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Hi all,
New member here from New Zealand. I have a 1988 Hilux Surf - the Japanese import equivalent of a gen 1 4Runner for all you North Americans out there. Mine has the 2.4 turbo diesel common in Japan and it has just 102,000kms on the clock.
The Japanese Hilux Surfs did NOT come with a rollbar behind the rear seat as standard - this appears to be a 4Runner thing, however I am keen to fit one if I can. I had a look today and note that I have factory rollbar mounting points welded to the rear wheel arches, and two bolt holes on each side of the truck further back in the cargo area, which I assume are for the rollbar support bars.
I am wondering if anyone on here can tell me how many bolts are used to secure a factory rollbar on a US 4Runner. I just want to check that I have the correct factory boltholes before I order a rollbar from the USA. When I work out how to do it, I'll post photos of what I have, but am keen to confirm with someone from the US whether what I have will be suitable to just bolt a rollbar onto with no modifications.
After initially treating my truck badly for the first few years (lots of hardcore offroading), I then neglected it and it has been sitting unused in my backyard for roughly the past 9 years. My goal now is to do a ground up restoration back to factory condition. It's a huge challenge given the age and condition, but despite years of neglect, I do really love my Hilux Surf and want to restore it so I can keep and enjoy it, rather than just let it decompose in the back yard. Adding a rollbar is just one small part - I have so many big jobs to do - rust removal, leak fixing, panel & paint, underbody work - the list goes on. Mechanical parts here in NZ are easy to source, but model specific body parts are going to be an issue. A lot of things I have seen online are fairly pricey, and some online stores have ridiculous international freight costs - often 4 or 5 times more than the cost of the part. I guess that's part and parcel of the challenge I have set myself...
Thanks for the replies gents, that's really helpful. It looks like I have the required factory mounting points on my Japanese Hilux Surf to mount a factory 4Runner US-spec rollbar with no modifications required.
Now to find one! I have a lead on a brand new factory rollbar from a USA Toyota dealer. Just waiting for them to confirm it's the right part. Price and freight to New Zealand seem reasonable - cheaper than having a bespoke one made locally anyway.
I've found heaps of other small parts I need from amayama.com - that website is a godsend!
Well I finally managed to source a second hand factory rollbar in Australia, and it hitched a ride over to New Zealand in a friend's container of household goods.
It's now installed and looking good in my JDM Surf. It's completely changed the look and feel with the top off - I love it!
i occasionally see roll bars for sale here, but wonder who needs them since every first gen had one.
i wonder if the roll bar can be made to fit the beds of the same vintage pickups? not that it would look great, having a roll bar halfway back along the bed.
Now that’s a proper top off look!
i occasionally see roll bars for sale here, but wonder who needs them since every first gen had one.
i have seen them mounted in 2nd, 3rd gens. people like them to use as mounts for cargo racks and stuff.
though personally i think they suck up a lot of space unless tied into a full cage but it might also give them piece of mind in the event of a rollover
04-26-2020, 12:45 AM
