edeslaur

Here's how much I chopped off the bumpstop. What a terrible picture...

edeslaur

I put together a before and after photo montage:

ToyoTech559

anymore off roading pictures? im looking to do a similar set up after i get my elocker done

edeslaur

Unfortunately, not yet. Work's been running me on trips, and my turbo is making unhappy noises.

I need to pull the intake tube and check for impeller play, but I have a feeling I'm buying another turbo. And I just put a deposit down on an Aluminess front winch bumper too... (tell 'em Eric Deslauriers sent you for $50 off yours!).

It's still about 4 weeks out for the test fit, but after this they'll have a template for 1st Gen 4Runner aluminum bumpers. Man they're light, and they look stout. Look for pics, including shop pics, soon. All I have so far is their ME under my truck measuring things - I took over their meeting room and did some work while they did cool things.

Tomorrow I'll start figuring out what to do with my turbo. This one's been rebuilt twice already, but I'm not sure it was done by a reputable shop. The early part of my blog details my frustration with the shop that did the engine. So far, I've retightened just about every bolt they touched - happily the machine shop built the bottom end.

I'm thinking the Turbonetics no-fault 1 year warranty sounds good to me!

In November, I'm planning on running Pole Line Road in Baja with a group (not this one, but here's a description).

ToyoTech559

sounds good. im guess it will be a fully plated bumper? if so i am interested...

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

edeslaur, great thread you got going here. I'll be watching. But for balance beads for tires, check out this site. I've used them and they work.

http://www.innovativebalancing.com/index.php

A lot of info there.

91muddog

subscribed! looks like a great truck!

camo31_10.50

how are you liking the ride of the blazeland LT compared to the stock ride?


i think i'd rather beef up my IFS than do a SAS. (beef up meaning new front diff, 8" )

ToyoTech559

i used BBs and they work for less $$

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, appreciate the input. I'll assume you mean the .177 cal BB gun shot. What size tire do you run and how much (weight wise) did you add to each tire? Did they fit through the valve stem? I'd like to hear about how it's been working for you.

BUST'EM504

good write up nice rig also

ToyoTech559

Im running 32x11.5x15 BFG All Terrain
i used this chart to figure out how much to use but more wont hurt imo
http://www.innovativebalancing.com/BigTirechart.htm


i got them at walmart. similar to these, i cant find a pix of the ones i got tho http://www.walmart.com/ip/Crosman-Ai...00-Ct./9222912

i just broke the bead and pour them in. im sure the actual ones and the bb ones are similar and i cant say if the actual ones are better
every once in a while it will shake on 1st drive but im not sure if it has to do with that fact i dont DD my runner. for the amount of weight i need to put in each one, if i have gotten the actual ones, it would cost more than i would ever spend. the larger BBs that im using allow me to easily save them which i have when i got new tires recently.

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Thanks, toyotech. The actual ceramic beads from Innovative Balancing are way smaller but they are white also. Almost looks like a white powder. You use filtered valve stem cores and take off the old valve stem. Then load them through the stem because they are so small. Did you leave the balancing weights on your rims or take them off? When I added the balance beads to my Ford tires (255/85R16), I took off the weights when I wasn't supposed to. It was good for some years, but then I had a shimmy in the front end. Replaced some parts in the front but it ended up being unbalanced tires. The tires still balanced with the beads in them which I didn't think that the tires could be w/ the beads inside. Thanks again bro.

ToyoTech559

i wouldnt buy the smaller ones from them anyways since i have larger off road type tires, it was recommend to use the larger balls that would require breaking the beads. i did leave the wheel weights on mine but i was only able to static balance them since the use rims i have might not be straight since i have all new tires

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for straightening me out on the bigger bead size. I just saw that on their site. It makes sense to use BB's because it's cheaper.

ToyoTech559

np. if it wasnt so expensive i would go with the ceramic but the amount i need i think the last time i did the math was like $80 lol

edeslaur

Took the truck out yesterday. Aired down to 26psi, it worked really well. I was still able to bottom it out, but at MUCH higher rates of speed than stock. It rides much better than it did stock. Incredibly better.

I was afraid the rear would be too stiff, but this setup works well. I do need longer shackles, as the rear can suddenly stop extending as there isn't much uptravel with the longer springs. I'm thinking 1.5" shackles will help a lot.

It's not as fast as my class 1700 Cherokee was, but it's definitely coming along. It DEFINITELY needs a faster steering box. It got exciting pawing at the wheel trying to go from lock to lock quickly on the smooth, fast sections. Enough I slowed down.

I went solo, so there are not any pics of my truck in action. This is Mountain Spring "near" San Diego.

This is supposed to be a trail that settlers crossed in their wagons.

There are 2 trails. The steep one and the long one. I'm guessing the long one was built after the steep one - there was a LOT more work involved.

Picture out the driver's window on the steep trail. Lots of loose rocks rolling around. The clear spot is where we're headed. That's I8 below, not too far from the In-Ko-Pah exit. You can see the long trail pointed West, leading away from where I'm at.


Ruins at the bottom of the run. Corrals?


Open area at the bottom. That's I8 Westbound right there. But jumping the fence is illegal I'm told.


This rock bridge is amazing. It's on the long way. You actually drive on the rocks. What a heck of a lot of work.


I'm looking forward to doing this run in reverse (clockwise) next time. Up that steep hill looks like a nice challenge.

N2Frodn

I have nothing constructive to add other then I like the way your truck is turning out. Nice choice of wheels, I have the same tacoma steelies on my prerunner project. Bought them as a $100 set of rollers, the look has grown on me and I think I am gonna run em.

Also need to check out that trail, looks pretty cool. Is it fullsize friendly? One of the guys I wheel with has a 08 Tundra 4x4. Mild lift and no armor but he isn't afraid to wheel it.

edeslaur

It'll be tight in a FS, but I'd take my old 88 K5 on it. We had an FJ80 run it last time. There are a couple of very tight spots that they'll need to go slow through or get some body damage from a tight boulder. The 80 bounced through a bit fast and did hit his passenger side coming back out.

There are 2 ways in.

This way down to the springs has a tight part where a boulder is poking into the trail a bit, probably best for a wide vehicle going down. Slowly through the tight spot. I enjoyed it both ways.


This way demonstrates a lot of hand-made roadway. The way down is awesome, but the bridge is best viewed going up. The bridge is slowly starting to come apart, you can see where the outside is slowly pulling away from the various earthquakes and high water days. I'm going to be so bummed when it's gone.

edeslaur

I got my new bumper from Aluminess. Yes, they now can build 1st Gen 4Runner bumpers!

Tell them "Eric D with the 4Runner" sent you and they'll knock $50 off your bumper or shipping (any bumper they make, not just 4Runner bumpers).

This is an all-aluminum unit and weighs less than the Smittybuilt tube bumper that was on here.

I'm very pleased with the bumper. I've had it on several rough roads pretending I'm back in my class 1700 truck and it doesn't move at all.

If you look carefully, you can see I already scuffed the brushguard powdercoat above the passenger headlight. There's more mud than scuff there, you can barely tell when it's cleaned off. And that was some big branches I was moving out of the way. The hood would have been a LOT less happy about it. For those in SoCal, this is in the Corral Canyon area. I'm still new to the trails out here, but we did Sidewinder in the morning, before the shots below



Another shot