Seanz0rz's Roll and Rebuild

[4x4mike]

Great job Sean. From the pictures everything looks straight and the pattern looks very consistent.

[YotaFun]

considering you are using your projectors still i presume you got the cheapest headlights you could find?

[Seanz0rz]

Bought Depo brand. Reviews were a little better than the TYCs and I have already been disappointed by TYC.

I think I will black out the reflectors this time around.

I wonder if my color match paint would work. Might not be able to withstand the high heat.

[YotaFun]

Something I was considering doing is using that black chrome paint duplicolor has on the reflector and the projector shroud:

https://www.duplicolor.com/products/shadow/

they have black and now copper, green and copper looks cool ;-)

[Seanz0rz]

I will probably go with a high heat gloss black. I might even have some sitting around.

[Seanz0rz]

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8680/16432879677_25a30ede3d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/r37NBF)

[Kryptoroxx]

Beautiful!!

[Seanz0rz]

I forgot how long it takes to put stuff back together...

Headlights are reassembled and awaiting installation. Need to finish up the wiring for the turn/park/strobe lights and fog lights before I run my wire for the headlights and install all of that. Tomorrow morning I will probably go pick up a new battery. I can watch it lose voltage with a DMM. at 10V (the highest I could get it) it was dropping .1V every 1-2 seconds.

Got the snorkel on, tail lights, and support for the spoiler. I am going to repaint my spoiler before it goes back up.

I unfortunately found some thin spots in the coating where the white primer or white oem paint is poking thru. Ohwell.

[Kryptoroxx]

I forgot how long it takes to put stuff back together...

Headlights are reassembled and awaiting installation. Need to finish up the wiring for the turn/park/strobe lights and fog lights before I run my wire for the headlights and install all of that. Tomorrow morning I will probably go pick up a new battery. I can watch it lose voltage with a DMM. at 10V (the highest I could get it) it was dropping .1V every 1-2 seconds.

Got the snorkel on, tail lights, and support for the spoiler. I am going to repaint my spoiler before it goes back up.

I unfortunately found some thin spots in the coating where the white primer or white oem paint is poking thru. Ohwell.
Man I'm sorry to hear about the paint. Did you use 2 gallons? I admire your talents with lights and electronics. They are much better than I can manage.

[Seanz0rz]

Yep, 2 Gallons. Guess I just missed it when I painted. It's not bad, and maybe no one would notice.

Got the relays done for the turn/marker lights. They aren't pretty but they will work, and should last longer than the last set.

Tomorrow I will keep at it and hopefully get the front end wiring done by the end of the day.

It will not be drivable by Monday as hoped, but SOON!!!!

[Kryptoroxx]

I guess the good news is you can always do the same thing with a quart of monstaliner to touch it up in the future. You just have to do the same prep to monstaliner that you do to clearcoat.

[Seanz0rz]

I might if I am already painting, like color matching a trailer or something. Otherwise, it is just fine.

[fenrisx]

Wow. Nice work Sean

[Seanz0rz]

Wasted my morning at Sears getting them to replace my battery plus running some other errands. Came home, installed the battery and fired her up. Turned it around so I could work in the garage. Installed the headlights, corner lights, and turn/strobe lights. It took twice as long as it should have. It's all done though. I will have to wait until I reinstall the rear bumper to aim the headlights. It is quite the stink bug without any weight back there.

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8561/16503014469_f02c0ea207_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/r9jgfe)

[4x4mike]

It's coming together nicely Sean.

Did your turn signal/strobe harness fail on you? I thought they still worked on tow off the beach.

[Seanz0rz]

One was completely saturated in oil. So much so that some poured out when I took the tape off. The plastic on the relay looked a little weird so I tossed it. The drivers side wasn't in horrible shape but I replaced it anyway. I had one of the new ones short out when I don't encapsulated it with hot glue. Had to melt it away until I found and corrected it. These should be good to go for quite some time.

[Seanz0rz]

Also, thanks for the kind words. This has been a hell of a project. It will be at least a few more months to get back to what it was. It gave me a chance to fix some lingering issues and to make it a better vehicle.

