Sherpa Motorsports 4Runner

It is not too often that you see a totally built race-ready 2004 Toyota 4Runner. In fact, we hadn’t seen one like this until it passed us at King of the Hammers. And by totally built, we mean a full roll cage, full armor, Sherpa Roof Rack, and a slew of other awesome products. The Sherpa Motorsports 4Runner has ended up being a great platform to test products in the harshest of environments. Sherpa has put thousands of miles on their rig and one thing is for sure - there will be thousands of more miles put on the rig long into the future.

The team at Sherpa Equipment Company is not only known for their industry leading Roof Racks, Top Racks, and Accessories, they are also well known for their race team that competes within the Ultra4 racing circuit within the 4600 stock class. Their vehicle of choice? A 2004 Toyota 4Runner with the unicorn V8. The blood, sweat, and tears dropped into this rig are quite impressive and the mix of products is even more impressive. Let’s take a further look into this beast.

Platform: As noted above, the Sherpa Motorsports team competes within the Ultra4 4600 stock class. This means their 2004 4Runner must have an unmodified OEM frame, factory engine, factory transmission, 35 inch DOT tires, one 2.5 inch shock on each corner, and mechanical steering.

Engine/transmission: Powering the Sherpa Race Rig is a 4.7L V8 (2UZ-FE) producing 268 horsepower with 315-foot pounds of torque. It is paired with a stock A750F transmission and VF2BM transfer case. Doug Thorley Log Tube Headers flow into a custom Magnaflow Race Exhaust.

Axles (front/rear) & steering: Generally speaking, the 4600 class does not impose any restrictions on axles. To handle the abuse, Sherpa has a Trail Gear Ford 9 inch fabricated housing with a Yukon Gear and Axle 3rd Member and 4.86 gearing in the rear. They also have a custom 4-link system with Summit machine joints. Unlike most 4600 cars, Sherpa has a double wishbone IFS front setup. This includes a Toyota 8-inch IFS Clamshell, Yukon 4.88 gears, ARB Air Locker, and chromoly axles. A 200 Series Land Cruiser Steering Rack is also used with Marlin Crawler MarRack upgrades.

Suspension: The Sherpa Motorsports rig features the Marlin Crawler RCLT 3.5-inch Race Kit up front. This kit is paired with 8-inch King Coliovers with finned reservoirs. For the rear, the Sherpa 4Runner has Dobinsons Rear Coil Springs (80 series) with King 12 inch Smooth Body Shocks with finned reservoirs. LOCKED Offroad bump stops can be found on all four corners.

Tires and Wheel: The Sherpa Race Rig features Black Rhino Primm Beadlock Wheels wrapped in 35 inch NEXEN Rodian MTX Tires. The Rodian MTX tires feature a dual sidewall design and 3-ply construction with an F-Load weight rating.

Armor/Rack: Protecting the Sherpa 4Runner is a modified ADD Front Bumper and custom fabricated high-clearance Rear Bumper. Shrockworks Skid Plates protect the underside while custom fabricated Rock Sliders protect the rocker panels. We also can’t forget about the Sherpa 4Runner Roof Rack. The Princeton Roof Rack, which has been put through the ringer race after race continues to hold up and still looks like new. This is a true testament to the quality of Sherpa Racks as well and their overall versatility.

Lighting: The Sherpa Race Truck has no shortage of lighting. In fact, it is covered from front to back with Baja Designs Lights including the Baja Designs LP9 Pro Amber, Baja Designs S2 Amber, Baja Designs Rock Lights, Baja Designs XL80 Linkable Kit, and much more.

Recovery: These Ultra4 races can be grueling and treacherous. The Sherpa team is well equipped with a 3-ton Pro Eagle Jack, Deadman Offroad Recovery Kit, WARN ZEON Platinum 10S, and various Factor 55 products.

We know race teams cannot do it alone. The Sherpa Motorsports Team is sponsored by some of the industries best including Yukon Gear & Axle, Baja Designs, ICON, Marlin Crawler, WARN, Powertank, Pro Eagle, ADF Fiberglass, and many more as the list continues to grow. The team at Truck Brigade loves Sherpa’s products and are big fans of Sherpa Motorsports.