Fiberglass Bedsides Install - 2004 Toyota 4Runner

2004 Toyota 4Runner Fiberglass Bedsides Install 4Runner

Project Trucks What do you do when you need something that doesn't exist? Build it!

That's exactly the situation we were in when it came to covering our '04 4Runner's augmented track width. The recent addition of a Currie 9-Inch rearend came with a ton of advantages, documented in 4 Wheel Drive & Sport Utility Magazine's February 2011 issue. If there was a downside, it was that the wheels garishly protruded from the body. Protruding wheels made the 'Runner a cop magnet, and they were also responsible for a wasted rearview mirror when a rock flung out of the tread and shattered it. We needed bedsides-quickly.

1. McKenna and Carter hold up the untouched Fiberwerx Tacoma TT-style bedside. We went with the Access Cab version instead of the crew cab model so that we'd have more material to work with on the front edge.
1. McKenna and Carter hold up the untouched Fiberwerx Tacoma TT-style bedside. We went wit
2. The wheel opening was huge! The 33-inch Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ's look dinky inside. Also note the amount of 4Runner body visible inside the fiberglass wheel opening. The wheel opening size differences were remedied with a two-front approach. The Fiberwerx wheel opening was shrunk, while the 4Runner wheel opening was stretched. The goal was for the 'glass to flow with the body lines, and for a 35-inch tire to fit even at full bump.
2. The wheel opening was huge! The 33-inch Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ's look dinky inside. A
3. The fiberglass needed to contour into the door and into the rear quarter panel, so the front and rear edges of the bedside were sliced off.
3. The fiberglass needed to contour into the door and into the rear quarter panel, so the

After exploring a few options, we decided that modifying a set of '05-and-newer fiberglass Tacoma bedsides was the way to go. Fiberwerx was willing to supply the Tacoma bedsides, knowing that they would be cut and modified to fit the 4Runner. Installation was going to be tricky, and it would require chopping and modifying the sheet metal as well as the fiberglass. Yours truly likes to do his own work, but this project was over my head. Besides, it was gonna be gut-wrenching to cut up my own 4Runner; all the more reason to watch and learn while someone else did the cutting. That "someone" turned out to be the crew at Desolate Motorsports. Desolate's Greg Gilbert, Matt Carter, and Danny McKenna are veterans of many, many off-road fiberglass installations, and the crew is also experienced working on hot rods. This proved a perfect combination for treading the uncharted waters ahead.

Broken down, the fiberglass metamorphosis project comprised three main foci: cutting and re-shaping the fiberglass, tubbing the sheetmetal, and mounting the fiberglass over the sheetmetal. The passenger's side was completed first, and then the driver's side was done using the passenger's side as a pattern. Follow the photos and captions and we'll explain.

4. The wheel opening was shrunk by 6 inches. Greg chose the most uniform area at the top of the wheel opening. When all the cutting was done, the edges of the black tape were next to each other.
4. The wheel opening was shrunk by 6 inches. Greg chose the most uniform area at the top o
5. Blocks of plywood were screwed down from the front side, keeping the two halves in place for the next step.
5. Blocks of plywood were screwed down from the front side, keeping the two halves in plac
6. The chalk line shows the next cut. This was done so that the 'glass would properly taper into the door and the rear quarter panel.
6. The chalk line shows the next cut. This was done so that the 'glass would properly tape

7. Looking good! There's still quite a bit of fiberglass work to do at this point, but the general shape is there. The next step is to tub the sheetmetal.
7. Looking good! There's still quite a bit of fiberglass work to do at this point, but the
8. The '03-to-'09 4Runners have molded trim on the lower edge of the doors, as well as over the wheelwells. Part of the molded trim as retained on the doors, but the rest had to go.
8. The '03-to-'09 4Runners have molded trim on the lower edge of the doors, as well as ove
9. Greg used a 4 1/2-inch die grinder and a cutoff blade to do the slicing. This was much faster than using a body saw. Look at the cut line, and you can see how much clearance was gained.
9. Greg used a 4 1/2-inch die grinder and a cutoff blade to do the slicing. This was much

10. Here's what waited inside. This, too, had to go.
11. The door sill was next. The sill was trimmed as much as possible, while retaining the weatherstripping's sealing surface.
11. The door sill was next. The sill was trimmed as much as possible, while retaining the
12. Greg made several slices in the wheelwell so that the wheelwell could be pushed up against the door sill.
12. Greg made several slices in the wheelwell so that the wheelwell could be pushed up aga