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

TEXT AND IMAGES BY BRYON DORR

Solid Axle 2004 V8 4Runner Twins.

“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.“

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.

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 driveshafts 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.