Java's 03 4Runner

OK here goes, this is all old at this point, but who doesn't like build threads?!

The 4runner was to be a replacement for my old truck. So many good times in this truck, but many more to come in the new one. Car seat didn't work so well in a toyota single cab....

New truck! CL special, was advertised as baby blue. Its got lots of dents and dings, but runs great. Bought at 90k, 2003 v6 4runner.

First mod, running boards gone, and new battery.

Part of the deal was lifting immediately upon buying, it was replacing my off road truck... So goodies were aquired.

starting.

Progress!

Done! Its settled down a lot over the years now.

Next up, roof rack. Cheapie, but its worked great over the years.

Lighting. The CSK HID's, great lights for the buck, originally were attached through the rebar and bolted to the stock cover.

I built some storage. Still using today, but id like to rebuild with longer locking drawer slide, and thinner ply.

a coat of bedliner cleaned it up a bit.

A local fabricator did a run of a few bumpers, its solid, has held up great, and is pretty unique as he went out f business a year or so later. Just fit in the back.

naked!

Brackets on, two directions of shear, so as not to remove the frame horns with the winch...

ON! Fender liners got trimmed to fit. Reuses the stock turn signals and fogs.

Light remounted, and an awning added.

Fabbed up some new mounts that lowered the roof rack down a fair bit, and allowed mounting of the awning.

Thats the majority of it, and now comes all the adventures!

Sweet!

Front bumper looks awesome

that thing looks like a blast!

how did the ride change after the OME swap?

Thanks Guys, its a great truck! I like it alot still.

In reply to Flight Service:

It was pretty stiff at first, its the 885/895 spring combo, which is their medium heavy set IIRC. After 100k miles it rides like a caddie now

No more real mods, just little stuff, CB, Ham, trailer brakes etc. And just maintenance, Plugs, serp belt, and oil changes.

On to more adventures!

We towed this travel trailer for awhile as your ski bum rig. V6 didn’t like that, got it done fine, but sucked gas like it was going out of style!

And getting stuck in the snow with a 3k+lb trailer means getting REALLY stuck.

Up by Mt Rainier.

Added a strip of LED’s to the awning. Works great until someone steals the controller….

Outside Leavenworth area. It rained harder on us this night than I have ever had camping. The dirt literally washed away from where the water dumped off the awning.

Banks lake. It had rained the day or two earlier, that turned the normal “moon dust” into the slimiest mud you can imagine. And unleashed mosquito hell.

Just stayed in the CG that night.

Lt Murray wildlife area. Beautiful area, but windy, and baby heads, miles and miles of baby heads…

Pretty meadows, and baby heads…

Super windy here, like rocking the car windy, couldn’t open the doors windy, I guess it makes sense there is a wind farm on the next ridge over.

I would like to go back, and take the dirt bikes! All these roads (well most of them) are open to ORV’s

If your ever in the area, take a drive across Hwy 20, through the north cascades, its AMAZING, Even just driving through. Unfortunately its mostly national park, so not much in the way of dispersed camping.

Lunch stop in the north cascades.

Little CG on the other side of the national park. Free, nice spot, but the coyotes got REALLY close at dusk. And we got woken up by turkeys in the morning. Turkeys were cool, coyotes, not so much.

Banks lake area again, no mud this time, but we had a bad year for rattle snakes, saw at least 6 or so this day alone. One of the dogs jumped over one…. No good.

There was a lake on the map, over yonder, there appeared to be roads that headed that way. Lets find it. Well the raods ended up being farm/hunting reserve roads. No one on them, and graded SO nice, honing ensued. It was awesome. Lake ended up being down a couple hundred foot cliff on this side, drove around to the other side, private, crap.

Coming through an elk gate on Wenas wildlife area. With the new trailer!

Camped with friends that night.

Found a tank in the woods!

Some googling tells me the DOT uses it for avalanche control on the nearby pass. Way cool.

Hell yeah, a tank for avalanche control?!

Petrolburner wrote: Hell yeah, a tank for avalanche control?!

Yeah! Apparently they have two, no idea where the other one is. There is a howitzer in the shed back behind the tank too! I have never seen it out on the road, but that would be AWESOME!

Petrolburner wrote: Hell yeah, a tank for avalanche control?!

im confused of why you need a tank for avalanches? when the avalanche is rolling down a hill do you just shoot at it? either way its pretty awesome

edizzle89 wrote:

Petrolburner wrote: Hell yeah, a tank for avalanche control?!

im confused of why you need a tank for avalanches? when the avalanche is rolling down a hill do you just shoot at it? either way its pretty awesome

They use it to set off the avalanches. Shoot the hill!

In reply to java230:

They use howitzers for avalanche control in most places around here. A tank seems slightly more practical.

In reply to ssswitch:

Apparently they use both around here! Howitzer is in the garage behind the tank. I want to see the tank run! It had an anderson plug jump lead hanging out.

Bad freaking ass! I wish FL had access to this.

