shawkins
Adventurer
I figured since I have started making some modifications to my '97 4Runner it was time for it to have it's own thread!
Introducing the Periwinkle Mobile! (named by my mom and sister)
First day with it:
On the way home from Central Oregon, I saw my 4Runners twin in Sisters, Oregon:
Naturally, the first modification I made to the 4Runner was installing "expeditionportal.com" decals. They are currently the only decals on my 4Runner, as I don't like to sticker up my vehicles. But I love this forum and am proud to sport these!
Second on the list was a new headunit with iPod capabilities. I already had an Alpine CDA-9887 from another car, so it found its way into the dash.
I love Alpines iPod interface as I also have a CDA-9885 in my '91 4Runner. I wouldn't reccomend the 9887 over the 9885 or any other of Alpines models due to the fact that you need an extra software kit and to plug in your laptop to the unit to adjust the trebel, bass, mid. The 9887 is definitley a headunit for audiophiles with lots of fine tuning features and I only picked it up because I got it for a killer deal. I love the 9887 because of all the extra bells and whistles but for most people they are overkill.
During the install of the new headunit, I was digging for parts in the garage and ran across my old front and rear set of Huskey Liners from my totalled '98 4Runner. Although they are tan and this 4Runner has the blue/gray interior they do a great job of keeping the dirt, mud, snow or whatever is on my shoes/boots off of my nice clean carpet.
Next, I found myself wanting better sounding speakers. So I ditched the stock front speakers for 6.5" Morel Dotech Ovation components. I'm currently just running these of the internal amp in the 9887 but they sound way better than the stock components.
After awhile, I started to notice that the paint on the mirrors had fadded differently that the rest of the vehicle, my guess would be since they are plastic. I thought that the base model 4Runner black mirrors would look good, so I purchased plain, non-power, non-painted black mirrors from Toyota and swapped my power guts into them. As far as I know, I now have the only power, non-painted black mirrors in exisistence!
I drove the 4Runner like this for a month or so until one day when I was returning a bunch of parts to Toyota from a past project. I ended up with enough of a credit to get a pair of '02 tail lights. I think the '02 tails give the 4runner a newer look.
I do alot of night driving, so vehicle lighting is somewhat of a special interest of mine. This 4Runner came with the stock Hella foglights which use a H3 bulb. I wanted a yellow-ish light from the fog lights due to the fact I also drive in alot of fog. I decided to try PIAA's Ion Crystal bulbs, and while incredibly over-priced ($60 for a pair) they work a little better than I expected. They are somewhat brighter than the stock bulbs that were in the hella fogs, and produce a nice yellow light. The fog lights still have poor performance, but I place that blame on the Hella reflectors since the chrome is not very shiney anymore and is starting to chip off.
Somewhere along the modification timeline, I removed my runningboards - which were dented quite nicely (I guess they don't make very good sliders), in preparation for my next addition to the 4Runner.
Now comes the good stuff.:victory:
When I bought the 4Runner the tires were almost shot, with just enough tread to last me through the rest of summer. Come fall, it started raining (I live in Oregon) and we all know how safe bald tires are in the rain so to my rescue came...255/85R16 BFG MT KM2's!
Pictures from just after they were installed:
I knew from my previous '98 4Runner that I could fit a 255/85R16 tire on without a lift. All that had to be done in the front was remove the running boards, pound the pinch weld and reshape the inner fender liner. The rear was even easier since I only had to trim part of the fender flare.
First inpressions of the tires were good. I noticed more road noise from 25-45 MPH, but no noticeable increase (to me atleast) at 55-up.
I now have over 3K miles on these tires, using them in all sorts of terrain: lots of pavement, dirt roads, gravel roads, rocks, 2-3" of snow covered pavement, 2-5" of snow covered dirt and gravel roads and some mud. I love these tires! They are by far my favorite. My dad was quite impressed by them too when we were elk hunting this year and will be putting them on our '91 4Runner.
Although the tires fit fine with no lift, I knew I wanted a little more height for more clearence and for looks. So one evening I installed 1" Daystar strut top spacers and '99 4Runner rear springs.
I am happy with the Daystar spacers since they do what they are supposed to do: lift the front 1". Now the '99 coils I was expecting a little more height out of. I suspect they are actually '98 coils and not '99. I know that '96-'97 4Runners sat the second lowest of all years of 3rd gens with '00-'02 being the lowest. '98 coils were slightly taller than '96-'97 and '99 coils being 1" taller than '98 coils.
So needless to say, I am still searching for a different option for the rear. What slightly complicates the situation is the varying ammounts of weight I carry in the cargo area. It varies from empty to around 500lbs and stock springs regardless of which year just dont handle that task very well. I am currently looking at a pair of OME 890 coils.
That sums up all of the modifications I have completed so far on the 4Runner. I have a few parts(ok, a small pile in my bedroom) that are slowly finding their way to the vehicle so check back for updates!
