Oldtoyotaguy's "Build"

I've made a few modifications along the way to my 2018 ORP since buying it new 2 years ago, and although I never considered it a "build" I thought I'd post it in one place for reference in case anyone is considering similar mods to theirs. I guess you could call it an overland vehicle, which is how I use it when I get a chance to venture into the Canadian wilderness. But mostly its my only vehicle and daily driver with that all that entails, including high speed cruising from point A to B.

Suspension:
ELKA 2.5 IFP - factory setting at 1 1/2"
1/2" Cornfed spacer on stock rear springs

Winch:
Warn EVO VR 10s
Factor 55 fairlead and flush mounted winch line shackle

Roof Rack:
3/4 Front Runner

Bumpers:
Victory aluminum Blitz for winch
Victory steel Strike on rear without swingouts
American Gear locking shackles front and rear

Tires:
stock size BFG K02s summer
Blizzaks on Toyota steelies winter

Interior:
Weathertech mats
Carhartt Cargo mat

 

Nice setup, Oldtoyota guy. Great job keeping it functional and practical!

This is how the 'PRO' should have come off the lot!

 

Thanks, El General*****, I totally agree with you. I had the dealer put on the K02s, it was the first thing I changed, lol. I couldn’t believe an off road model would come with car tires. I’m a big believer in the old maxim “form follows function” which is why I don’t bother with stylistic changes like heritage grills, black out badging, wheels and plastidipped parts. I’m not putting down others for that, it’s just that it’s not me. One of my goals is despite off road worthiness, to have it still look stock, except to the enthusiast’s eye. That’s partly the reason for no bull bar on the front bumper.

 

A agree modest and functional, it’s a great looking rig ! I personally think that’s the best looking factory Toyota rim ever made. I’d put those on my second gen in a heartbeat if they’d fit.

 

I’m a big proponent of them too, bthp223, mainly after seeing them being sold on here for bargain basement prices and often being replaced by junky Chinese or Thailand made wheels. I really like the little notch to protect the valve stem, a little detail that’s important when you off road. They’re also heavy duty enough for big heavy tires, and stay true even when used hard off the pavement.

 

I still have my original rims, which don’t look to bad, I’m waiting for it to cool off then I’m going to try the new polishing deals that are out now and clean them up. If they come out nice I’m probably going to switch my new KO2’s on them, have them balanced and run my 4Runner stock. The steel wheels will get 33-10.5’s for off road.

No way would I take those off for Chinese wheels, nope.

 

I should have mentioned that I run Blizzaks in winter on steelies. I use those K02s as a summer tire. I guess it’s all relative, lol. I live in a snow belt from Lake Huron and the roads are closed here sometimes in the winter. Actually, nice you mentioned steel wheels, because I like those too. They’re tough enough, but they lack any valve stem protection. It’s so easy for valve stems to get broken on the trail. I’ve seen it many times.

 

To cold for me LOL, I’m a desert dog no way could I live in that. I’m just getting into mild trailing so I used a nice range bag to which I added the via air compressor, tire repair kit and another kit which has extra valve stems and everything. It’s all a nice little grab and go bag now so I should be able to handle anything needed away from home.

 

In the depth of winter up here, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I sometimes dream about the desert, lol. My daughter lives in Austin, and she reminds me how nice it is down there almost every third day or so, lol. And, I loved visiting her before Covid. I hope we get back to that soon.

 

Runner is looking ideal. Functional & dependable to the max.

 

Thanks for the compliment, Starr, you’re one of the experts on functionality on here.

 

Nice,clean,low profile build.

 

Tooooo clean, put some dirt on that thing would ya? Your making me feel guilty.....
Good lookin truck Old dude. I have to say, unlike most people, I'm not a fan of those rims, but with BFG raised white letters and the MGM color, they really pop. Nicely done Sir!

 

Thanks. Just trying to get home and up & down the mountain with no drama.

 

Lol, MI-FL off roader, I had to wash it for the photos, it’s dirty more than it’s clean, lol

 

Looking good man... Love the back bumper replacement... Looks really clean!

Cheers,

Sean

 

Some day my T4R will be clean enough so we can take some photos. We generally hit the car wash once every 10 days or so when we blow through town on a grocery & supply run. By the time we're back at the bottom of our driveway, we're coated with wet mud and dry dust. Maybe hand wash out here one day...

 

That is a beautifully clean set up. Looks great!

 

OTG,
Can the Elka coilovers be assembled for 1” or a bit less of lift?
How did the KDSS affect their instal?

 

hi Starr, yes, Elka is a great custom manufacturer and they will configure the coilovers any way you like. 1” would give you basically a TRD Pro stance. The Pro uses 2.5 IFP shocks if I’m not mistaken.
KDSS is another issue. I’ve installed a few lifts on Toyota’s over the years, so I’m ok about doing it. But after viewing a few videos and reading different discussions on here, I decided I’d get the best guy in the Toronto area to do it for me. I took it to a small custom 4x4 shop to a guy who really knows a lot about Toyota’s, haha. He did it.
I asked him about it, and his process didn’t involve the method of strapping up the stabilizer that several guys on here use. All I can say for sure is that it’s perfect. The kit is KDSS specific and the guy who installed it knew all about KDSS. It was no big deal for him.
Btw, I’ve told this story on here before, but in case you haven’t read it, here’s my KDSS story. When my 4 Runner went into the dealer for its first warranty service, I asked the service advisor at Guelph Toyota where I bought it how to lift it since it had KDSS. He gave me a blank look and said he didn’t know anything about KDSS! So I gave him my simple explanation of it, and said I’d send him a cool video one of the moderators on here had that explained it more fully. I got his email address and sent it him. The next time I was there a couple of months later, I asked him how he liked the KDSS video and he said “what’s KDSS?”. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink, lol.

 

Nice. Looks good! I have the same color, and I like the wheels as well. I can’t imagine taking those wheels off and buying aftermarket. I think they are a great design and look nice. I have a similar Front bumper, made by Artec. No bull bar. Wanted something light weight. I have the same tires as well. 265/70’s and they work just fine off road and on.
I do cross some pretty high water rivers and creeks during the fall to spring, so I have an ARB Snorkel and diff breather coming. Don’t think I will ever quite need it, but have a few friends and my dad as well that were crossing some, and hit a washout. They went under just long enough to suck water in the motor. If they would have made it a few more feet and come back up some, would have made it through fine. So, if it saves me once, be worth the money!

 

Surprised that you got that response from the Guelph service advisor. I would have expected that from the sales guys, but more likely they might have just made something convenient up.
I haven't figured out yet what I want to do regarding suspension yet on the T4R. I haven't pushed it hard enough to feel that it exhibits any severe insufficiencies. That day will come, though it is primarily my wife's ride, and I spend most of the time in the Tacoma. Speaking of which, I recently installed 6112s with 550 springs up front, and I love them. I tried 5100s in the rear, which needed help to keep from bottoming in dips, and also lack of control issues at speed. The 5100s helped a bit, but not much. Last week I went to 5160s, which made a good improvement, but I still feel there is a long ways to go. I'm surprised Bilstein doesn't have any decent mid-priced options for the rear. I also did the 4 corners of my 2000 Tundra farm workhorse. The original OEM Bilsteins gave me 25 years and 120k tough miles, so I can only appreciate them.
When I decide on new coilovers for the 4Runner, I'll follow your lead and have a good Toyota wrench do it to avoid pitfalls.

 

Looks good. I like that rear bumper.

So what's next?

 

Haha, I like that question!

 

Looks Great!

 

I agree. This is how the Pro should be configured out of the box. Great setup.