Black Beast Pt II - 2001 4Runner SR5
- Thread starter City_Rider
- Start date
City_Rider
Adventurer
Thanks!
Too kind. Knowing that I keep vehicles for long periods and don't flip them I knew I had to get the platform correct as it would see copious amounts of money thrown at it. I can say I'm still super happy with the 3rd Gen 4Runner and how it has taken to the modifications I've done to it. Every build is a sum of the individual parts and I am very happy with how it has all come together!
City_Rider
Adventurer
LED's installed - stinger still looking ugly.
And hood pin latches:
And hood pin latches:
City_Rider
Adventurer
LED's at night
Hood pin latch mounting on the radiator support
ARB Fridge
This is a 'in progress' picture - I'll take some more now that it's fully secured in this place.
Hood pin latch mounting on the radiator support
ARB Fridge
This is a 'in progress' picture - I'll take some more now that it's fully secured in this place.
Last edited:
City_Rider
Adventurer
The girlfriend and I decided to head out on a bit of a road trip / vacation as I had not really left the house in a couple years (besides going to physio!) and so the time came with her having time off and the 4Runner being completely set up for whatever we could throw at it. And throw we did!
The adventure started off calmly enough - we packed up our items and left the house, only to realize we had forgot a lightning cable at home and charging both iPad and iPhone was going to be tricky. Not to worry, a stop at my parents and my kind Mother let me borrow hers. No issues so far!
We loaded up the 'kids' and hit the road! (Sadly, Lucky - the little brown dog, wasn't able to come...)
We usually get along great, and even promised not to kill each other!
The 4Runner is washed and ready to hit the road!
After passing Longview and while doing ~110 km/h a sneaky bambi decided she had had enough of this sad, sad world and committed death by 4Runner. I was obviously a bit rattled at having hit a deer not 100km down the road from my house by after a road side assessment I figured that there was no 'real' damage and that the bumper and stinger had done its job and kept bambi out of my headlights. Sadly, this wasn't the case as I had to use a couple rounds of JB weld (one temporary and one permanent) to salvage the housings and keep the projectors relatively aligned.
Half decent picture of the oncoming mountains as we drove on HWY 22 South (pretty sure...)
Luckily I was prepared with the JB Weld Kwik and used a stop at the top of the pass to complete my temporary repair (without removing the headlight). It was half decent but I did keep getting flashed with the headlights on, indicating the light was far out of alignment. The dogs managed to keep themselves busy!
While Georgia (the girlfriend) had driven the 4Runner in short stints, this was her first encounter with twisty roads and having the vehicle fully loaded - being a good driver it didn't take her long to begin to 'feel' the road and drive to the vehicle's ability and not necessarily be concerned about the lines (when it's safe to do so). The 4Runner appreciates long corners! While in the passenger seat I was able to take some decent shots while rolling through the valleys.
Osoyoos really opens up in front of you as the ridge crests.
Not to mention the twisty roads that lead you down the mountain side and in to the valley. Don't mind the random bugs on the windshield!
Out of Osoyoos and back in to the mountains looking at snow capped peaks.
Downtown Vancouver - not the best parking lot but it was a busy day and the backdrop wasn't too shabby. Unfortunately I'm 'over height' and received a ticket for it... bugger. You'll also notice that the 4Runner is a Lightforce Striker 170 short. That damn bambi took him out and I was lucky that my custom satoshi grill wasn't badly damaged. Of course the front quarter panel was also massaged back in to a position close'ish' to the original - I'll still need to source a replacement. Total damage from the deer is: Lightforce Striker 170HID, clear corner light, driver side quarter panel, driver side light lower valance. As mentioned, I was able to complete a reasonably good repair of the light at one of the upcoming stops (Alice Lake) and so the bucket / projector retrofit was saved. I am now mulling over some additional protection for the quarter panel to avoid any damage if this were to occur again - perhaps the stinger will be moved over some and then tied in to the sliders.
From Vancouver it was off the Whister and the Sea to Sky highway. Certainly makes for some beautiful views and nice driving. Can't imagine it with the old roads such as pre-olympics!
Some very sharp rock walls, completely covered in netting for protection.
The snow capped peaks of BC - I'm not sure which mountain this is... close to Whister though as this is on the way there.
