Big Easy Overland 5th Gen 4Runner

[Big Easy Overland]

I have decided to name my quest for adventure "Big Easy Overland" and have created a Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram page/account to chronicle my exploits... thus the name of this build. For those who might not know, the city of New Orleans has had the moniker of "The Big Easy" for a LONG time. As I live in the Greater New Orleans area, I'm big (much too big) and I'm easy... I thought it a fitting name.

As I stated in my introduction; I recently bought this 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road as my wife's daily driver with an eye toward slowly making it more and more off road/overland capable. The goal is to outfit the vehicle AND properly educate myself and my son (currently 13 years old) on the skills of off road driving, recovery, etc. within the next five years. The reason for the timeline is we are planning a trip to cross the U.S. on the Trans America Trail between his graduating high school and leaving for college.

This will be a relatively slow "build" for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is the limited available time to do the appropriate research and installation of the various mods. The second is budget. After having just bought a $40,000 plus vehicle on the heels of an epic summer vacation AND with a Thanksgiving break cruise just paid for funds are lacking. While we have god credit we don't do revolving credit, so I have to replenish the "fun" account before I can get too involved when it comes to this build.

That said; there are a few relatively inexpensive mods/additions that I'll be doing. The first is an ARB Diff Breather Kit. I already have it, now I just need to find two minutes to rub together so I can install it. Our neighborhood has drainage issues and during and shortly after a very hard rain the road floods a couple of feet. One of the reason the wife let me talk her into the 4Runner was that she doesn't want to have to wait for the water to recede before she can get home. Speaking of breather mods; is anyone familiar with an e locker breather mod? Is this something I should do right away as well given the water that she'll need to drive through several times a year?

The next addition which should be on the way in the next couple of days is a set of WeatherTech floor/cargo liners. I know that none of these "mods" are exciting, but they're the most practical things I can do with the limited cash and time that I have at the moment.

Mods that I hope to do soon include in no particular order:

• ARB Twin Air Compressor with accessories
• Shop built sleeping platform/storage
• Exped MegaMat Duo
• 285/70R17 Nitto Ridge times five (perhaps 275/70R17 if I need to wait on a lift first)
• Full length roof rack
• Rock sliders (leaning toward RSG Metalworks flat with grip top plate)
• Rigid rock lights
• Ham radio
• inReach satellite communication/tracker (I have a SPOT now, but I like the two way comms of the In Reach)
• National Luna Portable Power Pack
• 12 volt portable cooler fridge/freezer (leaning toward a Dometic CFX 75DZW)
• Southern Style Off Road Slimline front bumper
  • 10,000 lb winch
  • 30 inch Rigid light bar
  • Stage 2 high clearance side protection
• RBI Rear bumper with swing outs
• Suspension upgrade (need to research)

As I don't have to tell y'all, one could really go down the rabbit hole with this stuff. So this list is not written in stone. I'm open to suggestions and new ideas.

 

[Old Tanker]

There are several good threads regarding diff breathers, including E-locker breathers, on vBulletin3 Forum. I also have a 2019 TRD Off-Road, with a 5-year plan. Phase one, still in progress, is a diff breather, Frontrunner Wolfpack boxes, a Ham license and radio, and a tent. The ARB breather seems good, but I may use other parts to upgrade the hose to 1/4" fuel line, and do the E-locker at the same time. I'm starting to look at roof racks - today at REI I noticed that Yakima will start selling their LockNLoad rack later this month - looks very similar to the Frontrunner system. I like the SSO front bumper, and am wondering if I could install that and a winch without having to upgrade the front springs. Perhaps not - the stock suspension is already high in the back. I look forward to following your upgrades. Good luck!

 

[HappyOurOverlanding]

I have decided to name my quest for adventure "Big Easy Overland" and have created a Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram page/account to conical my exploits... thus the name of this build. For those who might not know, the city of New Orleans has had the moniker of "The Big Easy" for a LONG time. As I live in the Greater New Orleans area, I'm big (much too big) and I'm easy... I thought it a fitting name.

As I stated in my introduction; I recently bought this 2019 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road as my wife's daily driver with an eye toward slowly making it more and more off road/overland capable. The goal is to outfit the vehicle AND properly educate myself and my son (currently 13 years old) on the skills of off road driving, recovery, etc. within the next five years. The reason for the timeline is we are planning a trip to cross the U.S. on the Trans America Trail between his graduating high school and leaving for college.

This will be a relatively slow "build" for a couple of reasons. First and foremost is the limited available time to do the appropriate research and installation of the various mods. The second is budget. After having just bought a $40,000 plus vehicle on the heels of an epic summer vacation AND with a Thanksgiving break cruise just paid for funds are lacking. While we have god credit we don't do revolving credit, so I have to replenish the "fun" account before I can get too involved when it comes to this build.

