Very boring, middle age dad "build" of a 2023 Pro

Been reading a bunch of these build up threads of members Ive run into in various discussions... and I feel inspired to add my own. Just to document the progress.

I promise this .. wont .. be very exciting as I'm just an average middle age Dad who uses the rig mostly for recreational stuff and as a DD. I dabbled in wheeling this year and am inspired to try more and build it out some but I seriously doubt this will ever go beyond minor mods.

Anyway, to get things started here she is as it stands today - this was a month ago when my 13 year old and I went to the Overland Experts 4x4 class




Current build out as of June 2024:

• Toyo Open Country AT3s in stock 265/70R17
• Replaced TRD exhaust with stock
• TRD intake
• ARB dual compressor in engine bay on M.O.R.E mount
• Redarc Tow Pro trailer brake controller
• VLED LED conversion for all interior and puddle lights
• Topo map hood scoop vinyl wrap and various other cosmetics
• Redline goods red stitch leather transfer shift boot
• Cali Raised step sliders
• Cali Raised transfer case skid

 

So one cool thing I liked in other build threads is when guys share their automotive 'history'.

Ive been a gearhead since before I could walk. My Dad was (is... but not much these days at 80 ) a gearhead. He had a passion for fast British sports cars in the 60s and had some really cool rides - MGs, Austin Healeys, even a straight 6 E-Type jaguar which legend has it he proved the 140+ top speed in the middle of the night on the Long Island Expressway. As a kid he took me to race tracks before I could ride a bike and I was helping him in the garage as soon as I could walk.

Over the years we had LOTs of cars, wagons trucks, vans, SUVs, almost every brand imaginable.. but especially Japanse cars and in particular a lot of Honda. For a long time we where basically a Honda family that had occasional detours (into Fords, Chevys, Dodges, Volvos, Nissans, Toyotas, Hyundas, Kias, Jeeps, etc he he)

As a little kid I remember the first Honda he had was the original Civic CVCC. a '77 in yellow just like this. I recall bringing him tools and beers in the garage as a tot.


The car I leaned to drive on was my mom's 85 Civic (looked exactly like this, even the color). 5speed. Somehow I didn't burn the clutch out


Then my very first car... my dad helped me scrape up the 2,000 to buy it junior year of high school. An 82 Accord 5 speed with 140,000 on the clock (not htis one but same thing same color). That car went everywhere and I learned a lot about wrenching on it. We replaced the clutch, Brake jobs, replaced struts (and where crazy/dumb enough to use a hand crank spring compressor), starter, etc. Once I had to change the fuel pump, in the college dorm parking lot, in the snow, just to drive it home for xmas.

Oh and I wrecked it. Bad. Rear ended somebody driving to HS one morning. We where broke so my dad and I rebuilt it ourselves, had a buddy of his with a body shop chop and weld on the front subframe of a junker and then put the front end back together with parts from the junkyard. It ended up 3 different colors but I managed to drive it 5 more years.


Couple more cars in quick sucession... The 82 rusted so bad that eventually the rear end was fialing around hte suspension mounts and it couldnt pass inspectoin so we junked it. I needed a car cheap so we spent $200 on a 1987 Dodge charger (4MT) with 240,000 miles on it. That thing was like going backward 20 years technologically but it got me around. Had a cranky carb that was really tough to start in winter. Had a real scare one time when the brakes overheated and went to mush coming down a mountain road (it had unventilated solid front discs). Also had a ball link in the shift linkage break and drove it 3 hours home to my parents with the gearshift held together with tie wraps.



A few years later it got to be too much to take care of. Coincidentally my parents had bought my younger stepbrother an 87 Honda Accord hatchback (the one with flip up lights) 5MT... but the kid just couldn't manage to figure out manual, so they offered it to me. Still not new... but it had fuel injection!!! what a revelatoin to just start up in 2 cranks in the winter! I drove it for a couple years till I bought my first new car, and ended up selling it to a guy for $200 and 2 weeks later the electrical system completely failed. He called me and I gave him his money back but told him to keep it


And then once I was out in the world and working full time I finally bought my first brand new car. A 2003 Acura RSX Type-S 6MT (aka DC5 Honda Integra). Didn't realize it at the time but the K-series motor they introduced in that one would become the most popular Honda tuning platform of all time.

