Advocate III
New additions! After a few months of waiting my c4fab low pro front bumper finally came in the mail! This thing is beast... I got the light bar with amber and white lights with it. I still need to order my winch though. I plan on installing everything in the spring. I dont have a winter trip planned where itll get any use, so i figure why put it through a salty Michigan winter for no reason. In the meantime i get it all painted and ready to go. 
Also, i wouldn't necessarily call this a mod, but im pretty excited about my new bike rack. I recently got a new fat bike and had to get the rack so i wouldn't ruin the 4runners interior. Its a Yakima two timer. Its so much easier than stuffing a big bike in the back all the time. FYI, for anyone whos never been on a fat bike i would suggest giving it a shot... Its like the 4runner of bikes! Itll ride over anything!
Contributor II
Quick update... Got some goodies for Christmas! Nothing installed yet, but ill get it on eventually... I got the Dual jerry can holder from Front Runner, 2 Wavian NATO jerry cans, an 8x8ft canopy for the roof rack, 2 shackles for the lo-pro bumper (still to be installed), and a flat tire repair kit. Im slowly building up all the gear ill need for next years (hopefully) trip to Alaska. Most of the stuff will still be useful in the meantime as well... I dont know how much ill actually use the jerry cans this year, but they sure do look cool (:
Progress! Got the front bumper powder coated and ready for install. Ordered my smitybilt xrc 9500 synthetic winch as well. Had a day off work with some nice weather, so i go up on the roof and setup the jerry can holder. As this is my daily driver i dont drive around with the cans and top strap all the time... those easily come off, and the base plate just stays bolted to the rack. I had to do some drilling in the base in order to mount it. I had to push the holder far back to make room for the tent. Because of this there was nowhere for the bolts to attach in two of the standard spots. I had to make two new holes further forward on the base. As much as i love my gobi rack, i will say installing things on it is quite the pain. Jamming my hand under the rack trying to tighten bolts is not easy. If you need to get a bolt near the middle of the rack forget about it... Next nice day off im going to figure out how to get the awning mounted. Itll be interesting coming up with an way to mount it so it fits with my tent and still be easily removed when not in use. Front bumper and winch will be the project after that... then on to upgrading the front suspension to deal with all the extra weight.
Awesome 4runner! I was thinking about grabbing the front runner jerry can holder as well. How do you like it so far?
I like it, but i havent actually used it on a trip yet... so any real advice on it is a bit premature. Im sure itll be easier to install on a front runner rack. Quality seems good sofar though, and price wasnt bad. My wavian jerry cans fit well too.
THE BUILD RESUMES TOMORROW!!! After 3 months of working 65-85 hour weeks, i finally have 2 days off in a row... Bumper, winch, and light bar are going on tomorrow... then front suspension Tuesday. Snorkel should arrive by next week, and ill throw that sucker on too! (: Good things are coming!
So... Made some progress, but with a few hiccups... First off, I got the C4Fab bumper on. Winch went on too... with just minor fitment issues/ bending of lines. I was, however, pretty mad to discover that c4 had forgotten to send me the L brackets for my light bar. So next week when the brackets arrive ill have to pull the bumper off again to install the light. C4 was helpful with the brackets though, after a quick phone call they said new ones would be delivered within a few days. After finishing everything here is what ive found (and pretty much expected). My stock front suspension had dropped. Im now just over an inch and a half lower in front than i am in the back. With my 275 Ko2's i noticed a rub when reversing and turning down the driveway curb, and also once on flat ground. I knew this was coming, so ill be installing new shocks up front to level it back out. I also spent a day pulling off my sliders and sanding/ grinding off all the rust. Several new coats of paint and they look good as new. I think next time ill get them sandblasted though, because even after almost 5 hours of sanding they werent perfect... we will see how well they hold up this time around. Lastly, snorkel arrived... ill prob do that in two weeks.
Thank you for sharing your build. I'm a new and proud owner of a 2018 Toyota 4Runner TRD Off Road and i'm excited to start my build. First mod will be swapping out the stock skid plate with the TRD stamped skid plate. So slick.
Next will be new tires. I'm looking at the KO2's. I'm leaning towards 265/70R17 (matching stock specs). I see you went with the 275's. I've read others have gone with the 285's. I'm a super newb to the overland community and such builds, can you explain the added benefits to the extra width? Realistically, 85-90% of the time, i'll be on paved roads. When I do go off road, i'd like to have the all-terrain tires for obvious reasons. I'm also a stones throw away from Lake Tahoe and the El Dorado National Forest. Which makes for a fun winter.
Next will be new tires. I'm looking at the KO2's. I'm leaning towards 265/70R17 (matching stock specs). I see you went with the 275's. I've read others have gone with the 285's. I'm a super newb to the overland community and such builds, can you explain the added benefits to the extra width? Realistically, 85-90% of the time, i'll be on paved roads. When I do go off road, i'd like to have the all-terrain tires for obvious reasons. I'm also a stones throw away from Lake Tahoe and the El Dorado National Forest. Which makes for a fun winter.
[can you explain the added benefits to the extra width? Realistically, 85-90% of the time, i'll be on paved roads. When I do go off road, i'd like to have the all-terrain tires for obvious reasons. I'm also a stones throw away from Lake Tahoe and the El Dorado National Forest. Which makes for a fun winter.[/QUOTE]
Bigger footprint, and in my opinion better looking... I personally think bigger tires look nicer in most cases. Ive had no issues with my 275's. Love them. Considering you don't need any modifications to run 275, its a simple upgrade as well.
Bigger footprint, and in my opinion better looking... I personally think bigger tires look nicer in most cases. Ive had no issues with my 275's. Love them. Considering you don't need any modifications to run 275, its a simple upgrade as well.
What light bar did you end up going with? I just ordered my gobi rack In November.
Honestly i cant remember the brand... it was a cheaper bar off of amazon. I think i paid around 60-80 with the harness. Works well and fits great... only big drawback is moisture in the light. That started to appear pretty quick. I would guess i noticed it within a month or so. If you ordered your gobi in november you have several months to browse lightbars though lol. I wouldnt expect you having the rack until feb at the absolute earliest. I love mine though... it was worth the wait.
Enthusiast I
What winch did you go with? I have the same C4 bumper sitting in my garage until I decide on a winch to purchase. I'm looking at the Smittybilt X20 10k lb w/synthetic line. Any suggestions?
I went with the smittybily xrc 9500 with synthetic... originally it was one of the winch options that c4 had listed for order with the bumper. I figured if they were selling it directly with the bumper it must fit and be a decent choice. Sofar for me its worked well... i havent had to do a recovery with it, but its pulled a pontoon boat onto a beach with ease. Install wasnt bad either...
