cltrunner

This is my first post on this board. I bought a 87 runner with a 22re motor and 5spd. it has 187k on the clock and seems to run good. i took it to the toyo dealership in charlotte to have a check up and they said it seems fine.

a couple of problems so far. the drivers side window got stuck down so i had to diassemble and remove the motor so i could get the window up. it is now held in place with a wood shim(nice rigging huh?). the other problem (and my main concern) was the back window was stuck up. i figured the motor was fried like the pass window but the guys at the toyo place figured it out(of course). there were several screws missing that held the top in place. apparently these screws activate or push down necesary levers or something that are invloved with the back window. the tech gave me two screws out of his box and i was in buisness. sweet. now i ned a couple of things, passenger seat doesn't slide forward, broken cable (35 dollar part).

now, my question is this. what are some cheap effective mods for my engine? should i try and mod the engine with this many miles? not sure of the history of rig. seller was selling it for uncle. title says it was bought in 91 with 42k on clock. i am going to put the extra leaf in the back soon.

sorry for the long post but felt some background info might help. i want to go trail riding soon but need some more drive time to work out any bugs. any advice is appreciated.

BeaterToyota

Welcome to the board.

I would suggest fixing the problems you described before putting money into mods. I don't have any power windows, etc. in my junk so I can't offer help in fixing them, but I think you'll be happier with your truck once you get them taken care of.

As for first mods, it depends. Is this a daily driver, or just something for trails? Either way if you're going to be taking it off road I would throw some tow hooks on it (front and rear) and go wheeling with some other people. It won't take long to figure out what you want to modify/replace first.

Have fun.

jethro

Well first off welcome to the board.
It sounds like your looking to get some more power from your rig, and you came to the right spot. Check out this link for some great mods you can do yourself, most of them for free. The popular mods are the ones concerning the airbox.
I'm sure more members will chime in soon, and good luck fixing all the little problems.

Tacoma Dude

I'm with Jason - get the rig back to 100% (or as close as possible) then go nuts with the extras.

Check out Roger Brown's site. I think he's got some good 1st gen mods listed there:

http://www.4crawler.com/4Runner.shtml

934rnr

Yup I regret not getting mine to 100% I had 2 months of downtime due to a engine rebuild and lack of funds to complete it due to pricy mods I bought for mine.

wvuviv30

Me... Fix the problems that you have to deal with right now... Then after a year, if you figure out if it is going to be a street queen or a trail rig or a mix of the two...

After driving it for some time, figure out where you think it is lacking... then improve that area...
Since you need a to add a leaf spring, why not work on the suspension aspect of the 4Runner...

Like with my 4Runner... My rear coils where goofy, 1.5" difference on height from drivers to passangers side and I need some new tires... so I installed new coils, shocks, Ball Joint spacers... it rides a lot better... Also after I get my new tires, I am working on the Exhaust... I don't want to dump to much money into the 3.slow... I am going to save up for a 3.4 engine...

Flamedx4

Welcome! I ran one 22RE 4R for 172k miles - bone stock except for the K&N drop in. Although I always envied the guys with more power, very rarely did I actually need more. I outperformed half of those guys most of the time with my little 4 banger. What I did love though was my Toyota always got me home. Every time. I'd say put your money first into fixing the problems, then into the suspension and tires and then gears. Leave the motor alone, it'll do the job and last a lot longer if you keep it stock. Besides, at that mileage how much do you want to spend on it? At least if you leave it for later you'll be better able to decide what you need and what you don't depending on how you're using the rig. And you'll be a better driver for learning how to make do with the power you have. Just my 2cents, but I'm old and crabby....

SkyRat

Welcome,
I am with the others. Fix your current problems, then do this for one of the best and cheapest upgrades to any 4Runner. The horn mod will help you on and off the highway. One of the best $20 I have spent.

cltrunner

thanks everyone. i think the best advise is to try and fix what i got and then decide. i appreciate all the comments and am looking forward to running the wheels off my new toy.