FordRunner Build

I guess I should do this for my own benefit, I have more to come and would like to catalog this.

Objective: Camping / Roadtripping / Exploring / Mild Wheeling

2016 Trail Premium, stock:



Current:



Along Black Gap Road in Big Bend


Took it to a few parks, left it stock to find out what needs to happen...




Honestly, it did really well, even with stock tires. Climbs like a mountain goat, rides good on the road.
----
Then, all of a sudden about 9 months later, disaster strikes.

 

We decided to go with some friends to Hot Springs, AR to check out the place, some scenery there, and to visit the OHV Park they had, formerly known as Superlift park. But first, exploration.

Ouachita National Forest is a really cool place, met some nice people, and found smallest public library still in operation in US in a town named Norman.


Took backroads all the way to Hot Springs to meet up with friends.

 

Things go well that day, and we camp for the night after visiting a nice place called Superior Bathhouse. Good food, good company.

Next morning, it's time to go wheelin', rain is in the forecast, and keep in mind we are all stock. First trail out, we slide a bit on a decline, and bang up a running board. Next, we can't get up a rock on a trail, it's too slick, I have no armor other than factory skids. I decide on the safe route, and back down, going around to meet the guys at the top using the bypass.

Then, later that day, we decide to venture to the other side of the park, which contains quite a bit more elevation changes, some trails climbing 750 feet or better. We mountain goat up to a vantage point where I can get some pictures, and see there's a 2/5 Trail leading down and around and back up to this point. There's a small pond at the bottom, so in the interest of exploring, photography, and it not being too difficult a trail, we head off by ourselves. We are still in radio comm with the group and let them know where we are going.

Going down wasn't too easy, there was a point of no return where we slid about 10 feet. It was at this point it started raining again, and I knew we were completing the trail, and possibly quickly, or we might start to have some serious issues. Radio was cutting out, but in a pinch I think we could get the group.

As we descended to the bottom we realized that for every foot down, we have to climb it back up, and were hoping the climbing section wouldn't be too steep. We were rewarded at the bottom with a terribly boring pond, and finally starting making our way back up.

The climb wasn't too difficult, but there were some off camber switch-backs where really got the knuckles white.

Finally! We can see the end of the trail, after about 20 minutes of crawling. The rain had stopped, the climbs weren't too bad. But one obstacle still remained...and unavoidable switch-back rock that was CLEARLY higher than the frame of the truck.

I locked in the read diff, knowing that it was going to be needed for the off camber switch back rock climb in the wet weather. I let Katie know we were about to likely damage something, but we had no choice, it simply isn't possible to back down at this point.

I lined her up, and gently, slowly, slammed the frame of the truck down the rock and dragged it about 6 feet. The sound was unbelievable. I thought I was trying to open the car up like a cheap piece of tuna in a can.

Whew, the door still opened. The running board didn't look exactly too bad. In fact, the frame, gas tank, and rear trailer arm took most of the damage. CLOSE CALL, but not unscathed.

Finally, after 9 months, 5 off road parks, the 4Runner found something it didn't just dominate.

Let the build begin...

 

We returned from out trip, and I finally had to make some decisions. I have narrowed my selection of tires down and needed them to ride well, ride quiet, perform well in all scenarios, and honestly...not cost a billion dollars.

Enter - Falken Wildpeak AT3/W 265 / 70 / R17 in Load Range E - $630 + $90 mount.


Next, the gas tank needs to go higher. TO THE SKY!

Enter - OME884 w/ Bilstein 5100 Adjustable Fronts (Set at 0") & SuperFlex 2" Rear w/ Bilstein 5100 rears. - $771


As someone who rode for almost a year and hit a bunch of different parks (Hidden Falls, Northwest OHV, Hot Springs, Barnwell Mountain, and some dirt roads), I can tell you that the Stock vs Lift is quite different. Many people likely say "Lifted is better..." and I always wondered what they meant...did they mean they have to like it because they spent money and dont want to look foolish? Did they just like the look? Here's my assessment....

5 MPH off roading - Lifted coils flex more
30 MPH - Stock setup floated over bumps better
60 MPH + - Lifted coils are a bit stiffer, less body roll, improved cornering, less brake nosedive, more confident handling.

