Build The DirtStyle Runna (1st gen 4Runner on tons)

tribal4krawler

tribal4krawler

DirtStyle
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Member Number
1745
Messages
744
After 7 years of Offroad racing I think it’s about time to hang it up at least for a little while.The kiddos are all getting older and expensive as they approach high school and I’m annoyed with all the drama and infighting and BS around Ultra4 and there’s no real other options. As a result I’m selling all of my race stuff and I recently drove up to Nashville to meet a guy to purchase this 1986 4Runner. It’s got a fresh 22re on pane, dual cases with 4.7, d60/14 bolt, coilovers in front and a lot more. I’m super curious who actually built this thing (from what I understand it came from South Carolina and was multicolored with a bunch of different panels on it. somebody spent a lot of time and love on this old girl .
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It’s my first yota in over 15 years and finally my SN that I’ve had for almost 25 years makes somewhat sense again 😂😂

Plans: fix some of the weird little things, front gears are bad so I’ve got some Yukon gears on the way to fix that, I want to fix some of the funky geometry stuff going on with the coilovers, bumps and 4link. Other than that, I just wanna go wheel. Then I’ll think about maybe a rear 4link, and some other upgrades and mods.
 
Goodies came in from Yukon Gear & Axle to rebuild the front diff. I’m out of state right now but can’t wait to get back next week and start getting this thing ready to wheel. I do want to find a replacement B Pillar cover for the passenger side, anybody know where to find those?
 

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There's a company 3d printing them. BH3D has the 4runner badge but I can't remember where I saw the panel.
 
ridered3 said:
Glad to see you back in a trail rig! Did that one come from Ohio?
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Yessir I bought it out of Ohio I believe it was originally built in South Carolina. I was looking forward to just wheelin and not racing but just got the call that apparently I’ll be codawging a new brenthel AWD TT for 2026 😳😳 that opportunity is a little harder to turn down then fawkin beating ourselves up racing KOH UTV year after year.
 
tribal4krawler said:
Yessir I bought it out of Ohio I believe it was originally built in South Carolina. I was looking forward to just wheelin and not racing but just got the call that apparently I’ll be codawging a new brenthel AWD TT for 2026 😳😳 that opportunity is a little harder to turn down then fawkin beating ourselves up racing KOH UTV year after year.
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ooh dang. KOH or a series?
 
mobil1syn said:
ooh dang. KOH or a series?
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Desert Challenge for sure, I believe he wants to take one last swing at UTV Hammers with the Mav R before retiring from UTV racing. We’ve been going at that stupid ass race for long enough IMO. I’m not sure what the plan is after that, I know he loves racing the Mint and he’s had a lot of success there previously so I wouldn’t be surprised if we do that one and V2R. I’m gonna try and drag out this 4runna to JV over thanksgiving so we can get some seat time in the brenthels (he’s actually getting both an AWD and a 6100) and get to do some fun wheeling with the yota.
 
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Almost have the front axle ready to come out, front gears and bearings need to be redone before I go wheeling. Also bought some Lp6 knockoffs on amazon, I think I’m going to rework the front end and tube in the dovenose and engine bay to outboard the coilover mounts some more at the top. I’ve still got some TMR upper shock brackets so I’ll just use those. Also most likely going to take these 16” 2.0s out and put my 14” King 2.5s in and lower it quite a bit. It’s just too monster trucky and floppy for me. I’ll probably go for something like 4-5” uptravel. Right now as it was, it was something like 8” up and down. I think these 16s will be better suited in the back anyway once I get the rear 4link setup. I’m also hating the lower front links more and more every time I see them. They’re way, way too long and they’re basically straight but they’ve been bent inwards for tire clearance. I’d rather get shorter aluminum links and move the frame link mount inboard to make it a double triangulated 4link. Uppers look good so I shouldn’t have to mess with that at all
 
I been eyeing up LP6's for awhile but the cost kinda sucks for someone that doesn't night wheel much. Mind sharing which knock offs you got? My LED JK headlights in my buggy are all clouded and faded in just a few years and it's kept inside unless wheeling.
 
94toytruck said:
I been eyeing up LP6's for awhile but the cost kinda sucks for someone that doesn't night wheel much. Mind sharing which knock offs you got? My LED JK headlights in my buggy are all clouded and faded in just a few years and it's kept inside unless wheeling.
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As an obvious disclaimer, Baja Designs LP6 are not even in the same lighting realm as these cheap Chinese knockoffs. I just like the style, and have zero need for lights that shine into another dimension with how slow this 4runna is. Where BD and the other legit light companies are an absolute must is when you’re traveling at speed offroad, then you really see the difference between a janky Amazon light and the real deals.
 
tribal4krawler said:
Goodies came in from Yukon Gear & Axle to rebuild the front diff. I’m out of state right now but can’t wait to get back next week and start getting this thing ready to wheel. I do want to find a replacement B Pillar cover for the passenger side, anybody know where to find those?
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Id go with the guy 3d printing them or source some on eBay. They are pricey though..
 
tribal4krawler said:
Desert Challenge for sure, I believe he wants to take one last swing at UTV Hammers with the Mav R before retiring from UTV racing. We’ve been going at that stupid ass race for long enough IMO. I’m not sure what the plan is after that, I know he loves racing the Mint and he’s had a lot of success there previously so I wouldn’t be surprised if we do that one and V2R. I’m gonna try and drag out this 4runna to JV over thanksgiving so we can get some seat time in the brenthels (he’s actually getting both an AWD and a 6100) and get to do some fun wheeling with the yota.
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its a giant check to write, but is really a good value. have fun
 
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Figured out the least sketchy way to get the axle out from under the Runna. I’ve had this cross beam thing for probably 15+ years now and realized I could use it to strap the axle to and adjust the leg heights to make it level. Works like a charm especially with this wide and low floor jack that I’ve got. I could see the badlands jack or something narrow being tippy. Getting old (okay I’m not THAT old) has made me think more about the easiest way to do things instead of the manly hulk smash way I’ve always done it. I’m definitely not strong enough to pick up a d60 like I could in my 20s and 30s lol.
 
