My new trail/street rig build- '97 4runner

[Booger Weldz]

i found the late mpodel ifs a lot easier to remove from the frame than the earlier trucks SAS. im glad i dont have to deal with your rear suspension, theres a serious nightmare of cutting and grinding on 4runner coiled rears...i didnt even fire up the plasma on my front it was pretty simple with the sawzall and a 9 inch grinder, took maybe 2 hours..

move your thread to the tacoma/ younger 4runner section!! theres not enough traffic over there for tech input yet!!! we need you!

[ErikB]

Originally Posted by Booger Weldz

you got the 3.4 5 speed...marlin dual ultimate all figured out yet? i posted questions about the clockable adapter plates in the taco section to see how far we can tuck the front output up on our vehicles with no body lift..??

Yes, and I put it all in your thread in the taco section!
/forum/toyota-tacoma/617536-3-4-v6-adapter-plates-gear-driven-mini-truck-tcase-post7311183.html

Cliff notes:
The Inchworm V6 adapters allow for clocking of passenger's drop t-cases 0 or 10 degrees (as well as 0, 5, and 15 degrees the other direction for driver's drop cases on the 3.4 V6 version).

So combining Inchworm's V6 adapter with my Marlin R10 dual case adapter I'll have have options of 10, or 20 degrees clocking.
What will actually fit is yet to be determined...

move your thread to the tacoma/ younger 4runner section!! theres not enough traffic over there for tech input yet!!! we need you!

Yeah, maybe I should...

[Mossyrocks]

nah, leave it in the 4runner section.

[3vze]

Man its good to see the ifs runners gettin some love. I started mine 6yrs ago its doing a fine job of holding the slab down in the garage but I just decided to finally get around to finishing it

[KJFrame]

sick buld this thing is going to kick ass!!!!!!

[Booger Weldz]

so what did you end up for Tcase parts? ive got a small body lift and hopefully a clockable adapter so, who knows, i might have a relatively flat belly...

PM me your number, if i go up to inchworm to buy parts id like to swing by and check out your runner!

[Booger Weldz]

hurry up erik, im in the lead by an axle!!

[neliconcept]

dunno if you have seen Steves 4runner down in NM but he has a 3 link front on his with coilovers and airbumps i think edit: no airbumps

[ErikB]

Originally Posted by neliconcept

dunno if you have seen Steves 4runner down in NM but he has a 3 link front on his with coilovers and airbumps i think edit: no airbumps

http://hunt4steve.com

Thanks, I had run across that before but forgot about it. Good info!


Well, the '86 is COMPLETELY stripped and sitting on my shop floor. Body, frame, engine, tranny are about all that's left.

Actually, the '97 is in about the same condition, only worse since it also has no suspension or steering and I pulled the tranny out too.

I updated the specs in the first post. I've got parts on order from PORC, Sky, and Currie. Already got stuff from Allpro, Ballistic, Inchworm, and Marlin.
Hopefully BudBuilt will follow through as well.

Still haven't really decided on springs/shocks. Currently I'm thinking I might reuse the stock rear coils with some 13" BBCS's mounted outside the frame rails and up into the wheel wells (not cut into the body), and maybe 12" coilovers up front similar to Hunt4Steve's, above? Maybe a short-body remote reservoir style so that I can run 14's and keep it low and still not have to cut into the fenders.

I need to learn about coilovers. Links to coilover info and spring rate suggestions are appreciated!

.

[toy86]

you could go the easy route and put some aftermarket lift coils in the rear using the stock mounts. Ive seen it pulled off with a proper 3 link in the rear working well

[ErikB]

Did you see the pics? There are no stock mounts on the frame and I'm not using the stock axle either.
I'm going to mount them under the frame instead of inboard like stock anyway. For body roll purposes and especially after seeing Bruce's 3rd gen spring bucket carnage. Under the frame will add a couple inches, but I might still need some ~2" lift springs or something.

