Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

I have used a socket to pull the sending unit out, but one time I did, and thinking it was turning like it was suppossed to , it actuall twisted the head off of the tube that screws into the block. It turned a easy job into a nightmare as the truck was down. It is under high pressure and will shoot the oil out quick.

Now I use a set of vice grips so as I can see if the shaft is actually turning. If by chance you was to twist the head off. What I had done was to have a guy to literally weld a nut to the broken shaft and took what was out with a regular wrench.

I have swapped 5 guages out and this one was the only problem. If it doesnt come out fairly easily, dont force it. Soak it in some PB Blaster and try to work the sensor in a back and forth direction. Basically going into a tightening direction too.

No one warned me about the possibility of the sensor breaking, even though I should of know it could happen. Not trying to get you worried, but give you a heads up on this.

Zelephant

Time for an update!

I've messed with the sender as much as I'm gonna mess with it. I'm not ready to pull off all the stuff I'd need to to get enough clearance to use channel locks on it, or even vice grips. It's cold, I don't have a garage, and I drive it almost every day so I don't want to get in over my head. I'm thinking I'll have a shop swap senders. However, the cluster itself is in and working!

The LEDs don't dim, but I don't really care. I've never touched the dimmer in my life, and I don't plan on starting now.

I've also started redoing the interior. First, I tore all the old panels out, from the doors back.


I got an 800W Cobra power inverter for Christmas, which I got mounted and wired. The setup is somewhat derived from RBX's.

I'm putting one outlet in the cargo bay, and I I ran a second cord forward through the firewall to eventually mount on the bumper (spring project=front bumper). I did some surgery on the inverter, and ran the wire necessary to put the switch on the dash, along with an LED to tell me when it's on. The inverter also has a USB port, so I also ran a USB extension cord to the pocket beneath the radio for handy access!

So the inverter is fully and functional and out of sight.

Moving forward, I'm continuing with the interior: remounting my speakers, the outlet, and mounting subs and an amp, also out of sight.

Thanks for reading!

Nervo19

The rear bumper looks great! Did the TJ spring creak ever stop? At installation, once you decided to use the bottle jack, did you still need to compress the springs with the rented tool? How many miles are you driving it every day?
Uh...Happy NEW YEAR!

Zelephant

I've been meaning to give in an update on the TJ springs. They've quieted down a lot, only when I hit an especially sharp speed bump can I get them to croak.

I did have to compress the springs for the install, even with the bottle jack, but it's no big deal. Real easy to do.

My commute each day isn't very long, rarely more than 10 miles total, but I still need the truck on a daily basis.

Happy New Year to you, and everyone else, too!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

As far as the croaking, I shot some oil on where the springs meet the connections and really seemed to quieten things down.

Zelephant

Terry, oil did help some. I still get some noise on really uneven terrain, but much better than when first installed.

Been a little busy. Continuing with the interior, I got a pair of woofers set up in the back. I haul stuff, I don't have room for a sub box, so I settled for tubular enclosures. Woofers (not gonna go so far as to call them subs) are Lanzar MAXP64s.


And mounted in back. I built steel mounting tabs that I screwed to the sonotubes and welded to the body-frame. We'll see how they sound when I get me hands on an amp!


Also, I mounted the outlet in the bed. Power obviously comes from the Cobra inverter. Pretty straightforward and simple.


Finally, I've been playing on CAD, and I've come up with a model for my front bumper project this summer, based off a Trail Gear winch cradle. I may or may not add DIRTCO-style headlight hoops later on.


In the near future, I'm looking at a modest Lanzar amp to go with the woofers, and starting on new hardboard interior panels. My only problem with the truck right now is I'm trying to chase down a rattle coming from below the bed. It really has me buffaloed, I've checked everything in sight; there's nothing loose! I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks for reading!

bend

iTrader: (1)

Any updates? I love the build.

rattlewagon

Just a thought on the winch mount... You might want to get a winch, then build the bumper.

I built a bumper off of the TG winch mount and my Warn XD9000i hangs off the passenger side about 1.5 inches. It would be a bummer to build it then not be able to get a winch in there.

But if it turns out anything like your back bumper, its gonna be sweet!

Zelephant

Thanks for the interest, guys!

Unfortunately, the only real progress I have to report is installing the amp

It's a Lanzar HTG237 listed at 1000W max, 125RMS. As usual, the panels will fit over it so it's out of sight. The subs thump pretty good; all things considered, I have no complaints!

I also acquired some steel diamond plate that will find it's way into the bed, I'll post again when I have progress.