That said; there are a few relatively inexpensive mods/additions that I'll be doing. The first is an ARB Diff Breather Kit. I already have it, now I just need to find two minutes to rub together so I can install it. Our neighborhood has drainage issues and during and shortly after a very hard rain the road floods a couple of feet. One of the reason the wife let me talk her into the 4Runner was that she doesn't want to have to wait for the water to recede before she can get home. Speaking of breather mods; is anyone familiar with an e locker breather mod? Is this something I should do right away as well given the water that she'll need to drive through several times a year?

The next addition which should be on the way in the next couple of days is a set of WeatherTech floor/cargo liners. I know that none of these "mods" are exciting, but they're the most practical things I can do with the limited cash and time that I have at the moment.

Mods that I hope to do soon include in no particular order:

• ARB Twin Air Compressor with accessories
• Shop built sleeping platform/storage
• Exped MegaMat Duo
• 285/70R17 Nitto Ridge times five (perhaps 275/70R17 if I need to wait on a lift first)
• Full length roof rack
• Rock sliders (leaning toward RSG Metalworks flat with grip top plate)
• Rigid rock lights
• Ham radio
• inReach satellite communication/tracker (I have a SPOT now, but I like the two way comms of the In Reach)
• National Luna Portable Power Pack
• 12 volt portable cooler fridge/freezer (leaning toward a Dometic CFX 75DZW)
• Southern Style Off Road Slimline front bumper
  • 10,000 lb winch
  • 30 inch Rigid light bar
  • Stage 2 high clearance side protection
• RBI Rear bumper with swing outs
• Suspension upgrade (need to research)

As I don't have to tell y'all, one could really go down the rabbit hole with this stuff. So this list is not written in stone. I'm open to suggestions and new ideas.

Sounds like a great list. Have you checked out Southern Style Offroad (SSO). They are in your neck of the woods. I am a bit bias towards them since I purchase SSO sliders, slimline front bumper and the Trailgater rear bumper. Just an option to look at.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

Sounds like a great list. Have you checked out Southern Style Offroad (SSO). They are in your neck of the woods. I am a bit bias towards them since I purchase SSO sliders, slimline front bumper and the Trailgater rear bumper. Just an option to look at.

After seeing your comment AND seeing a very informative and entertaining video on Wanderlost Overland's YouTube channel, I decided to spring for the slimline front bumper, though I'm going to have to wait a bit to get the 30 inch Baja Designs S8 LED light bar ($849 ) that I had SSO cut out for me. It should be here in the next week or so.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

As y'all are quite aware 2020 has been a bit of a meany poopy head (as per my adorable little neighbor). As such I really haven't had much time (which is weird when just about EVERYONE else has had nothing BUT time) to do any mods to our 4Runner.I usually take some time during the summer to take a trip to my home town of Warren, PA to see family and perhaps have a bit of an overland adventure on the way. This summer that plan just isn't panning out. So, instead of trying to juggle a very complicated set of schedules to make that happen, I've decided to concentrate on outfitting the 4Runner Off Road with some off road goodies. This will enable me to perhaps have some mini overland adventures in the fall and perhaps a hunting trip to Warren over the Thanksgiving break with a MUCH more capable rig.

I've been reading a lot and leaning from experienced overlanders who have recommended that BEFORE upgrading tires, lift, and lights, I should concentrate on limiting trail damage and vehicle recovery. Therefore, I have the following being shipped to me within the next week of so:

• RSG Offroad flat rock sliders with top plate
• Southern Style Offroad slimline hybrid front bumper with 30″ LED cutout for a Baja Designs S8, 30" Driving/Combo, LED Light Bar (light to be purchased later)
• WARN ZEON 10-S Platinum 12V Electric Winch with Spydura Synthetic Cable Rope: 3/8" Diameter x 100' Length, 5 Ton (10,000 lb) Capacity

I already have an ARB Differential Breather Kit and an ARB 12V On-Board Twin High Performance Air Compressor to install as well. Looks like I'm going to be busy this summer. I do have to finish up the built in media/storage cabinets and book shelves that I started before I can get on this. Also... my garage is a giant disaster zone at the moment, so i'll need to square that away as well. I figure sometime mid June I should be able to start.

 

[barbwire]

Hello Edward, I did those exact mods just by chance- could not be happier with any of the products. Also added a RIGd rear carrier. Pics attached

 

[Big Easy Overland]

In these strange times some hard decisions have had to be made. 2020 just keeps throwing curve balls at us all and we've definitely had our share.

Shortly after we bought the 4RUNNER, my wife made it quite clear that she wasn't willing to upgrade the tires until the OME tires needed replaced. As such I began the upgrades for our overland rig by buying rock sliders, a front bumper with 30 inch light bar and a 10,000 lb winch, on board air compressor, MaxxTrax, etc.

