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Since I bought my 4Runner I have
added 4 Vent Visors to the windows, a Lund Interceptor hood & fender
shield, 4 Edelbrock IAS Performer shocks, and Wild Country TXR tires sized
at 31x10.5x15 mounted on Centerline HT/Cast type 30 wheels. The wheels
came on the 4Runner and Centerline told me the best polish to use on them
was called "Billet" by Eagle 1 products. I couldn't believe how much they
shined up after working on them.
On the engine side, all I have
done so far is add a K&N air filter. The engine had gone in for the
head gasket recall campaign in March of '97 and they must have found some
damage that the head gasket had caused as they put in a brand new short
block. Thats very good news to me. It was done @ 116K.
I had my catback system installed on March 29th 1999. I got it installed at Stan's Headers in Auburn,Wa. It sounds fantastic. I wanted a nice low, deep rumble and thats what I got. It reminds me of a Z28, only in mono instead of stereo. I went with 2.25" 14 gauge aluminized tubing with a free flowing muffler from Magnaflow. I noticed an increase in power, especially when you are cruisin' on the highway and you give it a little gas and it picks up faster. The sound from it is really cool. I highly recommend this for anyone who has not upgraded their exhaust yet. I went with the 2.25" setup as both Downey and NWOR recommend it over a 2.50" setup. They both say you need the smaller pipe to scavenge the gases correctly. The 2.50" pipe will actually create to much flow and you need a little back pressure or you will lose low end torque. The 2.25" setup is better for power in the 2000 to 4000 RPM power range which is where most of us drive. The bigger pipe is better at letting the gases out if you drive higher than 4000 RPM's which most of us don't. This info here is from Downey and NWOR.
Downey rear coils. I had Central 4WD in Kent, WA. order me some Downey heavy duty rear coil springs. They installed them on April 28th 1999. What a difference. The rear was now higher than the front end so I had Les Schwab crank up my stock torsion bars to 14". Now it sits level and I could put 32" tires under with no problem, but I'm keeping the 31's to save the hassle of a gear swap. It rides a little bit stiffer from the rear coils, but it seems to handle better. Contrary to what I have heard, cranking up the front torsion bars did not make it ride any rougher. It looks way better now instead of having the rear sag so much. I highly recommend this be done to all 2nd generation 4Runners.
Had my automatic transmission totally drained at Doxon Toyota. They have a new machine in and they call the service "Total Fluid Exchange." I bought 15 quarts of Mobil One synthetic ATF and they put that back in. It shifts better now and feels more positive at the shifting points. Using this service gets all of the old oil out instead of just dropping the pan and getting out 5 or less quarts. The only drawback to this is the synthetic ATF is rather expensive. It goes for around $5 a qt., but I found it at G.I. Joe's for $4 per qt.
"Yakima Load Warrior rack"
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On recommendations from several
owners from Trail
Talk's Toyota SUV forum,
I added a 2nd fire extinguisher.
I mounted it down on the Husky ala "Maglite style."
Got a great deal on it for $10
at G.I. Joe's.
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This little Garmin
e-Trex is perfect for marking trails you want to come back to.
It has a digital compass, and
reads your elevation.
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Attached to the Pro-Fit mount
is a universal mount from Radio Shack.
Sorry, I don't have the part
#. It has lots of holes on it so you can mount it to a variety of other
mounts.
It hooks to the Pro-Fit with
4 nuts and bolts, and holds a cell phone or GPS very well.
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Here is a picture of my new switch.
Its much nicer than the one Hella supplies with the kit
You can order this from Toyota
for $12.00.
The part # is 00550-35976.
The instructions for wiring
it are on the JPG.
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The switch is a perfect fit and lights up when the lamps are on.
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Here is the website
of the new covers I just got 05/01/2000.
They are made out of a clear
acrylic, and you don't have to remove them when you turn on your Hella's.
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Heres a pic with the Hella's
turned on.
Its going to be nice now not
having to take the old stone guards off when I want to run the lights.
I have to add that the Hella's
have been on for awhile now, and they are great!
I drilled the holes right into
the bumper. I put down a rubber "biscuit" between the bumper metal, and
the metal bracket for the mount. Absolutely no rust has formed at all.
Even if it did rust, no worries. I'm yankin' off the bumper before too
long anyways. I'll be putting on an ARB someday.
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About the best place to buy these
from is Cabela's.
Notice the high lip that goes
all the way around the sides.
These are made to contain a
large spill.
Mine are the older ones before they put the nubs on the bottom to keep them from sliding, but my mats absolutely do not slide on me one bit.
Also see my other pictures of how you can mount a fire extinguisher to them, and a Maglite.
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