Corvus' Build Thread

[Corvus]

14JUL2018. After a month of looking around for a 05-09 V8 4wd Toyota 4runner, finally lucked out at a small dealership local to me in Raleigh. Went to look at it even before they posted pictures and was surprised how clean it was. 1 owner, 150k, and with a great service history. Paid for it cash right there.

Plans for the 4runner were a weekend (sometimes week to month) warrior overland build that would also be my daily driver. I was selling my toys (07 Mustang GT, 07 Harley Night Train, and various other pricey things) to fund the new passion. After lurking around T4R.org and OB.com for a while, I started to learn what gen T4R I wanted and what basic mods I wanted to do that would keep it streetable.

Cliff notes were:
-More aggressive tires that were still comfortable on the highway but could take more weight/offroad punishment
-A ~2.5" lift to give a little more travel and clearance and deal with additional weight
-A full roof rack to mount a roof top tent and various other camping stuff
-A front bumper to hold a winch and protect from animal impact
-A rear bumper with a swingout for a full size spare

After selling my bachelor toys, this seemed feasible in the budget to invest into the truck.

How it sat the day I got it home...

 

[Corvus]

The first thing I got was new rubber. The dismal 245/70/17s on it were almost bald and looked horribly commuter. The flex option for the build is getting some TRD Pro wheels, but I figured the same 265/70/17s I was looking at can be swapped over if I end up with them later.

After more research here and other sources, I decided on Nitto Ridge Grapplers in 265/70/17 and 6ply C load. I got them from Tirebuyer.com and they showed up at my house within two days. I was impressed.

 

[Corvus]

During the same time, I also did research on the roof rack that would fit the bill. I initially looked at the Gobi (as I'm sure many do). But the cost, weight, and lead time had me looking for alternatives. After digging through many threads, I finally ran into the Prinsu rack. For a research-oriented person, I was a little let down with the number of reviews for 4th gen owners and experiences with tents and other loads on it. But, I finally found enough info (and very quick response time from Prinsu themselves) to have me pull the trigger.

The main things I was looking for:

-A full rack that would allow the function of my factory sunroof
-Use all of the factory rack bolt locations (didn't want to drill into that pretty roof)
-Be able to support a heavy Tepui tent, my fat ass, and my girlfriend.
-Be modular to allow for accessories like a 270 awning, shovel, hilift, road shower, or whatever else I wanted to add later
-Be light itself
-Look kewl

I ordered it through Venture Overland and originally thought the ~4 week lead time would be what I would experience.

Through chance, I checked the spam folder of my overloaded Gmail and saw that they had already confirmed shipment and it was arriving that week

Got the big box and started assembling the erector set.

 

[Corvus]

After a girlfriend stubbed toe, I was mandated to prioritize getting the rack on the truck

It was hot as balls yesterday here in NC and I burnt myself a couple times bracing myself on the body of the truck while I tried my best to squirt RTV Silicone strategically to prevent any water ingress around the newly exposed bolt holes.

Alas, I got it mounted and boy is it nice. I'd definitely recommend the rack just on aesthetic and quality of materials. Everything bolted up great, was completely square, and (best of all), no perceived wind noise yet. I read that some of the Tacoma guys complained about wind noise from the front deflector. Prinsu started offering some weatherstripping to keep it more planted to the body and alleviate some of it. I bought the weatherstripping just in case, but doesn't seem like I've needed it yet.

Before and after looks pretty great to me.

 

[Corvus]

Also, was able to get access to my buddy's shop on Sunday so he could help mount the new rubber and knock out an alignment. The Nittos definitely change the look of the truck and they seem as great as everyone says. Quieter than the commuter 245s that came off. And they balanced great as well

 

[Corvus]

Moosejaw.com was running a 30% in cash rewards for full priced purchases this past weekend, so I bit the bullet on the tent as well. After loads of research on my new home away from home, I decided on the Tepui Kukenam Ruggedized. It's big, but not massive, not light, but not heavy, and with a good name behind it. Plus, looks like the color will match the truck which is most important

Now I've got to think of what to do with >$600 in rewards at a site that I buy almost all my climbing and camping gear from

 

[Corvus]

Inbetween build time, I also started gathering some miscellaneous camping gear. I have only really done weekend treks or backpacking in Colorado with hostels lined up at stopping points. I had to make the decision whether to go with a cooler or a freezer. I did some research on Yeti alternatives and heard good things about the new Otterbox Venture cooler offerings. They had a 65qt that had latches that were easy to operate one handed, claimed to hold ice for 16 days, and looked better designed and more modular than the Yetis. Plus, Best Buy was running a discount on the big boy, so I picked it up.

 

[Corvus]

Also started doing research on stoves and bulk water storage. I saw that a bunch of the mid-tier stoves were pretty much the same design and I'm 99% sure they're cranked out from the same plant in China. Groupon was running a deal on a Stansport Outfitter series two burner that looked like an upgraded version of the Camp Chef Everest I had been eyeing a while. It's rated at 25k BTU per burner, so I was skeptical to see the kind of heat it could pump out. I had already made the decision to run an adapter hose into a 20lb tank.

Got the stove in and fired up a test run and everything worked out awesome. Fired up the first time with no issues and both burners seem to have a great level of control with no blowing out.

 

[Corvus]

Next steps for the build will be:

-Icon Stage 2 suspension kit (with tubular UCA and delta joints)
-Pelfreybilt Aluminum front bumper with center hoop
-*Unknown winch* likely a Warn or Smittybilt with a synthetic rope
-*Unknown rear bumper* don't want a heavy steel rear, but not a fan of too many of the minimalist options either. Looked at Hitchgate, but would prefer an actual bumper
-Potentially a Gobi or Baja ladder. But don't want to wait months and months.

