Builds Steel City Racing: King of the Hammers 2019 Toyota 4Runner IFS 4600 Build Thread (3 Viewers)

[Charles4x4]

I have to get to the shop, but wanted to post a few recent pics for anyone who isn't on FB/IG:

Cage is done - Otwell is awesome! Lots of Triangulation:

Aeromotive Phantom Jet Siphon to add second fuel pick-up at opposite side of tank:

Sunroof Patch:

RockSolidToys Crossmember Mods:

Mounting these KMC XD222 Enduro Beadlocks is painful. The bolts move on you as you tighten. Taking me way too long to get these mounted. I'm only working on them at night after everyone else is gone:

3 Extinguishers mounted on Drake Quick Release mounts:

PRP Seats, PRP Harnesses, Rugged Radios M3 Pumper are in:

More to come.

 

[Charles4x4]

The team crushed it today. We got ahead of our To-Do list and for once we all got to leave the shop early around dinner time to get some rest before tomorrow's final push.

Updates:
Otwell Built spare tire mount:

Otwell Built ARB HD Air Compressor Mount in engine compartment for Air Lockers (and backup onboard air to PowerTank if ever needed):

Otwell Built T-Bar Handle + Navigation Mount with Quick Release. The T-Bar locks/unlocks and rotates up and down:
- Down for the co-driver to hold onto while racing
- Up past the windshield when we need to get out.

Currie AntiRock Rear Sway Bar goes on tomorrow:

Otwell Built Pro Eagle Big Wheel Jack Mount with Quick Release:

SFI Compliant (almost as hard as the roll bar itself) Roll Bar Padding installed above all Helmet areas:

RockSolidToys Rear 4-Link is tacked in (will be finish welded tomorrow):

Atlas II is done except we just need to connect shifter cables to shifter assembly built by RockSolidToys.

Tomorrow we have 4 teams working simultaneously as the Final Big Push to finish everything except Exhaust, Driveshafts (done, but not in hand yet), and Testing. If we don't finish, @RustyNailJustin and our shared pit crew will come help knock out anything left on Sun.
The car is only a few minutes from the Lakebed now.

We hope to be testing in "similar terrain" early next week. Then the wrap late next week and race prep begins next weekend.

 

[matzell]

Gettin there! Keep it up.

 

[Charles4x4]

We've been at the shop 12-15 hours a day, so I'm going to make this post brief:

8 Tires/Wheels are done (7 pictured + 1 in car):

Fuel system is back in and done:

PowerTank is installed:

Wiring Fun:

Atlas II shifters and RockSolidToys made shifter box done:

Got 10-mins of work left on the Atlas II (fluids and a few connections):

Justin Reece and Team came out to help today - it was a HUGE boost to the build. A few other team members ended up with a conflict, so having Justin, Bird, Andrew, and Josh there was a massive help along with Robert Otwell:

Interior is Done:

Front Suspension is Done (huge thanks to Justin and Team here), but I'm still waiting for the release to be approved so no pics just yet.

Tomorrow we have to finish the rear suspension and install the driveshafts. We decided to cut the truss down and drop the upper links down to pick up a few more inches of up travel.

We also have to get the car to an exhaust shop tomorrow. We hope to have time to do some testing tomorrow, Friday, and this coming weekend. It gets wrapped this Wed/Thurs.

 

[matzell]

If you can increase your fuel vent hose to a larger diameter it will fill quicker. But you may want the extra time to check out the car in the pits when fueling. I would plan on 4-5 mpg at most.

 

[Charles4x4]

Update:
First of all, without Wyatt Scott and Matt with RockSolidToys, Robert Otwell with Otwell Welding and Fabrication, and Justin Reece (@RustyNailJustin), Bird, Andrew, and Josh - this car would not be done in time for the race. HUGE THANKS to each of them!

As of 1am last night, the car is in San Bernardino at Syndicate Offroad getting the wrap installed, so today is a much needed and well deserved rest and recovery day for the rest of the team. Special thanks to Sergio for meeting me at midnight last night to make the hand-off without losing any build time!

We've pushed hard from before sunrise to late at night each day over the past few weeks. The car is amazing. Each component crafted and installed by a team who loves this build and puts their all into everything we touch. We were handed a Phase III timeline that was close to impossible to meet and we're going to make it.