[paddlenbike]

Sean, kudos to you and Lexi for all the hard work! It's like having an old friend back.

[Seanz0rz]

She's been an amazing help!

Last night I took a night off. Tonight I got the Lightforces installed, grill installed, cargo hatch door panel installed, as well as the third brake light and the spoiler. Tomorrow I am hoping to start tackling the wire thru the firewall and the aux fuse box.

[Seanz0rz]

The last few days have seen the rear bumper installed and tonight I got the swingouts reinstalled.

Tonight I made a new license plate light. The old one was half dead and a POS.

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7587/16738280482_a225f01429_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rv74CN)

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8673/16551797518_57a4d16107_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rdChKh)

These are the waterproof connectors I am using. They are nearly identical to the Toyota OEM connectors.
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7633/16553240579_899e20f2b2_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rdKFHD)

Tomorrow I swap out the Cat and start to reassemble the interior. YAY!!

[Seanz0rz]

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8749/16276137254_bf2b43596b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/qNgsy7)

For the most part, the 4Runner rebuild is finished. It took me just under 6 months and approximately $1500 to get her where she is today. She is now affectionately known as "The Avocado".

There are still some lingering issues from the roll that I will address over the next few months:

I have no headliner, and no insulation, which makes it very hot and oven-like.
I have no visors (need one clip to replace one that broke disassembled) and no center rearview mirror. I actually don't miss the mirror too much.
Still needs a roof rack.
Virtually all of the aftermarket electrical needs to be redone.
Small exhaust leak at the replacement Cat that will have to be dealt with soon.

So far everything has been working well. 4Runner did about 500 miles over the last couple of weeks, ~150 was offroad. Mechanically she is tip top.

Most of the work to be done will be recorded outside of this thread, except maybe the headliner parts, as that is directly related to the roll.

I would really like to thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement. It has not been an easy 6 months, but I am better for it, and in many ways, so is the 4Runner. I absolutely couldn't have done this without my very supportive and helpful wife. Alexus spent so many hours scrubbing, sanding, and prepping, not to mention kicking me out of the house and into the garage on days I didn't feel like working.

[4x4mike]

Great to see it's getting to where it needs to be Sean. 6 months! Wow, time flies and that means Pismo is only 6 months away.

Thanks for taking the time to bring us along on your journey. The arm chair, fume free and dust free rebuild journey.

Is the reason for a lot of the aftermarket wiring needing to be done because of the console you had built and that area taking such a hit?

[Seanz0rz]

So many of those systems and circuits were done with what I had and on a deadline. Redoing them means they will be consistent and of better quality.

[4x4mike]

Been there, done that. There are a few things I'd love to have the time to redo just because. Wiring gets the OCD in me running real good.

[Seanz0rz]

Yep. Now that I have waterproof connectors, most things are getting that treatment. I will be building a new roof console, with more functionality and a pretty sweet little gizmo I hope to be debuting on this website that should be a great accessory for our older vehicles.

Everything (except for a few choice devices) will be operated with relays with switched grounds. I would like to do waterproof relays, but the price is just too high for me. I have only had one relay fail due to water intrusion, and that was due to a bad mounting position more than anything with the wire lead rain directly into the bottom of the relay. Everything that isn't sealed with a rubber gasket gets a healthy dose of dielectric grease.

Also looking to do some new rock lights and some improved forward lighting.

[Kryptoroxx]

Are you planning on reinstalling a headliner or just leaving it. There are some spray sound deadeners that will probably clean up the roof line and help with the oven effect.

The only other idea I had if you want to make your own is using spray insulation and then smoothing it. It would be really effective for heat shielding though.

[toyotech]

Truck looked great at Mojave tho. Did an awesome job. Good luck with the finishing touches left

[Seanz0rz]

Thanks! It's the detail work that SUCKS! But I can take my time.

[paddlenbike]

I am kid-in-a-candy-store happy you have her up and running again Sean! Many more good times to come for you and Alexis with Mr. Avocado.

When is the supercharger going on? :-)

[Seanz0rz]

After I can complete the transmission mods and maybe not until I can get a 7th injector. How bad was it without the 7th? And what plugs are you using with the SC?

