Highland Runner

I was in Atlanta over the weekend and found an 85 4-Runner for sale. The thing is in great shape, no rust, has a rebuilt engine, and the even AC works. The guy was asking $2500 for it and wouldn't come down a bit. Is this a good deal? It has 234k miles. My wife is out of town so I'll have to wait to get it later this week. Here are a few questions for you 1st gen guys.

How long does it take to remove the top? How heavy is it. Do the bed rails have a finished appearance with the top off?

Is the roll bar welded to the frame? Can part of the bar be removed? The reason I ask is I want to carry lumber and plywood in the rear. Can a piece of plywood sit flat between the roll bar (above the wheel wells)?

Can this thing be lifted by just adding new springs? Do you have to modify the steering for the lift (longer pitman arm)?

How much power will I lose from adding 31" or 33" tires? It has 30" now which I quess is stock.

Can I add gauges with a tach from an SR5?

Can a 3.4 be swapped into this Runner? I know the transmission is not the same as the 2nd gens.

Thanks

Toddski

Hey there Chris.
$2,500 for a running 4runner in decent shape sounds like a deal.


It take two people to remove the top. I think its in the neighborhood of #200 pounds. Its just real cumbersome with one person.
The rails that the top sit on are painted like the exterior of the runner. It just has a bunch of holes.


The roll bar is one piece. It is bolted to the bed with (8) bolts.
You would need to remove the roll bar to haul some 4x8 sheets.
I just ran out and measured. The distance between the roll bar is 45"
With the roll bar removed, the distance between the bed panels is 52.5".


You can do a small lift with add-a-leaf's or shackle's in the rear and crank the t-bars up front.
I did the add-a-leaf and shackle lift in the rear and i gained about 3".
I cracked my t-bars but the front still sits lower than the rear.
Here is a shot with new 31" tires.



I just switched from 30" to 31". I did lose some mpg. Not too bad.
With my gps i am running about 3 mph slower at 60 mph.


Not sure on that one.


It can. It just matters on what you want to spend.

mxracer0486

Well hes getting an 85' so he can just get an add a leaf for the front also.

Toddski

:pat: Oops, looked past that.

RTdawgs

awesome find, Chris, sounds like a good deal to me.

so now you have 3 generations of 4Runners at your house? lucky SOB.

89-4run

I went with 31's and noticed very little decrease in power (i have a v6).

Not to hijack the thread, but damn Todd, your runner looks awesome! I see you got the badland rear bumper!

RedRunner_87

Here is a link to guy who did a 3.4L copnversion on his first gen.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/projects/basham_4runner/

Tacoma Dude

WOW!
A supercharged 3.4 in a 1st gen?


I just posted the question about the tach in another thread and someone came back saying that the wiring is already there and that Kragen carries an aftermarket part that will fit just fine for about $20

Adam F

You can remove the top alone if your in a bind. I have done it a few times, and I'm a short guy. Just unbolt it, lift up and slide it back untill it gets tippy, then get at the tailgate and slide it down to the ground. If you are carefull you can do it without scratches, but I got some scratches on mine since I wasnt too carefull.

Toddski

Well thank you
Actually Jeff from Badlands was a couple of months out on fabbing up a rear bumper. I was in a hurry to get my rig back on the road so i went with AllPro for a bumper.


Yep, me too

I think i am going to do something like this in my garage.

http://www.norcalbigdawgs.net/Gallery/album70

Flamedx4

My advice on lift - avoid add-a-leafs like the plague!! 4 new springs (and shocks of course) are not very expensive, and the ride will actually improve (a lot!) rather than pound your kidneys out. If you think about it, there is no way a stiff arched leaf forcing your existing springs to bend could possibly give a smooth ride or much travel. I've done both, it's not an option... You can go to 3 1/2" (which clears 33s nicely) without worrying about steering arms and stuff, but I would start adding that stuff if I went higher than that. Stock tires were 225s (27-28") After about 31" the performance REALLY suffers, then gears would be in order. I ran 3 1/2"/ 33s/ 15x8s/ 4:88s and a K&N, otherwise left it alone, and had a great rig that went anywhere and never broke down, much to the displeasure of all my Jeep friends....

Sounds like a great buy if it's not rusted out - go for it!