Builds Steel City Racing: King of the Hammers 2019 Toyota 4Runner IFS 4600 Build Thread (2 Viewers)

[Charles4x4]

I ended up leaving around 11:30 CT on Sunday to head out on the long drive. For those not following FB or IG and haven't been receiving the real-time updates, as of 9am PT this morning (Wed), the truck is now in Luke and HD's capable hands at 4x4Labs in Grass Valley, CA.
I'm sure many followers are waiting for a long story filled with uncertainty from attempting to drive a KOH bound rig 36-hrs and 2,400 miles across the country. Well, there wasn't much. I literally did not have a single problem the entire trip. The rig is rock solid reliable from an Engine, Transmission, Electrical, and Fuel Delivery standpoint.

I averaged 12-hrs a day only stopping for gas and meals. I put air in the tires a couple times. I checked fluids each morning. I monitored Fuel Pressure, Engine Temp, and AFR every few minutes. And I mostly watched the fuel gauge. I was able to get 15-18 MPG between stops and rarely could make it till 1/4 tank before I simply had to step out and stretch my legs.

The only eventful thing happened on Day 1 where I intentionally ran the gas to 1/16 Tank to find true Empty. It ran great until I went down a steep hill, at which point all the fuel shifted to the front of the cell away from the pump pick-up and the engine died. I threw it in N, coasted down the hill, and fired it back up as soon as I hit the next climb. It died again on the next downhill, but I was able to coast a couple miles in N to a an exit where I ran a stop sign at the bottom of a off ramp and coasted up next to a pump with 0 inches to spare.
After that I never let it get below 1/8 of a tank just in case.

The rest of the trip consisted of driving, eating, filling up with gas, stretching legs, and driving more. The scenery changed enough to keep things interesting the first two days. But once I got past Bonneville in Utah, it got a bit too repetitive - especially in Northern Nevada.

Tons of scenery pics from the trip are on FB and IG. Here are a few of my favorites:

Cheyenne, WY:

Green River, WY:

Bonneville, UT

Tahoe National Forest, CA:

 

[Charles4x4]

This morning I got to spend some time with Luke, HD, and the 4x4Labs team at their new, huge shop in Grass Valley, CA. It's impressivet!

Luke and the team have been building 4x4 Armor for close to 20-years and their products are world class for strength, functionality, and design. They take the approach of allowing their products and reputation to speak for itself - and the pride they have in their craftsmanship and passion they have for the offroad industry shines through in the end product.

Their shop is a mix of Hi-Tech equipment and HUGE old machinery. There is also a massive powdercoating booth and oven - they do everything in house! They have a flow throughout the shop - not a lot of talking, but a ton of work getting done. Behind the shop is at least 1 of every 4x4 Toyota made since the 1st gen pickup for mock-up including tons of Land Cruisers, Tacomas, and Pickups.

They still do a ton of 80 Series Land Cruiser stuff, but see the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Gen 4Runner platforms ramping up dramatically. Our KOH build will augment their large offering with a Complete System of 4th Gen 4Runner Armor that will be integrated together in fit, functionality, and style!

 

[Charles4x4]

For our 4th Gen, Luke and the team will be creating a light weight, extremely strong, high clearance Front Bumper that will be similar in style to the one shown on this GX below and will house our Warn Zeon Platinum 10-S winch and a LED light bar.
This one was still being fabricated while I was there and will still missing a few components including the upper bar in front of the grill (on the floor to the left):

The Rear Bumper will be similar to their existing 4th Gen 4Runner rear bumper and the one shown on this GX. They have 3 or 4 ideas to enhance it to make sure it has maximum clearance and strength while protecting the body and saving weight. This bumper has the best departure angle of any on the market. It'll be made to hold a tire carrier and ladder system in the future, but of course we won't run anything except the bumper to save weight for KOH:

The sliders will be similar to the one pictured below including the slide plates and kick-out at the rear, which will fit our 3" extended on each side Currie RJ60 in the rear. They have some weight saving ideas here too:

And finally, they'll be fabricating a full skid plate system for the undercarriage that will be made out of high strength steel for maximum durability as we drag the 4Runner over obstacles at KOH.

I'm really excited to have Luke, HD, and the 4x4Labs team partnering with us on this car. Their passion is evident in their products. No flashy marketing, no gimmics. Just solid products for those who want maximum protection and performance with top notch design.
Before I left, I handed them the keys and challenged them to work their magic and simply have fun with it. I know they'll do an amazing job and I cannot wait to see the full system of 4th Gen 4Runner armor that will be turning heads when they are done!

Thanks again for the 4x4Labs team for partnering with us on this build and being such wonderful hosts while I was in CA.
Once Luke is done, he'll be driving it to BigMike at MarlinCrawler for the next phase of the build in mid-October.

 

[Charles4x4]

Got some great updates from Luke and the team at 4x4Labs last night:

- Luke finished his new 4th Gen 4Runner prototype front bumper on his own rig and will be completing a slightly improved and jig-built version for mine next.

- This new 4x4Labs 4th Gen 4Runner bumper is designed for Ultra High Clearance, Maximum Approach Angle, and a No Fluff Design. Just Strong, Sexy Lines, Low Weight, and Maximum Protection. What else could you ask for!

Here are a few pics of the prototype:

- Check out the Approach Angle - Insane!

More details of the design and construction. Sexy welds!

- In order to ensure maximum approach angle on the front bumper, they relocated our PS Cooler and added a high performance aluminum cooler.

I can't wait to see the bumper finished, powder coated, and stamped with the 4x4Labs brand on our KOH rig. More magic to come from 4x4Labs over the coming days!