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All of my electrical stuff is still in my toolbox at the race shop so haven’t wired in the lights yet. I think they’ll work good enough tho. Interestingly enough also my rear storage rack from the JK fits in the back of the Runna. Should be nice, I’ll be able to store more tool boxes and coolers. I can’t find the top rollbar clamps so it’s just kinda sitting in there but I’m pretty sure the clamps are also in my toolbox at the race shop
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Gotta say, this was so much easier than my OG style of strapping a Ratchet strap to the axle and putting it around my neck and picking it up and putting it in the back of my truck. LOL. Looking forward to getting these gears done hopefully tonight so I can stab the axle back under the truck and get it all back together in time to go wheeling Saturday. We’ll see.
 
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Axle should be done tonight. Decided to make some changes to the front clip, deleted the bumper wings. Also put the new CustomSplice winch rope (which I absolutely love these ropes, I’ve never cut one in my years of racing) on the ****tybilt 12k, I have a warn zeon platinum that I was going to throw on but didn’t feel like redrilling all the mounting holes. Lights are wired up too, they’ll do the job. They’re not eye meltingly bright but good enough. It’s just so damn hot outside, so just knocking projects out intermittently. Still gotta throw the 14” kings under it.
 
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Just about good to go, just need to clamp the hydraulic and brake lines back down. Didn’t have the right misalignments for the Kings so those will have to wait. We also decided to go ahead and swap out the 37” treps for the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss Competition 40s off the TMR 4400 car that’s now transitioning to 4800. That fun will be going down tomorrow evening, probably will be an all nighter doing that. Thursday morning if all goes well I might jump over to Hidden Falls for a shakedown run, my son Logan has been itching to get his XR80 out on some trails anyway. Reason 1,835,739 why I hate living in Houston, there’s no good wheeling anywhere remotely close. Just methy mud parks.
 
How far is Gilmer from you? I hadn't been in years and was really happy to see that there's plenty of hard core stuff there. And if you have family members that want to ride dirt bikes, quads and UTV's they can do so with you or on their own trails. overall great park IMO. Depending on where you are at in Houston its not too much farther than Hidden falls maybe even closer from the north east side of town!
 
Blase said:
How far is Gilmer from you? I hadn't been in years and was really happy to see that there's plenty of hard core stuff there. And if you have family members that want to ride dirt bikes, quads and UTV's they can do so with you or on their own trails. overall great park IMO. Depending on where you are at in Houston its not too much farther than Hidden falls maybe even closer from the north east side of town!
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me? Im about 5 hours from Gilmer. Wouldnt call it hard core but there are a couple of trails that are difficult. Its always a good time (unless its muddy.....or dusty, lol) Id much rather go there than Hidden Falls. I ****ing hate the people that run that place and ill never go back.
 
the_white_shadow said:
me? Im about 5 hours from Gilmer. Wouldnt call it hard core but there are a couple of trails that are difficult. Its always a good time (unless its muddy.....or dusty, lol) Id much rather go there than Hidden Falls. I ****ing hate the people that run that place and ill never go back.
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No sir. tribal4krawler said he hated Houston cause no parks close. Also mentioned shake down at Hidden falls so his son could ride his dirt bike. With those parameters I was just wondering how far Gilmer was from him. When i lived in Pearland I think Gilmer was closer than Hidden Falls for me....been a while so maybe I'm wrong.

And I 110% agree its not hardcore like RMR, Katemcy or Clayton even. I will say that there are lines on DeWoody that 99% won't make it up now a days!! And not just DeWoody. There's plenty that have bad wash outs and require some serious rock bouncing to get up the original trail. I was surprised when we went in February.

Oh and the people that run hidden falls were the worst. Yelling about speed limits over my at the time 4 year old daughter was the reason I never went back. and I wasn't going fast.....buggy was just loud and sounded like it was hauling ass!!
 
Blase said:
How far is Gilmer from you? I hadn't been in years and was really happy to see that there's plenty of hard core stuff there. And if you have family members that want to ride dirt bikes, quads and UTV's they can do so with you or on their own trails. overall great park IMO. Depending on where you are at in Houston its not too much farther than Hidden falls maybe even closer from the north east side of town!
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I’ve been to Gilmer a couple times, wasn’t impressed. HF works out better because I need to drop off my daughter and pick up my son north of Austin anyway so it’s convenient. Yes, HF is VERY anti anything that looks race car or buggy. Their dream clientele are the goofy metrosexuals who “wheel” their stock JL on the ranch roads and never venture on an actual trail. I saw they closed Stonehenge, that was the only trail that had a true buggy line, the sissies went to the left, the man line was either straight up or around the boulder to the right and then up. We put several rear steer buggies on it and they couldn’t make it and my Half Quart buggy came the closest to clearing it until my trans lost….. a half quart and quit moving 😂😂😂

I’m hoping with the Runna that they’ll think it’s just another ****box yota and leave me alone, they used to harass us HARD when we went often. Still was hard to beat for shade and fun booze cruising. Wolves and K2 are just too damn hot with zero shade in the summer.
 
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Last night wasn’t super productive, the compressor went down at the race shop so we were stuck using a small pancake trying to run the tire machine. Struggled for hours to get 4x tires off Ken’s wheels and 4x off my wheels, and then I brought the tires home and finished mounting them on my Methods this morning. Still got one more to do tonight after work but just cranking along.
 
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