Nautical Blue Build Thread (Big Blue) - 60K mile review - lessons, regrets, etc.

Lovin the Wolfpack sticker on the back glass.

 

I got something special just for you! coming up shortly.

 

You will like this sticker better...you'll see soon. This is the real Wolpack Red unit.

 

Waiting from a prior Houston, Well kuykendahl road resident when working on Airline Drive!

 

Red for you Loco....the wife's truck is Barcelona Red. This is a true mall crawler - ultimate pavement princess.

 

This is the real wolfpack true red unit. I just get to clean it and do the maintenance on it. It rips too as it is SC and regear as well. A hell of a unit.

 

https://www.google.com/imgres?q=jim...d=2ahUKEwjki7z-692NAxWN3skDHcBZDwsQM3oECEkQAA
Approved!

 

I never thought of doing my tires like that: raised lettering, but not in white.

The red lettering would look awesome on my rig.

 

So here is the story on those letters....I wanted to put on the general grabbers which are the only tire out there with red lettering out of the factory.

The problem is that these are only available on MT (I think they are called the X3) and a $30 bucks was added per tire because of the letters which brought each to about $335 and I said $^@%! That. I ain't doing it because some red letters bull...so I bought a red marker for tires and just flipped the KO2's. I cleaned the hell out of the white letters on the K02's and went to work with the pen. I rolled into discount tire the other day and the kids were like.....dang Mr...we didn't know the K02s come in red. I said me neither!! My back hurts like hell...from flipping these tires and doing this by hand. The boss here at the house likes it though....I told her they will turn pink eventually and you will end up with a girly unit.

 

FIFY

 

Today was oil change day. I do it every 5K, and my goals are two: "Zero Harm & Zero Spills". I have to admit 5 yrs ago when I started doing it myself, I wasn't as neat and tidy as I'm today. It takes me now 30 mins max to do this job, first time it took me probably 2hrs .

The setup:

I got all my stuff ready to go. No beer on the floor however as it was too early , got going at 730am to try and beat the Houston hot weather.


I bought into the hose thing because I can't stand spilling stuff on the ground, so these little hoses work just right for me. I put the blue tarp on the floor just for insurance, my pulse sometimes is not the best and I'm also not a small guy so I need the insurance there.


I'm always surprise how much oil is retained in the filter housing and so I try to get everything out but you do get a decent amount on the pan. Again, the goal is zero spills on the driveway and on the 4R. Here is the quality or looks of the oil:


Not too bad, it could probably do a few more but I'm a big believer on the 5K. I use the K&N filters, they soak pretty good...they get a little hard to pull sometimes but for the most part they do ok.


Cleaning everything up and ready to fill in....30 mins was my time for this. I think I spent more time wiping down my hands to not mess up my cell so that I could snap these shots.

The bay looks clean and good....


A reminder...on the skid plates --- these continue to do their job, glad I have them in there. Crawling down to the Mall and Homedepot can be harsh at times

 

The mods continue here on this rig:

Dobinsons C59-327 (2 to 2.5") - Heavy Load with 200-400 LBS. I got rid of the 2" Icon. I will post those shortly for comparison.

These lift it the vehicle in the back and will see how everything settles after I load up all the crap I usually carry when I travel.


And since I was in the neighborhood doing this job, I went and added the adjustable sway bar links for the back from dobinsons as well. These seem thicker and a bit longer than stock.

 

^
Probably not the best "angle" pictures but here the before and after. The shiny clean picture shows the 2"Icon Rear Coil Springs



The one below is the Dobinsons C59-327 Rear Coils, provides 2.5-2.75″ with stock weight. It goes to 2” with 200lbs to 400lbs constant load.

 

ARK Splashguards, had to trim them in a few places since I have the external reservoir on the suspension.

 

Body Mount Relocation by DRT - https://www.drt-fabrication.com/product/5th-gen-4runner-cmr
Ok, on this mod, I know I'm going to get some from many for several reasons:

1. Back when I was a freshman on this forum (2020), I said, there is no way I cut the frame on my 4R, no way I would do such a thing....well I finally caved on the urge to prep for 34s. The DRT product seems very good and solid.
2. I painted the parts the same color as Big Blue but I should have gone with black and keep the frame uniform and low key. This will get fixed and corrected. Nobody can see it anyway.

P.S. Still a freshman with a 0.0 GPA

 

That is a super sharp truck your wife has! I love the bright red paint! Looks like you’ve done an amazing job keeping it up with the Texas sun. I sure wish they made more color combos like that.

 

I just came across this thread . Great job on all of it OP. Since you’re running heavy I imagine the 4.56 gears did more for overall driving experience than the supercharger.

 

Thank you . It is holding ok for its age 2017. It is kept inside at all times and I'm the primary care giver. Lots of goodies underneath as well. But certainly a pavement princess, it will never see a trail.

 

Yes, I think the regearing has been the best thing. The SC is ok, but I have mix feelings about it. I don't think it is worth the hassle and the extra coin. It is touchy too at times so adds more headaches. But when you get on it, it goes!