I'm also doing research on how I want to set up the rig for navigation. I was considering a mount in the front for an iPad running Gaia, but still trying to determine what would work best.

 

[ProcTheDr]

Lookin sweet!

Sent from my SM-G930V using OB Talk mobile app

 

[SoDak]

Nice work. I'd be interested to hear back from you on how your cooler holds up after a few long trips.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Corvus]

Lookin sweet!

Sent from my SM-G930V using OB Talk mobile app

Thanks!

Nice work. I'd be interested to hear back from you on how your cooler holds up after a few long trips.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using OB Talk mobile app

Yeah, I'll definitely be sticking with it and making sure it works for us. Turns out Best Buy was running a 50% off on the 45qt and smaller, so I got another one

Plus, I like the fact that gun locks make perfect locks for them. Even with just the one, you definitely can't force it open. Also got a bunch of accessories for them, which was a primary reason for going with them over Yeti. It works perfect in the truck that the 65qt will sit on the folded down rear seats and can reach straight back and get to the cup holders to double the cups hah.

 

[SoDak]

Thanks!



Yeah, I'll definitely be sticking with it and making sure it works for us. Turns out Best Buy was running a 50% off on the 45qt and smaller, so I got another one

Plus, I like the fact that gun locks make perfect locks for them. Even with just the one, you definitely can't force it open. Also got a bunch of accessories for them, which was a primary reason for going with them over Yeti. It works perfect in the truck that the 65qt will sit on the folded down rear seats and can reach straight back and get to the cup holders to double the cups hah.

The gun locks are a good idea. I have an Orca currently and it works great for about 3-4 days, depending on how much I open it. With a family of 5, that ends up being more than I'd like.

If they do keep ice for 7'ish days, i also like the idea of having two. One you keep shut until like day 3-4. But not sure how well that would work in practice.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Corvus]

The gun locks are a good idea. I have an Orca currently and it works great for about 3-4 days, depending on how much I open it. With a family of 5, that ends up being more than I'd like.

If they do keep ice for 7'ish days, i also like the idea of having two. One you keep shut until like day 3-4. But not sure how well that would work in practice.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using OB Talk mobile app

Yeah, for these guys I'm hoping for about 7 days of use opening/closing as minimally as possible. Thankfully, some of the accessories for them are cutting boards/covers that can go over the segmented areas as well. Between that and segregating one cooler for bulk storage and one maybe for just meat/drinks. Will also be using dry ice for the longer hauls.

 

[Corvus]

Narrowing down how I'll be doing navigation. With some help from members here and some research on the youtubes, I'll try running a Galaxy S2 tablet with Gaia Premium and a 256gb SD card, a Garmin GLO GPS unit, and a Galaxy S8 for redundancy. Will also try mounting the S2 with a ProClip and a RAM X-Grip/double ball/socket mount. Excited to see this come together, will be nice for turn/turn directions as well instead of always using the phone.

 

[Jahalver]

Is there enough space in between the side rails of the prinsu rack and the roof to get your hands in there to mount the RTT? If not, how did you mount the RTT?

 

[Jahalver]

I’m in the beginning stages of a 4th gen build as well and have been doing tons of research. Have you looked at 4x4 labs for your bumpers?

 

[Corvus]

Is there enough space in between the side rails of the prinsu rack and the roof to get your hands in there to mount the RTT? If not, how did you mount the RTT?

No, the rack is reallly low profile. You can do it, but not easily. My better option is I ordered 2 additional bars from Prinsu and I'll leave them permanently on the tent. Then, I'll lower it in between the existing rails and just bolt it in from the sides. I want to take the tent off after its used every time. I'll be building a gantry crane type pully in the garage to easily lift/lower and store. The rails are on order and i have the tent, so I'll include pics of my install soon.

I’m in the beginning stages of a 4th gen build as well and have been doing tons of research. Have you looked at 4x4 labs for your bumpers?

I have looked at their rear bumper options and considered them. I just wasnt initially a fan of the look or, likely, the weight. It's cool you can get it shipped as a kit though. I really like the Coastal Offroad option in aluminum, but don't really like the low profile or having to trim my stock bumper. I may get that kit and just mod it to add higher profile sides.

 

[Corvus]

The tent showed up a couple weeks early! Extremely relieved to see the shipping box was in good condition and no apparent damage or missing materials. Had to take the time to test run it in the living room :D

The included hardware and mounting rails left much to be desired for, especially right after the high quality Prinsu rack materials. I ordered two additional rack rail crossbars that I will bolt to the base of the tent and just drop inbetween the existing rail sections for overkill stability and strength. Also will make it easier to mount/remove.

Unfortunately, couldn't fully open the tent since the coffee table wasn't tall enough. But it seems like a quality piece and easy to setup/takedown

 

[Corvus]

I also received the Samsung S2 tablet and the Ram mount system for the 4runner. Very happy with both. Got a great deal on the tablet refurbed on Ebay and it looks and performs brand new.

The mount seems extremely high quality and really stable. The 6in arm will get it closer to the driver seat and also able to move out of the way if needed.

I got in the dual USB socket, but did some research and found the company also makes a 4.8 amp designed for phones and tablets. Opposed to the 2.1 amp, I decided to go that way. I'll be using it to constantly charge the tablet and Garmin GLO, so want to make sure it can keep up