Fresh ARB on the 2nd Gen 4Runner

Howdy folks. I thought I’d share with you my latest accessory for my 2nd Gen 4Runner- an ARB Deluxe Bar. It was wonderfully simple to install and it fits like a glove. I plan on putting a winch on it in the future.

 

Thanks! I wish there was a larger selection of used bumpers for 2nd gen. I sure couldn’t seem to find much here in Tejas.

 

Hello, do you have the ARB item number for the bumper? bumper was originally for what vehicle? can't find ARB Deluxe Bar in their ARB site.
Thanks in advance.

 

3414070

https://arbusa.com/toyota-pickup-1986-1994/bumpers-protection-equipment/

 

Welcome! Great looking bumper with a clean look.

 

All Pro-Offroad: It you want a strong tube type pre-runner style bumper, a 13,000 lbf. X-Bull fits and the light bar is a DIY. Options include fill plates a stinger and/or handles.

https://www.yotamasters.com/shop/bumpers/pro-front-bumper-1984-1995-truck-4runner/

 

Atgparker looking at your 4Runner the cover below the bumper definitely isn’t stock, looks really nice too. Are you running any other protective armor below ? Any bolt on’s to the transfer case/transmission brace or rear end to protect the pumpkin and driveshaft ?

 

Hello Bthp223,

I appreciate the praise. My 4Runner came without its OEM steel skid plate so I bent this one up out of some aluminum tread plate I had laying around. The compound bend angles really fits the frame up front and down to the cross member in a clean tapered way. The other addition has been to weld in a piece or 2X4 inch rectangular tubing that ties together the frame members that house the rear lower A-arm pivots and camber/caster adjusters. I don't want this area of the frame moving when I'm pre-running in the desert! Unfortunately, the DT-headers crossover pipe has to sweep behind the diff and below the front drive shaft and I had to notch the 2X4 cross member to clear the diff as well. The T-case/Transmission crossmember is a thick hollow tube sub-assembly which greatly encroaches on getting one high centered. So I have been looking at some alternatives that are made of rather thick plate steel but seem rather heavy and ill engineered. So I have to think about that some more as I am considering my 1982 gear drive t-case as a swap into my drive train at some point and getting some 4.70:1 low range gearing.

In the interim when the Blazeland long travel A-arms arrive and I get them installed I am going to run them at the mid travel position between the OEM bump stops for ride height and that is going to jack up the cross member and the bottom of the skid plate you see by what I hope will be about 13-14" to the ground which will be >11"-12" as it is at present with the BJ-spacers. I have already kissed the frame near the PS adjuster on a rock in the desert and that was in getting familiar with IFS at some speed which is a first for me with a 4X4. But, I really like the ride quality and the compliance and am all to familiar with the ruggedness of an SAS but am unwilling to shirk the ride quality that an IFS provides on and off the road. The angle of the upper a-arm has so much to do with initial ride quality and the actual compliance of the suspension.

As for skid plates, my neighbor had a 3rd gen and he installed a kit that plated out the under carriage with a complete set that attached red steel skid plates all throughout the vulnerable areas. It made the bottom of the truck a nice smooth proposition just like a rally car. But after he had this in place he discovered to his dismay that the engine and driveline noise had appreciably increased in the cabin of the 4Runner due to the sound not being able to escape. Instead it came directly back up off the skid plates and into the flooring which made cruising down the freeway a bit more fatiguing. These skid plates were 1/4" thick and basically flat steel sheet. I think that if I were to design a skid plate I would make is from a much thinner steel sheet that has been corrugated into a series of 45° bends that would give you a thicker stronger and lighter skid plate with better noise cancelling as the corrugations wound require the sound waves to bounce twice before returning back up to the floor of the 4Runner. Maybe bed liner paint on the top side would be a good addition for the noise?

As for diff guards I just try to pride myself on steering the rear axles differential past the big rocks when at speed. It is part of the poetry there is in guiding your truck through stuff without damaging it!... It really sucks when you get this wrong.

Cheers,
ATGP

 

I’m with you on that, so far I’ve been blessed enough to have never ripped any parts of my 4Runner, not sure if that’s from being to soft or just wisdom that comes with age...LOL. Admittedly I try to keep within the limits of what myself and the 4Runner can do.

I figured if there was anything out there you’d know about it concerning protection for the undercarriage of our Gen 4runners. I was mainly looking at transmission crossmember, and the way it takes the dive on each side, drops down a few inches and seems like a prime spot for catching snags. I think when I get back from my trip I’m going to look into fabricating something out of 3/16-1/4 inch plate that could be installed using the factory mounting points to give that some abrasive resistance over being just a blunt edge for latching onto anything.

As usual I appreciate your knowledgeable input.

Thank you.

 

Take a look at Bud Built for some ideas:
https://budbuilt.com/Skid-Plates-and-Armor-Components_c_395.html
Also Trail Gear has some stuff:
https://trail-gear.com/catalog/product/view/id/7197/s/crossmember-kit/category/250/
This is a cross member for a dual t-case set-up. But seems it would be dam heavy but nice and slim under the transfer cases?