Timeline:
Today/Tomorrow - Wrap
Fri Morning - Exhaust
Fri Noon till Late - Finish Anything that is Left
Sat: Shakedown Run in Lucerne Valley near Otwell's shop so we can check everything afterward and make modifications as needed
Sun: Shock Tuning session with Icon
Mon: Tech at 8am

Current State: Everything is done except:
- Drivers Rear Shock Hoop finish welding
- Drivers Rear Remote Reservoir Mount
- Passengers Rear Shock Hoop finish welding
- Passenger Rear Remote Reserevoir Mount
- Passenger Rear Air Bump
- Install Rear Limit Straps
- Finish mounting Rear Brake Lines (temp mounted now)
- Install revised Driveshafts (F/R)
- Remount 2/3 Skid Plates after Exhaust is done
- Add small Skid for Rear Winch Solenoid
- Perform Driveway Alignment and Set Suspension to Softest Setting
- Install Fluids Container Tool Box in Cargo Area (90% done)
- Preload Winch Lines

As with any big push, we did have some issues, notably:
- The Atlas II and our Drivelines Inc driveshaft ends didn't mate, so the driveshafts are being re-done as we speak and will be ready tomorrow.
- The new Solenoids on the ARB HD Air Compressor for lockers didn't have the plugs we needed (instructions said to "discard" them, so we did) so we had to improvise with some random bolts until we get the correct ARB fitting plugs tomorrow.
- The ARB HD Air Compressor electrical connector was faulty and caused fuses to blow in our comms. Once we fixed the comms and found issue, we cut out the plug and hard wired it all in. This is done.
- Our rear Dynatrac ProRock 60 axle truss was too high, causing our upper links to hit the factory crossmember and limit travel. We cut off the top of the truss (1/2" plate), cut the truss down, and remounted our upper links.
This gained ~4" more uptravel in the rear. This is done.
- Our front suspension spindle was hitting the coilovers at max down travel, so we had to raise our limit straps slightly and then set our air bumps. While doing so, we had our Passenber Huge D60 equivalent RCV slip out and it took Justin, Robert, and I a while to pull the huge Icon coilovers back off to get the RCV to set back into place without any issues.
- Our Atlas II Rear shifter wouldn't come out of Neutral. A couple calls to Steve at Advance Adapters and the issue was resolved.
- Our transmission shifter contacted the Atlas II shifters so we had to heat/bend it to vertical.
- Added a Fuel Line Shutoff valve to our Aeromotive Phantom system (pretty tightly sealed as it is) per Ultra4 tech request.
- We had to overnight different lug nuts for the rear, a replacement rear view mirror after we broke the first one, another fuel filler neck to adapt to our setup, tons of Grade 8 hardware, an extra PRP push rod for the safety nets, etc.

Overall, the team has been killing it. I couldn't be more proud of what we have accomplished. Here are some pics from yesterday:

Drivelines Inc. Driveshafts:

Sitting on All 4's:

LeadNav setup and Charging (requires special 3.1amp charger wired to battery to keep up with software on iPad Pro 10.5):

Got the tiny, well protected Front View Rock Camera wired and mounted (drilling through AR400 is tough):

Otwell Mounted PRP Safety Nets with Upper and Lower quick release rods:

 

[Charles4x4]

3rd Row Glass Removed and Sheet metal Fitted on Passenger Side:

Fuel Filler for 3rd Row Sheet metal on Drivers Side:

Interior 100% Done:

Video of Otwell and Justin Reece Transmission Shifter Bending:
https://scontent-sjc3-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=b6997b72f30886035b6e1a86c519d00d&oe=5CBA69E3

Back on All 4's again:

 

[Charles4x4]

Wyatt, Robert, and Matt helping me get it on the trailer at 10pm last night with no driveshafts - thank goodness for Front & Rear Warn Winches (clothesline effect) and Brakes:

I arrived at Syndicate Offroad just after midnight to meet Sergio. They have a solid plan and sequencing to knock out a 1-week complex wrap in 2-days.

I'll pick it up Thursday night and have it at the Exhaust place in Apple Valley at 7am on Friday. Wyatt, Matt, and Robert will then pick it up before lunch and knock out our final to-do's while I pick up my co-driver at LAX and handle the rental jeep and RV stuff.

