What have you done to your 5th Gen 4Runner today?

Did you have to remove the rear bumper to replace the valance? Or were you able to snake your fingers in there to remove/replace those clips?

 

yes I had to remove the rear bumper but it wasn’t that bad.
The front was a pain trying to get all 13 of the clips out, went from the top and got a few of them.

 

Just checked, sold out...

 

When i decided to buy them they were too, I put my email in to get notified once back in stock. I think I only had to wait about a week or two.

 

Almost finished with a rear storage drawer/slide out table/base for sleeping platform thing. I wasn’t 100% sure (still not lol) what I wanted the final thing to look like or accomplish, so I have been designing it as I build it. I also don’t regularly build stuff or do woodworking so I’m kinda winging that part of it too lol, but overall I’m pleased with it so far.

just need to remake the divider in the drawer (that was just a test fit…last thing I did today), and make another 1-2 of them as well. Add the slide out tables/counters (I left a gap underneath both drawers), add the main top that will be fixed and then add another top that I can slide forward for a bed when needed.

I will probably eventually go back and either drill a bunch of maybe 3/4 or 1 inch holes in the sides and back or cutout some 6x12 panels or something to save some weight as this material is around 2-3.5lbs per square foot (1/2” to 3/4” thickness), but it was free as I work at a plastics company and it’s also durable, strong, slides easily against itself, etc.

 

A very clean and professional look to it. I’m always curious about these builds, and what the final weight ends up being. Nice colour too.

 

Installed the Cartrimhome knockoff TRD skid plate for KDSS models. It isn’t exactly 0.25” thick aluminum, just under at 0.22”. To install it, I did have to remove the protection under the stock skid enforced radiator brackets (as someone else warned me). I’m not fully comfortable with how close the sway bar comes on the driver’s side when extended due to KDSS. It does clear though, I’d say about an 1/4” or just under. I saw someone suggest to use slightly bigger spacers and longer screws. That would also allow me to put the radiator enforcement brackets back. For anyone that will be doing hardcore offroading I’m not sure I’d recommend it. But anyone that is more of an easy off-roader, fire road / forest trails this will provide a bit more protection over stock skid plates. I didn’t realize how heavy the stock skid plate is, so a small weight savings with this one.

 

Thanks! I’ll definitely post the final pics. I’m still thinking of little modifications and some things I want to clean up (get rid of most of those brackets inside the drawers and just add a ton of recessed screws on the outside joints instead, now that I know it fits and slides well)

the material has an orange peel type texture to it (it’s basically a plastic cutting board but for outdoors use), so it’s hard to see scratches, etc, which helps.

but I should be finished next weekend

 

Tougher to find M8 spacers than I thought man. Replaced missing hardware from full length ARB skid plate. FSR's rattled a few of the included bolts and spacers out...before my dumbass invested in a torque wrench.
Next up, Spidertrax wheel spacers.

 

What this for? Seems to be the only thing really different than the real TRD skid.

 

Loaded up the wife and 3 boys and headed to the Smoky Mountains for a long weekend.

 

To access the oil filter without removing the whole dang skid?

 

Darn.. that sucks... you'd expect a shop would install things properly or make good on their mistake but I'm not so surprised; most people don't have any work ethic or any morals.. whatever shop that was, who knows maybe sales guy probably was drewling over the comission and didn't care if none of the techs were qualified enough to do it. R, you seem to have allot of those negative and expensive experiences? But in the end, you'll do it better yourself: don't loose heart, keep on going..

p.s. nobody is perfect and you'd be surprised at how comforting it is (for some of us) to see your videos: about your journeys, installs and your spiritual relationship with our father in heaven (you aren't alone, you are just more visible)

 

4mm Allen key to oil filter access panel. Figured I’d do oil changes in-between dealer planned service cycles.

 

replaced outer tie rods. need an alignment now.

 

I bought 2 OEM black rails during New Years Sale. They were about $150 a piece. I waited & waited for some to go on sale but I missed the one opportunity to get some off Tacoma world. I agree - it was way easier to go & buy some new ones. I wanted it done & not worry about plasti dip or painting the silver ones. I have the parts # at home. I will post that p/n once I get off work. The black OEM Lugs look great & the black rails means I have no more chrome!!! Woohoooo!!

Plus I have been buying my parts from Joseph Airport Toyota. For some reason that Parts Store has had great prices. Stevinson Toyota West here in Denver has great prices too, but Airport Toyota has been better!
https://parts.josephairporttoyota.com/

 

Cali raised roof rack is installed. The noise is better than stock with a Yakama basket. Very happy with their product. If there was thing they could improve is the ability to add mounting plates by having more cross bar mounting holes.

 

Anybody local to Phoenix interested in the OEM black luggage rack and cross bars?

 

So...A game of tug of war? Who won?

 

Hey Kolter45, thanks for the tip. I think that will end up much easier and will probably be a superior solution. I greatly appreciate it!

 

Put in a Kidde 2.5lb 1A10BC fire extinguisher on a Refined Cycle P/N FM2-K25a mount. Had to trim the inboard corner of the Husky floor liner to clear the seat mount bolts. Refined Cycle changed the design from 3/16" aluminum to 3/32" steel without updating their listing, resulting in a slight weight increase that's dwarfed by the extinguisher itself.

 

Mostly just enjoy driving it around since the picking it a a couple weeks ago, but received my blackout kit from 4Runner Lifestyle today. I’m not sure how I feel about a full blackout with the nautical blue, but knew I wanted to at least black out the weird added chrome on the latest TRD Off Road grill.

 

The snow lol. Ended up running into a group of Jeep guys to help get the Ranger out. Ranger had stock craptastic tires and kept getting sucked off the trail. We couldn't get him back onto the trail with just the Runner.

 

My Nautical Blue is totally blacked out. I like the look.

 

Elementfire.com

 

^Element sticks are far less effective than traditional extinguishers, especially when there's some wind. You also need to be a lot closer to the fire. Even then they can be useless in some situations:





The Element brackets are nice though. Sturdy and flexible at low temperatures. I use two of them to hold a water depth-checking broomstick on my Tacoma for wheeling trips:

 

Yes, not AS effective, however, takes up WAAAAYYY less room. I have one stowed under the front of my passenger seat attached to the Desert-Does-It Molle underseat panels. You don't even know it's there unless you lean down and look under the seat. I have a standard / traditional extinguisher on my rear window Molle panel.

 

^Looks like you'll need 2-3 E100 sticks at a cost of $250-360 to equal the performance of a single 2.5lb extinguisher. Plus you need to be uncomfortably close to the fire to use it. Better than having no extinguisher at all, that's about it.

 

Looks good! just curious but what front camera is that? I am trying to find a better front camera for the anytime backup camera than the one that comes with the kit.

 

they just look cool but you have to be that close to extinguish fire and it isnt that effective. hmmmmm