In reply to java230:

Yea, I've been skiing out west when you can hear them shooting off the howitzers in the early morning. It's pretty damn cool.

In reply to Furious_E:

That's how you know it's going to be a good day!

In the next installment of adventures, I’ll throw some maintenance in it!

Checked the PS fluid at the last oil change, it smelled bad, like burnet electronics bad. So I went about changing it. Easy really.

Should not be this color….

Makeshift workshop as the garage is full…. No one likes working in the rain.

OK so that was boring!

Just fit under the log, headed up above Fish Lake.

Nice little spot at the top of the hill.

Beer provided by the dudes I pulled out of the snow on the way over. Good stuff, haven’t been able to find it again though. Didn’t get any pictures, but think snow, flip flops, a tow strap and a trailer all on a small FS road….

Up on the ridge my Chumstick mountain outside of Cashmere.

Along a creek by Lake Wenatchee.

Heading up to the Gallagher Head Lake trail.

Very pretty high alpine lake.

A local outfitter was up there with their Syncro.

Up off of Blewett Pass, one of my favorite areas in WA. Big trees, but open and just east enough to e warm.

Deserted CG up there. There is hardly ever anyone here.

Yes its actually a marked (on the map!) road. Got a bit tight though, and HUGE water bars.

But we got to a very nice spot on Rimrock Lake.

You can just see the truck

Awesome!

Cooper_Tired wrote: Awesome!

The PNW is pretty sweet

More adventures!

Stopped for lunch here: Longest RR tunnel in the US, 7.79 miles.

It replaced this one, which had some issues with snowfall down the line. This one is a short hike from where the tank is parked.

Lunch near stevens pass

And off to Leavenworth again!

Another weekend outing. Starting with lunch up above a local ski hill. Id lov to come up here in the winter, but I don’t think I could make it up the road, and they plow over the turn off :(

At the top of the powerline road/ski run in the winter, 5200’

This is about half way down that road, that’s the bottom of the ski lift!

COLD! Lunch stop, just below snow line by a creek.

She got new shoes! A size smaller, but more aggressive tread. 265/70/17 E rated Duratrac’s

Just in time for the local Xmas tree run. Haller pass, just outside MT Rainier Nat Park.

A run with the local group again, trying Coluckum pass, Wasn’t much snow last year, so it was a really easy run, which we weren’t expecting!

Made a custom webbing barrier net to keep the dogs in the back. Well it turns out webbing is no match for a GSD who wants to be in the front seat…. Berkleyer chewed through it.

Camping near Colockum Pass. Beautiful evening, then all hell broke loose. Must have been 60+ MPH gusts. We got down from the top of the tent it was so bad…. My wife was convinced a tree was going to fall.

Vantage WA

Towed my new toy home from a state away! Gets terrible mileage trying to do 70 with a boat in tow…

Lots of boat hauling duties.

Hauling new projects home duties ( :) )

Above Cooper Lake

Lunch stop!

Outside Cashmere WA. Full rally driver was in effect to get here. We were getting those emergency push messages on our phones, one for flash floods, one for dust storms. Great. Quickly found a spot that was not on a ridge, and not in a valley…. Set up and it rained for about 10 seconds. Getting up there was interesting, its probably 1500-2k feet in elevation gain, on twisty FS roads….

Out hunting for snow, first snow of the year.

Cool truck man.

Awesome thread. I've been leaning towards a van or work truck for my next addition but this thread is a giving me seconds thoughts.

What roof tent is that btw?

In reply to sesto elemento:

Thanks!

dj wrote: Awesome thread. I've been leaning towards a van or work truck for my next addition but this thread is a giving me seconds thoughts. What roof tent is that btw?

Thanks, I should have titled it random wanderings or something, not much build thread. I really like this generation of 4runner, still small ish, but way better than the old ones.

Its a CVT.

Another installment of adventures!

Headed out to run the Naches trail, last day of the year its open, with snow! Was an interesting day…..

You can see sliders were added (a year ish ago?)

Heading up, there are a bunch of really steep sections going this direction, we elected to take them going uphill with the snow/slipperyness.

Sketchy bridges….

And here is where it all went wrong…. My truck is winder than the two in front of me that went through….

See that little bump at the bottom of the stup?

Sliders don’t work when your leaned over that far….

Opps… First real body damage I have done…

So after I did that, the next guy thought he would give it a go… Same issue. But at the same time he managed to explode a front CV. Winched him over with my truck, and went to town. Again I managed not to take any pics, I was under the truck I guess… But CV shaft was eventually removed, leaving the inner and out in place. Locking the center diff got him home.

My ugly mug after some axe and chainsaw work….

Getting turned around after axle work…

Stopped at the top to play in the snow

Xmas tree run this year! More snow!

Had a lot of trucks this year.

And that’s pretty much it! The RV gets all the use in the winter.

Hey! I used to live on Banks lake, and my first ever 4-wheeling trip in the mountains was around that train tunnel!

I really need to get my truck out with you guys this year