314Runner’s 2023 ORP Build

2023 4Runner TRD Off-Road Premium 4WD w/o KDSS


Currently as of 10-10-24


Lighting
-Diode Dynamics 9005 LED DRL conversion
-Diode Dynamics HP5 LED door lights
-Diode Dynamics HP5 LED map lights
-Diode Dynamics HP5 LED “Puddle” lights
-Diode Dynamics HP5 LED license plate lights
-Diode Dynamics HP6 LED dome light
-“Suparee” LED mirror signals
-Diode Dynamics Elite Series Fogs 3000K

Interior
-OEM FJ Cruiser shift knob
-OEM Cargo Slide
-Offroam phone mount

Exterior
-Black front valance
-Black rear valance
-Topography emblem kit
-Black hood scoop
-OEM TRD “Trail Rails”
-LFD Off Road roof rail kit
-RCI aluminum front skid
-RCI aluminum transmission skid
-RCI aluminum transfer case skid

Wheels, Tires, Suspension
Coming soon

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Day of purchase:
Miles at purchase: 10,687
Purchase date: January 27th, 2024




I was previously building a 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport 4WD until it was totaled in an accident. Insurance paid me out and I was buying my 4Runner within 24 hours of receiving the check:

Tacoma Build Thread:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trd_chris-super-white-dcsb-build-thread.661576/



This thread, just like my Tacoma build, will serve as a place to share build progress, photos of off-road and camping trips, and just general BS.

 

Welcome!

Looking forward to the pics..:

 

February 3rd, 2024

Started by removing the silver valances from the front and rear bumper and replaced them with black valances from Yota Expedition. Also added black overlays to the “whiskers” on the front grille:


Added some center console and glove box organizers from Amazon.


I’m really happy with the factory LED headlights and fog lights, but the OEM halogen DRL looked terrible so I switched them to some LED 9005’s from Diode Dynamics. I found another build thread on here that helped me build the 6-to-12V harness needed to run these lights:


Finished off the weekend by adding yellow Lamin-X covers to my factory fogs:

 

February 9th, 2024

Spent Friday night uninstalling the Amp Research Power Steps that came with the truck. Plan is to sell these and put that money towards a set of sliders.

 

February 13th, 2024

Finishing out the LED conversion with the full interior, puddle lights, and license plate conversion kit from Diode Dynamics. I truly couldn’t believe how dim the OEM map and dome lights were.

 

Perfect excuse to test out the 4WD.

 

February 20th, 2024

Installed some smoked LED sequential mirror signals from eBay. I couldn’t find a reputable company that makes these for the 4Runner so I just went with the highest rated on eBay. Anything’s better than the “chrome” look of the OEMs.

 

Still happy with these? Did you do the stage one or two kit?

 

Extremely happy with them, as I have been with all of my DD purchases throughout the years. I went with the stage 1 kit because I had a "stage 2" kit in my previous Tacoma and it was like staring into the sun.

 

Thanks! I was concerned that stage two might be too much.

 

March 26th, 2024

FJ Cruiser shift knob to match the t-case knob and an Offroam mount so I can finally get my phone out of my cup holders!

 

March 28th, 2024

Pretty much finished out the “blackout” with a black hood scoop. I’m really contemplating a matte wrap on the hood “bulge” area because the glare can get pretty bad, just like it did with my white Tacoma.

 

Looks great so far!

 

April 2nd, 2024

Today I found out the hard way that Toyota “040 Super White” paint is just as delicate in 2023 as it was in 2016. A piece of rubber came across the highway from an off-ramp above and knocked my driver front fender. Cleaned it up the best I could.




On a positive note I scored a pair of OEM “Trail Rails” which I had been on the hunt for. I contemplated going with classic steel sliders, but after having them on my Tacoma I ultimately decided on hunting down a set of these rails.

They are surprisingly heavy but they mount to the body so I wouldn’t put the weight of the vehicle on them. Even still, these will provide me with the protection I personally need while saving some weight vs full on sliders.

 

Two Month Progress

Coming soon:
-Suspension
-front window tint
-Skids

 

September 27th, 2024

It’s been too long since I’ve been able to do anything with the 4Runner other than maintenance, so this week I had the front windows tinted to match the rear, ordered an LFD Off-Road crossbar kit, installed rear seatback protection, and tracked down an OEM cargo slide.

 

September 29th, 2024

OEM cargo slide installed. Pretty straightforward, the only part that sucked was drilling through the floor pan to expose the pre-threaded holes without over-drilling and destroying the threads.

 

October 10th, 2024

Full clay bar treatment, polish, and seal. Also installed the LFD Off-road crossbar kit and mounted my old recovery boards from the Tacoma.


Fixed a little bit of trail damage from rubbing up against a tree and reminded myself how much I miss the Anytime Camera system from my Tacoma.

 

October 25th, 2024

Repositioned the recovery boards to give me more clearance when I park in the garage.


Also found a used set of RCI skids In aluminum. Cleaned them up and bolted them up.

 

October 26th, 2024

Finally ditched the factory tires and went with a set of Wildpeak A/T4W’s in 265/70R17. I was already rubbing with the previous set of tires so with the Falkens being slightly larger with the aggressive tread I’ve started opening up more room in the wheel wells. Started by removing the front and trimming the rear OEM mud flaps


Also trimmed this OEM piece of plastic so that it meets up with the new RCI skid.

 

November 11th, 2024


Ordered the “topographic” blackout emblem kit to replace the normal blackout kit. The topo lines are slightly tan in color and the manufacturer claims they’ll fade to white with sun exposure. These are going on either way, but I wanted to see if I could expedite that color changing process with a UV light that I had in the garage.

 

November 14, 2024

Installed Diode Dynamics Elite Series fog lights. You can tell just how green the combination of the OEM led + yellow film is (left) compared to a true 3000K light (right)


Started replacing the original blackout emblems with the black + topo versions