OEM GPS install

I found a great deal on an OEM GPS that included the Garmin Quest 2 GPS and the installation kit that is installed where the dash storage compartment is located right above the steering wheel.  Installation was fairly simple.  First disconnect the battery.  Then take the center console apart by unscrewing the 4x4 shifter knob, take a few screws off and slide it back a few inches.  After this, you just take off a few tabs and hinge the console that has all the switches on it to reveal the cigarette lighter plug.  Disconnect it and add the harness that splits the lighter connection into two.  Plug in the lighter connection on one end while passing the other end with your hand up to the storage compartment area.  The compartment was easy to take off.  Two screws and a small screwdriver to pry one end up.  Then just pull up to take it off.  Once the compartment is off, it is quite easy to "thread" the connector from the cigarette lighter split to the dash/speaker kit.  It has a small white plug that you just plug in from underneath.  The wire leading up is then zip tied and the sponge tape wrapped around the zip tie areas.  Then just pop the dash/speaker kit into place and push down to pop the tabs in.  Two screws with covers and you're done.  Then just put in the GPS and turn the key.

Subwoofer install

I picked up a subwoofer from someone who was getting rid of theirs.  It took about 10 minutes to install.  First I had to take off the two covers on the passenger side wheel well area in the trunk.  Then the hooks were unscrewed.  Next was placing the subwoofer into the empty hole that was left.  In order to screw in the top screws of the subwoofer you need to take off the cover.  This required a hex key for the four bolts/screws.  Once the cover is off, use the hook screws to screw in the top of the subwoofer.  Then the cover goes back on the sub.  There was a plug already for the sub, which was easy enough to connect.

Next was the dash switch install - pic #1.  That was even easier.  I took a small flat screwdriver and popped the blank cover.  Behind it was the plug for the switch.  Just plug it in, push the switch in and you're ready to go.

The guy I bought it from was using the lower cover and screws for another aftermarket sub he was placing in there.  As a result, I had to order the cover from the dealership - pic #3.  So that is the final step.

The sub does make a very noticeable difference but only for the lower bass frequencies.  If your music contains mostly treble and a little bass, then the sub is not noticeable since any bass that comes out goes through the large speakers in the front.  But when you do have a song with lots of bass, this sub kicks in and rumbles.  Many times I have lowered the volume since the sub was overpowering.  Sometimes even having to lower the bass through the head unit or switching it off altogether.  I've had other stock and some aftermarket systems that did not compare with the loudness of the FJ system w/ sub.

$1400 Oil Change and 4Runner

I decided to take the FJ to the dealership to have an oil change.  I haven't had a chance to do it myself and the garage I usually go to change my own oil was closed for repairs.  I also had an old spare tire swapped in for the new spare that came with the FJ from the dealership.  That new tire along with the other three will be sold.

So after waiting 2 hours for an oil change, the mechanic comes back to get me and shows me a couple of things wrong with the FJ - rear differential was vibrating and the water pump was leaking.  Seems that the rear differential needs to be replaced completely along with the water pump, of course.  Luckily, I bought the extended warranty and it won't cost me a penny.  So I jokingly ask if they have any FJs as courtesy cars but he says no and comes back with a new 2011 4Runner.  I was very impressed.  It is high off the ground and feels like a refined FJ.  It takes the bumps much better too.  It has much more than the FJ with the exception of a rear diff lock.  If anyone is in the market for a capable offroad vehicle with refinements I would definitely suggest test driving one.  The handsfree bluetooth is very good as well.  It streamed my music off the iPhone and I could use the car(stereo/steering wheel) buttons to control my iPhone.  No wires.  Nice.

4Runner (Note: iPhone pixel saturation line)

The service guy is informing me of the progress every day.  Apparently they had all the parts for the repairs except for the differential bearing, which will arrive sometime next week.  I told him to take his time because I am enjoying the 4Runner.  I might stop in to watch them take the differential apart so I can see the damage.  Pics will be posted if I am able to go.

Finally got the FJ back after a week.  They needed to get another part - pinion seal - which they did not have in stock.  It was nice not placing mileage on the FJ for the week.  The first thing I noticed after the repair was that 4WD was responding faster than before.  It used to take a while to shift from 2WD to 4WD and back.  Now it's almost instantaneous.

