Fire's Trooper 2014 Trail TE 4runner

So after taking a trip down to NC I realized my outlander was too small. So we stepped up to the 4runner.
While starting to look for one, the wifey thumb'd up. Which is legally binding.

I wanted to make a thread about mod's and interesting things as my build progresses to help others!
2014 TE 4runner premium, non-KDSS
Here's a shot from today, I plasti-dipped the front last night.

Enjoy the Thread as it progresses!

 

reserving spot for links

 

Aligning the sticker in the back.
I took some 1" blue tape and aligned it on the bottom of the window and kept it straight.

I then bottomed out the R to have an indexing point and then put more pressure on the blue tape at the top to hold it like a perfect hinge.

I wanted to have them at the same point on both sides, so I measure 4" from the glass and marked with a pen.

I then flipped the whole decal up, removed the backing carefully and slowly. I then slowly "hinged" it back and then squeegeed it smooth.
carefully peel away the top transfer sheet. And voila.

 

The silver needed to go....


slave labor, I mean, child labor, I mean.
Aren't families great?


completed!
Process,
Cleaned the area to be coated, then cleaned it with windex/alcohol based cleaner.
Sprayed the area to be coated, but made sure that I only was spraying enough that I had a 50% transparency. So if you imagine when you sprayed a white object one coat, it would be so thin you would still see the white. The trick to plasti-dip is to do multiple thin layers!! Patience is key to this process.
I allowed it to dry 15 minutes between each step.
I changed my angle of application every time I did a new layer. Left to right, Right to left, rotated can then top to bottom, bottom left to right, then top to bottom with can sideways and then again left to right.
Moving forward I am going to aim at doing 6-8 coats. On the front I did 5, on the rear I did 6.
If you did a good job of giving a "buffer" around the object you want coated and its nice and coated as the rest of it, it will peel off easily.
[youtube]F2CB-d9bZ5k[/youtube]
Then for all the overspray and speckling just take a microfiber cloth and buff the paint and it will come off. if its really stubborn bust out the goo gone.
[youtube]W20ckam7204[/youtube]

 

Wifey didnt like the idea of it, but I wanted to see how it would look, and she liked it!
to under take it I removed the hood scoop via the 5x 10mm from underneath the hood. Then there is one Center "Clip" that you need to use needle nose to squeeze together to get it to release, then if you look on either side of that center "in" the hood there are two more blue ones that also need to be released.

Spray away, I think I did 8x coats on this because I let it dry, the propped it up at a different angle. sprayed it. let it dry. Then rotated it and attacked it from a different angle to make sure I got it covered. Make sure you clean the nozzle between coats! even in between spraying to make sure no "globs" or "blobs" come flying off.

 

Fog light trim piece removal!
So, this was fun.
Key notes, remove from the bottom if you can jam your arm up into position. I have decently sized arms so most folks should be fine with this.
Right arm for drivers side, left arm for passenger gives the best angles.
You have a total of five side push releases (shown in red)

And then the Green arrow points to a side push handle that needs to be popped out before the assembly can be released.
Here is the white piece, but of course I am showing it from the front of the car so you can imagine how its positioned from the rear.

[youtube]E0Pughq27bQ[/youtube]
Sadly the point at which it pops into, broke off so its not properly depicted in this picture.

I just like to remind folks to "flex" the tabs back in a touch so they are sure to click back in when you put it all back together.
So even tho the directions said you can do it wet, I HATED doing these wet because the lamin-x is "Flat" and the fog's glass has multiple angles in which you have to contort the piece to.

I liked putting it on in the middle first and then pushed it right to flatten it out and then worked my way back left smoothing it out with my finger as I went along.

As you're going left you will find those additional "angles" that will require you to "pull" on the tab a bit more while you are flattening out the Lamin-x.
Once you're happy with it I would then cut the tabs off.

Turn on your fogs and let the car idle for awhile and let them heat up to help with the adhesive.

At this point you are then also able to stand back and say
damn, that's a sexy *****....
purchased the lamin-x from here, Headlight, Tail Light, Fog Light Film Covers & Paint Protection Products from Lamin-x

 

Hardwiring my Valentine 1 one radard detector and giving it power from the rear view mirror.
So this is the model of mirror I have,


Which has two connections to it, White (ground) and Blue (Power 12v). Of course always test yours first before plugging in random stuff.

I had some expanding sheathing around so I trimmed a length of phone cord to the same size.

I then removed the sheathing since I will need to put an inline fuse on the 12v power line.

on the phone cord I was using, the green was my hot line so I put the fuse on that line.

I then added a piece of electrical tape and then moved the heatshrink down to wrap it.

I slid the sheathing down from the plug side,

I did a test and made sure the detector was working with that connection and then plugged it into the mirror and I took a zip tie to connect the new wire to the mirror's bracket.

Working!