I'm also trying to research rear t-case shifter setups with the e-brake in the center console in the way. There isn't much 3rd gen info out there...

[cougarfreak]

Looks great Erik!!! I'm happy to see the 3rd gen's are getting their time in. I guess they're dropping in price enough to turn 'em into wheelers. I'll get you those pics of my t-case shifters shortly.

[neliconcept]

i can show you a pic of my twinsticks but its in the stock location so it probablly wouldnt help, dunno if you saw my thread or not anyways as its in there as well

i think its second cupholder that gets slaughtered with the rear case. shoot a pm to ABQ Jim as well as he has duals.

[cougarfreak]

I e-mailed them to you also, and put them up on my build up page.

[ErikB]

OK... the t-cases are done.

T-cases from the '86:
- Marlin dual-ultimate 2.28/4.7 23 spline
- Marlin 10* clocked dual case adapter
- Marlin twinstick
- Bobby Long chromo output shaft
- Trail Gear shift knobs

New item added:
- Allpro t-case e-brake

Items needed to put the duals from my '86 in this rig:
- Inchworm clockable 3.4 V6 adapter
- Marlin 23 spline input
- Marlin VSS
- New crossmember (modified FROR)

Mods required to the rig:
- Floor modification via sledgehammer
- Rear heater moved up due to floor modification
- E-brake cable mount plate moved up 1/2" and forward 1" to clear t-case e-brake disk
- New crossmember
- Shifter mods (floor and center console)




Floor mods:
The floor under the passenger's front seat in a 4runner is lower than normal because of the rear heater located there. Precision sledgehammer modification was needed.

If you ran an unclocked t-case and left the t-case at stock height, little or no floor modification would be needed. However, my cases are clocked 10* and I pushed them up an inch or two from stock for a flatter belly.

I tried clocking both tranny and t-case adapters for 20* total, but I decided the extra hassle of more floor and shifter modifications were not worth it for the minimal gain. The output ends up higher, but the bottom of the center of the t-cases is still the same height.


Stock rear heater location:


Stock floor:


Modified floor:


Heater 1" "body lift" using PVC pipe spacers and longer screws:




The first pic shows how the t-case brake disk would have interfered with the e-brake cable pass-through plate when moved to the back side of the flange. I made a spacer plate that moved the e-brake cable plate up 1/2" and forward 1" to give the disk plenty of clearance. The cable now basically hugs the floor right above the disk and the pass-through plate is in front of the disk. You can see in the crossmember pics further down that there is now plenty of clearance.
Notice also how much more floor clearance there is for driver's drop t-cases.






I bought some grade 10.9 bolts and welded them to the disk to make installation/removal of the drive shaft a little bit easier.



A 3rd gen 4runner gets its speed signal from the ABS computer via ABS wheel sensors that my axles don't have. A Marlin VSS will be used to drive the speedometer and ECU. MossyRocks figured out the wiring to get around this and posted the details here:
/forum/toyota-tacoma/626684-3rd-gen-4runner-functioning-speedo-without-wheels-speed-sensors.html
I had to do some grinding on the t-case mount to clear the sensor. I got the plug off some Toyota car at picknpull.

[ErikB]

Stock 21 spline input vs. Marlin 23 spline input:



Inchworm clockable 3.4 V6 adapter.
Info on the 3.4 adapters and clocking is in this thread:
/forum/toyota-tacoma/617536-3-4-v6-adapter-plates-gear-driven-mini-truck-tcase.html




T-case e-brake-
The clocked cases would have moved the lever up into the floor AND I need room on the passenger's side to run exhaust anyway, so the t-case e-brake had to be flipped. While I was doing that, I just integrated it into my t-case mount.

There was also no way my FROR crossmember would have cleared the floor on the passenger's side, so I used it as a template and made my own to better suit my needs. I like how it turned out.