Washed/Waxed, Scratches and Swirls Gone

So after almost 8 months of not washing the FJ, I decided to take care of it on the outside.  I noticed that the dealer that I bought it from fixed some deep scratches and buffed the whole FJ.  This buffing left swirl marks all over which were visible when the sun hit it.  I had a few branches fall on the sides as well, which put in some minor scratches.  I read up on detailing info. on how to fix the swirls and came across some stuff from Meguiars - Scratch X 2.0.  So I bought a bottle seeing that the instructions were fairly easy - rub until there is no more in any direction you like.  I gave it a thorough wash and then proceeded to rub the Scratch X in the areas where I could visibly see the scratches.  Then I proceeded to use it on the areas where I saw swirls.  Once I was done I put a nice coat of carnuba wax on it.  It looked 10x better than when I bought it!  All the swirls were gone and the scratches were not noticeable.

It did such a great job that I used it on the wife's silver Volvo.  She had scratches everywhere.  Even a foot long one on the hood, which is not visible now.  All the minor scratches were easily taken off.  Her's looks at least 100x better than when we bought it.

Larger scratches were on the bump out right above the rear tire.

Alarm system

So after I forgot to lock my doors and I left my iPod in the truck it was gone the next day.  I decided to buy an alarm system.  I found a great price on the factory system and had it installed a few days later at the dealership.  I read through the instructions but it was way too much work for me to install.  They had it done in about 3 hours.  They worked around all the aftermarket wiring and didn't charge me extra for it.

It was a real pain to put in all the settings I wanted.  You have to go through so many hoops to make it work that I finally had it down after the 6th time!  After all the settings were in place it worked great and I liked the motion sensor.  Now if I forget to lock my doors it passively arms.  Didn't get much of a discount on the car insurance though.

"Free" BFG AT's

The dealer that I bought the FJ from couldn't balance the cheap tires they put on there.  They were brand new tires too.  So I suggested that they place the originals on there - BFG AT KO - and use the spare as well.  That way they would only have to buy 3.  They went for it and I asked to keep the other street tires that were on the FJ when I purchased it.  I left one as a spare and bought a cover for it.  The other three are now in storage.

BFG AT's.  Rear is spare, front is new.  Some bluish tint-like material was around the sidewalls.

A few weeks later - washed and detailed.  No more bluish tint around new tires.

TRD intake

Well, I didn't sell my TRD intake from my previous FJ.  I never put it up for sale since it was missing the rubber piece that sits under the box and has two threads sticking out of both sides.  Since I was missing the piece, I bought a long screw at Home Depot and found a bicycle handlebar adapter that was the perfect size to use as a spacer.  The nice thing about it is that it was able to fit once the long screw was in place.  It took a bit of work to get everything just right but after I tightened all the bolts inside the airbox everything was just perfect.  No movement from the airbox at all.

The filter was extremely dirty.  I had an old AEM cleaning kit from one of my earlier automobiles and used that to clean.  There was so much grime it took about 4-5 sprays of cleaner and rinsing from inside to outside.  Once it dried, I used the oil from the kit and let it soak for a day.  There was a little excess that dripped off into the rubber end, which I wiped off.  I also checked the filter a few days after install and there were a couple of drips at the bottom of the airbox that I cleaned up.

Installation was fairly simple with the exception of the homemade spacer.

Finished install.

CB Radio

Well, my dad had an old CB in his shed and I noticed it when I went for a visit.  The middle of the antenna was missing a cover and it looked a little old.  The cigarette lighter adapter didn't even work and I had to buy one from Radio Shack.  I spray painted the antenna flat black.  The center was also a copper wire wrapped around a nylon cylinder that had screw threads on both sides.  Unfortunately, nylon doesn't hold up very well when screwed into metal.  I left the antenna in the back and it snapped the nylon thread after the tire changing place I went to threw my old tires in the back.  I then soldered the wire to the top part of the antenna, epoxied over that, wrapped it in wire loom and electrical tape.  This wasn't sturdy enough so I bought some heavy duty shrink tubing at Home Depot. This did the trick.  I also didn't have a bracket and I wasn't about to dish out over $40 for the Bandi mount. That's the cost of a cheap CB radio!  So I took an old piece of metal from my homemade axe and shovel mount and drilled some holes into it to fit the antenna bracket.  It fit nicely with a screw that I had to cut to the correct length so that it would not touch the door.

Overall the bracket was flimsy as certain folks pointed out.  So I went back to Home Depot and found a much thicker chunk of metal from which I plan on making the next generation bracket.

So a fully functioning CB radio for $11 --> $6 for the cigarette lighter adapter with fuse, $2 bracket and $3 for shrink wrap = $11.  Seeing that purchasing a cheap CB is about $30, the bandi mount is $40 and an antenna is another $35 or so, I think I made out.  I'm also not planning on using it much so it made sense not to spend $85-$100 for a CB setup.  I would also have to tune it, which would cost another $30 or so for an SWR meter.  This one was already tuned for the antenna it came with.