Bumps:
Stock - Floated, good at medium speeds, but kinda bouncy.
Lifted - Firm, not too rough, handles bump fluidly, but immediately stops bouncing. Down, then right back up, tires on the ground, vehicle roll minimal.

Notice the running board are removed? I'll get to that in a sec.

 

Skids (Still on order, but went with ARB 3 piece skid from Pelfreybilt due to free shipping, no tax). - $435

These are 1/8" skids, so much lighter than heavy duty ones. I don't plan to wheel too much, and weight is a factor.

Sliders - All Pro bolt on bare metal w/ Kickout. Free shipping, no tax deal. - $499

BOOM

BA-DA

BING!


Annnnnndddddd, installed!

 

Next, I'll go over comms. I recently got my Ham Technician license, so this will likely be upgraded soon, but I decided to go with a MXT105 GMRS radio vs. CB. The 462mhz signal may not carry as far in some cases, but it's a clearer voice (FM vs AM) and it's easy to just hand someone a walkie and you're all on the same setup.

MXT105 - $99
https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_rsis_1_6?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=mxt105&sprefix=mxt105%2Caps%2C173

MXTA11 Antenna w/ 6DB gain - $27
http://www.buytwowayradios.com/products/midland/midland-mxta11.aspx

NMO Mag Mount for roof - $16
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BLCLUW8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Future plans include a TYT TH-7800 Quad Band Radio - $200

This radio would replace the MXT105 because of the ability to do 440mhz along with 2M.

Objective of this radio is for hitting repeaters if we don't have cell coverage to call for help or get updates if needed while we are out exploring in places of poor reception.

 

I am really enjoying your thread. Keep it up!

 

Next update might be a little while, but I've got 2 things coming you're going to enjoy. Just waiting on them to be delivered and I'll get to installing.

 

Quick update, got my Rola Roof rack I bought for my Tacoma out of the garage and stuck it up there. Actually is just about perfect with the factory rails. This rack will do until I get a Baja or FrontRunner rack for more serious use, but for the tents and sleeping bags and lighter stuff, this is a what we got for now.

Quick phone pic.

Heading out to Barnwell Mountain for some wheelin' with some Tacomaworld friends on Saturday. If you're around, come see us. GMRS (Walkie-Talkie) channel 16, and will be monitoring the ham repeater in Gilmer occassionally.

 

@fajitas21 looking at these myself in the 285/75 R17" size. How have they preformed so far..? Did they do good on your trip last Saturday...?

 

They did awesome. Rode quiet up there, and clawed up some good stuff no problem. These will make an appearance on my Tacoma when I get new tires too. I love em.

 

A terrible phone picture, but I needed to test out all these delicious modifications to the Monsterpiece so far...

Off to Barnwell Mountain to visit a new-to-the-4runner place (my Tacoma has already visited).

A few observations:

1. The new suspension rode considerably better on the rough and bumpy terrain of the off road park than my Tacoma, or the 4Runner's OEM suspension. To the point the guy with a Jeep Rubicon mentioned how jealous he was this thing was so smooth.
2. It was at this point I told him I had not yet aired down from 38PSI. I think he died a little inside.
3. Then I aired down to 18 PSI and continued down a 2/5 Trail.

We approached the first obstacle, a V shaped ditch, good for testing approach / departure angles. I know my Tacoma drug the hitch pretty badly the last time I was here, but the 4R has better angles, and the lift made them even better than stock. I eased in, and up exiting barely touched the spare, but that was it. SUCCESS!

We come to the end of the trail (Linda Gail Trail) and there's an obstacle on the left, and the bypass on the right. Like a total wuss I opted out and went about my way. We meandered into town that night for some tasty food at the Black Kettle Cafe.

*Side note on food selection*

My brother in law said he thought it would be good because as we passed by he saw two old people sitting in the front window. I asked him if he felt like the presence of old people meant the food was good, and he replied that yes, in fact, it did. Believe what you want (I believe they were planted by the restaurant to lure in people), but the food was quite good. So, in a 1 sample test with a sample size of 1, 100% of the time old people indicate a tasty restaurant.