The adventure started off calmly enough - we packed up our items and left the house, only to realize we had forgot a lightning cable at home and charging both iPad and iPhone was going to be tricky. Not to worry, a stop at my parents and my kind Mother let me borrow hers. No issues so far!
We loaded up the 'kids' and hit the road! (Sadly, Lucky - the little brown dog, wasn't able to come...)
We usually get along great, and even promised not to kill each other!
The 4Runner is washed and ready to hit the road!
After passing Longview and while doing ~110 km/h a sneaky bambi decided she had had enough of this sad, sad world and committed death by 4Runner. I was obviously a bit rattled at having hit a deer not 100km down the road from my house by after a road side assessment I figured that there was no 'real' damage and that the bumper and stinger had done its job and kept bambi out of my headlights. Sadly, this wasn't the case as I had to use a couple rounds of JB weld (one temporary and one permanent) to salvage the housings and keep the projectors relatively aligned.
Half decent picture of the oncoming mountains as we drove on HWY 22 South (pretty sure...)
Luckily I was prepared with the JB Weld Kwik and used a stop at the top of the pass to complete my temporary repair (without removing the headlight). It was half decent but I did keep getting flashed with the headlights on, indicating the light was far out of alignment. The dogs managed to keep themselves busy!
While Georgia (the girlfriend) had driven the 4Runner in short stints, this was her first encounter with twisty roads and having the vehicle fully loaded - being a good driver it didn't take her long to begin to 'feel' the road and drive to the vehicle's ability and not necessarily be concerned about the lines (when it's safe to do so). The 4Runner appreciates long corners! While in the passenger seat I was able to take some decent shots while rolling through the valleys.
Osoyoos really opens up in front of you as the ridge crests.
Not to mention the twisty roads that lead you down the mountain side and in to the valley. Don't mind the random bugs on the windshield!
Out of Osoyoos and back in to the mountains looking at snow capped peaks.
Downtown Vancouver - not the best parking lot but it was a busy day and the backdrop wasn't too shabby. Unfortunately I'm 'over height' and received a ticket for it... bugger. You'll also notice that the 4Runner is a Lightforce Striker 170 short. That damn bambi took him out and I was lucky that my custom satoshi grill wasn't badly damaged. Of course the front quarter panel was also massaged back in to a position close'ish' to the original - I'll still need to source a replacement. Total damage from the deer is: Lightforce Striker 170HID, clear corner light, driver side quarter panel, driver side light lower valance. As mentioned, I was able to complete a reasonably good repair of the light at one of the upcoming stops (Alice Lake) and so the bucket / projector retrofit was saved. I am now mulling over some additional protection for the quarter panel to avoid any damage if this were to occur again - perhaps the stinger will be moved over some and then tied in to the sliders.
From Vancouver it was off the Whister and the Sea to Sky highway. Certainly makes for some beautiful views and nice driving. Can't imagine it with the old roads such as pre-olympics!
Some very sharp rock walls, completely covered in netting for protection.
The snow capped peaks of BC - I'm not sure which mountain this is... close to Whister though as this is on the way there.
City_Rider
Adventurer
Over to Alice Lake for a nice quiet camp site - just us and the ducks.
British Columbia sure has a wide variety of vegetation - this is my random 'artsy' shot of the trip.
And of course, more snow capped peaks. Shot across the vehicle as Georgia continues to drive. She was a champ for the drive out and gave me breaks whenever I needed. Cruise control is my friend and it wasn't possible for a large portion of the trip!
While coming back down from Whistler we had time to stop at Shannon Falls. Beautiful spot and only a stones throw off the highway.
After driving back down to Horseshoe Bay, we grabbed the ferry off to Nanaimo and began our island journey.
We / I wanted to go to the west side of the island and not knowing exactly where to go, I picked out Juan de Fuca and headed that direction. Unfortunately, China Beach was closed and we had to back track slightly to get back to French Beach. While back tracking I was able to get this show late at night, one of my favourites.
At French Beach we had a great spot and spent some time at the beach with our four legged friends. They had been so good the days before and were super happy to have multiple hours of fun at the beach. The best 'kids' we could ask for.
