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Evan’s 4Runner Stuff

Anyone here have a 3.0 with headers that has been solid axle swapped?
I had to fab up a pretty crazy crossover on mine to get everything to clear, i can snap some pics if you'd like

EDIT: here's some shitty pics
 

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Got the bumper and lights back on the front.

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My biggest problem right now bid my front driveshaft and header crossover are fighting for space. Anyone here have a 3.0 with headers that has been solid axle swapped?

I've had one with headers... cant' remember if the were Downey or NWOR... Pic if it helps. ScaldedDog has headers, I believe.
 

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I've had one with headers... cant' remember if the were Downey or NWOR... Pic if it helps. ScaldedDog has headers, I believe.
rockota, you have a crazy good memory. Mine is Scott Wilson's truck from 20 years ago, and he'd done the original swap with Downey headers. IIRC, the crossover when I bought it went under the transmission. I put in dual cases later and ran the crossover behind the cases. That worked fine for years, but I needed a better parking brake setup so I went to a t'case brake and moved the crossover back under the transmission. Most recently I linked the front, and that finally required massaging the headers. I hired an exhaust shop to shorten the collector on the passenger's side, and I still had to dimple the crossover pipe a bit to the keep the upper link out of it. No issues like that on the driver's side, but the routing of the steering shaft to go outside of the header, inside the 4WU shock tower and around Cato's house is crazy tight. I'm still trying things to keep the steering shaft from rubbing the header.

I'm happy to provide pics of whatever setup I've had that anyone wants to see. The one below is recent, and shows the crossover running under the transmission.

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Mark
 
Thanks for the pics. I may hit you guys up for some more. I’m going to crawl under it after work today and see if I can do what you guys did.

It sure looks like my only option is to run the passenger side farther back and crossover behind the tcase. My header is way longer and lower than your pics show, I can see needing to shorten the passenger header to go over the drive shaft and under the trans. That’s not really an option since I’m in CA.

I stopped by my local off-road shop, ORW and they were nice enough to flex out my suspension for me to look at some stuff.
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I need to trim my rear fenders which was expected, otherwise I seem to clear everywhere else.
 
I’ve driven the 4Runner around a bit. I have this issue where after coming out of a right hand turn then driving straight, the steering wheel stays slight off center to the right. After making a left turn then driving straight the wheel stays slightly off center to the left. To be clear I’m not talking about it automatically returning to center.

Every thing seems tight. Sitting still and watching the tires the slightest steering wheel movement moves both tires back and forth.

Could the springs be shifting or something? How tight do you run your shackle bolts? This steering box is what I had with the IFS and it had no issues. I have new tie rod and drag link ends. Just aligned.
 
When parked turning the wheel left and right is the axle shifting under the truck?

I'm sure you have checked this.
Also get someone else in the seat and have them turn the wheel just enough to take up any slack and watch the pitman compared to everything else.

When the wheel is off center is the truck going straight.

And how is your steering shaft from the steering wheel down to the box, look for slack there.
 
When parked turning the wheel left and right is the axle shifting under the truck?
I couldn’t detect any movement.

I'm sure you have checked this.
Also get someone else in the seat and have them turn the wheel just enough to take up any slack and watch the pitman compared to everything else.
I will do this. I didn’t have anyone to help me so I was stretching tj turn the wheel and watch everything.

When the wheel is off center is the truck going straight.
Yes, truck is going straight.

And how is your steering shaft from the steering wheel down to the box, look for slack there.
I couldn’t detect any movement, but again I will have someone help me.
 
None of this is a real answer, Just shit posting off the top of my head what moving parts could have slack, probably the same thing your already thinking
 
I’ve driven the 4Runner around a bit. I have this issue where after coming out of a right hand turn then driving straight, the steering wheel stays slight off center to the right. After making a left turn then driving straight the wheel stays slightly off center to the left. To be clear I’m not talking about it automatically returning to center.

Every thing seems tight. Sitting still and watching the tires the slightest steering wheel movement moves both tires back and forth.

Could the springs be shifting or something? How tight do you run your shackle bolts? This steering box is what I had with the IFS and it had no issues. I have new tie rod and drag link ends. Just aligned.

yes. Pretty normal for every leaf sprung toyota i've had. Gets worse with longer/flatter/softer springs and worn bushings/non-cross-braced shackles.
 
I imagine you may loose a little flex. I will run it as is for now, maybe try bracing them down the road if things get looser.

Any thought on how much to tighten the shackles? It seems the consensus that I could find was run nylocs and tighten them just enough to take out any space or gaps, which is how I have them.
 
With your setup being new it could be some flex in the shackles/bushings and also good to check u-bolts just in case. Steering feel for SAS rigs without panhard bar vs. the IFS setup is a bit more "vague" as Rockota said. Things should get better as tie rods, trunnion bearings and birfs find their happy places and lower the steering force.

Davez makes "Anti-Death Wobble" shackles that are built with sleeves instead of using the bolts as your pivot point so the shackle plates and bolts can be tightened as they should. They also have delrin frame bushings to tighten things up even more. But things have been out of stock a while.