 

I couldn't resist a deal I saw on Craigslist today, 100$ for a set of still wrapped and in box siderails.
I feel like im getting closer to getting that lift....
N-Fab T1464R Nerf Bar running boards



Install notes,
Torqued bolts to 15lbs
used a drill with 12mm to remove all old bolts to speed up the job.

 

PLasti All the Silver things!!!
Ok, so roof rails were last, You do have to remove them completely and just cannot "pop out" the silver.
[youtube]HVeuXVOmKbw[/youtube]
I used those directions.
I chose not to do them while mounted on truck because I am short
Here's the bolts with rubber gaskets and red loctite. They require a 12mm for removal.

I dont know if I just sucked today or what. But these rails took a whole can of plasti dip to coat. The silver was just pervasive and showing thru.

I think I did like 10 coats with multiple angles.
I then took some cleaner and cleaned up the area that was dirty that was covered by the plastic pieces and made sure there was no debris to accidently get stuck under the rubber gaskets. etc.

I did NOT coat the end pieces. I thought the color was good enough.

Final result.
Roof rails, nose, hood scoop, and rear silver done.

Next time I would suggest hanging them from the ceiling to have good access to 360 degrees and then also no fear of falling, or wind knocking paper onto it, etc. and since it has holes from the screws its easy!

 

ok, so the speaker system in the toyota SUCKS!
its paper cone, muddy rubbish.
I ordered up some 6.5 coax's and some 3.5 JBL Coax speakers.
I used Metra 82-8147 for adapting the 6x9 door area to hold the 6.5s
https://www.amazon.com/Metra-82-8147-Speaker-Adapter-Vehicles/dp/B00IIC60ZG
and Metra 72-8104 for speaker harness adapters.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BBP7..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=9JPSFM6WZMBJDM6DFVB1
Except I went to best buy and had them price match them for me.
Old crap paper cone 6x9s in the door.

The speakers nor the adapters came with screws, so I grabbed the sheet metal screws I had leftover and was careful not to overtorque them and strip the plastic mount.

I made sure the speakers terminals were closest to where the harness was on the door.

I then fed the harness thru one of the holes

all done and installed!

 

Supplies;
10mm deep well socket
socket wrench.
soldering iron
solder
Speakers
Dremel
Dremel cut off wheel
I went with;
JBL GTO329 Premium 3.5-Inch Co-Axial for the dash
and
Infinity Reference 6032si for the front doors
I will NOT recommend the JBL because the "ring" around the speaker protrudes and if you try to remove it you can rip the surround from the speaker ring.
Be sure to test fit the new 3.5 to ensure that it will fit!

pop off the adapter with a flat head. there is black adhesive holding it on.

now you have the mounting bracket and the old speaker, remove the bracket so you can reuse it. The screws are hard so be sure to loosen the speaker screws BEFORE removing it from the car. They are all 10mm bolts.

On the speaker covers you popped off your dash, you will need to cut off that "ring" that protrudes from it. Nothing fancy, just cut it off and clean off the debris from it.
on the first speaker I used terminals, on the second I I just soldered them on.

I should have grabbed photos from the second, but I viced the blue harness, then heated up the wire's soldering point and removed the old short white and black wires and replaced them with longer leads and then resoldered those points up.

 

So I was getting tired of the silver in the front of the truck so I decided it was time to plasti dip it.
I know some folks do it while mounted, but I felt it was less work to pop it off and spray it on some paper.
I took off the top cover piece in the engine bay via the pop clips & single 10mm bolt.
I then pulled forward (forward not up) on that top bumper piece to un pop it.
After removing the single screw you then need to pop the two retaining tabs to release the front emblem a
(I put the screw back in to show where it was attaching to the emblem piece)

Retaining Tabs

The actual emblems tabs are pretty stiff so I would recommend using a small flat head to slowly apply pressure to release the tab. Be careful so you dont snap it.


Remove the emblem and clean it up and degrease it.
lay it on some paper and go to town on it, make sure to hit it from different angles and clean the nozzle in between coatings.

throw it back on and admire how good looking it is.

 

by now you should be decent at plastidip coating so I didnt document that.
But essentially. I taped off everything as need be. Then I started coating the center and did 6 coats. I didnt come near the edge of where the tape line is.

I then sprayed heavy to the tape line and then quickly peeled off the blue tape to give it the sharp "cut" line

If you let the plastidip dry, when you pull the tape the plasti will come with it!
I wish I did a better job at taping off for a smoother line.

all done!

 

Install Vid here!
[youtube]vnfLCHx_m8M[/youtube]
All TRD parts were sourced from;
www.partznet.com
the vacuum hose and wireloom I picked up local at carquest

 

Got some pieces! Shiny and Chrome!
Bilstein Model Numbers
Bilstein 46-227294 6112 Series Suspension Kit

Bilstein 25-227611 Rear Shock Absorber

Sourced from

 

Lift all done!

