NicCantDecide

I figured for what is coincidentally my 400th post, I should start a project thread for my '86 Runner. My goal is to perform some fairly in depth maintenance on the truck and build it up as a camping/trail rig as I do a good amount of hiking and rock climbing.

And here we go...

I'm big on pictures so be prepared.


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First Day
11/13/2010

Here she is the day I bought her on 11/13/2010. She's a little rough around the edges (and inside too), but has had a lot of engine work done. New plugs, wires, dizzy cap, radiator, timing chain, and all fluids were all flushed (except for the t-case, more on that later).


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The Nervous Tick
12/3/2010

There was a fairly strong smell of gas and sulfur coming from the car and it had a fairly ticking sound which I assumed was just the valves. I had a transmission leak so the sulfur made sense, but for a few days I couldn't find the source of the fuel smell. It got to the point that I didn't want to drive the car for fear of it bursting into flames.

I took it to my local shop and they checked it for leaks high and low, finding nothing. Turns out its an exhaust leak and my exhaust manifold is leaking like a sieve.

So on the way back I stop by Autozone and pick up new pipe flange gaskets and M10x1.25 bolts (to replace the nuts and studs on the pipe flange).


Here's a comparison of the old gaskets (left) and the new ones (right). Not only were the gaskets completely shot, but one nut was missing with the other two completely loose. Good thing I bought new bolts.


Since the pipe flange nuts were loose I thought I would check the manifold nuts as well. Every single one of these bad boys was loose. One was even backed off 1/2" from the manifold.

Results:

• gas smell is almost entirely gone (I need to replace the exhaust manifold gasket at some point as well)
• ticking is drastically reduced
• truck has a little more power now, which is always good for a 22RE (most likely due to bad O2 sensor readings from all the leaking exhaust gases)

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Early Christmas!

I got the following in the mail before I went home for vacation:


Trail-Gear's Silicone Radiator Hose Kit for the 22RE


4Crawler's 2" Body Lift w/ Radiator drop brackets

Also got a plastic heater valve from the 89-95 4Runners because my metal one froze up leaving me without any heat.

All this will be going on at the same time with a full coolant flush hopefully in the next day or two.


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Interior (Re)Design - Part 1
1/6/2011

My interior was pretty dirty from the previous owner so I decided to rip the carpet out and get it ready for some spray on bedliner. I forgot to take pictures from beforehand, but the following ones pretty much prove my point.


Laffy Taffy, multi-colored airsoft pellets, peanuts, sunflower seeds, a good amount of change (score!), a screw driver, and an allen key.


I took out the rear fiberboard because it had gotten water logged in the back (tailgate glass probably left open in the rain). Began tearing out the carpet back to front.

The insulation in the car was filled with super fine dirt and what I assumed was powdered rust. I wish I had a hazmat suit, but all I had was a mask. I was so focused on getting done that I didn't take any pictures.

Question: How do I get rid of the fuzz left over after pulling the insulation? I'm planning on chiseling out the sound deadening tar, but the fuzz will still be in a few places afterwards.


I'll have another post with more stuff soon, I got started with my transmission leak fix today as well.

Thanks for looking!

myyota

My 86 4Runner looked just as bad as yours inside and out when i got it. I had to completely rebuild the interior, also had to replace both door, a fender and the hood, and ive had to repair or replace almost everything on it. It also has a 5'' lift and a solis axle swap.

Good luck with your project.

NicCantDecide

Thanks!

I've seen your thread and I like how your truck turned out. Planning on getting some tube bumpers and sliders in the next couple weeks. Then I'd like to lock the rear, regear, and move up to 33x10.5s in the next few months.

Luckily my doors are pretty solid. Need a new crank for the driver's side tho. I'm planning on building a custom dash, reskinning the door panels (maybe aluminum?), and making a waterproof center console for some storage. I want the truck to survive a water crossing without getting moldy or shorting something out.