/2015

I was able to get in the forest last weekend and got to use the compressor after the trip. The compressor worked great for two vehicles and then seemed to slow down. Once home and some troubleshooting I discovered only one motor was running. A fuse had blown on one motor and after digging into the harness and removing the cover I'm operating again but I never found the exact problem. Once I corrected the problem I tested the compressor again. I was able to take a 275/70/17 from 0psi to 35psi in 2:00 minutes, not bad.

From 0 to 35 in 2:00 minutes.








This is usually a beautiful creek with plenty of water, it's been a dry summer.

 

[tchughes]

Originally posted 10/2015

I have a four day trip coming up through the Ozarks and needed a way to secure the iPad mini. I purchased an inexpensive Arkon mount to give a try. If this doesn't work out I'll spend the money and get a Ram mount.

Arkon Windshield Dashboard Car Mount https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJUE88U/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Y1QlwbW4S6BX1

 

[tchughes]

Originally posted 11/14/2015

Last weekend I got to spend four days and three nights in the Ozarks with a few friends. We ran part of what some call the "Highwater Mark" or "Arkansas Overland" trail, the rest was a route I planned after some research. After many months of little to no rain we were nearly washed away Thursday night when thunderstorms rolled through. Fortunately we were tucked between a couple mountains and didn't get the brunt of the wind.

We had a mix of vehicles on this trip, stock Jeep/3rd Gen. 4R with 3" lift/Trailblazer with 2" of lift/4th Gen 4R with 2" lift.

Here are a few pics from the trip. I have a few videos from the GoPro I'll post once I have everything cleaned up.

My view from the sleeping bag.

First morning after the storm.

Our view at first camp.

Hitting the road.

Old cemetery we stumbled on.

The water was up due to the storms that came through the night before but were passible. This is the Illinois bayou river.

We stopped in an old country store that was once the Post Office.

My sleep setup for three nights. I used a 40 degree bag with my down coat over legs for extra warmth. I need to look into replacing my sleeping bag or picking up a 20 or 0 degree bag for the cold nights. Due to the storms we had temps in the low 70's the first night and high 30's the last night. I'm still working on the storage box and will post pics once complete.

We had one of the best burgers at the Oark General Store. This is a must if you make it to the Ozarks.

On the trip I played with the GoPro a little. I'm a newb with the editing software but thought I would share anyway.

Annual Ozarks trip 2015

Here are a couple vids a buddy grabbed with his phone so I apologize for the quality.
Crossing Illinois Bayou #1

Crossing Illinois Bayou #2

 

[wingysataday]

Looks awesome!!

 

[lobodog1]

Nice looking rig. Anyway you can post some more pics of how you set up your roof rack with the superstrut bars? I want to do something similar and am looking for ideas. Thanks!

 

[tchughes]

Thanks lobodog1, here is a write up I did on T4R, if you have any questions let me know.
http://goo.gl/Hdnq7G

 

[mjrsfj40]

Great write up! I was searching for alternatives to my existing rack - scraped the roof a couple of times Like the idea of fitting in the garage, and a place for my shovel an hi-lift.

 

[tchughes]

Great write up! I was searching for alternatives to my existing rack - scraped the roof a couple of times Like the idea of fitting in the garage, and a place for my shovel an hi-lift.

Thanks. It's worked well for me so far. I don't put anything heavy up there to keep the 4R from being top heavy. I would change a couple things if I were to do it again. 1.) I would build it out of the beefier unistrut. 2.) I would mount it 1/2" higher.

 

[wingysataday]

Is your phone mount screwed into the dash or what? I have a suction cup model and it won't stick very well.

 

[tchughes]

Is your phone mount screwed into the dash or what? I have a suction cup model and it won't stick very well.

It's an inexpensive suction mount I picked up to try out on my last trip. It worked out pretty good, it has a slight shake at times but overall for the price I'm pretty happy. Eventually I will probably go with a Ram mount to make it more stable.

Arkon Windshield Dashboard Car Mount https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJUE88U/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Y1QlwbW4S6BX1

 

[wingysataday]

wow, my suction cup just falls off with the slightest jar off road.

 

[tchughes]

wow, my suction cup just falls off with the slightest jar off road.

I was surprised this one worked so well. I do notice it getting a little loose after 5 or 6 days but reseating seems to take care of it. Also, before mounting I cleaned the dash very well and press firmly when mounting. Worked nicely so far.

 

[burtoncr]

I used the longer arm version stuck to the windshield and supported by the dash to hold an 8" Galaxy Tab. Worked great in Ouray.
http://www.amazon.com/Arkon-Smartph..._UL160_SR160,160_&refRID=19MTEEQZVHJQB574HFT4

 

[tchughes]

Recently I had to pull another 4Runner out of the mud and this got me thinking about the front recovery points. The factory tie points seem beefy enough for most things I might run into but they are small and hard to reach. I don't have plans to replace the front since I like the factory (sleeper) look. Having said this I would still like another option for front recovery.

Since I have the Budbuilt hidden winch mount I thought I would take advantage of the flat plate beside the winch. After digging I found some offset shackle mounts on eBay. I'm sure some will have some input on mounting the recovery points on the winch mount but I'm looking forward to all input.

This afternoon I headed outside to take some measurements and did some test fittings with shackles. These are zip tied in place to get an idea how they will fit. The offset mount will allow them to sit further from the bumper than in these pics for better function.

 

[Sleepy]

Thanks for posting your build. You inspired me to make some mods to my roof rack.

 

[alia176]

I love that air comp switch. Can you tell us the vendor?

I've been saving for sometime now so I could pick up a compressor to be mounted in the engine bay. I had the MF50 in the past and it simply couldn't handle the load. After reading many reviews and looking over specs I decided to go with the ARB CKMTA12 dual due to it's output. I was able to mount the compressor under the hood and paired it with a stock looking compressor button inside. I will be using the ARB switch in the rear of the Runner but thats a future project.

 

[tchughes]

I love that air comp switch. Can you tell us the vendor?

Here's a link:
Amazon.com: CH4x4 Toyota Push Switch Air Compressor Symbol- White LED: Automotive