The main plate is 3/8" like FROR's and the rest is 1/4". Those are FROR's bushings as well.








Crossmember had to be removable for tranny/t-case maintenance. Its 2x2x3/16" pie-cut with the plasma and rewelded for the taper. Sleeves are 1/2" schedule 80 pipe, which is cheap and perfect for 1/2" and 9/16" bolts. Frame mounts are 3/16" and 1/8" wall flat and box material.
The crossmember tips lay on the bottom of the frame rails, so it hangs down 2" (vs. nearly 4" for the stock one). I could have pushed the cases up another inch or even two, but I decided the extra hassle and mods involved weren't going to be worth it. 2" isn't too bad.
This crossmember happens to be located exactly where the stock fuel tank crossmember was, right at the seam where the inner frame rail material changes from .120" wall to .090" wall. The link mounts/crossmembers will be similar (but not removable) and will tie into this crossmember for strength.











There are some more pics here:
http://home.4x4wire.com/erik/97runner/tcase/index.htm

[Mossyrocks]

Im lovin the buildup man. lookin good.

[Blue-Beard]

Damn that crossmember turnedout sweet!
Very nice job.

[ErikB]

Thanks. I just wish it was going FASTER...

[cougarfreak]

How'd you hook up your p-brake cable???? Are you still using the stock console p-brake??? I am just about to delve into the caddy set up and getting some custom cables, but am watching closely for alternatives... This looks promising.

[ErikB]

Haven't hooked it up yet, but I'm just going to loop the stock cable from the console lever around and have it pull the t-case brake lever forward similar to how it does in the older trucks, but on the driver's side of the t-case.

I've never really heard good things about how well the Caddy setups work, but I've heard lots of good things about the t-case ebrake (when set up properly). The problems I've read about the t-case brakes had to do with rubbing pads, but I spent a lot of time mounting the caliper so that the pads don't rub. The AP setup isn't perfect out of the box. You may have to tweak the bracket or use washers to put the caliper right where it needs to be. This is something I think a lot of people don't do if they just bolt it on and expect it to work.

I also ground the outer pad plate down to better clear the driveshaft flange. It was flat on top and is now curved like the pad. This allowed me to move the caliper up a tad to get a better bite on the rotor (less pad hanging off the edge) and I still have plenty of clearance to the drive shaft bolts/flange.

OOP's hit his on a big rock he was humping once while night wheeling and we couldn't figure out what the noise was until the next day. He had just barely bent the bracket up and the bolts were rubbing the pad. The clearance is really tight if you don't grind it down.

[Mossyrocks]

Ive decided to just use a line-lock. Its only gonna be needed for short periods of time on the trail.

[Booger Weldz]

you might want to ditch the poly on the Tcase and go back to rubber..youll think youve got a bad Ujoint or pinioon bearings, etc just from the funky vibs! i couldnt stand it and my buddy thought he fawked up his whole drivetrain(pinion angles, etc) just from those bushings....anyhow, ill pretty much copy your crossmember, thank you

youre catching up to me fast, i still need my r150/geardrive case adapter, though i have everything to go behind it in 23 spline now...

im working on suspension stuff, its more fun then actualy wrenching for me...

where do you wanna go first when we finish our trucks???? ETA for me is when the weather is warm enough, the snow has melted to the point the passes are open again

[ErikB]

I'm hoping it will be done in time for some snow wheeling and testing before the annual Hammers trip in April. Hopefully at least a month before that? But that may be wishful thinking.

I agree that fabbing cool stuff (or any upgrade) is way more fun than wrenching.

[SeaBass44]

Originally Posted by ErikB

I'm hoping it will be done in time for some snow wheeling and testing before the annual Hammers trip in April. Hopefully at least a month before that? But that may be wishful thinking.

I agree that fabbing cool stuff (or any upgrade) is way more fun than wrenching.

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...........I get to have fun everyday............but no time for my own rig

so I read your guys builds