6112 Front Shocks Model: 46-227294
I set them at the Fourth Perch UP for hopeful "2.5" lift.
Spacer used on top of hat drivers side to level the truck
The Coils that are paired with the 6112's for the T4R are Eibach 620's

Bilstein 5160 Rear Part number: 25-227611
ARB OME-895E 2" Lift Springs
Stock




Front done, rears stock



Issues;
the rear bracket for mounting the resevoir came with a mounting bolt that was an allen, but made from some weak metal.
The bolt hole that was threaded in the frame had corrosion and ruined the screw. Thankfully I used vice grips and pulled it out.
Underneath the car where you mount the sliders or side step bars are some bolts that are used as fillers. They are self tapping and can help you clean up the threads.

completed

Side by side.

 

woops, forgot to post the Before After GIF

Nex tto pickup some cap covers!

 

Ok,
I needed me some rubber! I decided on the BFG Ko2s because of beaming feedback from here, and everyone at the Discount Tire I picked them up from that owned them.
I chose the 275/70/17 size because it was a step up, no issues with rubbing. and only would cause a .86mpg loss vs an estimated 1.72mpg overall loss from the 265s to 285s. Then the cost of replacement and initial cost were factors as well.
I started a thread to decide on white text out, or in.
I even then rolled out a wheel and snapped a couple of shots to help decide.

Right after rolling it out.


after getting home and snapped a couple more shots.

 

ARB Breather install.
You can DIY your own relocated breather for less. But I like the option that I can clean the filter and add more if need be later for any reason so I purchased the ARB Differential Axle Breather from
Arb Diff Breather Kit
Drop your tire to have MUCH more working room. Saves a ton of time by dropping the tire.
Most of my intel for the install came from, The ARB Kit included the fittings to plug into the Diff.
I purchased from autozone a Tee fitting kit that included a 3/16 x 3/16 x 1/8 tee fitting.

I have a trail edition, which has a rear locker and has a breather itself so I wanted to Tee it into the same line going to the ARB breather in the engine bay.
Here you can see where I put in the Tee fitting and the wrench on the old breather.

You can also see the black ARB hose line, before I moved it higher above everything else and secured it with zip ties to some brackets.
You have to be sure that the hose will stay away from exhaust so you dont melt a hole into your line!
For the breather in the front I was worried about its placement in the engine bay so I put a bar to hold the hood propped open and then disconnected the gas strut.

once the gas strut was loose I knew that it would clear the breather when the hood is closed.

If you are doing a DIY relocated breather you can order from toyota a 90404-51319 union.

this is for the DIY person running 1/2" fuel line hose

 

Ok, so living in IL a huge factor is SALT!!!
Now when you install the 5160s you'll see this "awesome" cup at the top/Bottom of the resevoir that looks perfect for catching salt to sit in.
So I started looking for a solution and found others who thought the same and used Bearing Buddy covers from Oreilleys to cover it.
But then when I went to install I realize the other two guys who installed them both were utilizing the Bilstein billet mounts which does not impede install of the cover. So I had to carefully loosen up the clamps and pull out the resevoirs and then clean them before installing the covers.
I cleaned up the bottom as much as possible and added a rust inhibitor (in my case, froglube gun lube)

tossed the cover on.

And reinstalled the resevoir into the clamps!

 

Installed FSW -10 Matte Bronze Wheels
Duratrac 285-70-17

Call me ms saigon, owner of of saigon's happy house of massage, Because I rub alignment tomorrow to hopefully jack caster forward to avoid BMC

Had fun with my hood bulge

and went to Saugatuck

 

Great work. why not a heritage grille ?

 

I was being le'poors. Now with the aftermarket ones I am considering it again but not sure how I feel about the "toyota" sprawled across it. I liked text more subtle. Now you got me thinking about it again...

 

Not sure when you dipped it (2017) ? but I think the heritage would look great.

This is what I got. For the price, fits really well.

https://cartrimhome.com/4runner-Front-Bumper-Grille-Replacement

 

Killer looking build man! Wow.

Those wheels really set it off Good work

Dustin

Factory Style Wheels

 

Looks great man! I'm laughing a little because you're doing exactly what I did - modify everything you can as quickly as you can. Then you'll sit around with nothing to do to your truck and kick yourself for not spreading those projects out a little. Anyway, great looking rig.

 

Great write up, thank you for sharing. Looks like a lot of work.

Hopefully the plastidip will last a long time so you don't have to go through this procedure again.

I thought about painting my roof rails black when I first got my truck, but the silver stays much cooler in the summer sun.

 

Nice write up. 4Runner looks awesome. What made you decide to change the tires to the 285's?

 

Mainly for decreased mpg, higher replacement cost, fitment issues and... oh wait. Looking at your question wrong.
Bigger for clearance and aesthetics
The 275s were great, but the 285s really make it pop.

 

Added ditch lights. Unique thing was that I used for light for the bezel to minimize any splash onto hood
Shawnee national forest Thanksgiving trip