** END SIDE NOTE **

4. The 4Runner returned to the trails and did very well on all 2/5 Trails, and a handful of 3/5 trails. The increased ground clearance kept the gas tank away from things, and only banged a skid once, and a frame rail once.
5. I'm done with observations.

-- Summary --

It's amazing what 2" and some bigger meats get you (spare me your jokes)...but in all truth, this thing now does:

A. Road Trips
B. 1, 2, and 3 out of 5 difficulty trails wells.
C. Mild Mud
D. Quiet Ride
E. Looks mean
F. Climbs like a mountain goat looking for some crack

P.S. - I got 16.5MPG round trip, with the cargo basket mounted. It probably sapped 1.5MPG.
P.P.S. - I went back and did the final obstacle on Linda Gail Trail on the left side, and it crawled up it as well as the Rubicon. It just doesn't care. I'm so in love with this truck.

 

Awesome..!! I just placed the order, can't wait to get them on..! @fajitas21

 

I haven't updated this in a while, but I'll give you some more insight to my build. I mentioned communications, and I wanted to throw some equipment out so you can save yourself some time, money and frustration if you choose to follow it.

First, I likely will never run a CB radio in this truck. Why it's still used as the "defacto" for trail communicators bewilders me, when a Wal-Mart 2 pack of GMRS radios are as good, cost less, instant setup, and use FM vs AM, so clarity is much higher.

But wait, CBs can run HUGE antennas, and they are outside your vehicle, so your coverage is better! Plus, having a 102" whip makes me look cool! Well, you're right about the external antennas at least....

But there's a few answers, if you're a Ham Operator and licensed, go with a Dual Band radio, such as the:
https://www.amazon.com/TYT-TH-7800-...=UTF8&qid=1493758987&sr=8-1&keywords=tyt-7800

Paired with this cable and mount:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V85ME6O/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Running to this antenna:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0165BIIZG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This antenna performs OK for 2M, but it's actually really solid in the 70cm band (where is where GMRS lives). I've hit the 4Runner from over 6 miles away hooked up to this setup mentioned above.

-- BUT I DON'T HAVE A HAM LICENSE AND DON'T CARE TO DO ANYTHING BUT TRAIL COMMS --

No problemo, using the exact same antenna, mount and cable, just swap the radio for this:
https://www.amazon.com/Midland-Cons...ie=UTF8&qid=1493759389&sr=1-1&keywords=mxt115

Go ahead and discard the antenna that unit comes with, or save it for something else. It's not bad, but it's certainly not that good. This radio will wire straight up into the cable for the other setup and you're on your way, very little fuss.

-- SO WHY GMRS vs CB ? --

GMRS uses FM modulation, and without getting technical, consider your car radio. AM works from a long way away but the sound quality is always kinda iffy. FM works from quite a good distance, but it's typically very clear. CB is AM, GMRS is FM. The reasons are the same. FM penetrates obstacles better, and is clearer, AM can go further but requires less obstacles to make that distance.

GMRS licensing is required, and it's like $70 for 5 years. Yes, yes, disclaimer. But I'd imagine that restriction to not last forever, most people simply ignore it anyways so it's never enforced. (I'm not condoning, I'm just saying).

So real world examples with similar setups, distances, and obstacles (tried to keep it the same).

CB - Made about 1.5 miles before it was garble.
GMRS - Clear at 3.5 miles, garble at 4.5 miles, barely picking it up at 6 miles unless we stopped moving.
2M (one of the Ham bands that requires license) - Spoke to someone 75 miles as the bird flies using a repeater. Clear. Entire city coverage is expected, multi-city coverage is usually possible.

My setup for my Tacoma is different, more powerful, but I had different dimensions to work with, it was eaiser to mount a larger antenna for better coverage. I used the same setup, except a custom build mount and this antenna below.

Honorable mention -- if you choose to go roof mount, here's a MUCH better antenna and it can fold over to go under low hanging obstacles if you remember to do it in time
https://www.amazon.com/JETSTREAM-JT...9&sr=8-5&keywords=dual+band+jetstream+antenna

It's a 1/2 wave antenna, so no ground plane is needed for 2M. It functions as 5/8 wave for 70cm bands, so while I do technically need a ground plane, I get a great signal anyways without it. I believe the effective gain is about 3db for 2M and almost 6db for 70cm. When sitting still I have reached out about 75 miles using 2m.

