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

Nice job tucking them in the grill like that! Looks very clean.

 

I’d sand it down, maybe hit it with a flap disk on an angle grinder and then install
It. That aluminum will
Clean right up and you’ll be all set

 

Would an orbital sander work.

 

I don’t see why not. You’re just sanding to bring out the color and even up the finish. The only change down the road will be oxidation and scratches

 

Thanks, i just don’t like having to spend more money on something that should have been bolt on ready, but I’m over it, i think a little clear would be good after that.

 

Hear anything back from Victory?

 

Not a word.

 

That sucks. I would think at the very least, being as they build these, and have to prep the surface for powder coat, they could offer some good ideas for the surface prep.

 

SlvrSlug, I have an idea with the skid and wanted to send a private message. Seems not to work, can you send me a pm. Thanks

 

I sent you a message.

 

replied

 

Can you get a pic of the fog light color at night please? Website says yellow but your pics look amber. I’m looking for amber. Thanks

 

They're definitely selective yellow. If you're looking for a true amber LED fog pod, I suggest the KC Hilites G4. There's a great thread of information and reviews here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-led-sae-j583-fog-pod-fog-light-review.554813/

 

Discovered my blower motor doesn't like cold weather

https://youtu.be/o4YT5Zpmg80

 

Sounds like the bearings are going out! I would take it to the dealer cold & let the service manager hear that!
Best of luck.

 

I tried to blend in with a group of Taco's. Do you think they noticed?
Untitled by redrunner87, on Flickr

 

I removed the LED low beam and re installed factory bulb. The LED doesn't provide as good lighting through the round lens, however, the LED replacement for the high beam appears to provide much more light-almost like an aircraft landing lights

 

Put H9's in there for the low beams. There's a thread to the slight mods you have to do to the bulbs to make them fit and it makes a big difference.

 

Yep. And if you want a brighter, more focused high beam, a 9011 halogen bulb fits with a little tab clip as well.

 

X2 . I went with HID to morimoto led headlights and in the end, running 10 bucks worth on bulbs. H9. I didn't get the color I wanted but H9 will give a good light without all the issues almost every other brand has!

 

Added a cradle mounted winch.

 

I like the idea of a rear mounted winch more than a front mounted... Most of the time if I get stuck somewhere I'd rather go backwards than further into it...

But I'd also like it hidden, and not using up the hitch receiver... Haven't seen that option for the rear on 4runners... I've seen a couple trucks that had winches hidden behind their back license plate... But that's no doable in our case.

 

I considered a hidden winch and steel bumper, but in the Bay Area where gas is often over $4/ gallon, I try to keep the weight down. This is my daily driver and I can carry the winch when I take it off road. With the synthetic rope it is about 80 LBs. just put it together, so haven’t tried a recovery yet. Yet to see how it performs.

 

Details on the setup please

 

Been working on my front skid plate, i have a little more to do before i put some clear on it. When i am done it should actually look like a quality piece.

 

That looks so much better SlvrSlug. Well done! Should have come like that in the first place.

How did you go about it? Did you sand the whole thing down to 600 grit or so?

Why put the clear on it? I would think it would hold up just fine without it since it's aluminum, right?

Maybe rub it out with some aluminum polish and touch up every once in a while if you find it gets hazy again.

 

Thanks, i sanded it down with 220 grit because i wanted to have a smooth, but mat finish. I could be wrong, but I’m thinking the clear will keep it from staining, and contaminates. Bare aluminum has a tendency to suck stuff in. I’m open to suggestions though, and welcome all thoughts.

 

It’s an X-Bull 13,000 lb winch with synthetic line, with an X-Bull cradle and 25’ heavy duty jumper cables with a quick disconnect. It probably took an hour to assemble. The tricky part was attaching the 1GA positive lead to the control box. It wouldn’t fit through the weather head into the box so I had to improvise. The cables are by “TopDC” from Amazon. If I were to do it again, I might use a lighter gauge wire, but the set up is pretty convenient- no cutting or crimping. I’ll run the jumpers to the battery when I use it. Everything is from Amazon and totaled about $450. Photo shows control box issue.

 

Gave it a bath today

 

Looks great. Pretty poor on Victory for allowing such a poorly finished product to leave their facility. Even worse they don't care enough to reply to your email. Customer service is everything, they'll learn that one way or another.