 

[Charles4x4]

One final update for the day. I have been working on sequencing with Luke, BigMike, and Wyatt. Here's the latest on the timeline:
- Oct 15: Car goes from 4x4Labs to Marlin Crawler
- Nov 5: Car goes from Marlin Crawler to RockSolidToys
- Dec 3: Car is pretty much done and ready for testing

Moving 4x4Labs up to the front of the CA work ended up helping us get back on track with the timeline. We're all feeling pretty good.

I won't spoil the surprises, but a lot has been accomplished on the front suspension and steering over the past few weeks.

Also, Front Gen 2 RCVs have also been received! I'll post pics when I have them.

 

[74fj40]

What work will be done at marlin crawler and rocksolidtoys?

 

[Charles4x4]

What work will be done at marlin crawler and rocksolidtoys?

Front Suspension, Steering, Rear Suspension, Transfer Case, Axles, Cage, etc.

More to come on all of this!

 

[Charles4x4]

Quick Update:
I'm waiting for some updated pics to arrive from both 4x4Labs and Marlin Crawler. A ton of work done on the car over the past 2-weeks, but not many pics to show for it. I expect a ton of pics to arrive at the end of the week when the car moves from 4x4Labs to Marlin's shop.

Some Details:
- Armor will be done by Friday and 4x4Labs had a great idea for the Rear Bumper that I'll show off soon.
- Front Suspension and Steering are in process. The UCAs, LCAs, and Spindles are being laser cut this week.
- We're also taking final measurements off the new Gen 2 RCVs in the front to make sure everything will match perfectly.
- We've also been coordinating heavily with Icon on Front Coilovers, Rear Shocks, and Rear Coils.
- And Wyatt has some radical ideas for the rear 4-Link that we'll go into soon as well.

I'll post another update as soon as the pics begin to arrive.

 

[Charles4x4]

Got a few "In Process" pics from Luke at 4x4Labs last night. These are from earlier in the week. All armor (Front Bumper, Rear Bumper, Sliders, and Skid Plates) will be finished, powder coated, and badged by EOB Tomorrow. Then Luke is personally delivering the car to BigMike at Marlin Crawler for the next stage of fabrication.

Luke surprised us by building all armor (Front/Rear Bumpers, Sliders, and Skids) out of cross broken Heat Treated AR400! It's so strong that it literally stalled his 150 ton press a few times for the sliders.

Front Bumper and Front Skids:

Check out Luke's "AR" Branding next to the High-Lift Insert Hole:

Sliders:

Winch Fairlead they "whipped" out:

Rear bumper and skids are being finish welded today. I'll have more pics soon. These guys are AWESOME at what they do.

 

[69LC]

Nice build progress!

 

[Charles4x4]

Small update on the Front Bumper. Luke, HD and the team went all out - Rock Crushing Approach Angle design:

The Front Bumper, Sliders, and Skid Plates are done and in Powder Coat this morning (they do powder coating in house at 4x4Labs).

The rear bumper is being finish welded and will go in Powder Coat ASAP - it's the only item we're slightly behind on right now (maybe a 1 day delay).

They're also working on a cool idea for our exhaust... They are going All Out for this build!

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Better get cracking on the cage, suspension!

 

[Charles4x4]

Better get cracking on the cage, suspension!

Front Suspension is being laser cut this week. Will be installed along with steering starting next week through early Nov. Rear suspension, Atlas II, and T-Case will be installed in Nov at RockSolidToys.

Lots of logistics

 

[Charles4x4]

Did I mention the Steel version of 4x4Labs new 4th Gen 4Runner (and Lexus GX) bumper weighs in well under 100 lbs. My AR400 version weights slightly more at 108 lbs given the abuse we expect to see at KOH.

 

[Charles4x4]

Update:
Armor is pretty much done. Luke will be driving the 4Runner to BigMike on Friday. All 4x4Labs has left is some finishing touches, final powder coating, and hooking up the Front AND Rear winches (yes, 2 winches)!

Two weeks ago I got a call from Luke and HD saying they wanted to put a winch in the rear too - I love their passion!

So I called our friends at Warn and was able to pick up a 9.0Rc that'll be perfect for the rear bumper - Warn is AWESOME!

I know we won't use it as much as the front Zeon 10K Platinum, but it'll be nice for rearward recoveries and to help other racers on the trail.

Last pics before powder coating below.
Huge sheet of AR400 being cut at 4x4Labs

Rear Bumper:

We'll be running Dual Exhaust above the frame rail and out of the wings in the rear bumpers:

Sliders:

Continued below...

 

[Charles4x4]

Full Undercarriage IFS Skid-Plates:

More to come...

 

[Pacer]

That rear bumper is massive!
I'm confused as to why 4x4 labs is using the AR logo, waht is that about?
I also read, they are making your bumpers out of Aluminum, but the pics you're posting appear to be steel?
The skids are AL?

 

[Charles4x4]

That rear bumper is massive!
I'm confused as to why 4x4 labs is using the AR logo, waht is that about?
I also read, they are making your bumpers out of Aluminum, but the pics you're posting appear to be steel?
The skids are AL?

Everything is made from AR400 Steel - which is why they are using AR Branding.

I was originally considering Aluminum for the front bumper from another potential sponsor, but changed directions. 4x4Labs Front AR400 Bumper weights 108 lbs and their non-AR Steel Version is well under 100 lbs.

 

[Pacer]

Thanks for the explanation.
I'm rooting for ya

 

[peesalot]

Curious to see the weight on that after all that is added ?? Usually for racing light is fast.