My wife and I were hopping back into the 4Runner after getting a bite to eat (and a few Margaritas) at our local Mexican restaurant and I saw a note under the wiper. It was from someone nearby that has a 1999 that he is parting out and then donating what was left to the local high school. He wanted to know if I wanted any of the parts.
Available for sale were:
- a CBI front winch bumper
- a Rough Country 9500lb synthetic rope winch
- a WM full roof rack with sunroof cutout (btw, WM went out of business, I think it had something to do with their design being very similar to Gobi’s rack)
- a Gobi rear ladder
- an ARB snorkel kit
We negotiated a bit and then we both walked away happy with the transaction. In addition, I got to meet a guy in the neighborhood who is an avid overlander. While he is currently in between vehicles, he did say he was in the market for a new rig to build for future adventures.
It took me some time to get the parts cleaned up and painted. I used this as an opportunity to also remove the factory hitch, get it cleaned up and put on a fresh coat.
I ran into a snag with the CBI bumper. For a 1999, it is a bolt on installation right onto the factory frame rail plates. The 1996-98 3rdGens do not have this same frame rail plate. Instead, they have a little round bump-out that is contoured in the shape of the factory bumper.
I had to call CBI and order the plates for my 1998. I then ground off the contoured bump-outs and then had the plates from CBI welded on. It was a bit of an unexpected hassle and expense, but I definitely am happy with the upgrade.
Ready to install!