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Would You Take This Supercharged V8 4Runner Over a New Bronco Raptor

The unveiling of the all-new 2022 Ford Bronco has us in a real off-roading type of mood. But with a $70,000 price tag, is it a better idea to use the same money to build something custom? If you ask the people who built this supercharged Toyota 4Runner project, the answer is absolutely a yes.
RSG Metal Works 4Runner 9 photos
Photo: RSG Metal Works
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Meet Project T40R from RSG Metalworks. A heavily modified 2016 Toyota 4Runner with all the essential, high-performance 4x4 modifications a human being could ever ask for. That's not just limited to the lifted suspension and the massive off-road tires. We're talking about the engine too.

The engine in question is a 5.7 liter 3UR-FE V8 fed through a 2.5-inch exhaust to a Magnaflow 18-inch rear muffler. That's right. It's not only Chevrolet that builds 350 cubic-inch small-block V8s, after all. Not that cubic inches ever meant anything to Toyota. Compared to the 400 horsepower EcoBoost V6, it'd be a real toss-up between the two if it ever came down to picking between them.

If that wasn't enough power for your liking, the Magnuson TVS1900 supercharger should take care of that issue. Power is fed through a six-speed automatic gearbox carried over from a Tundra. This runs through a four-wheel-drive system linked to a Ford nine-inch rear axle with triangulated backward 4-links and a three-link at the front.

Added stability comes via a Curry anti-roll bar and is kept to the ground with four Toyo MT 40×13.5-inch tires. The wheels are Trail-Gear Creepers that are powder coated with a custom bead-lock pattern. Steering is hydraulically power-assisted using an aftermarket unit from Howe Performance.

All of the custom exterior off-road bodywork was performed in-house by RSG Metalworks themselves, and they swear by the quality of their workmanship. Enough to allow the obviously off-road optimized 4Runner to have a few passes on the drag strip over the quarter-mile. If you think that sounds absurdly awesome, it's because it almost certainly is. Check the video down below if you want to see more.


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