New 1st gen 4runner owner

[ToyodaTocco]

My apologies for ruffling feathers B1LL31 and DouglasVB.

No apology needed, you didn't ruffle my feathers. I don't necessarily believe one is better than the other one. It all comes down to personal preference. I do want to meet you in person some time over a , so I can pick your brain some more.

DouglasVB, I saw your rig at Slee last night, but didn't get a chance to meet you. Hope to meet you at the next one.

 

[DouglasVB]

DouglasVB, I saw your rig at Slee last night, but didn't get a chance to meet you. Hope to meet you at the next one.

It was a good get-together last night. I had fun checking out all the amazing machines that everyone brought and Slee Off-Road is quite the place. There weren't many of us driving the 1980s trucks or 4runners. I guess most of them already rusted away.

This weekend I'm planning to go out one day and drive around on some gravel roads between Golden and Blackhawk (snow permitting). Should be fun to see how the truck performs. It doesn't look like there are any group rides planned for a few weekends?

 

[DaveInDenver]

It was a good get-together last night. I had fun checking out all the amazing machines that everyone brought and Slee Off-Road is quite the place. There weren't many of us driving the 1980s trucks or 4runners. I guess most of them already rusted away.

It's a Land Cruiser club. Not that mini trucks aren't represented but most people are interested in keeping their 40/60/62/80 going or taking their 100/200 out. It is the Toyota Land Cruiser Association. You want to stir the pot, mention that TLCA should be really be Toyota 4WD Truck Association...

This weekend I'm planning to go out one day and drive around on some gravel roads between Golden and Blackhawk (snow permitting). Should be fun to see how the truck performs. It doesn't look like there are any group rides planned for a few weekends?

It's ad hoc. Mention in the planning forum about a trip and you'll maybe get someone free who'll go. Not sure what's happening this weekend but I might be up for poking around if there's not a ton of snow.

BTW, if you're serious about floor mats hard to beat the factory vinyl floor mat IMHO. I know they're available for pickups, not sure about 4Runner. You'd pull out the carpet and put in the vinyl mat.

The original owner put in generic Wal-Mart floor mats in my truck that were there when I bought it. I used them once early on as traction mats, tried to wash them with limited success and so they got deep six'd and never replaced. My truck's carpet has a small rubber section right under the pedals that has lasted 24 years, so who am I to complain? Could never see myself spending the kind of money they want for those fancy ones. OTOH my carpet used to be a medium greyish color and is not a plethora of grey, red, black and tan stains. It's a special kind of camo pattern.

 

[DouglasVB]

It's a Land Cruiser club. Not that mini trucks aren't represented but most people are interested in keeping their 40/60/62/80 going or taking their 100/200 out. It is the Toyota Land Cruiser Association. You want to stir the pot, mention that TLCA should be really be Toyota 4WD Truck Association...

Ah shoot! I knew I should have bought the pile of Land Cruiser badges I saw in the back stock room at Slee last night.

Pot stirring time!

The front page of the website says:

All Toyota 4x4 owners are welcome, whether you have a vintage FJ40, a beat-up 4Runner, a right-hand-drive 70 series from Australia, or a brand new Tacoma that you just drove off the lot.​

Did the club move to primarily Land Cruisers since the last time the website was overhauled? Nothing wrong with that. I'm just curious and want to figure out where I best fit in on the 4x4 scene around here.

 

[DaveInDenver]

It's been the TLCA since 1976. The first 4WD Hilux was 1979. You can do the maths. By the time the TLCA was formed Toyota had been making Land Cruisers for 17 years or so. The TLCA has ebbed and flowed with inclusion of mini trucks, generally being what I would call mostly tolerant. It will never be anything other than a Cruiser-centric group at the national/international level, but the Rising Sun is generally indifferent in a run-what-ya-got sort of way.

 

[DouglasVB]

It's been the TLCA since 1976. The first 4WD Hilux was 1979. You can do the maths. By the time the TLCA was formed Toyota had been making Land Cruisers for 17 years or so. The TLCA has ebbed and flowed with inclusion of mini trucks, generally being what I would call mostly tolerant. It will never be anything other than a Cruiser-centric group at the national/international level, but the Rising Sun is generally indifferent in a run-what-ya-got sort of way.

