It is a tank! We took it out for a spin yesterday. There are still a lot of little details to handle, but it will be "done" enough to wheel as soon as bump stops are done.

 

I went by Dbcfr's house today, to check out his SAS and do a little work on my 4Runner. I got to drive his truck around a bit, which was cool since he's doing some things that may be done to mine in the future. I helped him get the steering centered and the toe set, then we went to work on my Yota. I've been losing some coolant, so we pressure tested the cooling system to find the leak. We found a leak in my almost new radiator. I'm going to see if I can get it warrantied. Then we started working on the IFS brace. Dbcfr had made one earlier, so we checked to see if it would fit my brackets. With a little manipulation, we got it to fit snugly. It's welded in, so it's not going anywhere. The design is nice and stout, plus it has a little skid for the front diff flange. On to the pics...









Next, I'd like to add a skid between the brace and the front skid plate. I'll also add a Fumoto valve at the same time.

 

Dang, looking good, bud!

 

I dig the IFS brace, been tossing around ideas on how to make one myself and I really like how you incoperated the little skid for the diff flange. Welding it in place is a little scarry though, do you think you could ge the front 3rd member out if you had to for any reason?

 

Thanks for the compliments! I can't take credit for the design, though. Dbcfr came up with it. I don't foresee any problems getting the front diff out if necessary. There's quite a bit of room.

 

Good to know you can get the diff out. The way I was thinking about making mine, (with material that I happen to have lying around) the plates at the end of the brace would not wrap around like yours or the SDORI one so bolting it in might be a pain. I guess I could just go buy some heavy c-channel but I would just assume use what I have and weld it in, never worry about it again.

 

You wouldn't want to bolt it in even if you could it would not give the same support...the idea is to make that stout and it will take rock hits there...
I have bent one made by Downy(.120 tube) and replaced it with one of my own design(1 1/2" x1 1/2"sq tube .250 wall) and now have gone with SAS..they help alot to keep the front end strate and keep the big rocks from getting to the diff. flange....

 

Hmm... I have a SDORI IFS brace that I F'd up the drilling of the holes on ( idiot, i know ) is there an obligations to just getting it welded in like you did? I already did 4.88 gears and an aussie up front and have no intention of removing it for awhile unless something crazy happens like the ring/pinion chip... so whats your opinion?

 

It seems like more people weld the brace in, rather than bolt it. In my opinion, it will be much stronger welded. I think there's still plenty of room on mine to remove the front diff, but if not, I'll unbolt the front brace.

 

exactly what i was thinking. We actually pulled the front brace on mine to get the front diff in/out. Thanks for the info definitely gonna get mine welded in now. lol

 

Today I got my SDORI idler arm bushings installed. It was a piece of cake...

Just chuck the idler arm into a vise, remove the dust cap, then remove the nut on top. Tap the shaft with a mallet, and the arm comes apart. The original bushings slide right out, then tap the bronze bushings in place with the mallet. Don't forget to add some grease, then reassemble the arm. It's a tight fit, so make sure the shaft is clean and free of debris. The finished product is a night and day difference compared to the sloppy part it replaced. Pics...

 

Tonight I took care of a few minor things that have been bugging me. I replaced all the dash lights and got the inclinometer lights working too. I also rewired my HID's, since the power and ground wires were too small. I now have 10 gauge ground directly from the battery, rather than 14 gauge to a body ground. I eliminated some unnecessary wires as well, making it look much cleaner and function far better. I was having some problems with the ballasts firing due to a lack of amperage, but they work great now. I also got my CB antenna mounted to the front bumper. If things go as planned, I may be picking up a set of fiberglass fenders and hood Monday. More to come...

 

Well, the guy didn't get back to me about the fiberglass, so that's on hold for now.

So, I used my free time wisely and went snow wheeling! I met up with Dbcfr, and headed out to Sky Ranch. We got up to about 5500-6000 feet elevation, where the snow was 4-5' deep on the road. The last couple storms dumped a lot of snow at the lower elevations. The first route we tried turned out to be the wrong one. It was very difficult to break trail and get traction. We initially aired down to 10 psi, but later dropped to 8 psi in my rig and 6 psi in Dbcfr's, in an attempt to stay on top of the snow pack. After a while we decided to turn back and take another route toward Moon Rock. Getting turned around proved to be a little exciting. I buried my rig in the drift off the side of the trail, then Dbcfr backed behind me to pull me out. I then backed into the hole I created, and Dbcfr pulled the front of my rig around to direct me downhill. Since that maneuver worked so well, we tried the same procedure to right Dbcfr's truck. With his longer wheelbase however, I wasn't able to get downhill of him. So he tried to winch himself in that direction. The truck didn't want to slide sideways, rather it dug into the snow, so I hooked on to the rear of his truck and tried to winch him uphill. We were making good progress, until he radioed to tell me he lost a bead on the driver front tire. We decided to continue to right the truck, then re-seat the tire. While winching the rear uphill, the passenger rear tire let go as well. Now the truck was where it needed to be, but we had to tires to mount. It proved to be a fairly easy fix since we both had OBA and air tools, Hi-Lifts, and plenty of hand tools. After dismounting the rear wheel, we used my pry bars as tire irons, to get the tire back on the rim. It aired right up, and was back on the truck in no time. The front only lost the outer bead, so we just jacked it up and put the air to it. After packing up all the tools, and reeling in the winch lines, we were back on our way down the trail. The route toward Moon Rock was much better. We were making fresh tracks and having a blast. The end of our trip came when we hit a huge hole of powder that buried Dbcfr's truck to the bottom of the door. After a fairly straightforward recovery, we were headed back home. All in all, it was a great day. Pics...

Stopped to air down...





My new Currie deflator...



I led for a while...



Then Dbcfr led with his double locked rig...







Where I pulled off the trail...







Me facing downhill, and Dbcfr backing into the hole...



After pulling the rear wheel and seating the bead...





Front tire off the bead...







Packed up and ready to go...



Trail to Bass Lake Vista...





That way to Grey's Mountain...



This way to Moon Rock...



And the last 'stuck' of the day...





Headed back out, getting close to dark...





I'll post a few more pics when I get them from Dbcfr.

 

Sweet pic's man...Looks like you had a real nice time.

 

x2, looks like a blast. Love your rig!

 

Damn ! i really want to get out there man .. i wanna try that snow out.

great pics man !

 

Thanks guys! It was definitely nice to get the 4Runner off the pavement. I'm already antsy to get out there again...

 

Seriously, those are FANTASTIC pics, Maltese! Love that rig'o'yours, and HIS TOO! hahaha. Love those mountains, too! Really stinks to have been so busy I've not been able to even get away for months... you've just motivated me, at least to the Crest! lol.

 

that looks like it was a awsome run, up to your waist in snow. looks like its time for some bead locks for dbcfr!!

 

Sweet snow wheeling is pretty fun, i went sometime in january in fordyce i believe its called, really nice trail!