Unlike hte stock photos above this one is mine... parked in Franconia Notch, NH. I did some light modding - CAI, stiffer rear sway and that nice set of OZ wheels its wearing with Goodyear F1 summer tires.


Hey but this is a Toyota truck page right? Well now we get to it. After I got married and we had kids the RSX was just too small... and we where doing a lot of DIY house renovations so my wife said "why not a pickup"? In my 20s my buddy had a gen1 Taco and that was a fun little truck so after a 6 month wait list in 2014 we brought this beauty home - gen2 2014 Tacoma TRD OffRoad.

 

Believe it or not the photo above is the day I traded the Taco in, at 9 years old. I got about 70% of what I paid for it new (have to love Toyota resale)...

I had been thinking about getting a 4Runner off road with KDSS, but during covid they where basically impossible to find. I also really liked the looks of the TRD wheels and skid plate and having some of the creature comforts like auto climate. Looking around near the holiday season a deal just fell in my lap to pick up this 2023 Pro for just a hair over MSRP as somebody had it on order and backed out a week before delivery and around Thanksgiving nobody was car shopping and the dealer was motivated to move it.

So in Nov 2022 she arrived.

 

I started out slow with some very minor mods that are probably barely worth calling "mods".

First up is new rubber. Im particualr about tires and my wife thinks Im crazy as I often change the shoes immediately when we buy new vehicles. Nothing against the nittos but I commute in northeast winters and want something 3PMSF rated but keep the all terrain ability. On the truck I had used a set of Nokian Rotivvas but wanted somethign a bit more agressive and after reading so many glowing reviews here I put Toyo AT3s on at 390 miles. (got a good price selling the nittos).


I also couldn't stand the exhaust drone so I bought the stock exhaust parts from a local dealer and took off and sold the Pro exhaust.

Next up was a fun one. I used to carry a portable Viair in the truck but wanted to do built in. And I am very impatient and cant be bothered to wait to fill a tire so I figured do it once do it right



In addition to the compressor, I installed a RedArc Tow Pro (more on that later), and I installed the switches for both in the unused blanks by the door. I love the look of a rig with NO unused blanking plates.


And then to top it all up I popped on the TRD intake. I know this does nothing for performance but I really like how it dresses things up. Using the stock paper filter with it.

 

Some may think it silly but I cant resist some cosmetic stuff.

I reached out to Chris (@MyWyfsRnnr ) and he helped me out creating some of his mountain decals to fit the Pro logos and his hood scoop vinyl (a must do if you value your vision!!)




I did a few other things like a heritage badge on the grill and this really nice red stitched leather boot for the tcase from Redline Goods. It makes the truck look a little more upscale.


Also did VLED bulb swap outs for all the interior lighting, puddle lights, etc.

 

Ok so what next?


Well we use it. a lot. Its my daily for commuting. We take it on vacations. I use it for hauling stuff to boy scout campouts.




I also use it for my biggest hobby - RC flying. Used to stuff the back full of planes, but that got to the point I just cant fit it all so I bought a used 6x10 and built it as a toy hauler. (that would be a whole build thread of its own, onboard power, tools,etc). - that's why I did the brake controller.






I also started to dabble in wheeling it. Last year my wife and I went away for an anniversary weekend and there was one of those Land Rover driving schools next to the hotel. We did a 1 hour class for fun (snow wheeling) and I liked it so much I signed up for a 1 day 4x4 fundamentals class at Overland Experts in CT. I had so much fun at that I want to try some real trail rides next.



I also broke one of the side steps at the class which gave me an excuse to order a set of Cali Raised sliders. Should arrive today.

 

Ooooooh... Brown truck santa left me a present yesterday

 

I've considered both of those mods (ARB single, though, and TRD intake) but I hate extra noise. Do you consider the intake to be obnoxiously noisy? One other question - is it possible to mount an ARB setup like that with the switch being in the engine bay and not run inside? It seems like if you have the hood open to hook up the hose, why not turn on the compressor from there...?

