paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
Thought I would show off some of my work with LEDs.
I built some current-regulated LED modules to illuminate the floor areas when you open the doors:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_H...ll_lights2.jpg
Another pic
You might also note the illuminated rear climate control (and cupholder area).
I also added a high-powered Cree LED to the rear hatch to illuminate the ground when the hatch is opened. It provides a crazy amount of light for unloading the 4Runner at night and really works great for cooking in camp after dark. It comes on automatically when the rear hatch is opened. It is mounted in an Acura Legend door light housing and looks mostly factory.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_H...atchlight1.jpg
And here is the light output compared to a stock 4Runner:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_H...0/DSC_0292.JPG
As you can plainly see, the light has significant spill onto the ground and look at the difference in visibility inside the cargo areas.
I have really enjoyed these lighting modifications. I tend to store a lot of stuff in the footwells on wheeling and camping trips--stuff is so much easier to find at night with these additions.
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
Wheeling pics from 2008:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_H...0BRT%20004.jpg
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_H...0/DSC06113.JPG
I have not modified anything on the 4Runner for the past year--it is working really well as-is. I've waxed it and wheeled it, that's it! :thumbup:
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
The stock running boards did a great job of keeping the sides of the 4Runner rock chip-free. As soon as I removed them and installed rock sliders, rock chips started showing up in the paint. I took one trip to Death Valley with the open rock sliders and picked up about 40 rock chips per side. (Traveling hundreds of miles on gravel roads at speeds up to 83 mph (by gps) does a great job of blasting paint off just about anything.) In an effort to preserve the 4Runner's paint I cut out steel inserts and welded them into the voids of the rock sliders. Here is the result:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/_H...iders-mod1.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_H...iders-mod2.jpg
It took a lot of work to match the bends of the sliders. Tubing benders have a tendency to push the outside of the bend further out before bending it inwards (if that makes any sense). Stubb's sliders are built on a jig and have extremely high quality control, but each of the six steel plates were still just slightly different. The welding itself took no more than about 15 minutes.
So do they work? Shortly after completing this project I took a trip to the desert (Joshua Tree) for 4 days of wheeling. Even though the sliders had 2-3 coats of primer and 6 coats of paint, the gravel blew through it all and left me with this:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_H...iders-work.jpg
You will note tons of chips in the bottom of the plates, and yet none of those rocks made it up to the body. Keep in mind those chips are from one extended weekend of wheeling, so clearly over the lifetime of the vehicle the paint is going to stay much nicer.
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
I ended up picking a really good year (2000) and the original owner did a good job picking the right options:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_H...40/options.jpg
- The truck is a base SR5. The manual transmission was not available on the Limited and this year 4Runner (2000) was the last year Toyota ever offered the manual.
- 2000 is the only year that you could order the large painted fender flares as a stand-alone option. (These became standard equipment on the 01-02 Sport Edition 4runners) They look like the flares that come on the Limiteds but without the plastic door clading.
- 2000 was also the last year that the e-locker was available on the 4Runner.
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner
Re: paddlenbike's 2000 4Runner