The Anti-anti-build

[Stuckinthe80s]

UPDATE 8/12/2023: I've changed the thread title because I'm going a different route with this one. It's going to be a pretty cool build as I'm going to pull the body and put it on an 80 series frame. It's crazy this thread started almost 4 years ago, but that's life. I'm just glad I'm getting back to it.

@Hulk can you move this to the builds section?
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I've never done a build thread before so here goes...

This will be slow going as I plan on taking my time on this one. Really it will be more for documenting everything that needs to be done to the truck and will hopefully help give others some reference points for similar projects.

Here is Charlie the day I brought her home:

I named her Charlie because the end result will probably be a white and black color scheme and she'll look a lot like my other Charlie:

She's lean, nimble, a good companion and loves going off-road with me. Hopefully the 4runner will be the same way.

I'm calling this the anti-build because really I just want to get it back to stock. It will be my daily driver and will pull occasional trail duty. What little building I do to it, I will try to keep it light as possible as well. Lift will be minimal, tires will be 31" max, very minimal armor, no drawers, just a nice, clean truck that will be a joy to drive. When I go off-road with it, I'll keep it to the bunny slopes at best. The IFS has its limitations but that's ok. If the truck can't do the trail, I don't want to be on it with her anyways. "The Beast", my 80, is the built rig in the family and will probably stay that way. That thing is purely utilitarian and is kind of ugly to look at. When I'm done with the 4runner, I hope it will turn heads from how pretty she is.

Although the body is in rough shape, the big appeal is that it has had the 3.4 swap done to it and the conversion has been done for quite some time. The conversion wasn't done exactly right but there's nothing that can't be fixed and it runs like a top!

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

THINGS TO DO:

Functional:
1. New tires
2. Front suspension rebuild
3. New shocks all around
4. New calipers
5. New pads
6. Re-route the exhaust
7. New window/door gaskets
8. Seat swap

Baseline everything else (this will be expanded on as I get to it)

Form:
1. Rust repair
2. Paint
3. Better wheels - I really like the 3rd gen steel wheels
4. Bed-line interior floors
5. Window tint (that's really a functional thing for me)

That's all I care to think about for now and I'll add more to the list as I get to it.

 

[J Kimmel]

sounds awesome can't wait to see

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Went ahead and put on some newer tires and wheels because I had them. These were actually serving emissions test duty for the 80 but they'll work for now on this old girl. I actually think she looks better with the skinnies.

This picture shows some of the rust I'm going to have to tackle: wheel wells, windshield frame, etc. I really hate rust and body work but that's ok, it will be another thing to learn.

 

[SteveH]

I liked stock-ish 1st gens - (except the 3.4 swap rocks). Looking forward to seeing what you do with it.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Makes me miss my old 87

 

[MountainGoat]

Makes me miss my old 87

No kidding. I had a white 86 that I would love to have back. : (

 

[chillbill]

I miss my old 1985 4Runner too. I wish i never sold it.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Sorry Nic. your build thread is going to turn into a Memorial for all of that loved and lost a first gen 4Runner.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Sorry Nic. your build thread is going to turn into a Memorial for all of that loved and lost a first gen 4Runner.

LOL, it's funny you say that because that is kind of what it is. My first 4x4 Toyota was an 86 and I've regretted selling that forever :

That thing was in MUCH better shape cosmetically, nearly perfect even! So this will also be an opportunity to make this one close to what that one was and then some!

Notice the Marlin Crawler sticker in the window? I didn't even know who he was before I bought that truck.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

One of the things that is bugging me, and I know I'll have to get fixed, is how the motor was set in during the conversion. It looks like it isn't straight and is slightly clocked:

Do you guys agree? Every 3.4 has the timing belt cover sitting level. I can't really see the condition of the motor mounts but really I think this was done on purpose to clear the hood. I thought these conversions couldn't be properly done without cutting the hood to clear the intake? You can see in the first picture that it is definitely making contact with the hood but just slightly. There isn't a dent in it but there are rub marks.

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

definitely cockeyed. I know that a body lift or a hole in thr hood is whats needed to make the 3.4 fit.
I didn't realize that this was swapped! mow its even cooler, and it needs a sas.

 

[DaveInDenver]

Slant 6, eh?

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Well, now I'm getting in deep....