Enjoying your thread!

 

#1 - intake isn't noisy at all. Nothing remotely like the TRD exhaust I couldn't wait to get rid of. If you get hard on it it makes a bit of a whoosh, but cruising and light driving i don't hear it at all.

#2 - Now that would have been the smart thing to do The compressor comes with a switch you can mount right on it (and use with vehicle off). I put the remote switch because it looks like its original and I had ideas of running air lines to remote hookups at the front and rear bumpers. Never got around to that yet...

 

Moutain off road. https://mountainoffroad.com/collect...-compressor-and-tank-mount-for-toyota-4runner

Some reviews say it fits up to 2021s but it fit the 23 ok. There is one mount hole to the fender liner that doesn't line up quite right so you just need to minor mod it with a big self tapping sheetmetal screw or rivnut. No big deal as there isn't any load on that fastener

 

Awesome thread!

 

You need a Viper Cut

 

Whoa... that's a blast from the past. That brought back memories of my Dad letting me shift gears (from the passenger seat) in our Honda CVCC. He didn't even freak out when I went from 3rd to Reverse one time. ha ha. Forgot all about that until I read your post.

 

Thx. Whole family loves it. My wife was a little unsure about the Pro vs. a more subtle trim when I was shopping, but the day after I brought it home she borrowed it to go to the grocery store, comes back, and declares "I felt like a badass chick when I pulled up in that!"

 

Its going to be some time before I get to the slider install, in the meantime I figure its my thread and I can post whatever I want. Not a 4Runner but here is the buildup my son and I did last summer of the custom RC airplane trailer that I pull with it.

Its a 6x10 vnose cargo trailer that I got used from a buddy for $3k. Updates mods:
-Stripped the interior, insulated walls, roof and ramp with 1inch foam. Then reinstalled and painted wall skins.
- Added electric trailer brakes and shocks for a better ride.
- Rewired from 4pin to 7pin and redid all the crappy factory connections with waterproof crimp splices before I put the walls back up.
- Installed onboard / offgrid power
--- All Victron power components, Blue Sea DC distribution and marine grade wiring
--- 300w of panels, MPPT, 24v/100Ah LiFePO4 battery bank
--- 24v wiring for RC gear, 80Amp DCtoDC 12v step down for lights and accesories.
--- 12 volt led strip lighting
--- 1200watt inverter for AC
--- Shore power in and out with an automatic transfer switch
- RV style maxxfan ventilation fan
- Carpet (cheap indoor outdoor stuff from lowes with some leftover carpet pad)
- Custom fold down shelves for the airplanes
- Custom workbench and storage shelves in the nose (built light from 1/4 ply to manage tongue weight)

 

Great thread!

 

What’s in the box? Cali Raised step edition sliders

It’s been a rough few weeks but we finally got some free time and Jr helped me get them installed. Only took a couple hours.

so glad I finally broke down and bought an impact gun last year …..

 

Those looks great! Thanks for sharing!

 

I love this thread! Nice work

 

Great thread!

 

Thanks guys! If you look in the underside picture of the slider install you can see a big dent in the factory gas tank skid that probably happened when I broke the steps. Thats on my list to replace with something better at some point as well....

 

If you're ever interested in a gas tank skid, heres ours! If you call in I can get you a good deal!

https://caliraisedled.com/products/fuel-tank-skid-plate-for-2010-2024-4runner

 

Of course I missed Jake's note until just now and I may or may not have already ordered one with all the points I had from prior purchases

 

Todays episode of "Whats in the box"...

 

... is a Cali Raised transfer case skid. Powder coated aluminum. Pretty easy install.

 

Cool thread, very informative! Welcome to the forum.

 

Thank you very much for choosing us!

 

OMG - That exact yellow Civic is the vehicle I learned to drive a stick shift. Thanks for the memory

 

Man I wish a deal like that fell in my lap. Lucky dog!

 

Enjoyed reading the history!