We then meet @RustyNailJustin on the lakebed on Sat after our shake down testing is complete and everything has been checked over and over. Suspension Tuning on Sun. Tech on Mon. Pre-Running Sat-Tues. Race on Wed. More to come...

 

[deliverance]

Truck looks bitchen! Good luck with the race!

 

[Bripars40]

We should start taking bets on whether or not he can keep a single panel on this truck from being dented.

 

[Charles4x4]

We should start taking bets on whether or not he can keep a single panel on this truck from being dented.

The salvage panels... Denting those would be disastrous. .

Exactly why we swapped to salvage panels months ago.

 

[Bripars40]

The salvage panels... Denting those would be disastrous. .

Exactly why we swapped to salvage panels months ago.

Glad you did! I’m talking other panels like your roof and rear quarter panels too!! Either way glad you’ve made it this far and I’m excited to see this on the course.

 

[matzell]

you might need metal band clamps for the window nets. I do not think zip ties are going to pass tech. You can get 1/4 wide hose clamps from Fastenal or somewhere similar.

 

[Charles4x4]

you might need metal band clamps for the window nets. I do not think zip ties are going to pass tech. You can get 1/4 wide hose clamps from Fastenal or somewhere similar.

@RustyNailJustin said the exact same thing yesterday. The zip ties were cut off for the wrap, so i’ll take both of your advice and go with 1/4” hose clamps.

 

[Pacer]

@RustyNailJustin said the exact same thing yesterday. The zip ties were cut off for the wrap, so i’ll take both of your advice and go with 1/4” hose clamps.

Doesn't look like ¼" will fit through the grommets on the net?

 

[matzell]

They will, that is what I have used on my car.

Doesn't look like ¼" will fit through the grommets on the net?

 

[Charles4x4]

This is probably my final build stage post. The wrap and exhaust are done. Tomorrow while I'm picking up my co-driver, RV, and rental Jeep for KOH in LA, Robert Otwell and RockSolidToys will be wrapping up the final 4-5 hour To-Do list. We hope to begin Testing late tomorrow or early Sat depending on daylight.

Since my last post, the 4Runner has been wrapped and exhaust is done. Note that we have a few walk-around videos on IG/FB if you want to check them out.

Syndicate Offroad did an amazing job on the wrap. It was a 1-week job and I asked them to get it done in 2-days. To my surprise, they put 5 guys on it for ~18 hours straight to buy us more time for build completion and testing.

Because of their commitment to this project, we got to install the exhaust a day early and pick up a half-day on Friday for Build Finalization and Testing.

Enough talk, the pictures speak for themselves:

Walk-Around Video:

It rained on the way back...not fun fighting a tarp on the side of I-15 in a downpour... All part of the experience I guess.

Exhaust being installed. We had to re-do from the Y-Pipe all the way back to ensure everything is tucked in tight.

On the lift. Note the rear suspension is cinched tight with big Tie Downs from the ProRock 60 to the frame so the coils wouldn't fall out due to Limit Straps not being installed yet.

High and Tight:

Headed back to the Shop for the night!

While I know the wrap isn't functional, the feedback we've received has been outstanding. Our sponsors are happy, our followers love it, and we're getting a lot of media attention. So much that we actually got named one of the Top 5 Most Innovative Rigs at KOH 2019!
I'm proud of what the team has accomplished and I think the wrap was the ideal way to put the finishing touch on an amazing build phase.
Now, after tomorrow, we turn our focus 100% to Testing, Prepping, Prerunning, and EMC next Wed! We'll be in the desert from here on. If you want to see what we are up to, follow us on FB/IG.

The next time you hear from me, it'll likely be a Post Race recap.

 

[Charles4x4]

One last post. Because our driveshafts aren't in yet, we had to use our Front and Rear Warn winches, Bubba Rope Gator Jaw Pro Shackles, and Odyssey Battery to get the truck On and Off the RockSolidToys trailer. We did it 6 or 8 times in total - it was comical.
Brief video posted here while at Syndicate Offroad. I think they posted a better one.


Thank goodness for our Odysset 12 amp Battery charger. It kept our Odyssey Extreme Series Battery going strong for weeks and a lot of heavy winching.

That's it for the night. Another bright and early start tomorrow!

 

[Pacer]

So good, amazing hustle!
Good luck SCR, we'll be rooting for you!

 

[GLTHFJ60]

That wrap looks incredible.