With the usual aftermarket toy shackle if you don't stay on top of greasing them the bushings grab the bolt and start turning it which can loosen things up or wear out the shackle plate creating play. I just replaced all the bushings in my front end after 30k miles of neglect due to death wobble issues, all good now but did find wear on the shackle plates from the bolts rotating.
 
I made a new crossover. Very similar to what I had but pushed back about 10” or so. I was going to go up and over but this was much easier. Hopefully it doesn’t cook the grease in my ujoint. I had some pretty big gaps to fill where the crossover connects to the driver side tube. The welding looks horrendous.
 

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you could wrap it with some heat shielding My CAT and driveline share a pretty tight space, and I haven't cooked the joint yet.
 

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I also grease that joint like once a month with a pump or two, just because I worried about it getting cooked.
 
I made a new crossover. Very similar to what I had but pushed back about 10” or so. I was going to go up and over but this was much easier. Hopefully it doesn’t cook the grease in my ujoint. I had some pretty big gaps to fill where the crossover connects to the driver side tube. The welding looks horrendous.
Well done!! I was concerned about heat on mine, in both configurations, but it's never been an issue.

Mark
 
I trimmed my rear fender wells today. I forgot to get good pics but I snapped a couple to compare side to side while working.

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Heading off to Big Bear with a buddy tomorrow for 4 days of R&R. Planning to hit the big trails plus check out a couple in burns canyon. This will be its shake down run.
 
Successful shakedown run. Kept it on at least three wheels the whole trip.

I need to trim the lower portion of my rear bumper as it gets into the tire pretty good. I have a little rubbing on the frame in the rear too, only on extreme stuff on opposite corners of the 4Runner. My new PS pump isn't happy. Maybe someone knows if there is anyway to quiet it down, does it just have air in it? I kept the original, which was working perfectly, it just leaked really bad. I may try and rebuild it.

I setup the springs to pretty much stay flat at compression, I will likely start playing with the bumps.

I tried to upload pics and videos but most everything taken with my buddies new IPhone won't upload for some reason.
 
Successful shakedown run. Kept it on at least three wheels the whole trip.

I need to trim the lower portion of my rear bumper as it gets into the tire pretty good. I have a little rubbing on the frame in the rear too, only on extreme stuff on opposite corners of the 4Runner. My new PS pump isn't happy. Maybe someone knows if there is anyway to quiet it down, does it just have air in it? I kept the original, which was working perfectly, it just leaked really bad. I may try and rebuild it.

I setup the springs to pretty much stay flat at compression, I will likely start playing with the bumps.

I tried to upload pics and videos but most everything taken with my buddies new IPhone won't upload for some reason.
Pics or it didn't happen :flipoff2::flipoff2:

What is the rim backspacing. A small spacer might fix that depending on how bad but that might cause issues with the outer lip. +1 on bumps.

Did the PS only leak when wheeling? You might need a cooler, Heat = expansion, IDK about the noise.


Glad to hear you had a good trip
 
Holcomb Creek rock garden and water fall. The waterfall starts at about 1'10", sorry for the crap video but spotting was the priority. Do all your toyotas bounce around this much? I am not real stoked on the shocks but maybe I am expecting too much from this thing.
 
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Pics or it didn't happen :flipoff2::flipoff2:
I am still working on the pics but here is one. West end of Holcomb creek gatekeeper
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What is the rim backspacing. A small spacer might fix that depending on how bad but that might cause issues with the outer lip. +1 on bumps.
Back spacing is 4.5, I think the rubbing the frame isn't that bad, these really tuck almost perfectly so I don't really want to push them out anymore.
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Did the PS only leak when wheeling? You might need a cooler, Heat = expansion, IDK about the noise.
The old Toyota pump leak all the time, but was dead quiet even in the rocks. This new one wines almost all the time.
 
Do all your toyotas bounce around this much? I am not real stoked on the shocks but maybe I am expecting too much from this thing.
Basically yes, 2nd gens are top heavy so there's movement from that along with the coils out back probably let it sway more than leaves would.

Shocks wise you either have good valving for ride on the street thats too soft off road or visa versa. Mine is running 1/2 ton truck shocks so its stiff on road but after airing tires down to 6psi its pretty squishy on trails.

Looks like its decently balanced even keeping the coils out back.

The OE 3.0 power steering pump has been fine on mine, system gets warm when running the front locker alot and will puke some fluid on 6k rpm assaults but stays quiet. Inline cooler would probably be good.
 
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I thought you were in a good spot with backspacing so I get no spacers, you cant always account for real world flex, I found that out thinking I was all good, and got the front and rear twisted opposite, and the rears dug into the fender bad, cut up a set of tires good. Bump stops in the rear solved that.

What gears are you running in the transfer case? Sounds like your having to spool the torque converter to get the truck moving, that causes a lurch and a bouncy ride, lower gears means it will just keep moving at idle.

No word on the PS pump, looks like it wheels, sounds like a good trip
 
Bilsteins all around, the fronts are whatever 12" Trail gear sells. The back are supposedly from an F250 I think. Maybe it was an F150, anyway after the fact I am thinking that rear shocks from a truck are probably not the best on this fat 4runner. I am hoping a swaybar, front or back will help some.
 
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