After the fuzzy friends had 'had their fill' we (okay, I...) decided I wanted to go back up towards China Beach and get a good shot of the 4Runner on the beach at Jordan River. Oh, let the fun begin. Getting on the to beach there was a considerable 'ditch' in the beach (which was basically all river rock) and so the lockers came on to help get me out of the nose planted situation I was in. The unfortunate part comes where the front locker engaged - but did so while spinning and thus, 'loaded' the front locker - aka '**** now it's stuck on'. Not cool man, not cool. Lesson learned. You may be in a crappy situation that requires using the front locker but really, you should anticipate this and engage it before hand! Engaging it in 'the heat of the moment' leads to overlooking the detail of ensuring / double checking / triple checking the locker is on before assuming it is. Vice versa for off!
All in all, it was a bit of 'fun' getting the locker to come off. Lost my first CV in the process while climbing a cement barrier at full lock (okay, at this point I was trying to break the CV just so I could drive around / home) and it appears that while breaking the CV, the locker also disengaged! Huzzah! If all I lose from this little fiasco is a CV then I've come out lucky - ugh - I don't want to lose my gears to something 'dumb' like this so soon after investing in them. I have yet to drain the front differential but I do believe it's fine... rotates smoothly (as in the CV stub sticking out of the diff does rotate on its own and freely) and I drove home with it (1300 km) and had no issues. A couple days of recovery have served me well, I should be able to tackle this project tomorrow.
On to the sweet, sweet beach shots!
British Columbia sure has a wide variety of vegetation - this is my random 'artsy' shot of the trip.
And of course, more snow capped peaks. Shot across the vehicle as Georgia continues to drive. She was a champ for the drive out and gave me breaks whenever I needed. Cruise control is my friend and it wasn't possible for a large portion of the trip!
While coming back down from Whistler we had time to stop at Shannon Falls. Beautiful spot and only a stones throw off the highway.
After driving back down to Horseshoe Bay, we grabbed the ferry off to Nanaimo and began our island journey.
We / I wanted to go to the west side of the island and not knowing exactly where to go, I picked out Juan de Fuca and headed that direction. Unfortunately, China Beach was closed and we had to back track slightly to get back to French Beach. While back tracking I was able to get this show late at night, one of my favourites.
At French Beach we had a great spot and spent some time at the beach with our four legged friends. They had been so good the days before and were super happy to have multiple hours of fun at the beach. The best 'kids' we could ask for.
After the fuzzy friends had 'had their fill' we (okay, I...) decided I wanted to go back up towards China Beach and get a good shot of the 4Runner on the beach at Jordan River. Oh, let the fun begin. Getting on the to beach there was a considerable 'ditch' in the beach (which was basically all river rock) and so the lockers came on to help get me out of the nose planted situation I was in. The unfortunate part comes where the front locker engaged - but did so while spinning and thus, 'loaded' the front locker - aka '**** now it's stuck on'. Not cool man, not cool. Lesson learned. You may be in a crappy situation that requires using the front locker but really, you should anticipate this and engage it before hand! Engaging it in 'the heat of the moment' leads to overlooking the detail of ensuring / double checking / triple checking the locker is on before assuming it is. Vice versa for off!
All in all, it was a bit of 'fun' getting the locker to come off. Lost my first CV in the process while climbing a cement barrier at full lock (okay, at this point I was trying to break the CV just so I could drive around / home) and it appears that while breaking the CV, the locker also disengaged! Huzzah! If all I lose from this little fiasco is a CV then I've come out lucky - ugh - I don't want to lose my gears to something 'dumb' like this so soon after investing in them. I have yet to drain the front differential but I do believe it's fine... rotates smoothly (as in the CV stub sticking out of the diff does rotate on its own and freely) and I drove home with it (1300 km) and had no issues. A couple days of recovery have served me well, I should be able to tackle this project tomorrow.
On to the sweet, sweet beach shots!
City_Rider
Adventurer
The best part of the day was our end destination - back around to Nanaimo and through to Ucluelet. A fantastic view and room awaited us - pet friendly and thankfully set up with a dog wash!
Once again, the kids were taking over the place (as per usual, making the room their home) and we were able to take some great pictures of our friends (mainly the photogenic blonde, Arwen) while staying in our room.
Right close to the Wild Pacific Trail and multiple beaches. Our 'kids' loved having quick access to the water and trails.
The fantastic view was always eye catching.