The plan was to get the rig outfitted with upgrades that would help with protection and recovery while we put those upgrades through their paces and trained my teenage son on how to choose a line through obstacles, vehicle recovery, and such. Then, when the time came to upgrade tires, we would upgrade the suspension with a 2-3 inch lift which would enable us to fit bigger 275/70 R17 tires without clearance modifications.

Then along comes COVID-19, multiple tropical storms/hurricanes, seriously sick kids requiring hospital stays and/or surgery, etc. Add to that the impending costs of braces for both kids, a new HVAC system, a tankless water heater for our house and, possibly a new roof and it was clear that I had to make some decisions concerning the budget for our overland rig. Bear in mind that we don't do debt...

So... now that the original tires are close to needing replaced, I needed a solution. The solution was to forego the upgrade in tire size, thereby being able to delay the need for the suspension lift. We choose to buy the less expensive Kenda Klever in the stock 265/70 R17 size AND at Black Friday discounted price. This will allow us to be able to tackle some mud and lessor trail obstacles while biding our time to rebuild the budget.

Now... I need to get all of this gear installed.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

I picked up some quality recovery gear at great value during the black Friday sales...

 

[Big Easy Overland]

I had a productive weekend and made some progress on the Big Easy Overland 4Runner build. I spent the weekend prepping, priming and topcoating the RSG Offroad Flat Rocksliders that I ordered in bare metal. I've also been working out the particulars for building a custom fuse and relay panel (inspired by Wanderlost Overland) to power all of the overlanding accessories such as lights, communications, winch, on board air compressor, etc. I can't wait to get all of these upgrades installed and hit some trails.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

I'm repurposing a set of Denali D2 Auxiliary lights that were on my recently totaled Triumph Scrambler 900. I was second guessing myself about using lights that were designed for use on a motorcycle as ditch lights on my 5th gen 4RUNNER, but after confirming with a colleague that 12 volts is 12 volts and the load determins the amperage draw not the source, I sorted out the old wiring harness and tested them out. These should look great with the Caliraised Low Profile ditch light mounts I got... also at Black Friday discounts.

 

[Old Tanker]

How did your suspension handle the front bumper and winch without an upgrade to handle the weight?

 

[Big Easy Overland]

How did your suspension handle the front bumper and winch without an upgrade to handle the weight?

I don't know yet because it hasn'tbeen installed yet, but I've talked to a guy who says that the upgraded springs that come on the TRD Offroad can handle the weight. If not I'll end up just adding a leveling kit or something to deal with it short term.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

How did your suspension handle the front bumper and winch without an upgrade to handle the weight?

UPDATE: I measured the ride height before I installed the new bumper but AFTER I installed the new tires. There was virtually no difference. The new tires were the same size as the old ones, with beefier tread, so I would guess the difference in diameter would be less than an inch, so I'm thinking the bumper might have dropped the ride height by 1/4 to 1/2 inch. The ride seems to actually be better on the road with that weight up front. of course, that might be different off-road, I'll have to find out soon.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

I'm working on getting better at making videos, but it is a steep learning curve to be sure.

 

[Old Tanker]

Thanks. I should be mounting a Warn 10S P in an LFD hybrid bumper sometime this month. Good video, BTW.

 

[Old Tanker]

Did you need to make any adjustments to the power steering line to mount the winch control box?

 

[Big Easy Overland]

Nope, it fit in there like a glove.

Thanks for the words of encouragement about the video. I should have another video out soon and eventually a video on mounting the Slimline bumper as well.

 

[nightflyer]

I went with stock size all-terrains too to replace the factory tires. I might go bigger once I upgrade the suspension but for now the 265’s seem to be working fine for the off-road driving that I’m doing. I look forward to seeing the progression on yours.

 

[Big Easy Overland]

Update on the "good enough for now" build.

It took me a while to get back on this project, but over the Easter break I finally got the Baja Designs S8 light bar and the ditch lights wired up to some switches.

I had intended to use the same switch panel as Wanderlost Overland (love their ideas) but I seen they had misgivings about the location of that switch panel. Upon further reflection I could see the issue. So... I bought some OEM Toyota push button type switches from air on board. I had read that others were prone to sticking. Anyway, I bought four switches to run the back light feature and the S8 light bar, the ditch lights, and the ARB dual on-board air compressor that I still need to install. This will allow the use of the accessories that I will need with this scaled down version of my rig. It also will make the accessories I would need to use most while driving in a much better position. I would of course change the back light switch out for the roof top LED light bar switch when that time comes.

Anyway, here are the results...










Video to follow.

 

[Big Easy Overland]