Unimog Axeled 4Runner

[Coyomog]

For the past several years I have been building a fully caged rock crawler/expedition style vehicle using a 1994 Toyota 4Runner as the base vehicle. TiredIronGRB's C303 axled Landcruiser was part of the inspiration for this rig.

The 4Runner is basically complete now and is powered by a Cummins 4BTA turbo diesel engine mated to a TH700R4 transmission and a sTaK 3-speed transfercase. Power is routed to the 19.50-46X20 MT Baja Claw tires through Unimog 421 portal axles fitted with Wilwood disc brakes. The suspension uses a triangulated 4-link rear and a 3-link front. The front suspension is supported and dampened by a set of 14" SwayAway remote reservoir dual rate coilovers, and the rear will is suportd by a similar set of 16" SAWs.

The wheelbase has been stretched from 103" to approximately 128.5".
1994 Toyota 4Runner SR5
Cummins 4BTA turbocharged/aftercooled diesel engine (230HP & 520lb-ft torque)
Flow matched high performance injectors rated at +60HP
3200RPM governor spring
60# valve springs
Holset HX35 turbocharger
TH700R4 automatic overdrive transmission built to withstand the torque of the diesel engine
1500 RPM stall torque converter
Kilduff cable shifter
sTaK 3 speed transfer case with 5.44:1, 3.05:1, and 1:1 gear ratios and 1350 u-joints with Northwest Fab triple shifter
Unimog 421 portal axles with 6.52:1 gear ratios and pneumatic lockers and 1410u-joints
Fully Hydraulic steering
14" Sway Away Race Runner remote reservoir coilover shocks with 400# springs
16" Sway Away Race Runner remote reservoir coilover shocks with 400# springs
Trail Ready Creeper Joints and weld in bungs
4 core radiator with transmission cooling circuit
8 on 6.5" disc brake conversion utilizing Wilwood brake components
Left and right rear line-lock brake controllers (cutting brakes)
Hydro-assist brake system from Astro van
Mickey Thompson 19.50-46X20 Baja Claw tires
Dick Cepek DC-1 wheels 20X12 with 8 on 6.5 bolt pattern and 4.53" backspacing and 1.969" offset
Warn M12000 winch
On-board air compressor (home built high flow/pressure)
Various Autometer Z series guages (Tachometer, oil temperature, oil pressure, water temperature, transmission temperature, boost, voltage, etc...)
Datcon electric speedometer and Dakota Digital signal converter
BD Performance pyrometer
3500 Watt power inverter
Hand throttle
Cobra 29LTD

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[TCinVA]

Do you have to get in Dukes of Hazard style? Cool rig.

 

[Coyomog]

Do you have to get in Dukes of Hazard style? Cool rig.

Open exo-door
Open truck door
Grab cage
Step on back tire
Swing up
Step in
Sit down
Close door
Roll down window
Close exo-door
Close window

Buckle up, crank truck, put in gear, and hang on.....

 

[TCinVA]

That's funny right there. Where'd you get the Stak case?

 

[Cannon88]

Impressive!

 

[MaK92 4RnR]

my god. This truck is a work of art! Beautiful machine. Not really my style, but im major jealous, regardless! I wish i had the knowledge, and skills to build such a thing.

 

[Coyomog]

That's funny right there. Where'd you get the Stak case?

I got it directly from STaK.

 

[H8PVMNT]

Wow no joke! I've always wanted to get ahold of some Mog axles. I'll bet that thing would dominate in the deep snow.

 

[Delancy]

One bad ass Runner.

Impressive work. Not a huge fan if exo's in general, but it's well done.

 

[Coyomog]

Thanks for the props guys. The 421 Mog axles give great ground clearance because of the portal boxes. I can run through 20" deep mud or snow without even getting the differentials dirty...

The factory air lockers work great too.

I really was not planning to do an exo, but because of the way the rear side glasses extend to the edge of the roof I needed to do something to keep from breaking them out when rubbing trees. The exo grew from there.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

I like the axles but could do without the cage. Either way it's done very well. Can't say that license plate surround trips my trigger either.

 

[Delancy]

Do you trailer? How do the axles do at on road speeds?

 

[Coyomog]

The truck is engineered to put the engine at about 2000RPM at 60MPH. The Unimog axles are fine at this speed, but they would need a better oiling system if they were to be ran much faster for very long. The real limiting factor for me is that the tires cost about $750 each and are made from a very soft rubber which wears out quickly on asphault.

I trailer to the trailheads when possible, bui I have driven it 15-20 miles to town and back several times. The biggest problem with driving on the road is that it doesn't stop on a dime...

 

[TCinVA]

I didn't like exocages until I drove a buddy's 4runner with a cage through a typical tight east coast trail- you can bang into trees until they stop you, and you can pivot around them instead of avoiding them, it was almost too easy!

 

[Coyomog]

I didn't like exocages until I drove a buddy's 4runner with a cage through a typical tight east coast trail- you can bang into trees until they stop you, and you can pivot around them instead of avoiding them, it was almost too easy!

I'm sure that nobody has noticed that my rig is a little tall... This causes the top of the rig to lean pretty far over when running on side hills and ruts. This means that the roof is really close to the trees lining the trails.

 

[Coyomog]

Went to a friend's this afternoon and played a little

 

[Delancy]

Man, that is tall.

Is it squirrelly feeling?

 

[Coyomog]

Man, that is tall.

Is it squirrelly feeling?

It definately gets a little squirrelly feeling when youre doing 50MPH and have to brake going into a curve. This is not a daily driver, and it doesn't do much high speed driving.

On the trails it is very stable. In the above photos the truck was almost laying on it's side, and my buddy was trying to pull it over. It just rocked a little, and that was it...

The height does take some getting use to...

 

[daveIT]

Man, that is a rad truck. I need to win the lottery...

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

How noisy is the 4BT? Do you wish you had more sound insulation? A friend is currently swaping a 4BT into his Land Cruiser, and already put one layer of sound insulation on the firewall, but we're not too sure how noisy the thing will be...