 

4runner*

 

The name above is correct. It's a multi-tiered joke.

1. Jeep people always insist upon a name, so I like to name things that which they aren't cause I'm difficult.
2. My son is named Ford.

I actually planned on fixing up my 1989 Jeep YJ and when the Jeepeople starting insisting upon a name, I was going to name it Ford's Bronco, just to annoy them.

TLDR; The typo is how I meant to spell it. I'm difficult to work with.

 

I know - I just like teasing.

You going to Jamboree this weekend?

Say yes

 

I will indeed be there. Camping with the Golden Triangle group, look for us on radio channel 16 on GMRS / Walkie, and I'll PM you my phone #.

I'll be with the group of guys from Tacoma world - @Jamart5 @overkill07 @newbietaco @tacodriver08 @Large @ETXTacoma and the rest.

 

haha I will be with those fools as well.

 

IT HAS ARRIVED!

Once installed I will post some pics.

 

I'm on here too, I just don't get on too much

 

New parts arrived in the mail this week, and I'm finally getting a chance to bolt them up.

For starters, About 2 months ago I ordered a 4 piece set of skids from Pelfreybilt, but they were ARB branded.
http://store.arbusa.com/Toyota-Prad...ruiser-ARB-Skid-Plates-5421100-P22754C78.aspx

Why these? A few Reasons.

1. They cost $435 shipped to me and included 4 skids (Front, Mid, Trans, and Transfer Case).
2. No Tax and free shipping, plus they come powder coated.
3. 1/8" steel is much beefier than stock, but still not so heavy it requires more suspension. It's a good lite/medium duty skid for weight savings since this isn't a dedicated rock crawler.

They came in a decently packed box, but did have some digs. Honestly, I don't care, I'm gonna ding the crud out of them eventually. My OEM skids didn't even line up to the holes any more, I needed something better.



I figured this would take 30 minutes to slap 'em on, and it probably should have. I apparently have no idea what I was doing, and the instructions were mainly for a Toyota Prado. Since I can't even set eyes on a Prado, considering they are overseas, I had to hope they are similar enough to make sense of the instructions.

I used the old trick of "If I run out of parts I probably did it right." I had 3 spare parts when done, close enough !

The first skid required me to "adjust" it with my dremel. After I elongated a hole that didn't align, it went on well, and the Mid skid bolted to it, and to the frame. The Trans skid was a bit tricky because to me it looks upside down, but I assure you, that's the right direction for it to be mounted.



3 Hours later I finished, and I'm happy with the results. Slim, and covers a lot more then OEM down the middle of the truck, without weighing down the truck too much.

Took a road trip to Houston this weekend and after 250 miles I averaged 18.5 MPG. That's with E-Load AT Tires @ 35PSI, 2" lift, sliders, and skids. I'm very happy with that. Truck doesn't seem to have any issue moving this extra weight I've added, but I've always tried to keep my mods both reasonable to the vehicle and lightweight. I don't need a 1/4" steel skid, I'm not going to be in situations where I need to slam down that hard. I'd rather save some weight and keep this a daily driver / roadtripper for now.

The transfer case skid uses 6 points to bolt to, and is MUCH beefier than stock. I really like how much better it ended up being, and I hope I never find out how hard a hit it can take. Fortunately, it's much higher than the rest, so it should remain tucked in.



Knowing how to install these skids, I think I could do it all over in 45 minutes next time.

Final verdict? Not as good as 3/16" steel skids, a LOT lighter then those...however. Much beefier than stock, reasonably priced for what you get. 2 month backorder.

I'd do it again.

 

For now....this is my final upgrade to the FordRunner. I spent a week carefully painting this thing. Cleaned, 2 coats primer, 3 coats HD tractor paint with rust preventative.

At the Toyota Lone Star Jamboree 2017 this year, I got the meet the guys at Southern Style Off Road, and I really felt like they understood the design of clean and functional. I had already at this point ordered my bumper from them, but it was re-assuring to have met them in person and realized they were passionate about their work. I'm proud to rock this bumper.

Here's a terrible shot when the sun was setting and I was tired.



