Exterior
When vehicles wander Off-Road, there are many modifications to the exterior that need to be done so that a vehicle will come back in one piece. On this page I have a list of the items that have gone into my '99 4Runner to help protect it against the elements.
Sliders
Long ago, I watched other rigs bash in their lower door panels. I also noted others who had taken appropriate steps and put in rock sliders. I ventured to a friends house and we built some sliders out of 2"x4"x3/16" rectangle tubing.
The plan was to make these sliders removable. So, I used some Class 2 square tubing and ball mounts. I know, crazy idea. I made some platforms for the bottom of these tubs to attach to the bottom of the frame. I then welded a riser on the top to take some of the pressure that would eventually be applied to the side of the frame rail. Unfortunately, these risers were not as tall as the frame, and they ended up dimpling the frame. If you should go this route, be sure to make your risers at least as tall as the frame rail.
You an see in this pic how the riser goes about 2/3 of the way up the side of the frame rail. Not a good idea.
Yeah, they worked, but they were not the best design. I ended up ditching these after I noticed they were bending into my frame rails.
Due to some screw-ups on some previous work by ORS, I have a pair of their sliders. Now, ya really can't mess up with tubing. They sent me the sliders and some small riser tabs. Click on the second picture, and you can just barely see the small riser tabs that are above the tube that connects to the frame. Experience has taught me that, these will not be enough to support the weight of the vehicle against the frame. I made some very large scab plates to interface between the sliders and the frame. These plates run the full height of the frame. This will help allow the slider to spread the weight of the vehicle across the entire plate, and from top to bottom of the frame rail. So, far these have been working very well.
Clicky on the pics for larger shots.
Steps
Getting in and out of a large 4Runner became quite cumbersome. So, I ordered a cheap set of Carr steps from Summit, and built some extensions that would put the step down lower, makeing getting in and out much easier. The steps are removable so when I go wheeling, everything is tucked up out of the way, safe. When I'm back on the street for a good amount of time, I put the steps back on, and commute to work.
Balancers
Riding on 37" tires to any event can sometimes shake your fillings loose. To help counter this balance problem, I have a set of Centramatic Automatic Wheel Balancers.
This image is from their website. They are loaded with some steel balls in a synthetic greese. I can often hear them wooshing around a low speeds. When I get up to speed, I don't hear a thing, and the ride is much nicer. Currently, I commute with 35" BFG/AT tires, and these really help to even out any slight vibrations. They are well worth the money. However, I understand that they don't work on some Toyota axles, due to the calipers sticking out past the hub mounting surface. If you decide on these, give them a call. They can let you know if they will work for you or not.
Tires
My first and, I think, the best choice for an all around great Off-Road tire, is the Goodyear MT/R tires.
These tires do a great job of sticking to the rocks and can get you to the trail with minimal fuss on the highway. 4Wheel Parts hooked me up with a good deal when I got 5 of these.
These tires are great for getting to the trail and getting business done. But, when it comes to everyday highway and city use, they are not the appropriate tire. I have since picked up a set of BFG/AT tires. These are vey nice on the highway and in town. With the current setup on the suspension, I have a near-car like ride. Simply awesome setup.
Wheels
Since I have two different set of tires, I needed another set of wheels. When I first started with my SAS project, I picked up a set of wheels cheap from a guy on Pirate. They were definitely not new, but they seemed to balance OK.
Currently, I have the alluminum wheels on my BFG/AT tires, and my black Rock Crawlers Steel Wheels on my MT/R tires. So, far this has been working just fine for me.
Track Bar
After I switched from Coils rear suspension to Leaf springs, it was evident that I needed to do something about axle wrap. So, I built a track bar to eliminate this axle wrap and get the power to the tires. This Track bar is built with 1 3/4" DOM tubing. Not only does it prevent axle wrap, but it helps to protect the driveline. At the top of the bar is a Johnny joint that allows the Track Bar to swing with the suspension movement. If you look close, you can see why I notched the top of the rear section of the Track Bar. I have a second Optima batter mounted up there.
Axle Vent Tubes
Getting water in your differential doesn't make your gears happy gears. Not to mention the amount of cleaning that will need to take place if you want your gears to last. So, I extended my differential vent tubes to higher places. I used the single brake line in the rear and followed this line up, and then ran the line into the gas tank filler nozzle. on my 4Runner, that is over 4 feet high. If I'm in water that deep, something is wrong. The front vent tubes run up into the engine bay, into the corner by the drivers side firewall. Again, if water is that high on my rig, its not a good deal for anything else, besides the differentials.
Rock Lights
Rock lights are cool to have when you get off the trail at night. Having the headlights provides great light when you are driving down the road, but what about crawling off the trail at 2 MPH. I'm working on getting a set for the rear. Currently, as you can see, these work quite well in the front.
Roof Rack
Conferr sent me a Roof Rack for my 4Runner. Unfortunately, UPS beat the snot out of the box, and when I got it, I was missing bolts....lots of them...actually of them. Down at the local ACE hardware store I was able to get what I needed and I put together my Conferr Roof Rack. It seemed to go together quite nicely. Fortunately its not very heavy. I can take it off and put it on by myself, so that is a bonus.
Notice the 1st picture. I think this rack was made on a Monday, somebody was half asleep when they rivited this plate on. In the third picture, you can see how I covered the portholes in the front. The portholes have a tendancy to make a howling noise that I can hear through the sun roof. so, some light sheetmetal rivited to the rack, and its quite.
Turn Signal Mod
There are numerous write ups on several bulliten boards about this mod. Unfortunately, I can't find my pictures that I took when I did this mod on my turn signals. So, I will point you to the sites that have pictures and the write ups.
Click on the picture for the 4x4 Wire Turn Signal Relocation write-up
TTORA has a write-up, but no pics.
A google search will yield more results as well.
Disclaimer: What you see on these pages are my own experiences and what changes I have performed on my vehicle. Should you choose to attempt these type of changes to your vehicle, I am not responsible for any consequential damages that may result from these type of modifications. I do not encourage any readers to copy these modifications to their own vehicle. Modifying your vehicle can be dangerous to you and anybody else on the roadway. Please take care in what you do with your vehicle.