By Ever wish you could go anywhere? Do anything? Fly through the skies without a care in the world? Being Superman ticks all three of those boxes, but the next best thing is a good off-road build!
Today we’re taking a look at our buddy Scott’s project vehicle, a 2010 Toyota 4Runner Trail Edition that’s built to handle any terrain at any time. This truck has been back and forth between California and New York three times, turning off the cruise control for crawl control and hitting trails all along the way including places like Chicken Corner and Golden Spike in Moab. Four-wheel-drive and a V6 engine are a wonderful drivetrain combination in a 4Runner built for overlanding. The 4.0L V6 gets great fuel economy despite being nearly as powerful as Toyota’s offered V6, and with big, knobby tires, it’s very comfortable while off-roading.
Scott bought his 4Runner with the express purpose of building a badass overlanding rig, and he’s made some great decisions about his aftermarket modifications. The most apparent of these has to be the massive ARB Summit front bumper bull bar and skip weight combo. This massive pushbar/brush guard combo keeps the important bits just behind the front of the vehicle safe from some pretty tough impacts with branches, boulders, small land mammals, and the like. It also has some bonuses for day-to-day use, with integrated turn signals, fog lights, jack points, and mounting points for auxiliary lighting, winches, and antennas.
Attached to said mounting points, Scott has Wilson antennas up top, a Rigid Industries 30” light bar in the middle, and a Warn M8000 winch that has an 8,000lb pulling capacity running Spyder synthetic cable. That synthetic cable is rated for 12,000 pounds of tension, saves 35 pounds over the standard steel cable, and won’t saw anybody in half if it somehow manages to snap.
Scott’s 4Runner is outfitted with the ARB/Old Man Emu 3” suspension lift kit. This kit uses ARB hard parts and gas-charged nitro shocks made by Old Man Emu. The kit can be optioned with light, medium, or heavy springs, and Scott has opted for heavy springs in the front and medium springs in the back. This helps support the extra 250 pounds of hardware hanging off the front bumper, and makes room for massive 275/70R17 tires mounted to stock wheels. Scott hasn’t upgraded his wheels yet, but plans to go a little wider and step up to a 285mm tread with an overall 33” tire diameter. Not too shabby for a 3” lift kit and stock axles!
To protect the sides of the truck from scrapes and bashes against rocks and undergrowth, Scott has equipped his 4Runner with N-Fab running boards/rock sliders. These give an extra layer of armor against the elements, provide an extra step into the cab that’s all but necessary after a 3” lift, and look super cool.
To make sure that everything that won’t already fit in the back of the truck can come along for the ride, Scott has installed an ARB aluminum roof rack cargo basket that can hold up to 330 lbs of luggage, carrion, or other various contraband. This 330-pound carry weight increase is actually the same as the steel version of this rack, despite the rack itself weighing almost 40% less!
That completes our look at this badass off-road machine. For upgrades for your Toyota 4Runner including the parts featured in this build, check out the Motoroso Marketplace and make your vehicle yours!