Ironically, This install was easier or at least just as easy as the skid plates...In truth, it was just more intuitive so I had less trouble. I did it in 3 hours, and did have a helper for about 5 minutes during 2 parts. Removing the shroud, and hanging the bumper and threading a few bolts. Otherwise, I did it solo and it wasn't all that hard. I'm impressed with the engineering.

First, I had to strip it down:



Then, with the shroud on the ground, I traced the silver insert on the Trail edition, flipped it over, removed it, and cut out the tracing. I'd tell you I was nervous, but I used to install bumpers on police vehicles all the time at another job, so it wasn't really that big of a deal. I just wanted to make sure I got it right, so I double (triple) checked it and fired up the dremel. Only took a few minutes and it was all over.

Then, I had to re-install the shroud without the insert and backing.


Finally, I had my helper bolt in a few bolts while I held it up, and it was all done.

Personally, the TRD Pros should come with this bumper. It's clean, keeps the factory look, but gives you 2 shackle, frame mounted pull points, a spot for a winch behind the grill, and holes to mount lights. I think it looks sleek, but it's fully functional.

 

Whats your review on your radio's after having them for a while? I'm about to take my ham license and sell all my CB stuff, I think what I get from my CB will cover the antenna setup i want for the ham, I have the TYT TH-780 marked that you bought but wanted to follow up. I'm not even certain i want to go down this rabbit hole though. In the past was a big CB guy, and considering all I have into my antenna setup I have considered just getting a newer CB setup with the sideband setup and rocking it, I -may- have some "boosters" setting around as well.

I'm getting my Ham regardless, but your topic has me thinking, along with others If you were where I am, would you go with the TYT, and an antenna setup for it to get a HAM setup, and keep my CB setup for trail rides - most in Florida ride with CB's - and I don't mind having dual antenna's, building a rear tire swingout and wil lbe mounting both back there if I go the dual route, hell whatever I end up with one or both, will be on the rear tire mount.

If I seem confused, I am lol. Let me know your thoughts Both your vehicles look Great BTW.

 

@bahndrvr After a while, I'm still loving my TYT TH-7800. Personally I was unsure if I shouldn't just spring for the Quad band radio, but the truth is...no one is on 6m and 10m unless the bands open due to weather, and even then, I can't imagine needing it mobile. 2m and 440, however, and quite active and actively useful for trail riding, interstate caravans, and keeping in touch around town.

I love my 7800, and I'm going to replace my wife's radio MXT-105 with one, to give her 440 and I can use the 2m when I'm in the truck. One antenna covers both bands, so that's nice.

After doing a major Toyota event last month I would tell you to NOT get rid of your CB. It's inferior in many ways, but to the people who don't get licensing and don't really research it, they will ask their buddy what to get. He's going to tell them get a CB. So at those events, a LOT of people have them. I'm going to keep with a handheld CB, as I don't need distance, just to the front or the back of the trail of vehicles.

Our group, however, uses GMRS and some Ham, and the difference is basically this:

CB guys can talk to the front, middle, and rear of trail vehicles on the trail pretty well.
GMRS can hit most of the park, good for checkins when some are at camp and some on trails...our crew runs the Midland MXT Micromobile radios and TYT TH-7800
HAM guys can still talk while driving to town to get something to eat, fuel, etc...but not everyone has them. I could call for a winch from anywhere in the city.

 

Thanks man, I guess you helped me, Well you effectively probably tripled the amount I'm going to spend lol. For now going to just get a better CB, get my license, and then do the HAM setup The CB on the trail runs here are worth it just for that, and since I do interstate driving the sideband will be worth it as well - my current CB when I modded it broke a crystal so has Really great receiving range, but until I replace the crystal I can't transmit - my current setup also doesn't have PA! So will be getting one with sideband, PA, weather scan ability the good thing is all that is around 100-120 and will be moving my mount from inside center console to the spot in the glovebox where the owners manual goes, the HAM will be mounted in either in center console or on side of console by drivers side leg.

 

Buy once, cry once

 

I enjoyed your Thread.
I have a 16 4Runner Limited and I want to do some modifications, not crazy about the front but I liked some of the other options it came with. I haven't done any off-roading yet but I have been on a lot of dirt roads during camping trips, but once driving in a forest road I got stock in 10-12 inch of snow and I had to back up carefully and get on the cleared road.

