THE04Runner

I may soon be the proud owner of an 84' 4Runner
BUT...before i do get this, i was wondering...how is the price on mods for a 1st gen? expensive, not expensive? or what
also are there many mods out there for a 1st gen?
thx
-Toast

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Mods on my 85 = $$$

Toast...meet Mr. VISA! Now wave "bye bye"!

seaflea

There is a lot of aftermarket parts for the first gen.
all pro here is a good site to get started. Ther are a lot more, I just cant think of any right now.


Welcome to yotatech

THE04Runner

any other opinions?

crawler#976

what kinda wheelin' do you want to do with it?

THE04Runner

Im in MD...so i dont really know whats around here...thats another question...anybody know of any good places to off-road close to the DC metro area. Thx yall
-Toast

Also im pretty new to 4whealin so any would be nice too

THE04Runner

So anyone have any other opinions or ideas? or do i need to find a different 5000 people for Thx

SoCal4Running

SAS suspension lifts are cheap reltivly speaking compared IFS.
Motor mod will set you back around $500.00 to $2500.00.
Is it EFI?

wifesaysimadumbass

compared to other stuff out there i probably have spent a total of 4 grands on the truck and mods. i am pretty mechanical so all maintenance i do myself. if you surf around on this site and others you can get ideas that can save lots of dough!!! i would not do much modding to a vehicle that old, till it has a few miles on it and you are confident it is mechanically sound. i had a friend who spent all his money on lockers and a winch and the first run the motor blew up and it's been sitting for a year now because he spent all his dough.

kyle_22r

you wanna lift it? much cheaper than IFS
want it to really excel off-road? drop the cash. you can only go so far modding the stock configuration until you need to go to crossover steering, lockers etc

Runner-Man

Your truck is very 'wheelable' as-is, especially if you are new to off-roading. Spend your first dollars on making sure it is reliable. Wheel it, and find it's limitations (and yours!). Talk with the people you wheel with and people on this board and others. Look around and decide what you want to do, and come up with a plan. Then go from there. Trust me, if you don't have a long term plan, you'll end up spending money on stuff you'll take off and replace later.

It's a good truck design. Drive it, have fun, then decide what you want to do with it.

crawler#976

The reason I asked what type of wheelin' you want to do is each "discipline" has different requirements. Here is a brief summary.

In all three groups, driver safety is a requirement- a good welded roll cage attached to the frame and 4 or 5 point harness should be installed.

Mud requires a high horse power motor, a lot of lift to clear big tires, and super stout drive train components like locked Dana 60 axles, a Turbo 400 tranny and 205 transfer case. The lift doesn't need to be flexible, so it can be easier to do that part. In a Toy, a 350 Chevy is OK, but a 383 SB or 400 SB is better. Things break pretty regularly- it's a spendy hobby.

Sand/Desert rigs also require a lot of horsepower, a long travel, soft suspension, and in most cases, 4x4 isn't required. It's cool to have, but ads a lot more cost to building a true pre-runner. The cost of a long travel suspension can be real spendy- a single coil over shock can cost over a $1000.00. A rear locker is required.

Rocks are perhaps the most expensive hobby- even after you spend 5 to 10k in mods, the constant breakage requires parts replacement and maintenance after every run. Horse power isn't as important as gearing- try to end up at least 100:1 for a manual tranny, and about 60:1 for an auto tranny (the torque converter basically doubles the available torque). A supple long travel suspension is required, but it doesn't have to absorb the big hits a pre-runner set up does. A certain amount of armor is required- sliders at a minimum. Bobbing the rear of a rig helps a bunch for clearing obstacles. Front and rear lockers are required, up grading driveline components (axle shafts, u-joints, birf's) is required, and shaving/clearing axles help too. High clearance transfer case mounts and drive train lifts help.

I'll suggest some items that would be useful in an all around rig. I'd start w/ a moderate lift- 3" or so to clear 33" tires. Keep the lift low, trim fenders in required to clear tires. The lift should increase suspension travel. IMO a body lift is a poor choice since all it does is provide clearance. A rear locker like an ARB or Toy E-locker gives you the best of both worlds- it's transparent on the street, yet works like a full spool off highway. In most cases, a front locker isn't required for general trail use, but having a limited slip or ARB is gravy. Sliders are useful in protecting rocker panels and the lower door. Stout front and rear bumpers help too. A roll cage would be a good addition.

For a first gen, the front and rear is real easy- 3" lift springs from All Pro or Marlin. Drop in a new rear third w/ an ARB from a good shop, and you've got a good start on a capable rig.

fourwd1

Big Dogs' events in Winchester.
Rausch Creek and Paragon in PA.

All have trails from beginner to hardcore.

For easy stuff there's also Geo Wash Natl Forrest in VA. There is a bunch of Toyota guys going there 10/22-24.

kyle_22r

i wouldn't say you need super stout components for mud. you're not binding the drivetrain like you would in the rocks so dana 60s aren't necessary. actually, i'd rather have something like a 9" or toy axles in the mud, as they have a lower profile than the heavier axles. me put a chevy engine in my toy? sure you don't have this confused with drag racing?

crawler#976

in the mud pits, the big tire, big axle, big motor wins...

Seriously, a Toy motor won't spin a 44 Swamper or 45" tractor tires in 40" of slop. A 513 Caddy, 502 Chevy, 472 Ford, or 488 Hemi is the right motor- and if you've ever spun up a big tire, stout axles are a must.

This guy rig is a good example of a practical application of a mud/snow wheelin' rig- it's a good video!

http://www.akfabshop.com/movies/Lackeys.wmv

THE04Runner

OK well have fun agueing about mudding...but until i try once (which dont think will be for a while) it think ill be stickin to rocks (or atleast tryin those out)

THE04Runner

Also, this first gen is an 84, so that means it has a 22R, right? Anything i can do to increase power to it, short of a complete engine swap?

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Try several seafoam treatments and some RESTORE, new plugs, wires, cap, oil change, fluid change/flush, and it'll run like a new engine. Mine did! See the difference in my before and after compression on my 85 4Runner thread. You can also get an MSD ignition box, headers, high flow air filter, etc. to improve performance.

Or there is TURBO!

deathrunner

Crawler (976)-

I agree with everything you say except when you say 4x4 is more costly on a prerunner. That isn't necessarily true. The only thing that changes in the setup is the new cv axles. A set of T-100 axles is only 200.00 Otherwise all the kits are pretty closely matched. Having a front axle is still very useful in the desert and the 4x4 frames are stronger anyway.

Regardless he's getting an 84 so I doubt pre-running is his cup of tea. Or he's getting the wrong year.

THE04Runner

nope i wanna 4x4...not much of a supporter of prerunners
-Toast

PS no offense to all yall prerunner peeps out there