How could you stay in Ucluelet / Tofino and not go whale watching?!?! Our day on the water yielded some cool photos and a quick trigger managed to capture a mother and calf spout! Gray Whales are migrating this time of year and we tagged along with mom and baby for a while!
There is a small lighthouse in Ucluelet - also made for a good foreground to the waves behind.
While taking a small hike along the trail this view presented itself - too irresistible to ignore.
Also to be seen while visiting Ucluelet is the Ancient Cedar grove - there are certainly some giants to be gazed upwards at.
All adventures must wind to an end at some point - our journey home began by getting back to Nanaimo and the ferry to the mainland. The weather being much nicer this time, I was able to take some nice photos of the passing scenery.
Certainly kept Georgia entertained.
The pups were tuckered out and ready to go home as well.
When we arrived back on the mainland we hit up Milestones in Burnaby (pretty sure it was Burnaby...) for the end of the Flames game and were fortunate enough to watch the Flames advance to the second round! Of course our desire to camp one more night was waning as the night wore on and so we decided that I would load up on caffeine while at dinner and begin the adventure home that night. A long 12 hours of driving later and we had landed back at our cabin, safe and sound.
The 4Runner was used and even abused on this trip, I certainly didn't plan on using it to the extent I did... but hey, what are adventures for. Can't wait till the next one.
Once again, the kids were taking over the place (as per usual, making the room their home) and we were able to take some great pictures of our friends (mainly the photogenic blonde, Arwen) while staying in our room.
Right close to the Wild Pacific Trail and multiple beaches. Our 'kids' loved having quick access to the water and trails.
The fantastic view was always eye catching.
How could you stay in Ucluelet / Tofino and not go whale watching?!?! Our day on the water yielded some cool photos and a quick trigger managed to capture a mother and calf spout! Gray Whales are migrating this time of year and we tagged along with mom and baby for a while!
There is a small lighthouse in Ucluelet - also made for a good foreground to the waves behind.
While taking a small hike along the trail this view presented itself - too irresistible to ignore.
Also to be seen while visiting Ucluelet is the Ancient Cedar grove - there are certainly some giants to be gazed upwards at.
All adventures must wind to an end at some point - our journey home began by getting back to Nanaimo and the ferry to the mainland. The weather being much nicer this time, I was able to take some nice photos of the passing scenery.
Certainly kept Georgia entertained.
The pups were tuckered out and ready to go home as well.
When we arrived back on the mainland we hit up Milestones in Burnaby (pretty sure it was Burnaby...) for the end of the Flames game and were fortunate enough to watch the Flames advance to the second round! Of course our desire to camp one more night was waning as the night wore on and so we decided that I would load up on caffeine while at dinner and begin the adventure home that night. A long 12 hours of driving later and we had landed back at our cabin, safe and sound.
The 4Runner was used and even abused on this trip, I certainly didn't plan on using it to the extent I did... but hey, what are adventures for. Can't wait till the next one.
City_Rider
Adventurer
It was a long time coming. Thanks. It felt amazing for around 100km - then I hit a deer. Heart sank right there. At least it all seems to be working out, a '01 4Runner showed up on Kijiji for a price I couldn't turn down - it's even colour matched!
Should be a good donor for a fender, couple doors... Parting it out and hopefully it will see new life in other rigs.
Or maybe as a V8?? I have a lead on a '03 Tundra with the 4.7L and after paying for premium gas on this last adventure I am eyeballing the V8 swap. Ugh. I would take it slow and blast and powder coat this frame I think... Wow does it ever send my imagination racing though. If I ever wanted to build 'resto-yota' this would be the time...
Are there any parts off of a '03 Tundra you could use? It's green with a topper...
City_Rider
Adventurer
And now I have a long term project!
Use the wiring harness from this:
and use the wiring harness and engine and trans (and maybe transfer case) from this:
to make the V8Runner. Because... well, V8!
Use the wiring harness from this:
and use the wiring harness and engine and trans (and maybe transfer case) from this:
to make the V8Runner. Because... well, V8!
City_Rider
Adventurer
Got out to Spray Lakes, AB for a quick trip - recently acquired a zodiac and a 1970's 3.5 hp outboard and wanted to try them both out. Good times!
http://imgur.com/a/HVim7#uyXEFL5
http://imgur.com/a/HVim7#uyXEFL5