ShoeRunner

I purchased my '86 22RE SR5 back in March(I think) and I have been spending a few hours each weekend on it slowly working out some issues. I meant to start this post back when I bought it,but I never made time. It is coming along and I realize that this could help me track the progress. I thought I would have to travel up to 1000miles to find a nice 1st gen, but I lucked out and found one about 30min away. When I bought it the previous owner had it a 3" body lift in and it was riding on 32" swampers.

Call me what you will, but it was not set up for my purposes. I drive it to work (I am a Toyota Salesman) everyday and I no matter how much time I spend on the trails it will sadly see mostly highway. Everyone, including the techs, think I am crazy(probably right), but the 1st gen 4Runner is the truck I always dreamed of building. In HS I dreamed of taking some little truck and hacking the back out of it and welding the cab to the bed, little did I know that Toyota had done it ten years before.

This is actually my first 4x4 vehicle. I am from the south and just moved to WI last year. I am a road racer at heart and my motivations for getting a 4x4 were more to allow me to get a very impratical sports car(miata) next year.

That said I am looking forward to getting out on the trails as I am sure I will get hooked. Of course I am spending so much time and money on repairs as it is that I am terrified of what will happen when I start pounding on it.

Enough about my story, the rig is an '86 SR5 and a 5Spd with 223k(bought at 216k) on the clock. My first order of business was replacing the tires with a set of Kuhmo 31x10.5's on black Cragers. I replaced most of the front end steering components (everything except for the Steering box), replaced shocks, put new body mounts in, dropped the body lift(still have the spacers if anyone wants them), rear pinion seal, replaced all gear fluids, clutch cylinders, rear brakes, parking brake levers, resealed leaking windsheild, replaced missing valance, and replaced the missing skid plate(thanks for the donation). I also recently replaced the exhaust with a new factory Cat-Back unit (under $100, believe it or not). At the close of winter I replaced the factory auto lockers with a set of Mile Marker hubs. I also recently took the top off and added a soft top tonneau cover.

But the most suprising thing is that the AC works great, go figure.

MAINTENANCE
- prev owner told me that the timing chain was replaced at 200k
- Steering system (relay rod, tie rods, pitman arm, idler arm, stabilizer)
- suspension (new OEM shocks all of the way around, new leaf springs and bushings)
- changed many fluids (brakes with new rear cylinders and shoes, tranny, diffs, and several oil changes)
- new body mounts

MODS
-31" Khumos on black Cragars
-Airbox from downey (its got the sucky sound!)
- '06 Scion Pioneer radio
- 2" lift springs from Downey with Poly bushings. You still have to look hard to realize it is actually sitting level, but the ride and handling are awesome!!! Wow, what a difference!
- 6 1/2in enclosed Kicker speakers soon to be mounted on the walls inside of the Roll hoop
- Remote oil filter kit from Summit
- Side steps from Smittybilt
- Grex ball shift knob
- Manual hub conversion
- Custom Vinyl soft top tonneau cover!!!



Future projects:

Would like to find new rear bumper with mounts to replace bent and mangled piece.

Also curious about doing an electric fan swap.

CUPHOLDER!!!