| Tires and Wheels Kumho M/Ts, siped. 33x12.5xR15. Tires mounted on American Racing steel wheels, painted black. Suspension 4" Superlift system Click here for before and after lift pics. Rear: 4" SuperLift coil Springs. They are much softer than the OME 2" list coils I used to have, so North Shore Offroad custom welded a pair of 2" lift spring seats to compensate for the extra spring compression. I may switch to rear leaf springs at some point. All related rear systems have been dropped 4", to compensate for the lift. Quick disconnect swaybar. Front: 4" SuperLift suspension lift. This kit drops the front differential four inches, which allows me to lift my truck's overall height WITHOUT changing the angles of my CV joints. The kit also includes a truss between the two rear a-arm mounts. This compensates for the weak link in Toyota's IFS frame support. I added an optional set of frame braces for added strength, too, and a quick disconnect swaybar. I tried a set of Sway-A-Way 25mm torsion Bars, but they didn't fit as well as my stock T-bars, so they were removed. The stock bars will do for now. Adding a winch and winch bumper may require another torsion bar option, but I'll burn that bridge when I come to it. The weakest links on my truck's underbelly are the steering arm, tie rod and tie rod ends. I will one day replace all those stock components with chromoly ones, and heim joints, from Chaos Fabrication. Then I will be INDESTRUCTABLE. Do you hear that, fate?! "INDESTRUCTABLE"! Body and Chassis Front Bumper/Bullbar: When I first bought my truck, I bought a cool looking Smittybilt bullbar. It's fine for mounting the extra lights, but it was flimsy as all-get-out. Travis Rankin, of Duncan BC, designed and built a custom bumper, based on a design I showed him. Basically, it takes the original ARB design, and takes it a step further, being stronger, higher, and mounted to the frame at three distinct points. It incorporates two indestructable tow points, and mounts for two large offroad lights. It also allows airflow through the area below the bumper (where the transmission cooler is located), while protecting that area with expanded steel plate. Originally, I was going to go with a winch bumper for my Warn M8000, but Travis suggested, and rightly so, that a removeable winch mount might better suit my needs. Click HERE to see the finished product. 1 1/2" Custom Body Lift: UHMW pucks inserted between body and body mounts. No other mods necessary. Total cost of (10) pucks and a handful of really long 3/8" grade 8 bolts: $35.00 Stout Equipment rear tire carrier/bumper: I totalled my nice chrome stock bumper AND my Hidden Hitch while attempting an entry to Hut Lake in the Fall of 2000. The Stout Equipment bumper is GREAT, but their customer service sucks out loud!! I won't bore you with the full story of the 5 month struggle to get my bumper delivered. It seems Stout has gone out of business anyway. I wonder why... Rocker/body protection: I bought a set of weld-on "Rock Bars" from All-Pro of Hemet, California. The good folks at Sport Trucks Unlimited in Surrey welded them on for me. The rock bars can take the full weight of The Iron Yuppy without any flex, as I confirmed while testing them with my Highlift jack. And, Now that they're installed, Rachel can get into the truck without using a ladder. I decided to paint them instead of powder coating them, so I just touch them up from time to time to keep them happy and rust-free. There's also a set of flexible rubber wheel flares now, as my tires extend slightly beyond the wheelwells. Nice and legal. Custom Roof Rack: Paying 1985 Ford Aerostar prices for a 1992 4Runner 'factory option'... Electrical Battery: Optima Red-Top. For the time being it's under the hood, but it will soon be relocated to a custom enclosure under the cargo area, as part of a dual battery system. Custom: I've made a simple separate circuit for the electrical accessories I've added or will be adding. I took a marine fusebox, and ran it from a switched source under the hood. It holds the fuses for the following components: fog and driving lights, air compressor master switch, winch master switch, rock lights, and engine fan kill switch. My Flex-A-Lite engine fan can be disabled via this switch, for deep water crossings. All the additional devices required their own switch panel in the cab. As there's precious little room in there to begin with, I had to improvise. See my custom solution HERE 110A Alternator: The stock 4Runner alternator puts out about 40-60 amps. All the extra doodads use alot of energy, so I upgraded to Downey Off-Road's high-output alternator. It's an aftermarket one, so I decided to keep my original one on hand, just in case I find myself in need of original Toyota Quality! Other Modifications On Board Air Supply: Stock Toyota a/c compressor and Front Range Offroad Fabrication's Air Kit Shovel Mount: Recycling an old reverse light mount, and a piece of stage rigging. If you don't have a household 'stage rigging' drawer in your kitchen, you can do what I did, and go to a place that sells concert lighting and buy a 2" speedrail clamp. If you see "Oasis" or Ted Nugent, slap them for me. * |
| Modifications |
| Drivetrain and Mechanical Engine: Stock Toyota 22R-E, 2.4l displacement, 116 bhp. Doug Thorney long-tube header. Cooling: Toyota V-6 radiator and Flex-A-Lite Model 165 electric radiator fan, Flex-A-Lite HD Tranny cooler. Transmission: 4 speed automatic. Front Diff: 7.5" Toyota, 4.56 gearing. Rear Diff: 8" Toyota, 4.56 gearing Traction: Toyota Electric Locking Rear Differential, from a 1997 4Runner Limited. Installed by E4 Auto Repair in Duncan, BC. Myles is the guy to talk to: 250 715-3020. Good work, by Toyota 4x4 specialists. Transfer Case: Single unit, gear-driven, stock from 1990 V-6 4Runner |