Ahhh so Rising Sun is a subsidiary of TLCA? Okay that makes sense!

 

[DaveInDenver]

Ahhh so Rising Sun is a subsidiary of TLCA? Okay that makes sense!

Rising Sun is one of several local clubs that make up the TLCA. There is an umbrella organization with a few people comprising the executive committee and deal with the magazine and merchandise and some national-level functions like lobbying and the like. But these people are members of the local clubs, several of whom are Rising Sun members in fact. In my view the main function of the TLCA are the Toyota Trails and sanctioning/insuring the events like Cruise Moab, Rubithon, GSMTR, etc.

 

[ToyodaTocco]

I'm just curious and want to figure out where I best fit in on the 4x4 scene around here.

Don't let the fact that the majority of the club are Landcruiser owners scare you away. Everyone is here for the same reasons.

 

[Squishy!]

All Toyota 4wheel drives are welcome! I'm a die hard mini truck driver who will (probably) never buy a LandYacht. Sorry I haven't responded to your message. thought I'd just post up here.

So I wheeled an '87 pickup just about into the ground. IFS with a rear lock will get you just about anywhere you wanna go to here in CO. A SAS will do it all much more confidently and planted. I was constantly on 3 wheels with IFS.

Here's a max flex IFS followed by max flex SAS

 

[Squishy!]

Currently I drive an IFS '88 with 33" tires and rear chevy leaf swap. It's surprisingly flexy in the back and easy to drive highway.

That being said I just drove my SAS '87 4runner to Moab and back with zero highway issues. Steers like butter and is just a bit top heavy. If you do go minimum lift (~3.5" to clear the high-steer) SAS you will either be a little tall on 33" tires or fit 35" ones comfortably.

My recommendation is to throw a rear locker in it, gear to 4.88, scrap the sway bar, crank the torsion bars, 63" Chevy spring swap and run 31-33" tires (DON'T FORGET THE SOFT TOP!). You would be amazed what it'll do. If it doesn't do enough SAS and front locker it down the road. Still not enough? Marlin Crawl Box and it'll be a point and shoot crawler. You are more than welcome to check out my trucks to get an idea.

 

[DouglasVB]

All Toyota 4wheel drives are welcome! I'm a die hard mini truck driver who will (probably) never buy a LandYacht. Sorry I haven't responded to your message. thought I'd just post up here.

So I wheeled an '87 pickup just about into the ground. IFS with a rear lock will get you just about anywhere you wanna go to here in CO. A SAS will do it all much more confidently and planted. I was constantly on 3 wheels with IFS.

Here's a max flex IFS followed by max flex SAS

That makes a lot more sense seeing the pictures. I think I'm going to keep my 4runner with the IFS for now and if I get frustrated with any limitations or with being on three wheels all the time (or if I break something really expensive), then I'll go to SAS.

While I was waiting for my students to finish up their exams today, I watched some installation videos for ARB air lockers. It looks like something that I could do myself but I don't have all of the necessary tools. Some of the tools used to separate bearings and the impact wrenches are not in my tool kit. However... I do want those tools

 

[AimCOTaco]

It's a Toyota 4wd club so any Toyota with low range qualifies. There is a lot of back and forth but it's 99% in good fun. I have a 100 and a Tacoma, yes, both IFS bastard children of the 40 yet I feel most welcome in this club in either truck.

If Toyota was still selling hard core off-road focused Landcruisers in the USA this would likely be different but with Toyotas market offerings focusing on the Tacoma/4-runner as their offroad platforms the club will ebb and flow to whatever members are driving.

 

[DouglasVB]

DON'T FORGET THE SOFT TOP!

Haha luckily the previous owner got that covered for me! He threw in a basically brand new soft topper. If it ever stops raining/snowing/hailing here, I'm going to put it on.

I like your suggested upgrade path. It makes a lot of sense to me.

