SMOOTH OPERATOR
A DAILY DRIVEN, OFF-ROAD CAPABLE 4RUNNER
When deciding on which platform to base an off-road capable build on, one must take into account their wants, as well as their needs. The practical side sometimes can put a damper on the fun side of the equation, but as we see with the 4Runner featured in this article, a careful balance between the two can be reached.
The folks over at Black Rhino Wheels set out to create a daily driven vehicle that is fully capable of taking on trails at a moment’s notice. After looking at a few different vehicles, they decided to go with a Toyota 4Runner. With its legendary reliability, good looks, off-road capability and enclosed cabin, the 4Runner checks all the boxes on the practicality check list and then some.
We spoke to TSW’s Ryan Gallagher about the building process. He informed us that the ‘18 4Runner SR5 was brand new and came off Huntington Beach Toyota’s lot with only 6 miles on its odometer. He continued, “The build process was a lot of fun. We brought this vehicle from an everyday 4Runner to a vehicle that could crawl over almost anything or go through a whoop section at a fast pace. This thing does everything we would ever imagine it to.”
To address the want column of the list, it was decided that the 4Runner would be left in the very capable hands of Doug Parks at Evil Manufacturing. Located in La Habra, California, Evil Manufacturing is a full-scale automotive manufacturing and fabrication shop that can
create just about anything you can think of. In this case, Gallagher and his cohorts simply wanted a daily drivable vehicle they can take wherever they need it to go, even over questionable terrain.
“WITH ITS LEGENDARY RELIABILITY, GOOD LOOKS, OFF-ROAD CAPABILITY AND ENCLOSED CABIN, THE 4RUNNER CHECKS ALL THE BOXES ON THE PRACTICALITY CHECK LIST — AND THEN SOME.”
The first thing Parks looked into was the 4Runner’s suspension. For it to do what they were asking it to do, the original suspension needed to be worked over. In the front, it was decided that the stock suspension would be swapped for Camburg 3.5-inch long travel units, which add about 13 to 14 inches of wheel travel. Fox 2.5-inch DSC coilovers with external reservoir and 2.5 Fox 3 Tube bypass shocks help smooth out the ride. Fox 2.5-inch DSC smooth body shocks with external reservoirs cushion the ride in the rear, as well. To make sure that steering remained smooth and uninterrupted with the additional wheel travel, a Camburg steering extension was also installed. To keep the 4Runner running reliably, the engine was largely left in its factory stock form. The only additions are an S&B Filter Cold Air Intake and Magnaflow stainless cat-back system to allow the system to breath more freely. The drivetrain was left completely untouched.
Exterior mods include up-armored protection courtesy of Hefty Fabworks. Their aluminum front and rear bumpers were installed along with Fabworks’ Rock Sliders. The front bumper also got a Warn Zeon 10S Platinum winch fitted to it, along with an upgraded fairlead made by Factor 55, as well as Factor 55’s FlatLink. The FlatLink replaces the conventional winch hook in favor of its stronger shackle thimble and D-ring. In order to clear a more aggressive wheel and tire package, Evil Manufacturing also added Advanced Fiberglass Concepts 3-inch over fenders.
For more gear hauling capability, a Prinsu
Design full roof rack was attached to the 4Runner’s roof. Prinsu Design’s line of roof racks are popular with 4Runner owners for their low profile look and useful features. In addition to the full-length model as seen here, it is also available in 3/4 and 7/8 lengths. Sitting on top of the rack is a Tepui Ruggedized Series Kukenam 3 roof top tent, along with a Pro Eagle Big Wheel Off Road Jack and Yeti Tundra 45 cooler. The Yeti is secured by a Deny Locks cooler lock. We don’t want anyone snagging our drinks now, do we?
Lighting was also upgraded, thanks to a host of lights from Baja Design. A pair of Baja Design LP9 lights sits on the front bumper and is available to pour on extra light when needed. If that’s not enough, Baja Design Squadron Sport LEDs were also added to the front bumper, as well as to the hood’s cowl. A pair of S2 Sport LEDs helps illuminate the rear bumper area, too. A Switch Pros SP-9100 Bezel Style 8-Switch Panel Power System helps control all the added lighting.
Additional grip is provided by Maxxis RAZR MT tires, mounted to Black Rhino’s Garrison Beadlock rims. The 35-inch diameter Maxxis tires provide extra confidence over slippery terrain with its 12.5-inch wide tread. The 17x8 Black Rhino wheels are a true beadlock wheel. It sports a durable beadlock ring that provides safe bead seating for oversized tires. About fitting those oversized tires to the 4Runner, Gallagher explains, “The most challenging feat was getting the 35-inch Maxxis tires to fit without rubbing. This took a good amount of fabrication and cutting by Doug over at Evil Manufacturing.”
With the bulk of the performance upgrades complete, the 4Runner then travelled to Beach Autosound in Huntington Beach, California, for an interior make over. Taking a look at its interior, you can see that this rig was built as much for long trips as it was for the daily grind
of bumper-to-bumper driving. Not only does the interior boast a custom leather Roadwire interior, it also has a full JL Audio sound system complete with custom-made fiberglass speaker and amp rack, as well. Considering how much time we spend in our vehicles, upgraded audio is so underrated nowadays.
After four months, the build was finally complete. Since picking it up, Gallagher tells us, “This vehicle is driven all the time. The longest trip that we have done with the build is driving it to Park City, Utah, where it will be at the newest TSW and Black Rhino warehouse.”
We asked Gallagher if there is anything he’d do differently with this build. He replied, “I do not think I would change a thing on this build, except maybe add a supercharger.” We like where he’s going with that.