Original equipment and color

Nice coat of flat black Rustoleum

Bracket and original antenna mount

Side view of full antenna.  Thick part up top is the nylon copper wire area that was reinforced.

Brush Guard / Skid Plate / Bike Rack

Finally had a chance to put on the brush guard and the skid plate.  I touched up the brush guard due to the damage it took from the totaled silver FJ.  I also had to hammer the driver side brackets back into place.

First was the brush guard since I needed to access the bolts from underneath the bumper.  This install was quite easy since I had already done it on the silver one.  I also printed the template correctly this time.  It seems that it is made for an 8.5x14 sized piece of paper.  I selected the option to print the actual size on the 8.5x11.  It worked great.  Everything lined up and I drilled through perfectly.

The skid went on next.  It took me a while to get the rear bolts on again since I hand made the spacers.  But it finally went on.

At this point I had the hood up still.  When I went to put it down, the bug shield that was on the FJ when I purchased it hit the brush guard.  Just when I thought I was finished.  It was easy enough to take off the bug shield but I didn't realize that there are plastic clips holding the metal screws.  Someone over torqued them and a couple were loose.  I had to use an adjustable wrench to hold the bolt inside the hood and finally take off the adapter that holds the bug guard.  Finally I was able to take it off and the hood went down.

I also took off the ski racks and put on the bike rack on top.  There is a hitch bike rack on the back as well.

So remember to take off the bug guard if you put on a brush guard.  Next up is the TRD intake once I find a missing part that I left on the old FJ.  Then the lights will be wired.  After that is rustproofing the underbody.

Pic shows brush guard.  The black skid isn't noticeable unless you are close up.

Light bar

My Tuffy light bar from my silver FJ was still around so I placed it up top.  Very easy to install, especially with the DO rails/steps.  I left all the wiring in tact so now all I have to do is run the wires to the battery and through the firewall for the switches.

The ski racks that came on the FJ were taken off prior to installing.  A bike rack took it's place up top.

It's looking like an off-road vehicle now.  Next will be the brush guard and the skid plate.  Once that is finished, the TRD intake is going in.   Then it's going up on a lift and the surface rust on the axle, frame  and shocks will be cleaned and then painted over.  

Demello Rock Rails

I decided to take off the stock rock rails and place on my Demello's that I bought for my silver one.  The kids were having a hard time getting in and out.  I placed them side by side and the stock ones have a larger diameter tube.  They also weighed much more than the Demello rails even though the Demello rails are much longer.  You can see the differences immediately.

Even though I liked the stock rails and the way they looked, they were not as functional as the Demello rails.  Not only did it help with getting in and out of the FJ, but they also helped in the next few items that I placed on roof rack.

Demello on the left.  Stock on the right.

Stock up front.  Demello in the back.  Notice the fins on the stock between the two rails.  Very thin compared to the thick chunks of steel between the Demello rails.

Stock bracket.  The stock rails seem to be quite nice.

Demello rail.

Stock rail.

Wndow Tint

I decided to tint my windows a little darker than usual to make this FJ match the rear windows a little better and make it uniform black all around.

Skid Plate

I decided to repaint the skid plate that I placed on my silver FJ.  First sanded down, washed and then sprayed with PlastiDip.

TRD-SE

So after finding a great deal on a TRD SE, I decided to sell my Ridgeline and purchase the second FJ.  I have the Demello rails, brush guard, skid plate, and light bar, which didn't sell for the prices I was asking.  Luckily all this was stored away.  Every part will be placed on this FJ.

And the saga begins ...

Titanium FJ - Gone

Well, back in November of 2010, while going to work, a young guy decides to pull a left hand turn in front of me.  I went over him, destroyed his whole front end, and broke my axle.  Luckily no one was hurt.  I was not at fault either and since I had bought it at such a great deal, I came out with much cash.

I thought it was going to be fixed but the shop said that there was frame damage and that the fix would compromise the safety of the vehicle.  So it was totaled.  Some pics below.  Last pic was of all the parts taken off.  Looked just like when I first bought it.

I took all the parts that I had placed on it since the insurance company didn't give me anything for them.  That took me two days to do.  Much less time than placing all that stuff on it!

Funny thing is that about a month or so later I see it in a body shop near where I work.  It looked like the axle had been repaired and they had placed the 5th tire where the broken rim was.