Well, I'm getting ready for a road trip from NYC to Alaska and down West and cross back to NY. I always wanted to drive to Alberta and Alaska and would love to hit some off roads/forest roads along the way through out my trip.

What I want to get out of my modifications are 50% the off-road looks and 50% performance, but one thing I wouldn't want my ride to become rough on paved roads.

Some of the changes I am considering are:

3" OME Lift (looks and performance)
275/17 it's a must after 3" lift. Limited comes with 20".
Roof rack. Full length, I'm still trying to decide which one.
Would like to add a Rigid 40" LED light bar, I might wait on this.

I hope the combination works out well.

Feel free to make suggestions.

 

Thanks for the compliment. This vehicle was built specifically to do the kind of trip you're suggesting. I needed something that would run 2,000 miles on the highway, and blast off into the mountains without stopping.

If you haven't had a lift on a vehicle before, I'd say that 2.5" - 3" is higher than you'd expect, and really, probably all you need. The higher you go the more topheavy you become, and the harder entry/exit becomes. The purpose of the lift is to clear larger tires, and 275 is great. Expect a little rubbing at full turning lock, but probably nothing too bad, and easy enough to fix with some minor trimming or moulding of fender liners.

The roof rack will rob up to 2 MPG, and will whistle, even the nicest ones, like Gobi and Prinsu. However, a trailer which is low profile, and as wide (but not wider) than the truck, will make no noise, and actually not hurt your MPG as much likely. However, that means you have to pull a trailer, and for those who don't do that it's a big deal.

That said, a full length rack looks awesome, and the whistling isn't that loud

Look forward to seeing what you build!

 

Hurricane Harvey visited us. For 12 hours it sat on top of Orange, TX and rained harder than any thunderstorm I've been in. We get a lot of them here, and I've endured Hurricane Rita, Katrina, Ike, and Humberto. It dumped something like 42" of water in 2 or 3 days. It caused flooding so bad that even 2 weeks later it's not all drained off. We had to abandon our house (water came up to the slab but never got it luckily).

Both my Tacoma and 4Runner are lifted just 2" (+ bigger tires), but it might have made the difference. We drove through waist deep water in both, wife in tow with the 4Runner and me driving the Tacoma pulling our adventure trailer. We figured if I had the RTT with me, we could camp on high ground no matter where we stopped. We had supplies for at least a week.

To get out of the neighborhood we had to drive through approx 28" - 30" of water, and the seals held, no water came into the cab for the short time.

All roads were blocked the first day, we were stuck in town. Interstates, highways, back roads were all under water. The miliary was using Deuce and a halfs to traverse some of it, and boats for the rest. People were launching boats in streets so they could rescue people. Very few if any people had flood insurance in our neighborhood and the one behind us because in 50+ years since those neighborhoods were built, it never flooded.

50% of the houses in my neighborhood flooded, but 100% of the houses in the one behind us did. Many of my friends lost their cars and houses and were rescued by boats. A few even lost their businesses in addition to that. We really did have an apocalypse here. More than 60% of the town suffered some type of damage, and power was out for at least a week, some up to 2.5 weeks. Military aircraft, helos, trucks, lined the streets while power companies cut down trees and fixed lines.

In all of it, even though she was upset and crying, my wife drove our 4Runner out of it, through 15 miles of 18" water which took almost 2 hours. We watched cars stall out in front of us and we slowly crept by them. I saw cars so submerged next to me I didn't know what they were, and I can usually identify any vehicle.

We made it out of town, and as soon as the water came back down I made trips in daily to help my friends.

Looking back I can see our lives were only in mild danger, but we didn't know that at the time. We never ventured off high ground without knowing the path and what we could do. We had radios between the trucks. We had supplies for days. I had my RTT to camp anywhere. I'm sure glad we were prepared, so many were not.

At one point my wife said, "We didn't build these trucks so we could evacuate."

I disagree. I built them so we could get to safety, and that's exactly what these trucks did. I'm grateful to the people on here and Tacomaworld who gave me advice and suggestions on how to build a vehicle like this, because of it I got my family to safety in a time where many could not.