4Runner Engine/Mods

The first thing i did was the "deck plate" mod where a hole is cut in the factory air box and a deck plate, used mostly for boats, is installed. unscrew the plate and you get an increase of air to your engine which turns into increased horsepower. screw it back in, and you are back to the stock toyota settings. pretty neat!

at the same time i did the deck plate mod, i installed a new AMSOIL air filter to help things breathe a little better.
I've also gone ahead and removed the Air Box Elbow which is a tube to the air box but it is a restrictive 90degree intake from the passenger side wheel well, this gives a little bit better throttle response at higher RPMs.

next, i bought some NGK iridium spark plugs and a set of NGK performance wires. this took the longest to do so far because i was paranoid about stripping the threads when installing the plugs so i bought a torque wrench and did things VERY slowly. there were also a lot of things in the way of the driver's side plugs that i had to move and then re-install. and after i assembled everything, i cranked it over and it sputtered and died several times. this was due to me forgetting to plug two of the coils back in! besides being a little embarassed, i was quite relieved when it fired right up after correcting the problem.

the TRD exhaust arrived and i got started with installation. first i had my 4runner undercoated before i put on my sparkling new stainless steel exhaust. next i tried to get the old bolts off the stock exhaust which proved futile for me and my trusty ratchet. so, i took it to a local muffler shop and had them use their torch to melt them away. once that was done the old exhaust came off with ease. i bought new bolts and attatched the TRD exhaust and it's all on now. it doesn't sound as "throaty" as i imagined but does have a good, although quiet, rumble to it. it all looks very nice when it's clean, but i must complain that the chrome plated stainless tip rusts like no other! i'd like to have some words with whoever designed that. so, i have to clean it up with steel wool every week to keep it looking halfway decent.
UPDATE: if you are thinking of getting the TRD exhaust, DON'T!! I've had no power increase, all the tubing is rusting as well as the "stainless" tip, total crap IMO. I'll be looking into other options in the near future; magnaflow or flowmaster probably.

i also put on my shiny new billet aluminum TRD oil cap, which i'm the only one that see it but it gives me butterflies when i open the hood every time.

i bought some vent visors for my truck, the stick on the outside kind, and after only two months the adhesive was coming off the visors. it was firmly stuck on the body of my truck but not on the plastic visor, which kept rattling at anything over 25MPH. so, after removing them, and all the adhesive which was a pain in the ass, i bought the kind that fit in the window channel. these look nicer in my opinion but they too rattle when the windows are open. i guess these things just suck.

some little things i've done are as follows:

*got some little "Toyota" neck pillows off of ebay, they don't make it any more comfy but they look kinda nice.