RainGoat

The funny thing is that I actually don’t need any of it. Figuring out how to store it is a bit of a task.

A couple weeks ago I was able to strip down an R50 bought as a parts truck that was headed off to the JY that afternoon. Since I expect to have my truck another 10-15 years, some of this will be replacement parts if needed. I plan to use some of the trim pieces to experiment on where & how to place mounts & to attempt to reclaim some of wasted space in the body walls. Finally, it was a great opportunity to just dissect the interior & see what was under everything. I took a ton of reference photos for the future. You can imagine how excited my wife was when I came home....

The strut bearing is the one piece most people have gone OEM on. (Strut Bearing [54325-5V000] $48.54=$24.27x2). This is primarily because of some bad experiences with other aftermarket brands, particularly Moog. I would do the spring install & drive it for a couple months to let it settle before even considering any cutting. Once it settles, try hauling a bit & see how much rear compression you get. The last thing I’d buy would be the spacer. If you do cut the springs (personally, I wouldn’t), just level it that way. A half inch spacer usually is the most that the majority of people have needed & are not problematic but I’d put that in months down the road, if at all. You may find you want a half inch or inch of rake to avoid reverse rake under load - though generally this has not been a problem with the LR springs.

This is my general understanding & use. Currently, I have an ARB Front Locker & an LS rear differential repacked by[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] sitting in my garage awaiting install - along with my @pinestospines 3”SFD. Since I’ll be finally increasing my tire size and I now use the truck as either a weekend toy or a hauler instead of an overlanding grand tourer, I’m planning to regear while I have those diffs open but I just haven’t gotten around to acquiring the gears yet. Realistically, this will probably get done with[mention=37543]towndawgr50[/mention] this winter.

Looks great! Love the Halo DRLs & Switchback functionality

A version of this has been in my ToDo list for over a decade. I look forward to copying your final results.

Coastal Offroad. I like it better than the ARB but it has its issues too. I wish it had slightly more lip up front to more cleanly mount driving lights. The winch tray drains poorly & I’ve drilled my own drain holes. I wish the connections to the unibody were a little more extensive. All that said, I like it.

The Yakima River Valley, a nice start to our day trip.

Here in the PNW, where it is wet all the time, it’s a big bonus to have AWD. I also prefer it for gravel, packed sand & snow as I get 4 wheel grip without the plowing understeer of a licked center. I often forget to put it into 4Hi until I come across something truly challenging & then it’s usually because I actually need 4Lo. The lack of that option is one of my biggest complaints on our 5th Gen 4Runner (Limited models do have it but that’s a whole different story).

Nice shots - looks like a beautiful day & a trip well rewarded

These are questions I would love answered. While I personally really like my ATX14A, it seems to remain a bit of a “black box” to me. I too have a set of Mile Marker hubs I kindly was gifted by[mention=36148]hawairish[/mention] but I have to admit I’m given pause by the recent destruction of a set & reports of other failures. I have only heard of OEM auto hub failures in theory but I’m unaware of any actual failures. Saving a single mpg is inconsequential to me but I see value in preserving wear on the OEM CVs (especially in light of recent discoveries that not all aftermarket CVs fit without binding in cases where the OEMs are fine). The primary reason for installing manual hubs for me is to allow for a CV replacement on trail without removing the wheel - though I have to admit that, with the kind of offroading I do, I will consider an OEM CV failure to be operator error on my part. Anyways, more info is great as there doesn’t seem to be much definitive on the ATX14A. The use of an undercarriage camera is an excellent idea.

I’m not sure anyone knows the static load rating for the Pathfinder, I believe the dynamic load rating is 100# though many of us have exceeded that with regularity. To stand up there consider adding FarmTek chicken coop flooring-it’s a common mod in Land Rovers.

Daytripping in the Cascade Foothills with@TowndawgR50

$2,000! Honestly, that’s insulting, that truck looks great. Good grief don’t sell it for that. You certainly couldn’t buy anything even remotely comparable for that price.

$2,000! Honestly, that’s insulting, that truck looks great. Good grief don’t sell it for that. You certainly couldn’t buy anything even remotely comparable for that price.

For what it’s worth, while ours is going strong a friend has had some issues with the adhesive. I rewired ours this weekend & incorporated another LED strip (11” 6000K) under the front radiator cowl in order to illuminate the winch controls. I really like how it turned out. A fun side effect of the hood lights is that they turn on when you pop the latch- consequently at night they let you know the hood isn’t latched & show you the outlines if the hood to open it. I tried to take a photo but it’s not very good.

@Slartibartfast Fantastic! That’s exactly the kind of explanation I was hoping to receive. I’m also particularly grateful for the warning on the GM diode as I’m likely to replace our original T4R battery with an AGM in the next year. I think I’ll look at taking occasional measurements on both trucks in the interim. I’ve been wanting to put a dash voltmeter in both anyhow. While I’ve got you, my Mom’s truck had the winch installed with a full bumper installation & I can’t seem to see any fuse between the winch & the battery. It’s thick gauge wire but it’s been bothering me as I was always taught to fuse everything (that said, my electrical knowledge is what I learned in a single high school & college physics course - plus practical home wiring, hence, I have much I don’t know). Curious on your thoughts on that?

https://www.arclightleds.com/collection/dual-state-voltage-booster-5th-gen-4runner-fj-cruiser-pg2tb-brs6a

So, I concur that I’ve run Optima, which are rolled gel mats without ever worrying about it. My initial Red Top lasted forever - like 8 years, notably less on the follow up Yellow Tops but I see that as simply chronicling the decline of Optima. I now have a X2 Power AGM & I’ve actually checked it as I maintain it with an Optima battery charger. It doesn’t ever get up into the 14s anymore. There are multiple products available for “Overlanders” to increase voltage in Toyotas, specifically T4Rs since that’s what I follow. They usually aren’t cheap either - like $80-100. I honestly don’t understand what they’re trying to say so I’ve let it be (I also don’t have an AGM in the T4R yet). I’ll see if I can another & post it just to see if anyone knowledgeable in battery science & electricity can explain or understand it.

Voltage Booster Systems for AGM batteries are pretty popular on the Toyota forums. Here is just a quick YouTube explaining a fix for a 5th Gen 4Runner. Does anybody know if there is a similar fuse slot for the R50.

Just used ours tonight - my Mom couldn’t have seen her winch controls, clutch, power switch, remote plug in or the drum if it weren’t for that light. In fact, I might put a 12” or some small LEDs under the grill cowl to better light it up for her.

Yeah, I totally agree you got the wrong color & it’s totally wrong they didn’t refund or send a replacement. Hopefully either eBay or PayPal can rectify it. That said, all eBay purchases are a crap shoot and LED strip quality & adhesive quality are hard to find - this product is excellent. I do think I’ll consider buying my 3 separately as a hedge that I don’t get one order that’s 3 blue. Now if I get 2 out of 3, I guess I’ll consider myself a winner. On the other hand, if anybody has one they’ve used for a year or two & is still sticking well & functioning in that hot environment, I’m open to alternatives. The other strips I’ve bought from Amazon in the past have all been junk.

Hmm, that does look like the same link. I’ve known other people who bought that on my recommendation and had no problem. To be honest, at $19 for it, given how well it’s held up, I’m probably buying another 3 (one for each of my vehicles). I’ll try & follow up on how that goes.

I couldn’t get the link to work. I bought this one for our T4R. It’s been on there 18mo in a truck that sits out in Kansas hot summers & cold winters & I’m very impressed with how bright it is and how well the adhesive has held up. https://www.ebay.com/itm/291157773341