HDavis
Hard Core 4+
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2019
- Messages
- 1,135
I purchased this 1966 Toyota Stout in April of 2018 after trying to buy it from a friend for 3 years who then sold it to another friend who kept it from me for an additional 2 years, so, its definitely been something I've given a lot of thought about. The day i towed it home, and later that summer.
As a teenager my first nice vehicle purchase was a 1997 4runner with the 3rz and manual everything which i owned for nearly 12 years before selling it for a turbo Subaru (a mistake). So now we begin the idea, the Stout has suffered from lack of parts supply from owner to owner over the years and needs more parts that are not manufactured anymore than parts that are. After a year of research into replacement parts and tooling around with the idea of doing engine swaps with a Beams (3sge) or a 1uz , however, all the driveline and brakes needed to to be repaired as well and were still unavailable. Always fresh in my mind was the 3rd gen 4runner or 95.5 taco, I've will always love this era of Toyota. Through a visit to the junkyard and lots of research i determined that the wheelbase of the Stout 104" and the wheel base of a 4runner/Taco was 105" as well as the track Stout 67" and 4runner/Taco 66.5". The numbers are surprisingly close and would solve all of my problems with mechanical parts on the Stout. Thus began my search for the base of the build, a 4runner/Tacoma with the 3rz ("Fun Fact" the engine code for the Stout is 3rc). I also liked the idea of it being 4wd with a little higher clearance as i had been always been more interested in high and slow than low and slow.. I have been collecting inspiration photos for the build over the years and they serve as my inspiration for the project.
The following winter..
I looked at copart as i had luck getting my 100 series through them and thought a salvage 4runner would be perfect for the base. I also posted a wanted add here on Rising Sun with great response and the perfect vehicle offer from another Rising Sun Member, a 1997 4runner with a manual and 3rz! I was pumped, and we struck a deal, however, it was in Gunnison with some mechanical issues so it couldn't be driven home without creating further issues. Step in the trusty 100 series to tow its fallen friend to its new home.
We cruised slowly over Monarch Pass without issue and jaunted up over Kenosha as we watched the 4th of July traffic sit at a stand still. The 100 series certainly proved its worth and didn't skip a beat on the trek home with its new friend in tow. Once we were home i began to evaluate what i had gotten myself into.
Before i agreed to purchase the 4runner the PO notified me that cylinder 1 had no compression and cylinder 3 was low on compression, he also notified me that there was no clearance on one exhaust valve for each those cylinders. I took it apart to confirm for myself and came to the same conclusion.
Cylinder 1 had 5ish psi, Cylinder 2 had 148psi, cylinder 3 had 88 psi and Cylinder 4 had 148psi (i can't find that photo). I also measured the valve clearance and exhaust shim thickness.
The 3rz is notorious for these issues of elongating the valve so that it never closes, so this comes to no surprise that there is no clearance on those valves. I ordered the new shims for the exhaust valves and i am currently waiting on them in the mail to see if this corrects our issue. However, it could be a burned valve or even possibly a cracked head... Keep your fingers crossed...
As a teenager my first nice vehicle purchase was a 1997 4runner with the 3rz and manual everything which i owned for nearly 12 years before selling it for a turbo Subaru (a mistake). So now we begin the idea, the Stout has suffered from lack of parts supply from owner to owner over the years and needs more parts that are not manufactured anymore than parts that are. After a year of research into replacement parts and tooling around with the idea of doing engine swaps with a Beams (3sge) or a 1uz , however, all the driveline and brakes needed to to be repaired as well and were still unavailable. Always fresh in my mind was the 3rd gen 4runner or 95.5 taco, I've will always love this era of Toyota. Through a visit to the junkyard and lots of research i determined that the wheelbase of the Stout 104" and the wheel base of a 4runner/Taco was 105" as well as the track Stout 67" and 4runner/Taco 66.5". The numbers are surprisingly close and would solve all of my problems with mechanical parts on the Stout. Thus began my search for the base of the build, a 4runner/Tacoma with the 3rz ("Fun Fact" the engine code for the Stout is 3rc). I also liked the idea of it being 4wd with a little higher clearance as i had been always been more interested in high and slow than low and slow.. I have been collecting inspiration photos for the build over the years and they serve as my inspiration for the project.
The following winter..
I looked at copart as i had luck getting my 100 series through them and thought a salvage 4runner would be perfect for the base. I also posted a wanted add here on Rising Sun with great response and the perfect vehicle offer from another Rising Sun Member, a 1997 4runner with a manual and 3rz! I was pumped, and we struck a deal, however, it was in Gunnison with some mechanical issues so it couldn't be driven home without creating further issues. Step in the trusty 100 series to tow its fallen friend to its new home.
We cruised slowly over Monarch Pass without issue and jaunted up over Kenosha as we watched the 4th of July traffic sit at a stand still. The 100 series certainly proved its worth and didn't skip a beat on the trek home with its new friend in tow. Once we were home i began to evaluate what i had gotten myself into.
Before i agreed to purchase the 4runner the PO notified me that cylinder 1 had no compression and cylinder 3 was low on compression, he also notified me that there was no clearance on one exhaust valve for each those cylinders. I took it apart to confirm for myself and came to the same conclusion.
Cylinder 1 had 5ish psi, Cylinder 2 had 148psi, cylinder 3 had 88 psi and Cylinder 4 had 148psi (i can't find that photo). I also measured the valve clearance and exhaust shim thickness.
The 3rz is notorious for these issues of elongating the valve so that it never closes, so this comes to no surprise that there is no clearance on those valves. I ordered the new shims for the exhaust valves and i am currently waiting on them in the mail to see if this corrects our issue. However, it could be a burned valve or even possibly a cracked head... Keep your fingers crossed...
