Posting for Mike

I'm Ken, Mike's best friend, since high school, Pt. Loma '67.

Mike had been a brief member of this forum, Mike Lowther.

Mike died suddenly. He was diagnosed on Oct 22 with lung cancer associated with mis-diagnosed and untreated Agent Orange symptoms 10 years earlier. He died on Nov 6.

After watching my dad take four months, Mike was ahead of the game.

His widow, Donna, looked up his login info for this forum for me. I'm helping her from Denver, CO to get Mike's 4-Runner ready for re-sale in Beckley, WV. She does not drive.

He has a 2001 4-Runner SR5 with nothing extraordinary except he has detailed the entire truck inside, outside, underneath, engine bay, nooks and crannies, and added steel custom built military grade front and rear made in America off-road bumpers.

Right now it's at the shop getting the rear bumper and a new skid plate installed. Donna, Mike's widow is sending me the entire book of paperwork going back to his purchase and maybe before that.

Mike was extremely annoyingly anal retentive about his vehicles' performance and appearance.

I'm starting this thread in an attempt to help his widow sell the 4-Runner as efficiently as possible.

Are we completely insane to think the truck is worth $10 grand? He has $3 grand in the bumpers alone and several completely rebuilt mechanical systems.

He also has a '91 Bronco, with suspension and engine performance upgrades. I sent that one through a mechanic to get it road worthy and going to paint soon. Another high school friend and I are covering the costs, Donna keeps the sale money. If anyone is interested in a big old Bronco, here's the listing.

https://www.fullsizebronco.com/foru...ions-flame-free-zone/499586-mikes-bronco.html

As soon as Donna sends me some pics, I'll post them here. She always starts crying when we talk about his vehicles. She had no idea how much he was spending on them.

Thanks for any comments, good, bad, or ugly.

Ken

 

Sorry to hear of your loss...I'm a Beckley, WV native myself.

 

Damn that sucks man. I’d say if it’s as clean as you say and has decently low mileage it would be worth close to 10k. Good luck with the sell! Could always post pictures up on here, t4r, and tacomaworld. Good luck with the sell!

 

Very sorry to hear of your loss! Definitely puts some pics up here. A lot of good peeps on forum.

 

Thank you for your comments.

I'll keep the thread active throughout the process. When Crager gets done with it, I'll get it professionally detailed one more time before it comes home. I think the only mods are the front and rear bumpers and some special skid plate he bought.

 

Got some pics. More to follow when it gets home.

The paperwork should be here later today.

The front bumper (scroll down to see it) is Shrock Works steel wrap around with switched fog lights and pencil beam driving lights.

The rear bumper is Tactical Armor Group steel wrap-around with jerrycan holder, Class IV hitch, 7-way plug, back-up lights, tow hooks, rubber bumper guards, CB antenna mount (behind tire)


I pity the poor fool who tailgates this truck in a wreck.

I'm pretty sure he put a lift kit on it


You might ask why the magnetic CB antenna? He did not have a chance to convert from portable to permanent.










Mike liked color.



He spent 100's of hours prepping underneath things. Naval jelly, primed and painted.

 

Great looking truck...underneath looks clean for a WV vehicle.

 

Holy receipts, Batman! Donna had a cow!

She saw the receipts for the first time. He spent $3000 on goodies in eight months of 2018 alone.

The rear bumper is from Tactical Armor Group, Inc. in Douglasville, GA. It is welded on. They are out of business. They were trashed on forums, but Mike was very happy with the bumper. He also had heavy duty springs installed to carry the extra weight.

The front bumper is a 4-Runner Schrock Works from Vivid Racing in Gilbert, AZ. Here's the website for it.

Each year's receipts 2010 - 2018, plus a 2010 CARFAX report, I'll put them in page protectors in a binder in chronological order by date. No records prior to Mike.

 

Sorry to hear that, I recently lost my father to lung cancer; which was also originally misdiagnosed.

You can tell he really loved that 4Runner, and I'm sure it will find a good home.

 

Eight years, $27,426

Some analysis:

Differential housing and all internals replaced @ 96,123, "customer supplied parts"
Timing belt and water pump replaced @ 99,000
Catalytic converter replaced @ 129,000
Struts, rear wheel bearings, rear axle shaft, rear brake shoes replaced @ 130,000
Rear axle seals, spark plug cables replaced @ 135,000
Brand new Kenwood Bluetooth radio
All work by ASE shop, who also installed the bumpers.



If anyone wants to contact me, kenhaynesjr@gmail.com

 

The front bumper is installed. Functional fog lights and pencil beam driving lights. Too bad he did not have a chance to put a winch on it.

It also has a new powder-coated skid plate somewhere under there, not sure which one.

 

Anyone looking for a Bronco? Mike's other 4 x 4 for sale, https://www.fullsizebronco.com/foru...ions-flame-free-zone/499586-mikes-bronco.html

Mostly stock, 300 I-6, EFI, C-6, 4x4, removable hard top

Blueprinted Clifford Performance head
Clifford Performance tuned header
Dual Bilsteins each side up front
Brand new M/T wheels, Firestones, all four corners

Waiting to go to paint

 

Sorry for the loss,
I sure like these. But I have too many projects I'm sure they will find a good home.

 

Thankyou for your service Mike. I just donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

 

Doesn’t need paint it’s aged beautifully I think...people make them look worn now...