Alaskan 95'

[alaskan.lad]

For whats its worth I would go with the Yukon grizzly locker over the Detroit true trac as they are a little more cost effective and dont seem to unload as violently or as often as the true track. If the u-joints are for your driveshafts then spend the little bit extra and get the toyota ones as they are better sealed and longer lasting then any of the aftermarket options.

Thanks for the input! Good to know about the oem u-joints, didn’t know if there was a difference in quality.

Also good to know about the grizzly as well. I had one on my last rig and I didn’t have any complaints, only unloaded a few times in 15,000 miles. For some reason I thought that the tru-trac was more user friendly and smoother, as well as less extensive install.

Have you had experience with both/other lockers darth?

 

[darthyota]

I have a grizzly in my 4Runner, but I have a friend that had the true trac in his truck and he had to drive in pretty gingerly on the street especially in winter to keep it from unloading. The story he liked to tell about it was how the back end would jump 2-4 ft when it would unload, which is always unsettling when going around a corner. The setup for both should be about the same though, pull third from axle undo being adjusters pull out the diff unbolt the ring gear bolt ring gear to the grizzly (make sure to use new ring gear bolts as they are torque to yield.) put diff back together with correct bearing preload and back lash. Re-install into rear axle, fill diff with oil then go for a test drive. To save time get fresh carrier bearings and press them on ahead of time so you don't have to dick around with trying to pull off the old bearing races with out breaking them.

 

[alaskan.lad]

Took it out for a mild wheel on the river bed today, got some glamour shots.

Also still working on the break-in process, she is using a touch of oil every fill-up, and mileage seems to be between 14-17 depending on how heavy on the throttle I am. Due for the 1000 mile oil change in about 3-4 weeks so at that point I will be able to get a good feel for MPG and the oil consumption should drop off (in theory, hopefully).

Enjoy!

 

[alaskan.lad]

Finally got around to getting some engine bay pictures, you can see how much room the egr and cruise delete netted me on the passenger side of the block, easier to change plugs there than the other side! Also seen is the knock sensor bypass, tapped into the intake manifold and grounded on the lce block off plate.

Went back to my sr5 rims to match all the chrome on the truck (not a fan), and I have to say I love the way that the 33's look on these rims vs. the steel offset. It solved a minor rub under compression issue I was having, as well as stiffened up the ride a touch as well. Plus I was able to use my OEM hub-caps, which is one of my favorite parts of the truck following the OEM layout.

Also pulled the trigger on a fifth 33x10.5 spare on matching rim, just for peace of mind. I know I had talked about moving down to 31's, but after getting everything tuned in and netting a conservative 17 mpg mixed driving I think I can deal with the loss of power. They are great tires for us up here in Alaska, and should put up with the mild wheeling I do when aired down as well as great long distance performance for road trips.

I do have an issue with the rear shocks, I mounted the new mounts too high up on the axle, and even with the 1.5 coil spacer, there are a few frost heaves that I bottom out the shocks on my daily commute. I am considering getting into a set of OME 901 HD coils (2+ lift) to give me some more rise and resistance against the shocks bottoming out.

Does anyone have any experience running these coils? How about with a spacer? What shocks are you running?

Another option would be sourcing some shorter shocks, but I like the idea of having some more beef out back to handle summer gear for camping and offroading.

Thanks in advance.

Also a few interior shots.

The 4wd shift had to be trimmed to work with the marlin short shift. The kit was initially for a 151f I had that got sold with the prior truck, but I decided to keep the kit for the 150 on the runner. Had to modify the transfer case shifter to keep from interference from the gear shift, as well as use the stock shift bushing which was in decent shape. With the marlin bushing, I couldn't get the case piece to push down and turn to lock the shifter into place.

Also a shot of the OEM Toyota fog switch in place in the dash punchout, almost a perfect fit, with just a minute edge not falling into place, hardly noticeable.

 

[darthyota]

Why did you delete the cruise I know for myself thats always one of the few things I like having in my older Toyotas that I never seem to have. A shorter shock is just going to make the bottoming out worse what you need is a shock with more compression dampening.

 

[alaskan.lad]

Why did you delete the cruise I know for myself thats always one of the few things I like having in my older Toyotas that I never seem to have. A shorter shock is just going to make the bottoming out worse what you need is a shock with more compression dampening.

Thanks darth -
Deleted the cruise just to make some space basically, I’ve never had cruise before so it’s not something I’d miss, also was unsure how the 3.0 would handle load under hills.

Thanks for the input on shocks.

 

[darthyota]

Fair enough I know it was never something I was worried about before I had it either, but it does make those long drives a little more comfortable. I would imagine your 4Runner would handle it similar to my 1st gen Pathfinder where if the load is too great it will just kick the cruise off.