Honestly, I hoped to have the interior done by now, and be moving on to the bumper. But I have a chance to pick up a 1983 Celica for real cheap, and funds I had set aside for these projects may be reallocated to that. I don't know if I have the resources for another project, but these Celicas are so rare up here, and I don't know if I can pass on the price. Nothing's definite though, and if the deal goes south there will be immediate progress on the 4Runner.

Rattlewagon- Thanks for the advice, that's definitely something to consider. Obviously, doing the winch and bumper at the same time will just about double the price and push the build back even further, but it might be worth it in the end. Or maybe I can get some measurements off a friend's winch.

bend

iTrader: (1)

I admire your welding skills. How did you learn?

Zelephant

I just bought a welder and started welding. I watched some videos too. The basic concept of MIG/fluxcore welding is quite easy to pick up, and the finer techniques come with experience.

My welder is one of the most useful tools I own, on par with my screwdrivers or ratchet set. I use it for everything, I even fixed a metal support ring on my backpack with it. If you don't have one, I'd start saving now!

Crimson Yota

Just read through your build, it's looking great! I too am learning to work on cars with my Toyota.

I'm jealous of your welder. I learned stick in highschool, so much fun.. unfortunately I have no space for one.

Good luck on the build and keep updating!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Thats the way to do it. Just have to jump in and learn it. Welding is a good skill to have. Looking forward to the day I own one.

Zelephant

So the Celica deal fell through. But I think the bug has bitten (watching Initial D didn't help lol), and sooner or later I will probably add a 3rd-gen Celica to the stable. But again, they're so hard to find up here, who knows when that will be.

Moving on, I got the diamond plate into the bed. I replaced the tailgate cover with a piece of aluminum, and added a 6" edge around the cargo bay. I left space to slide the panel in behind it.



Next, the entire bed is getting bedlined. After a lot or research, I think Grizzly Grip is the best roll-on bedliner option, and I will be using that.

Thanks for reading!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Got any of the Celica? I am hoping to someday come across and older Celica to fix someday. A woman down the road as a mid 70s model and it is sweet.

Great job on the tailgate diamond plating.

Zelephant

Unfortunately, Terry, the Celica ad has been taken down, but here's some pics of what I'm looking for:



The silver is a GT, and the gray is a GTS. GT's have AE86 suspension and GTS's have Mk.II Supra suspension, so it's a win-win. GTS's handle better, but are much harder to lower. All use the 22RE. But I'd prefer a coupe over a liftback:



I want one of these for a few reasons:
-The wheeling scene in CT is underground and illegal. All my "car friends" drive fast imports. It'd be nice to be able to cruise with them to local shows instead of saying "sorry I can't keep up. I'll meet you there."
-Gas will never be cheap again. It'd help to have a gas saver.
-I'd love to find one with a blown engine. I've never pulled an engine before, and I'd like to practice on one that's already FUBAR.

I've been browsing Celica-GTS.com, and I like the culture that surrounds these cars. There's no aftermarket support, so the modifications all have an "old school hot-rodding" feel to them. Real backyard tuning.

Again, these are extremely rare in New England, so it'll probably be a very long time before I dig up another one. And don't worry, my 4runner's not going anywhere. I bought it when I was 16; I've learned everything I know about wrenching from this truck. I've wrecked it, built it back, and I'm too bought into it in more than just money to consider parting with it.

Zelephant

Time for a progress report. First, Grizzly Grip bedliner went on. There are plenty of how-to guides for this online and the material itself comes with good instructions, so I won't dwell on the process.
Before:

After:

My initial impressions are very good. This stuff is tough! It has a nice, course texture and looks great.

I also used it on the diamond-plate tailgate cover.


And all put back together. I used spray-on bedliner on a few other interior parts.


I also started on the new interior panels. Using the old panels as a template, I traced out the new panels in hardboard.


I trimmed and cut some holes, and fit it in.


That's my current progress. I have lots of other stuff in the pipeline soon, such as LED strips as deck-lights and wood trim down, so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

reedrj

Beautiful 4Runner.
What is the make of those $15 push bars? I can't find them anywhere!

Zelephant

I sure as blazes didn't buy it brand new for $15. I was buying some parts off Craigslist, and the seller happened to have it laying around. You just gotta be patient and watch c-list.

Some stuff has come up. There may be drastic build changes in the next week or two. We'll see how it turns out.

reedrj

I hear you. Been searching Craigslist, Ebay, and everywhere. Anyway, those $15 bars look good on your truck.