Cowboy's First 4Runner and Chronicle of Mods/Upgrades

I have this same brake controller. It is really nice.

 

I pulled horses with my F250 for many years with an old manual brake controller. The Redarc is the best.

 

It was time for an oil change, so I took the opportunity to swap our the plastic oil filter housing with a metal one. When performing this swap, you will need to move the metal tube from the plastic housing to the metal housing. The tube on the 4R is longer and it must be used.

The video below by another person provides a great explanation of how to swap out the metal tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UtzAjag4hw&t=342s

There were a few items I purchased to make future oil changes more convenient.
1. Motivx Filter Housing wrench https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XTAGHU0?ie=UTF8
2. Motivx Oil Funnel https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016FVJUX0?ie=UTF8
3. Fumoto Valve https://www.fumotousa.com/f133s.html
4. Fumoto Drain Hose https://www.fumotousa.com/all-products/f-hose.html
5. Oil Catch Pan https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JJ63QF2?ie=UTF8

The Movitx wrench is very high quality and the Motivx oil funnel was so convenient. Not a single drop of oil spilled. I recommend both these items.
The oil catch pan was also highly effective, as it has a spout for pouring out the used oil that you cannot see in the photo (see the link above). It is also very strong and not flimsy at all.




Those of you who are astute, will have noticed the Fumoto valve has a right angle. I did not use this version. I returned it to Amazon and ordered the straight version from Fumoto USA. The kit comes with a plastic nozzle that fits over the valve as seen below. You may be wondering how I got the tubing so straight, as they always are shipped coiled up. It's simple. Put tubing in boiling water for a minute or so. It softens the tubing and you can straighten it out and just let it cool.




I have an RCI skid plate installed and was able to do the oil change without having to remove the skid plate. However, I did remove the skid plate to install the Fumoto valve to give me more working room and not risk a mistake. Future oil changes will be so easy going forward.

Also, it is easier to remove the drain plug from the metal filter housing than from the old plastic housing. When I attempted to remove the drain plug from the plastic housing, the whole housing came loose and spilled oil. I then needed to remove the skid plate and clean it up.

 

For Christmas my wife got me an OEM TOYOTA badge overlay and new grill piece to replace the grill piece with the oval Toyota logo and chrome pieces. What a nice Christmas gift. Below are the before and after pics. Even my wife likes the new look better. She said, " I have never cared for the Toyota logo." and I never liked it or the only two chrome pieces on my 4R.

 

Looks great, great write ups and great ideas (especially the canvas backed protectors) !!!

 

This is a great build!

Are you still rolling around with 2 spares now? (On the Rigd hitch and underneath the cargo area?)

I too want to get the Rigd rear hitch but would also like to find a way to carry more fuel… that spare tire location seems prime to me…

 

No, I completely removed the factory spare, as I wanted to reduce unnecessary weight. The Rigd is perfect for carrying more fuel, as you can get it with the Rotopax mount, which is what I use.

Here are 2 pictures of it. As you can see, I can carry my rotopax (4 gal. of fuel) and my Maxtrax boards (added the GP Factor Maxtrax mount). Retaining latches for Rotopax and Maxtrax were not installed for photos.

I would be careful mounting spare fuel under the 4R. Fuel tanks are built to withstand impact. I don't know that I would want to drive around with a spare fuel tank under my car that had not been properly designed.

 

Added an RCI fuel tank skid plate. After a trip in October in Vermont, my fuel tank cover was pretty well scraped up and dented. So I decided an RCI fuel tank skid plate was in order. You can see more detail at the post below.

The cost for a 1/4 " raw aluminum for KDSS models was $445.00.
https://rcimetalworks.com/product/10-19-4runner-fuel-tank-skid-plate/

Here is a link to my full cost of add-ons to my 4R.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1wzpU__16h2M9k1X551DImiLniie3in2Hlu2pP6uVlzI/edit?usp=sharing

Here is a link to a reason why you may want to consider skid plates.
https://www.4runners.com/threads/why-you-may-want-to-consider-skid-plates.29228/

 

Installed the Old Man Emu BP-51 lift kit from Mudify, East Coast Gear Supply axle bushing and ARK Splash Guards.

Here is a pic of the finished install.