Thanks,
Stephen
Introducing the Periwinkle Mobile! (named by my mom and sister)
First day with it:
On the way home from Central Oregon, I saw my 4Runners twin in Sisters, Oregon:
Naturally, the first modification I made to the 4Runner was installing "expeditionportal.com" decals. They are currently the only decals on my 4Runner, as I don't like to sticker up my vehicles. But I love this forum and am proud to sport these!
Second on the list was a new headunit with iPod capabilities. I already had an Alpine CDA-9887 from another car, so it found its way into the dash.
I love Alpines iPod interface as I also have a CDA-9885 in my '91 4Runner. I wouldn't reccomend the 9887 over the 9885 or any other of Alpines models due to the fact that you need an extra software kit and to plug in your laptop to the unit to adjust the trebel, bass, mid. The 9887 is definitley a headunit for audiophiles with lots of fine tuning features and I only picked it up because I got it for a killer deal. I love the 9887 because of all the extra bells and whistles but for most people they are overkill.
During the install of the new headunit, I was digging for parts in the garage and ran across my old front and rear set of Huskey Liners from my totalled '98 4Runner. Although they are tan and this 4Runner has the blue/gray interior they do a great job of keeping the dirt, mud, snow or whatever is on my shoes/boots off of my nice clean carpet.
Next, I found myself wanting better sounding speakers. So I ditched the stock front speakers for 6.5" Morel Dotech Ovation components. I'm currently just running these of the internal amp in the 9887 but they sound way better than the stock components.
After awhile, I started to notice that the paint on the mirrors had fadded differently that the rest of the vehicle, my guess would be since they are plastic. I thought that the base model 4Runner black mirrors would look good, so I purchased plain, non-power, non-painted black mirrors from Toyota and swapped my power guts into them. As far as I know, I now have the only power, non-painted black mirrors in exisistence!
I drove the 4Runner like this for a month or so until one day when I was returning a bunch of parts to Toyota from a past project. I ended up with enough of a credit to get a pair of '02 tail lights. I think the '02 tails give the 4runner a newer look.
I do alot of night driving, so vehicle lighting is somewhat of a special interest of mine. This 4Runner came with the stock Hella foglights which use a H3 bulb. I wanted a yellow-ish light from the fog lights due to the fact I also drive in alot of fog. I decided to try PIAA's Ion Crystal bulbs, and while incredibly over-priced ($60 for a pair) they work a little better than I expected. They are somewhat brighter than the stock bulbs that were in the hella fogs, and produce a nice yellow light. The fog lights still have poor performance, but I place that blame on the Hella reflectors since the chrome is not very shiney anymore and is starting to chip off.
Somewhere along the modification timeline, I removed my runningboards - which were dented quite nicely (I guess they don't make very good sliders), in preparation for my next addition to the 4Runner.
Now comes the good stuff.:victory:
When I bought the 4Runner the tires were almost shot, with just enough tread to last me through the rest of summer. Come fall, it started raining (I live in Oregon) and we all know how safe bald tires are in the rain so to my rescue came...255/85R16 BFG MT KM2's!
Pictures from just after they were installed:
I knew from my previous '98 4Runner that I could fit a 255/85R16 tire on without a lift. All that had to be done in the front was remove the running boards, pound the pinch weld and reshape the inner fender liner. The rear was even easier since I only had to trim part of the fender flare.
First inpressions of the tires were good. I noticed more road noise from 25-45 MPH, but no noticeable increase (to me atleast) at 55-up.
I now have over 3K miles on these tires, using them in all sorts of terrain: lots of pavement, dirt roads, gravel roads, rocks, 2-3" of snow covered pavement, 2-5" of snow covered dirt and gravel roads and some mud. I love these tires! They are by far my favorite. My dad was quite impressed by them too when we were elk hunting this year and will be putting them on our '91 4Runner.
Although the tires fit fine with no lift, I knew I wanted a little more height for more clearence and for looks. So one evening I installed 1" Daystar strut top spacers and '99 4Runner rear springs.
I am happy with the Daystar spacers since they do what they are supposed to do: lift the front 1". Now the '99 coils I was expecting a little more height out of. I suspect they are actually '98 coils and not '99. I know that '96-'97 4Runners sat the second lowest of all years of 3rd gens with '00-'02 being the lowest. '98 coils were slightly taller than '96-'97 and '99 coils being 1" taller than '98 coils.
So needless to say, I am still searching for a different option for the rear. What slightly complicates the situation is the varying ammounts of weight I carry in the cargo area. It varies from empty to around 500lbs and stock springs regardless of which year just dont handle that task very well. I am currently looking at a pair of OME 890 coils.
That sums up all of the modifications I have completed so far on the 4Runner. I have a few parts(ok, a small pile in my bedroom) that are slowly finding their way to the vehicle so check back for updates!
Thanks,
Stephen
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