A Pair of One-Ton 4Runners Built for Extreme Terrain

An Inside Look at a Pair of Near Identical Customized 4Runners

I don’t think I’ve ever seen twin insane off-road builds before, especially owned by the same person. These two truly capable 2004, one-ton, solid axle-swapped Toyota 4Runners were both built by CAtuned Off-Road. They’re now owned by Steve, the owner of Rancho Toyota Auto Recycling.

“THERE IS A LOT OF WORK AND FABRICATION INVOLVED IN CONVERTING AN IFS VEHICLE TO SOLID AXLES. LUCKILY, FOR STEVE, CATUNED HAD ALREADY WORKED OUT THE BEST WAYS TO CONVERT HIS EXACT VEHICLE.“

Inception

Steve first built the Silver 4Runner with a 6-inch lift and some basic modifications. He started to tackle harder and harder terrain around his home in the Sierras, and quickly reached the limitations of the basic setup he had on the truck.

The lift he had on the truck provided lots more ground clearance than stock, but also put a lot more strain on the drive-shafts and CV joints. The independent front suspension (IFS) setup, which comes standard on the 4Runner, was the real limiting factor in pushing the truck harder.

Enter CAtuned Off-Road. Steve reached out to the company in order to tap into the true potential of his 4Runner. He was looking to get more ground clearance while making the setup more reliable and repairable on the trail. As the old saying goes: “It’s only a matter of when, not if, something will break.”

At the time, CAtuned was finishing up the black 4Runner for another client in their shop. It featured a one-ton solid axle swap. Solid axles would make the 4Runner suspension have less moving parts and generally be easier to maintain and repair. After seeing the impressive capabilities of the black 4Runner, Steve was sold on the build of his own 4Runner.

Solid Axle Swap

There is a lot of work and fabrication involved in converting an IFS vehicle to solid axles. Luckily for Steve, CAtuned had already worked out the best ways to convert his exact vehicle.

CAtuned sourced a Dana 60 for the front and a Sterling 10.5 for the rear, both out of a Ford F-350 pickup. Combined with a custom 3-link suspension system, the heavy duty one-ton axles would be able to handle much more abuse on the trail, increase traction, improve articulation and generally make steep difficult and technical terrain all that much easier to navigate.

Solid axles are also strong enough to allow for oversized tires, increasing ground clearance and traction. With the proper combination of tires, shocks, and suspension, a solid axle vehicle will outperform an IFS system on slow-speed technical terrain.

The Build

This crazy 4Runner wouldn’t work without the fully tuned and engineered suspension. The 3-link system is extremely durable and allows for maximum articulation. Limiting straps on the front axle keep droop in check. A panhard bar holds all the components in place and allows them to all work together flawlessly. Fox 2.5 Performance Series shocks were installed, 14-inch coil overs in the front and 12-inch for the rear. The shocks were custom valved by AccuTune Off-Road.

The axles were built with a selectable Ethan locker up front and a Detroit locker in the rear. Yukon manual locking hubs were also installed on the front axle.

Custom Tom Woods cardan drivelines were made to ensure durability and proper driveline angles, otherwise the vehicle would drive like an “out of balance washing machine.” A dual stick Marlin transfer case is used, along with an adapter to fit it to the Toyota J case, for the ultimate in control and durability. CAtuned fabricated a custom cross member to accommodate the transfer cases in the 4Runner frame.

“THIS CRAZY 4RUNNER WOULDN’T WORK WITHOUT THE FULLY TUNED AND ENGINEERED SUSPENSION. THE 3-LINK SYSTEM IS EXTREMELY DURABLE AND ALLOWS FOR MAXIMUM ARTICULATION.”

The steering system has been upgraded to handle the extra articulation of the front axle and the massive size and weight of the new wheel and tire combo. A PSC Motorsports hydro assist steering kit is used, which helps turn the big tires when you’re front axle is at full lock. The steering box was also upgraded, using a rebuilt bulletproof FJ80 box.

The truck rolls on 17-inch Raceline beadlock wheels wrapped in massive 40-inch Goodyear MTR Kevlar tires. Custom front and rear bum- pers were fabricated by CAtuned, as well as stout sliders welded to the frame rails.

To finish off the build, a Smittybuilt 9.5K winch was installed in the front bumper and HID headlights out of a 2007 4Runner were installed. The interior has received a full leather swap, something Steve was easily able to do from his automotive recycling yard, which specializes in Toyota vehicles.

“HE WAS HITTING THE TRAILS SO OFTEN AND HARD THAT HE WAS IN THE MARKET FOR A SECOND TRAIL RIG, JUST IN CASE HIS 4RUNNER WAS EVER DOWN FOR REPAIRS.”

Acquiring The Twin

When is one amazing thing ever enough? The original inspiration for the silver 4Runner build, the black 4Runner, came up for sale. The owner had bought a Toyota Tacoma and needed funds to have CAtuned work their solid axle magic on the new truck.

This, of course, was an opportunity that Steve just couldn’t pass up. He was hitting the trails so often and hard that he was in the market for a second trail rig, just in case his 4Runner was ever down for repairs. He also knew his machine inside and out at this point, and loved how it performed.

While Steve hits up difficult local trails like the Rubicon and Fordyce nearly every weekend, so far both of these rigs have taken some serious abuse and just kept going. Steve basically just picks a color each weekend, grabs the keys and hits the trails.

“STEVE BASICALLY JUST PICKS A COLOR EACH WEEKEND, GRABS THE KEYS AND HITS THE TRAILS.”

Nearly Identical Twins

The differences between these two builds are extremely minute. They are the same year, with the same engine, trans, interior, and so on. They have been built with nearly the exact componentry by CAtuned Off-Road.

The first difference you’ll notice is that the font bumpers are ever so slightly different designs. The silver truck is the accessorized version of the two, as it has a snorkel, light bar and factory rear spoiler, and the bottom of the rear axle is shaved two inches with a kit from Ballistic Fabrication for better ground clearance. The black 4Runner has a Fox steering stabilizer, a component that Steve took off the Silver rig.

Follow The Twins

To follow the adventures of these impressive 4Runner builds, be sure to follow Steve on Instagram: @RanchoToyotaRecycling.

UPGRADES

Solid Axle Twin 4Runners

PLATFORMS: 2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNERS

ENGINE: TOYOTA 4.7L V8

SUSPENSION: CUSTOM CATUNED OFF-ROAD 3-LINK SUSPENSION W/ 2.5 PERFORMANCE SERIES FOX SHOCKS, 14-INCH COIL OVERS FOR THE FRONT AND 12-INCH COIL OVERS FOR THE REAR, CUSTOM VALVED BY ACCUTUNE OFF-ROAD, FRONT AXLE LIMITING STRAPS

WHEELS & TIRES: RACELINE BEADLOCK WHEELS, GOODYEAR MTR KEVLAR 40X13.5X17

ACCESSORIES: FRONT DANA 60 (FROM A FORD F-350), REAR STERLING 10.5 (FROM A FORD F-350), ETHAN LOCKER UP FRONT & DETROIT LOCKER FOR THE REAR, TOM WOODS CUSTOM CARDAN DRIVESHAFTS, MARLIN DUAL TRANSFER CASE, PSC MOTORSPORTS HYDRO ASSIST STEERING, REBUILT BULLET PROOF FJ80 STEERING BOX, CUSTOM CATUNED OFF-ROAD BUMPERS & SLIDERS, SMITTYBUILT 9.5K WINCH, SNORKEL, YUKON FRONT LOCKING HUBS, HID HEADLIGHTS FROM A 2007 4RUNNER