Here is a link to all the add-ons I have made to my 4R since purchasing it.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1x2KwcRWX47LvomooGcueNRX4sRjuxXQsA5PHY6bNukQ/edit?usp=sharing

The cost for the Old Man Emu BP-51 kit from Mudify was $3,850.
https://mudify.com/products/ome4r-5gen-bp51?_atid=BRf1JxV6ipWURV0EHJctfdZYJ0jpv0

The team of Miguel and Eddie from Mudify were wonderful. Miguel made sure I selected the proper rear springs and made sure my order was perfect. One of the coilovers I received was leaking. They asked for a couple of photos and short video. Once they received them, they contacted ARB and I had a new coilover 2 days later. They also assisted with any installation questions I had.

If you are considering lifting your 4R, you should consider replacing the needle bearing in the front differential on the driver side. Once you lift a 4R, the needle bearing will go bad at some point and will need to be replaced. It makes sense to change out the bearing while you are already replacing the suspension.

The cost for the East Coast Gear Supply Kit was $180.00 which included shipping.
https://eastcoastgearsupply.com/i-8536125-toyota-8-clamshell-bushing-eliminates-needle-bearing.html

That price includes the bearing, bearing removal tool, bearing installation tool, and a new oil seal. You do not need the oil seal installation tool. Just use a 2" PVC coupler, as it works perfect for installing the seal.
Here is a link to a great video for installing the bushing, from Mark at Wanderlost Overland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nllcwqI1YVI&t=714s

The cost for the ARK Splash Guards was $125, which included shipping.
https://arksplashguards.com/collections/all-products/products/4runner?variant=41469710205093

I recommend you enlist the help of a friend with the installation of the lift kit. You can do it by yourself, but a partner is a huge help.
Installing the new bushing to replace the needle bearing took two people. Only because an extra hand was needed to hold the hook for the hammer puller on the axle housing.

It was also beneficial to have two people when removing and installing the shocks and springs.

Below are some tips should you embark on a similar effort.

If you have a 4R with KDSS, I highly recommend you do the steps shown at the link below when installing a lift kit. It will make the install much easier. I only discovered this after I completed the install, but I still followed these steps after the fact, as the rear end was sitting high. By following the steps below, the KDSS system balanced itself and the rear end came down to where it was supposed to be.
KDSS Steps for Installing a Lift Kit

Here is a link to a great video for installing the OME lift kit on a 4R with KDSS. Note - in the video they do not do the KDSS procedure I recommend doing above.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuXH350wWnk&t=668s

The ARK splash guards came with great fasteners, that are reusable. So if you ever have to remove them, the fasteners can be reinstalled.
When installing the ARK splash guards, you may have to trim the guards to accommodate the your shock oil reserves or non-factory control arms. Below are pictures from my install.

Passenger side




In the picture above, I had to trim the guard back to allow the braided line to move. If I could do it over again, I would have cut a channel down from the control arm, so that I could have attached the guard to the strut wall.

Driver side - in the first picture below, I enlarged the area for the control arm. The guard then had to go behind the oil reserve.




These guards are far superior to the factory splash guards, and it appears the rattle that was present in the driver fender well in now gone.

I hope this information is proves useful to others who may be considering lifting their 4R.

My add-ons to my 4R are nearly complete. Next month I should receive my Southern Style Off-road bumper and Warn winch. Once those are installed my build will be completed.

 

Any issue with your rci sliders and your kdss lines? Did you have to undo the bolts on the kdss lines to install the sliders? Do you have pictures or know how far out the sliders stick from the front doors? I’ve seen measurements for rsg (4in) but not rci

 

Sorry for the delayed reply. No there was no issue, as I ordered the sliders for KDSS. However, I recommend you have a friend help you install the sliders, especially for the KDSS side. One person has to hold the KDSS bracket away from the frame to safely get the slider under the oil lines. But one bolted in, the KDSS bracket goes back on just fine.

 

Installed the Anytime Backup & Front Camera Kit from Trail Grid Pro. The video from Trail Grid Pro is very helpful and I will not show how to attach the harnesses to the center console head unit, or the switch, as their video covers all that in detail.