Is there a shop in the west Denver area that you use for modification work or do you do it all yourself? I'm setup to do motorcycles and some car work but I have to bum a welder off my neighbor and I don't have a hydraulic press.

 

[DouglasVB]

If Toyota was still selling hard core off-road focused Landcruisers in the USA this would likely be different but with Toyotas market offerings focusing on the Tacoma/4-runner as their offroad platforms the club will ebb and flow to whatever members are driving.

If I could get a BJ74 with a turbo diesel and manual transmission for the price I picked up this 4runner, I would be living out all of my Australian dreams right now. Alas they don't pay us professors very well.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Is there a shop in the west Denver area that you use for modification work or do you do it all yourself? I'm setup to do motorcycles and some car work but I have to bum a welder off my neighbor and I don't have a hydraulic press.

In Denver: Slee.

Installing an Air Locker requires complete diff set-up, e.g. gear backlash, pinion depth, etc. Installing an Aussie or lunchbox locker is something you can do in your driveway, but since the Air Locker is a completely new carrier, it's starting from step one. So you'll need a dial indicator and know how to use it. I'd personally pay for it to be done or get someone in the club to help you, if you've never done it before successfully.

It really does come in waves. We've all dreamed about the unobtanium. My desire is just for a new Tacoma with diesel, but even that I'm over and would just like a Tacoma that the danged frame doesn't rust out from under you in 10 years.

 

[subzali]

Welcome to the club! Justin (Bruiser), Nick (AHorseThief) and myself are all Mines grads, there may be some others in the club I don't know. We all happen to drive FJ40s though. But my first car was a 2wd Toyota pickup, so I had the IFS AND low ground clearance!

 

[DouglasVB]

Welcome to the club! Justin (Bruiser), Nick (AHorseThief) and myself are all Mines grads, there may be some others in the club I don't know. We all happen to drive FJ40s though. But my first car was a 2wd Toyota pickup, so I had the IFS AND low ground clearance!

You all should come on over to CSM and say hello! How long has it been since you've been back? There have been a LOT of changes the last couple years. The physics building is going to be torn down this summer and something new is going to go up there instead, for instance. Brown Building now has a front half that wasn't there before. New rec center... new dorms... new president...

 

[DouglasVB]

In Denver: Slee.

I liked the shop guys that I met yesterday there. Seems like a really good place. They don't mind servicing old 4runners? I can put on some pieces of paper that say "Land Cruiser" so that I'm in stealth mode.

Installing an Air Locker requires complete diff set-up, e.g. gear backlash, pinion depth, etc. Installing an Aussie or lunchbox locker is something you can do in your driveway, but since the Air Locker is a completely new carrier, it's starting from step one. So you'll need a dial indicator and know how to use it. I'd personally pay for it to be done or get someone in the club to help you, if you've never done it before successfully.

Good advice. Who wants to do my locker and regearing? I'll pay in

 

[subzali]

You all should come on over to CSM and say hello! How long has it been since you've been back? There have been a LOT of changes the last couple years. The physics building is going to be torn down this summer and something new is going to go up there instead, for instance. Brown Building now has a front half that wasn't there before. New rec center... new dorms... new president...

I'm the youngest of the three I mentioned and I graduated May of 2007. So the new rec center was open for about a month while I was there and I actually never used it, but have seen the changes to Brown, CTLM, new dorms etc. when I go mountain biking or am in Golden for some other reason. Keep missing the edays fireworks but keep seeing that they continue to be awesome. The flame thrower this year was too cool.

 

[DanS]

There weren't many of us driving the 1980s trucks or 4runners. I guess most of them already rusted away.

I could have just as easily taken the '85 4-Runner from the driveway, but it's not even close to as nice as Dad's HJ-61 is....

This weekend I'm planning to go out one day and drive around on some gravel roads between Golden and Blackhawk (snow permitting).

If you want to come up to Dumont either on saturday evening or sunday morning you are welcome to compare yours to our '85 4-Runner. Take them both for a little spin if you want to compare the stock SAS and IFS.

Dan