 

[turtlebacktim]

Really nice rebuild......enjoy!!!

 

[alaskan.lad]

The first long trip this last weekend went well (Palmer south to Seward, Alaska). Playing around with gas mileage numbers/fuel types and I am finding that I am getting better gas mileage with premium fuel. Average speed was 70 mph over 200 miles, and I averaged 20 miles a gallon even with some steep climbs in 4th. Tires were at 37 PSI. I still need to address the rear shock mounts, but only managed to bottom out once on the drive through the mountains. Interestingly enough running low-grade fuel and reducing the average speed to 60 I lost a 1 mpg, even the route was more downhill than going in. I figure I am splitting hairs with the cost-benefit of premium vs. not, but I kind of like the experimentation. It does run better on premium. Some pictures from the trip are attached.

Looking towards this summer as far as mods go I am planning on making some changes:
CVT RTT on rear 3 roof bars
ARB 2500 Awning
Yukon grizzly rear locker w/master rebuild kit for the diff
Rear seat delete-build boxes in the area
OME rear HD 1.5" lift springs
Relocate rear lower shock mounts
Move fog lights and light bar inside bumper
CB radio

Secondary to all of that I would like to get all the chrome plasti-dipped to match the body color, and get the rims powdercoated gun-metal grey.

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[darthyota]

Really dig that second last picture

 

[alaskan.lad]

Really dig that second last picture

Thanks Darth. Shot on a canon rebel with a cheap fisheye lens. That’s an oil rig that’s drydocked down there named Hercules.

 

[alaskan.lad]

Been able to get out lately around the home and spend some nights in the RTT I purchased through REI, a Tepui Kukenam Sky 3. All in all, I am happy with the purchase, the fit, and finish of the tent seems to be top notch. Decided to mount the tent with rear deployment which gives me a nice awning for working off the tail-gate, and works well with the passenger side Tepui awning deployment. Mounted on Yakima round bars -- I had to rotate the mounts for the bars to the roof rails 180 degrees to get the tent rails to fit between each side. I do notice the weight up there, but it's not outrageous and am still around 17 mpg on the highway, just not winning any races. Off-road performance on our muddy, rutty Alaska trails seems to be decent, I mostly just take it easy.

As for the rear shocks I ended up buying shocks that were three inches shorter, not even sure of the application (from oreillys). I had to drill out the bottom hole, but they went in on in a short afternoon and solved my bottoming out issue. I get into the bumpstops well before the shocks stop, and with the new springs and spacers, I am sitting darn near level fully loaded with a weekends worth of gear.

I saved the old shocks, rolling around the idea of going with FJ coils in the rear at some point in the future and they would work well for that application.

 

[alaskan.lad]

Trail gear bumpers F/R (rear needed some modifications coming from a pickup)
Trail gear 8k winch with synthetic cable with the control box mounted in the grille
CB radio
Sr5 rims powder coated black on 30x9.5 stt pros
Mudflaps
Led tail lights/turn signals & LED resistor

Proof:

 

[alaskan.lad]

Cant believe its been over a year since I posted in here! Heres some pictures of where its been in the last 5-6 months.

I ended up getting some shorter shocks from Oreilly's for the time being, not even sure of what application they are for, just know they don't bottom out even on rougher trails. I did end up selling the RTT (unsure if I posted that) last fall, just ended up being too much condensation for our temperature changes up here and I was tired of breaking down a wet tent every morning. After taking the rear set cushions out I have a nice big area to sleep in the back on a sleeping pad, and room for the hound and a gal if I have one along for a trip. I Ran 30" KO's for the better part of the winter, then upgraded to 31"s, then swapped a set of 32" STTs on the for the summer action. Threw on some Spidertrax 1.5 wheel spacers for my dream stance, I love the way it ended up sitting. Also seemed to help with winter traction with a wider stance. Finally got my Yakima rack mounted up, and have been slowly figuring out the gear situation on it. So far have a cheap shovel mount, trasharoo mounted, and hi-lift sorted on there. Also pulled the trigger on an extension from Yakima which has worked out great, I may end up doubling down and getting another one in the future just for more space. After running the RTT on the OEM track mounts I have a lot of confidence in having a good amount of weight up there. Speaking of gear - the picture of the rig on a pullout next to the ocean is fully loaded with 18 gallons of fuel in the tank, 15 gallons of spare gas, all the gear, 6 gallons of water, full cooler, dog and wood - the moog coils + spacers handle all the weight really well, along with retaining the sway bars.

Recently had a rough running issue, checked and had a stored code 14. Changed the Ignition coil module out for a used one, then went through and did plugs/wires/distributor and rotor. Solved all the issues I was having. Been averaging between 14-18 on the highway depending on how much gear I have and how hard I push it. This year I made the switch to 40W oil for the summer. No lockers yet, but the 32s really throw down on the trails, I have been super impressed with them. If only they came in a 10.5 wide - I wouldn't have to run 20.5 PSI in the rear to get full contact .

