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hi all ive got my own project 88 4runner so this is my sons (an me helping) but this was my original daily driver bit of back story an then ill add in pictures an such
15 years ago i broke half the frame of my 79 chevy half ton street racer looked like crud rusted an such but had an impressive motor an flat got up an went well i needed to move away from Houston an the chevy wasn't gona make it so i found out about this good on gas Toyota truck the guy was willing to trade me my engine an scrap what was left of my Chevy which he wanted the engine for his speed boat
well i was skeptical but went to look
OMG the thing was in a field off behind some farm equipment an sitting on rims metal cords all tangled around them the rubber had nearly all been burnt off by a field fire hoses gone some wires too anything within 12 inches of the ground was burnt or charred surprisingly the paint was not too bad but she had a lot of rust too
he said he'd replace all the engine rubber (hoses ect) get her fluids in, did say she'd need a fuel pump (in tank electric) an would buy the pump get new tires for her including the spare fix any issues so she would absolutely drivable in trade for my 350 engine
i was against a wall but i agreed an to prove she ran he took a battery stuck it in dribbled some gas in the carb cranked her twice over an she started right up purring
i was impressed
he drove her quickly to his shop area (no coolant) an parked her an went to work by that night she was on tires new hoses any wires with issues fixed lights checked
we had talked most of the day the ol girl had towed a boat most of her life or been used to fish from on the long shallow beaches of Corpus Christi so why the rust was along a line of the body an not a lot higher
not to say she didn't have rust elsewhere LOL
i drove her home an my Chevy was left behind, next day i worked on the fuel pump which was made easy by the fact someone had put a body lift under a 2 wheel drive truck. gave her a different look to be certain
i installed my radio went to pick a parts to replace some of the side markers that HAD to function an be intact for Texas safety inspections
got two new bumper turn signal lenses from the dealer they had on hand (this was me shocked they had them) at a remarkable price of 6 bucks each
the pick a parts i got the yellow an red side markers from a Mazda truck and a corolla had to do some modifications to the holes but the electrical plugs fit an the lights worked perfectly (metal backs instead of the melted an rotted plastic ones)
with that all addressed i got the fluids changed (didn't trust the stuff he put in after she'd sat for so long an i was looking at a trip to calif) put in some super lube i had from when i worked for a valve co. in the trans gear oil (don't ask what it was or how much i forget but it made royal purple stuff look tame) got her tuned up new fuel filter inline glass one an took her in
safety inspection went great emissions she actually passed for her age quite well an with her being a federal truck no cat in her exhaust from the factory, new tags an registration in hand i loaded my things i could an left Houston for a different life
she carried more than half a ton of my stuff handled pretty well i lost control in a wind gust that blew me right off the road she spun an i gunned it getting right back on the road semi truck drivers cheering my recovery LOL
i found out after the very long drive the saddle bearing in the drive shaft was nonexistent an the carb was full of crud she didn't care ran like a champ an just kept going started calling her my Timex truck
which has seen a trip to Ohio and back to calif then calif to Idaho towing not only a datsun 1600 roadster but second trip an trailer with nearly as much weight as the car and a load in the bed both times
she has as expected over that time blown a water pump the front suspension had the A arm bushings go bad an be replaced center link as well the clutch on the fan died the fuel filler hose from the cap to the tank failed
ive rebuilt the carb 3 times an found out i hate the Asian carbs as they wear out at the throttle plate shaft making setting a good idle near impossible its on the list of things to replace is the carb with a Weber 32/38
to this day after years of abuse body work that was sub par spray paint paint jobs that lasted for years i can still go out put a battery in her crank her twice an she starts
even when others are shes all rust! you should just scrap her i couldn't do it in fact that's how i got my 88 i was looking for a radiator an ended up buying the runner for 700 but that's my project thread
my kid wants her an so xmas he got a new radiator for it an recently i snagged a couple seats from an 84 truck off CL to put in her an dump the Chevy luv bench which has fallen to sun damage an age
so here we are today he wants to paint her blue with an old school trick of blowing glitter on to the wet paint then clearing over that
wants to get a new hood (it really needs it) needs a new drivers door (rust) and of course the floor as ive found out 1gens the floor is near always gone
drivers side floor nearly done the last bit fought tooth an nail to stay stuck on the jack sits lower right the seat belt bolts to the shiny hole lower right
cleaned seat is quite soft an has a shine to the threads i think once repaired should be great
The sound deadener removal SUCK! I feel your pain after doing mine. Lesson learned: don't use a heat gun! Heat just makes it stickier and gooey... Seats look good too, what did you use to clean them? I bought new seats, but my factory seats were still in really good shape, especially for being 30+ years old. My plan is to sell them, but I want to clean them up first.