The video has you route the wiring through passenger side of the firewall. I did not want to do that, as I would have had to remove my dual battery setup. I actually found it very easy to go through the driver side of the firewall, as I had previously put a wire through the driver side. I did have to get some 3/4" wire loom so the excess wire was neatly bundled. I used 1/2" wire loom from camera to the where the ground wire was attached to the frame next to the battery.

From the camera, I used 1/2" loom to the battery ground.



Apologies for the blurry pic below.



Below is the connection to the ground.



and the transition to 3/4" loom, which was necessary to hold all the excess wire.



I did not cut out the excess wire, as there were several connections in the lines; and this way if I ever needed to move it, I had plenty of wire. The wire loom was cut to be 1/4" from the rubber firewall grommet. I taped off the end of the loom and only the wire came through the grommet. The wire was routed down under the carpet where the firewall meets the floorboard, and then up the carpet and in behind the side of the center console.



The finished look of the camera mounted.

 

Installed the SSO Slimline bumper and Warn EVO 10S winch. You can read the details of the install at
SSO Slimline Bumper & Warn Winch Install

 

Installed the SDHQ ABS Guards - $100




Also installed a black OEM hood scoop. Toyota Part 76181-35080 Cost $60.37
Order it from McGeorge Toyota.

If you decide to put in a new hood scoop, be sure to order the following part numbers. They are for the foam pieces that go around the edge of the scoop. They do not come with the scoop.

The part numbers are 76183-35040 (x2), 76183-35030 (x2), and 76185-35030 (x1) - 5 total foam pieces. Cost $9.18

If you choose to insert a new hood scoop insert, I recommend you buy new clips for the hood liner. There just is no way to remove them without breaking them.

And of course - shipping. Total was about $80.00.




Nearing the end of my upgrades. Will be installing the DR KDSS trackbar correction kit once it arrives.

I will be adding the hood decal in black from MyWyfsRnnr.

 

Installed the DR KDSS trackbar correction kit.

 

Added a vinyl hood glare deflector from MyWyfsRnnr (Chris). Cost was $45.00. Chris was very responsive to every question I had. It turned out great. See my post in what have you done to your 4Runner for installation details as the link below.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/wh...h-gen-4runner-today.2261/page-829#post-461342

 

For those that follow my build, you know I put in a dual battery system to run our iceco fridge / freezer. The system works flawlessly. If you are interested in the details of the dual battery install, click on the below.

https://www.4runners.com/threads/cowboys-dual-battery-install.21998/

There are times, however, we are staying at a campground that has electrical hookups. In those cases I have often wanted to have an AC hookup for our fridge, so that I am not utilizing the battery. On our last trip, I forgot to enable the breaker on the secondary battery system on day one of our trip. So during the first night of camping, I awoke the next morning to a fridge that wasn't running because the battery level dropped below the minimum voltage setting on the fridge, and the fridge stopped drawing power. This is by design to keep you from running the battery dead.

After that incident I decided it was time to finally provide an AC hookup, so that when we have electrical hookup available I can minimize using the battery power.

The good news is the iceco fridge takes either a DC or AC power input. Below is how I solved the issue. The very bottom power switch and plugs are powered by the dual battery system. Normally, I plug the cigarette lighter style plug from the fridge into the receptacle next to the power on/off switch.

You will notice above that I added a new panel and installed an AC receptacle that came with a grounded plug on the other end.




The AC power cord goes out the bottom of the 4R through the rubber grommet and along the back as shown in the two pics below.




Notice below the female plug from the power cord in the 4R connected to the male plug of the cord that is for hooking up to a power source. The reason I used plugs here is because, as you will see in the next picture, the receptacle to receive power from the camp hookup is attached to my Rigd tire mount hitch. By putting plugs in place, I can always remove the tire carrier by simply unpluging the connection below.




The power cable then runs along the backside of the Rigd tire carrier and to an A/C recpticle. I bought a piece of angled metal and cut out a hole to hold the receptacle and mounted it to the Rigd carrier.






Now whenever we camp where there is an electrical hookup, I can run my fridge off AC power. I think it is the best of both worlds.

List of parts:

Two weather proof AC cords - $16.00 (only needed one)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08V8SWW89?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

NOCO weather proof outlet - $45.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TJJQP1S?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Receptacle for inside the 4R - $19.00
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SLM8LT5?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1