I decided to start with the body work portion of the build as I really had to know what I was dealing with. I'm usually a go before show kind of guy but this one already runs pretty good and I really needed to know what was under the windshield. The rust around the wheel wells is pretty obvious but you never really know how bad windshield frame rot is until you pull it. Holy crap that thing was on there!

The tear down started with making a spot to store the top. There are eight billion videos and threads on different ways to do this and I followed a super simple method for now. When everything is done I'll probably make it a lot easier to use with a hand crank and some pulleys but this is good for now:

Next was getting the interior out. I was going to just remove enough to get to the windshield but I couldn't help myself once I got started. This will be good anyways because I really need to get the inside protected. There is a lot more surface rust on the inside than I like and the best thing to do is just get it taken care of now.

Now it's all out! I even took the window and regulator out of the rear hatch. Here is how she sat when I was done.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

The windshield rot is bad but it's not as bad as I've seen on some cars. (I guess that makes me feel better? )

So now I'm at the point of where I'm trying to decide what to do...

Part of me wants to go straight redneck and repair it with a no-weld method. I don't have a lot of money in this so far and from an investment perspective it can last me a few years while I track down a donor for a body swap. I've read a lot about using Por-15 saturated fiberglass cloth and it seems to hold up well. I think if I prep the metal well enough to stop the spread and then apply this then I can get a good seal for the windshield and be back in business.

The other part of me want's to take a stab at my metal skills and try cutting out the rot to replace with good metal. The problem with this is that my metal fab skills aren't the best and those window corners are going to be a real challenge getting it right. I guess I can find a truck or 4runner in a scrap yard and just cut those sections out. I'm going to chew on it some more. I'll hit it with a wire wheel and see how well it all cleans up.

 

[White Stripe]

The windshield rot is bad but it's not as bad as I've seen on some cars. (I guess that makes me feel better? )

View attachment 86054
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So now I'm at the point of where I'm trying to decide what to do...

Part of me wants to go straight redneck and repair it with a no-weld method. I don't have a lot of money in this so far and from an investment perspective it can last me a few years while I track down a donor for a body swap. I've read a lot about using Por-15 saturated fiberglass cloth and it seems to hold up well. I think if I prep the metal well enough to stop the spread and then apply this then I can get a good seal for the windshield and be back in business.

The other part of me want's to take a stab at my metal skills and try cutting out the rot to replace with good metal. The problem with this is that my metal fab skills aren't the best and those window corners are going to be a real challenge getting it right. I guess I can find a truck or 4runner in a scrap yard and just cut those sections out. I'm going to chew on it some more. I'll hit it with a wire wheel and see how well it all cleans up.

I dont know if this is in your price range or not but you could tell him u dont want the v8 and offer 700 bucks and combine the 2 trucks. Even get a solid axle swap out of it.

https://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/d/fort-collins-solid-axle-runner/7123575587.html

 

[Notyourmomslx450]

Buy some pillars from a second gen truck or first gen runner and graft them in.

 

[DaveInDenver]

That's Rust Belt quality windshield rot. That's not going to be easy learner level fabrication to get right and seems to me you'd need a jig to make sure the finished body comes close to the right profile for new glass. Find a donor I'd think.

You know what I'd be stupid enough to try is using the body from something common and newer, like cut out the pillars, cowl and roof from a 1st gen Tacoma if it's the same size, and graft that in. It'll be easier to find a suitable donor and easier to find a cheap windshield, too.

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Yeah, i think Im going to try to graph (graft?) A section from same gen mini truck. If i go that route im going to go all the way back to the b-pillar. I dont like sunroofs

 

[Stuckinthe80s]

Well, I figured since the 80 is about 90% done, it’s time to start back on this thang.

Got the drivetrain out, which could have gone better, but whatever.

I updated the first post and re-titled the thread to show how plans have changed quite a bit. What started as something that was going to be a simple, modest refresh has turned into something a lot more. The body is too rusty to try to do a resto, so I'm going to use it as a shell for a moderate crawler.

The reason I'm pulling the drive train is two-fold:

1. It's pretty greasy and I'm going to do a re-seal and baseline on it.
2. I'm no longer keeping the IFS setup, or the entire frame for that matter. I am pulling the body and putting it on an 80 frame --- WOOT!

More details to come!