|
 Shop
owner Mike Caskey traded in his old '85 4Runner for a '93 4Runner. This
'93 4Runner being built for hard-core rockcrawling and is getting the
full meal deal. Upgrades include a 3.4 liter supercharged Tacoma motor,
custom 4-link suspension front and rear, 17" travel Bilstein coil overs,
custom front FJ80 Landcruiser axle, custom rear T100 axle, 42" TSLs, turbo
transmission, dual 23-spline Toyota transfer cases, dual ARB air lockers,
custom body modifications, and ORS bumpers.
 The
front and rear suspension is designed to showcase our suspension fabrication
capabilities. 17" travel coil overs on full width Toyota axles are
being used to achieve ridiculous amounts of suspension travel. The front
section of the body was removed and replaced with a  completely
tubular front clip that mounts the front coil over shocks. The frame rails
were completely cleaned off in the front and 1.75" .281 wall control
arms were fabricated to locate the axle. All brackets on the axle and
frame were hand fabricated for this application. Future plans include
a hydraulic assist steering system mated to the existing FJ-80 axle and
steering gear.
 Due
to the desired coil over angles, the rear half of the frame was ditched
in place of 2" D.O.M. tubular frame rails. The rear frame incorporates
the upper shock mounts, rear bumper, and will soon tie into the exterior
rollcage. The rear uses a simple triangulated 4-link control arm set up
with 1.75" .281 wall D.O.M. tubing.
 We
are currently working to tie all the loose ends up and get this rig on
the trail. The engine conversion is complete and is being blueprinted
for a full conversion kit. Custom brake lines and hoses are being routed.
Once the details are worked out, look to see this 4Runner cruisin' the
streets with a fresh coat of paint.
 One
of the finishing details includes the custom body work. We removed the
roof behind the rear doors before a rock was given the  opportunity
to do so. The rear portion of the roof will be graft into the fresh body
cut for a very clean finish. There is also a very large hole in the rear
floorboard due to tire clearance issues. Custom tubbing will be done to
patch these holes.
  
 The
4Runner was taken out to Left Hand Canyon to test out the  numerous
modifications that we have been working on. The lockers and low gears
haven't been installed yet, but the truck still performed extremely well,
crawling over icey rocks and up slick slopes. Just wait until the drivetrain
is fully set up; this rig will be unstoppable!
 As
you can see from the pictures, the construction of the exo-cage has begun.
The cage is being designed for optimum strength and safety. The main hoop
was built around the rear doors, which will be welded  shut.
Directly behind the rear doors you can see where the rear part of the
roof was attached back onto the body. The fuel cell was mounted in the
bed, bolted to the frame rails. The fuel cell and coilover mounts were
covered with a custom tub job for a cleaner look. If you examine the front
of the 4Runner, you can see the custom grill. We took a Toyota grill and
cut holes to make room for the Hella headlights. It was also shortened
to allow the marker lights to be closer to the center.
  
We've been able to free up some time recently to do a little
more work. In order to gain some stability, a sway bar was added. This
has been working well so far. Also, some more interior work has been finished.
Just because rocks may mangle the exterior doesn't mean the interior can't
look good. Turning 42 inch tires is no easy task, so a pair of chromoly
birfields from CV Unlimited and chromoly inner axles from Poly Performance
have been installed in the front axle, which have also been working well
so far. The rear axle housing has been upgraded, and as you can see from
the pic below, this runner has received a shiny paint job. If you look
even closer, you can see how some rocks have already added some custom
panel work. Our time to work on this project has been limited, with everything
else we have going, but there are still some more mods to come: hydraulic
steering, and larger control arms are all up next.
  
 
 
  
Back
|
