2nd Chance 4runner

So I think a few people may remember my 4runner that I was building. I was building my own frame and really starting from scratch. I wanted it to be something I could do a lot of different things. I want it to be my daily driver, as well as be able to do some serious offroad trails. I really liked doing old school and thought that would be cool to do, but didn't want to be in the same class as buggies. I also wanted to be able to go fast from time to time. I have a few other wishes that I would like to see if it can do too. I want it to have a working cruise control and A/C. I understand this is not that hard core, but it will be nice when my wife and I go camping and take it on milder trips where we drive it. So this is my second chance 4runner. The biggest thing that is different is that I am using a factory frame. If I do compete that will help me stay in a class that is more competitive for my rig. I had a few other things that I couldn't do with the old 4runner that I can do now. I want to do a soft top. The other one was rolled too bad to salvage any of the top. This one is in nicer shape so I am going to take my time deciding how to take it off. I am planning on doing this in a couple phases.
First phase will be to swap the drivetrain out. I have an lq4 6.0 that I am running for the motor. For the transmission I have a ZF 650 that they put behind the duramax. It is a 6 speed transmission that is supposed to shift more like a car than a big truck. It has a nice granny gear of 5.79: 1. My transfercase is a Stak 3 speed with 5.44:1 in the low case and 3:1 in the middle gear. This should give me plenty of options when I'm wheeling. It's not nearly as low as my old buggy but I have heard that with the torque of a v8 that you can get away with less gearing. The axles are 60/14 bolt with Detroit and 5:13s.
The reason I am doing this build is because I miss my old projects. When I was getting into wheeling we didn't have trailers and tow rigs. We just had to drive whatever we had, wheel it, and hope we made it home. I really loved that. I loved wheeling way more often even if it was exploring easier trails. Now that I have some better tools and can afford some nicer parts I want to build a nice dual purpose rig. I have had this in the back of my mind for awhile now, and I am hoping I can get it all to work how I want.

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What year 4runner are you starting with?

It's a 97. It doesn't have the Tupperware on the outside either[emoji3]

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The PO kept the transmission so I just had to pull the motor. After that I got rid of all of the ifs stuff. I hate grinding.View attachment 101118
Then I am ready to start fitting the drivetrain again. The transmission is quite large. Even after I clearanced the tunnel with a bfh it is tight. I ended up cutting most of the top of the tunnel out to get my belly up as high as possible. I even cut some of the plastic ducting for the floor vent. I'll see if I have to build something back to direct air to the passenger side later.

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Wow, love the project and the drivetrain. Good luck.

i will be staying up with this build, i am excited to see it progress

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I ended up building a subframe. I wanted a smooth belly and it was a nice place to mount the links for the suspension.

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I also mocked up a truss. I have been going back and forth between doing full hydro and a 4 link or a 3 link with hydro assist. Since I am planning on doing some on road driving with it and probably doing more camping than hardcore wheeling I opted for the 3 link and assist. I set it up so that it wouldn't be much work to swap it if I changed my mind later on. Plus I wanted it to be easy to drive if my wife drives it. I want it to be comfortable for her in the passenger seat or the drivers seat.

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Holy crap that transmission is huge! I like the direction you're taking with this.

Yeah its weird to see a transmission that makes a 6.0 Chevy V8 look small

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Damn. That should move like a rocket ship. I like it!

I hope so. I keep thinking about putting a cam in it but I know I don't "need" it. My buddies are building their motors and so I want to keep up with them.

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Here is a picture of the truss. I will pull it out and fill it in and gusset it later. I have been really thinking about doing ORI'S for this. My buddy has them on his and I have really been impressed by them. The measurements are close to the sway aways I have so I will mock up with these for now. I posted the coilovers for sale. If I sell them then I'll pull the trigger on the oris.

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I'm liking it!

So it looks like I am going to run the oris. I sold my air bumps and coilovers. I need to get together some more money. I know they are a few weeks out so I want to get them ordered as soon as possible.
I got the front suspension all mocked up. I welded up most of the sub frame too. I mocked up the rear suspension and got the rear axle in place. I am going to have to do some trimming in the rear.

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I want to check all my numbers in the 4 link caculator before I burn it all in. Then I can pull the motor and get it ready to install for good. I got a new clutch and put the new input in the stak transfer case for the tranny.

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I forgot to post the pictures of the bling steering arms. They are not as expensive as artek but they are nice. I got them from Sky-manufacturing.com I have used their stuff a couple times in the past and always been happy I also got their DIY pitman arm kit so I can get the distance and drop I need for my application

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Loving this build.

Thanks. I have been wanting to do something like this for a long time.

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