I have dreams of putting on a snorkel still, but I am on the fence with that because I think a 3.4 swap will be happening sometime in the next few years, and I don't want to cut the fender up on the wrong side. Closer down the pipeline are some OME shocks, a Grizzly locker and some window tint to keep the dog/gear more hidden on sunny days. Also playing with the idea of going LT with a Blazeland kit and LC coils in the rear along with airbags. Thats probably phase 3 - 3.4 swap/LT/33x10.5's/ARB front bumper + 4xlabs rear swinging gate.

Sorry for the long update - helps to get my thoughts out and down on paper.

 

[alaskan.lad]

Things that have changed in the last 6 months:

3.4 swap with the wiring harness/ECM/airbox from a 1998 MT Tacoma, Motor from 140k T-100
33x10.5x15 ko2's
Broken wires in doors causing windows/courtesy lights/heat selector gauge to malfunction
Covercraft Leatherette seat covers
Rear bumper sold for a Coastal Offroad swinging gate (in the process of being welded)
Lower ball joints
Trimmed/hammered pinch weld (0 rubs = great time)

3.4 Has been running great, seeing about 17mpg mixed.

Plans for later this winter early spring:

sliding storage boxes in the rear
dorkel
rear locker (grizzly vs. tru-trac)
tint for dog/gear security
ARB front bumper
OME shocks/steering dampener
33x10.5 Toyo Mts vs. KM3s

Some recent pictures:

 

[M Rose]

@KRose and I just read through this whole build And wow, what a nice rig you have. We are currently looking at an ‘04 or a ‘99 4Runner. Your build gives her a lot of inspiration. She has a couple of questions;
what bumpers are those?
what roof rack did you go with?
and most importantly what RTT is that? We normally don’t like RTTs, but that one looks like something I could actually climb in and out of. And it looks like it could quite possibly keep us out adventuring later into the season as well as start earlier in the year as well.

 

[alaskan.lad]

@Slimpartywagon @KRose thanks! She’s come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Really looking forward to getting out and enjoying it this spring/summer/fall.

As for your questions I went with trailgear bumpers front and rear, but recently sold the rear in preparation for a Coastal off-road swinging gate.

Roof rack is standard Yakima mounts and round bars.

The roof top tent was a Tepui Autana Sky 3 (I think..) - I have mixed reviews. For the height of summer camping it’s awesome. When the temperature starts to fluctuate in the spring and summer I ran into tons of condensation, on the walls, under the mattress etc. I always seem to break camp in the morning and I got tired of flopping a wet tent down and having to air it out later (if the weather was nice). In the end it was more trouble than I felt it was worth and sold it for what I bought it for (got through REI, free shipping to Ak).

Plus I have a dog now and getting him up and down the ladder would be quite a chore.

I do miss sleeping up there from time to time, but when it’s stormy and rainy and I’m curled up in the back of the 4runner with the dog I feel pretty good about the choice.

Hope this helps! Looking forward to meeting y’all someday soon!

 

[alaskan.lad]

Also I think that 3rd gen 4runners have a little more off-road abilities out of the box (especially with the coveted rear differential lock), but I think that 4th gens with the 4.0 or 4.7 are awesome and with a little extra money you can get them to a place where they can perform just as well off road and better on road - just my 2c!

 

[M Rose]

@Slimpartywagon @KRose thanks! She’s come a long way in a relatively short amount of time. Really looking forward to getting out and enjoying it this spring/summer/fall.

As for your questions I went with trailgear bumpers front and rear, but recently sold the rear in preparation for a Coastal off-road swinging gate.

Roof rack is standard Yakima mounts and round bars.

The roof top tent was a Tepui Autana Sky 3 (I think..) - I have mixed reviews. For the height of summer camping it’s awesome. When the temperature starts to fluctuate in the spring and summer I ran into tons of condensation, on the walls, under the mattress etc. I always seem to break camp in the morning and I got tired of flopping a wet tent down and having to air it out later (if the weather was nice). In the end it was more trouble than I felt it was worth and sold it for what I bought it for (got through REI, free shipping to Ak).

Plus I have a dog now and getting him up and down the ladder would be quite a chore.

I do miss sleeping up there from time to time, but when it’s stormy and rainy and I’m curled up in the back of the 4runner with the dog I feel pretty good about the choice.

Hope this helps! Looking forward to meeting y’all someday soon!

Thanks for the information Gabe. One of these days I will be coming up there... my cosine is begging me to come up along with my ex pastor. So the trip is in the works... just not sure when

 

[zachammer85]

Great looking rig. Nice to see another member here in Alaska. I'm in anchorage myself.