[Seanz0rz]

Krypto, I am going for the foil backed bubble wrap. It is just to prevent the conductive and radiant heat transfer. I will cover that with some type of headliner material. Not entirely sure what that will be.

[Kryptoroxx]

I will be interested to see what you come up with sean! I like your insulation idea. Should be pretty cost effective and keep the heat mostly out. Sometime soon I know BattleWagonActual will need a harness for the elocker. That will be a good excuse to wander down your way to see this overgrown avocado!

[Seanz0rz]

Sounds good! Battlewagon, PM me when you are ready for one.

[paddlenbike]

After I can complete the transmission mods and maybe not until I can get a 7th injector. How bad was it without the 7th? And what plugs are you using with the SC?

The 5 speeds are worse off without the 7th, in my opinion. With the supercharger it is easy to get lazy and not downshift when you should, and those are the times you get the pinging. (Low RPM, high load.) In those situations an auto would have downshifted. That said, it does run better with the 7th.

I would PM Scottiac. He's running his auto with no 7th injector.

[04 Rocko Taco]

Said it before, and will keep saying it, looks great! Glad to see it back on the road and going again!

Toyotas never say die!

[Seanz0rz]

I have my Monstaliner coming loose in a couple of places:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8758/17057706886_1b44a59653_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/rZkcYA)

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8748/16463519663_b3618d9e9a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/r5PQPi)

It is only happening where I covered the touch-up spray paint. Not sure exactly what happened, but the Monstaliner does not like going over that stuff. There are a few other places it is loose but not bubbling.

I think the plan might be to heat it up with a heat gun, squirt some super glue in there and smash it down.


I also got a new camera, so hopefully better pics from here on out!

[paddlenbike]

I also got a new camera, so hopefully better pics from here on out!

Oh come on, that's like saying "I got a new car and it's blue!" We need details!!!!

[Seanz0rz]

Samsung NX300. It is pretty nice, far fancier than I've ever had. 18-55 lens. I will probably get the 50-200 lens at some point.

Now I just have to learn how to use it! Also need a case, any recommendations?

[paddlenbike]

Samsung NX300. It is pretty nice, far fancier than I've ever had. 18-55 lens. I will probably get the 50-200 lens at some point.

Now I just have to learn how to use it! Also need a case, any recommendations?

Nice choice; I think mirrorless is a great way to go if you're not already too deeply invested in dSLR (me). I absolutely love the Sony's focus peaking feature. WiFi and NFC opens the door to much more too.

[Kryptoroxx]

All my photos are off my cell phone lol.

I try and use pelican cases for cameras as I am a klutz at times.

I am a horrible at photography. I use an old Pentax kx and maybe one of these days I will go get an 18-135 lens or maybe a little taller for landscape. Gp lens though is what I could really use. The 18-55 doesn't cut it as a Gp use.

[Seanz0rz]

I will probably get an inexpensive soft side case for it and then drop that down into a Plano or similar waterproof box.

Krypto, any advise on the Monstaliner peeling?

[Kryptoroxx]

Ya know I've noticed it in a few areas myself. I assumed I just didn't prep well enough. Any non expanding glue or epoxy should do the truck though. I have a few spots I am going to hit up this weekend. I'm using goop personally.

I'm gonna email monstaliner and ask them what's up though now that I know it's not just me.

[Seanz0rz]

Let me know what you find out. I was bummed when I saw it, but ohwell.

[Kryptoroxx]

Let me know what you find out. I was bummed when I saw it, but ohwell.
Yeah I am emailing them. Conversation is pretty slow so stand by.

[Seanz0rz]

Had a friend make this one up for me.

https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7799/17648106343_28ee4c32ca_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/sTvaaz)

I will put it on this weekend.

[Kryptoroxx]

Never got a response from magnet paints sadly....but from where mine has peeled up a little I noticed my prep wasn't quite as good in that specific area.

I love that sticker!

[Seanz0rz]

Bummer. I think I will try fixing mine with some super glue.

[paddlenbike]

Ha! I didn't even notice the upside down 4Runner at first glance. I may have to run one of those in your honor.