I tried hard to find another FJ that had low mileage and was priced in the same range as my silver one.  I found a great deal on a black one and decided to hold off until I received the check from the insurance company.  They sold it 30 minutes after I was there!

I then bought a Honda Ridgeline - see handymannyridgeline.blogspot.com.  Nice truck, great flexibility of uses, large trunk and it drove better than my old Acura.  But alas, still not an FJ.

Black Out project

After looking at the forum for quite a while I found that Demello was selling off some bumper parts. I picked up a full set of wings and the middle valance in the front. Purchasing some satin black paint at Home Depot was very cheap. I did the whole set with four coats with three cans. I also re-painted the off-road rims with flat black and put on a few coats of clear coat on top.

The results:

Full black out with rims. No mall cruiser here! :)

Front bumper wing/valance with stockies.

Both wings and center valance

Rear wing

Hitch Bike Rack

After looking around for another bike rack to put on the roof and finding out that the same USED one that I had already was selling for $50-$80 on ebay I decided to look around for a nice hitch rack. I came across a website that was selling a Yakima swing arm 4 bike hitch rack that was only $200 SHIPPED! So I bought one. I wasn't expecting it to clear the FJ door but, to my amazement, it did. I was very pleased with the quality and like that I can use it for both a stand to tune my bikes and as a transport. The best thing is that it came with a hitch pin lock and the integrated bike lock!

Some pics:

Tow Hitch Wiring Harness

I finally decided to pick up the wiring harness for the tow hitch which was my very first modification. It was fairly simple to install and didn't take much time. Here are the final pics of all the parts installed:

This is underneath the dash on the driver's side. The top arrow is pointing to the converter. You have to put the packing around it(sponge looking stuff) and then screw it into the hole above it on the body panel. Unfortunately I was using that hole for a grounding point for the auxiliary light switches. Since the bracket was metal, and the converter was completely surrounded by the plastic box it was OK to leave the ground point. So once the converter was screwed in I took a look around for the plug that goes into it(second arrow). It was the white plug with all the different colored wires that was taped to the main harness coming out of the firewall plug on the right. The third, bottom arrow is pointing to the sponge packing material that the instructions said to wrap around the part of the harness that goes up near the converter. I think this is to protect the converter plug wires from rubbing. I have a bunch of wire loom from the auxiliary lights tucked in there so your FJ will probably have more room to work around.


This is beneath the rear bumper. The plug is on the driver's side and it was a pain to get that cover off. I had to use two pliers and had to be careful not to break the white tab that was holding it in place. I then plugged the harness that came with the package into the harness that was already there. After that I inserted the brown zip tie that came with it along with another black zip tie(mine) to hold the harness up higher on the bumper. I didn't want anything to hang down.

And finally the plug screwed into the plate that came with the hitch. The white zip tie is mounted on this plate and holds the harness nicely.

The final step was to put in the two fuses and the relay into the large fuse box that sits right behind the battery.

All finished in about 30 min. The longest part was taking off that cap on the rear of the harness.

Homemade Axe and Shovel Mount

I bought a couple of extra race weights when I made the Hi-Lift mount and decided to make an axe and shovel mount using these. First I made the roof mounts as shown in the roof rack mounts posting. Then I walked Home Depot to see what I could use to make something to fit them. After I came across the shelves where the Stimpson brackets were, I tried bending the metal it it looked like it would work. So I bent and drilled and came up with a mount. Here is the result:

One large Stimpson bracket with two smaller ones. Drilled a 1/2" hole in the middle of the large one and two smaller 1/4" holes on the end. The smaller bracket is bent and the same size holes are drilled with the smaller hole being on the shorter end. These brackets were painted flat black and the edges rounded since the corners were very sharp.

Side view of brackets bent into an S shape.

Put in the 1/4" bolts and wingnuts. The 1/2" holes should overlap on the two small brackets and line up with the 1/2" hole on the large bracket.

Side view.

The middle bolt is tightened with a wingnut. There is one 1/2" bolt missing. It should be placed on top of the large Stimpson bracket and below the two smaller ones. Tighten it and it should hold the bracket assembly nicely. Two of these mount systems are used and spaced about a foot apart. The shovel and axe can then be removed by taking the small bolts off and pulling on the axe or shovel. The curved end will not dig into the axe or shovel and is easy to take off. I will post a pic of them mounted later. The axe required using something around the handle to make it clamp better and not be so loose.

All this was done for about $13 for the roof clamp and 1/2" bolt and about $5 for the remaining hardware. So $36 for both.