I seen your pictures being posted and looked at your profile pics and was wondering what was going on. Now I know. Those floor boards are in better shape then the ones we have around here. I know I have a few first gen parts laying around. I will have to dig around and see what I still have. Next time I am in Springfield, there is a perfect dash in a 1st gen truck up there and I will see about it. Will be looking forward to your build. After seeing what you have done with your Runner, I know this one will get done.
The sound deadener removal SUCK! I feel your pain after doing mine. Lesson learned: don't use a heat gun! Heat just makes it stickier and gooey... Seats look good too, what did you use to clean them? I bought new seats, but my factory seats were still in really good shape, especially for being 30+ years old. My plan is to sell them, but I want to clean them up first.
oh it was popping off in great chunks with the descaler but anywhere the exhaust runs underneath i guess refreshed it enough over the years those areas fought being removed UGH
the seats we used of all things palmolive dish soap with conditioners for hands the worst grease an oil spots i used mean green from wally world an a scrubber brush meant for tires (very stiff bristles) over the whole thing gah the dirt an such that flowed out when power washing them YIKES
then left them to air dry for couple weeks (its been cold so took a while) the palmolive an the scrubbing really made them quite soft an the shine of the threads i was shocked how well they cleaned up
I seen your pictures being posted and looked at your profile pics and was wondering what was going on. Now I know. Those floor boards are in better shape then the ones we have around here. I know I have a few first gen parts laying around. I will have to dig around and see what I still have. Next time I am in Springfield, there is a perfect dash in a 1st gen truck up there and I will see about it. Will be looking forward to your build. After seeing what you have done with your Runner, I know this one will get done.
that would be awesome of ya terry!!
ive seen dash caps on ebay but thats not a real dash just a cover over the original it has a few issues the main duct is wide open an to get it to blow through the heat an or defoggers you have to flip a lever on the side that closes that flapper im gona need a LOT of help figuring what was up with that its never worked right
the 88 in reality has been easier to work on then the 79 which i got missing bits i added a tach to the dash as i needed to see what the rpm's were doing an such the carpet covers a HUGE hole in the dash
i was reposting pictures as the thread wouldnt let me pull pictures from my gallery to put in the thread so i had to double up on them sorry bout that
I did not see it causing any problems of reposting any pictures and did not know you reposted them. No worries there. You should see all the pretty stuff that comes out of carpets and that can be on a newer truck, not just old trucks. That stuff should be considered hazmat.
Junkyard 3 miles from my house has a 79 Chinook, brown interior and 99% complete. Would help you out if needed! The dash looked really good when I saw it.
I did not see it causing any problems of reposting any pictures and did not know you reposted them. No worries there. You should see all the pretty stuff that comes out of carpets and that can be on a newer truck, not just old trucks. That stuff should be considered hazmat.
shhhh dont say that it brings federalies snoopin LOL
Originally Posted by RedRockWarrior
Awesome. Make it a crawler lol
LOL but its only a 2 wheel drive!
Originally Posted by bootscootboogie
Junkyard 3 miles from my house has a 79 Chinook, brown interior and 99% complete. Would help you out if needed! The dash looked really good when I saw it.
could you get me some picts? theres a LOT missing on this ol girl the center vent thats supposed to be bolted to the ducts is but one
Originally Posted by gherard
cool!!!! these models still rolling in Argentina.. some ones
wow so not only do they keep VW bugs new down there but old toys too jeez why cant we get some of that new metal here!?! LOL
03-09-2015, 02:53 PM
