RunningBlue

Hey all, I'm looking for some advice

My old 4Runner needs some serious front end work. I'm guessing it's not all bad but I'd rather just replace the whole thing and know it's right rather than spend hours and $$ troubleshooting the mess. We're up past 250,00 now (80,000 are mine) and a fair bit of those have been up in the interior of AK where the roads leave much to be desired. This past winter I side swiped a tree going backwards down an icy hill (not by choice) and the right side has been a mess ever since, and the rest of it has been soft for years. Also the power steering has never worked. I'm thinking new tie rods and ends and most all that they attach to, along with a whole pile of other stuff. I'd like to upgrade the suspension, though I've heard the stock is a solid set up, maybe I just need some good shocks? And while I'm at it I might as well fix the brakes, they've had a shudder for a couple years now.

I'm all for stripping parts off used trucks I just don't know what years are compatible, up through '93 I believe, and I've found that some 4 cyl parts don't work on my 6 cyl. Has anyone gone down this road?

Thanks

ev13wt

Start with the ball joints. Then idler arm and pitman. Then the steering links.
Since you swiped a tree, see if someone will do an alignment so you know if it's fubared or still adjustable.

To put on new disks, you need to remove the hub. You should do that anyhow, to regrease the bearings. You will want a cheapo pull scale to properly set the preload.
V6 has bigger calipers than the 4cyl.


No need to "upgrade" a IFS system. Fixing it right would be a win in any case :p
You could always SAS it, but that is $$$ to do it right.

akwheeler

Don't forget your ball joints, and don't put used steering parts on it unless it's the power steering pump. Just my 2 cents.
I think all of your parts will interchange up to 95

bearcat2

You're doing better than I ever did if you've never replaced the idler arm. I always considered it a wear part and figured on changing it every 50-70,000 miles. Of course a lot of those miles are on logging roads and between washboards, potholes and waterbars they just flat wear out idler arms. I've known guys who never drove their trucks of the blacktop except a week or two each elk season and their idler arms would still be tight at 200k. Idler arm, ball joints (might be okay, but if you're going to keep the truck replacem, they last a long time but if you break one you tend to do a lot of serious damage (ask me how I know)), pitman arm probably at that mileage, check the rotors and calipers, if they are good no need to replace them, I would say the same about tie rod ends. All of those I would replace with new, not used, if I was replacing. Pack the bearings in the hubs, make sure they are good, if they feel the slightest bit rough replace them, they aren't that expensive. Make sure you're cv boots are intact, if they are torn and you have driven it that way for quite a while you may end up replacing a cv axle, otherwise they shouldn't ever wear out.

You'll have to get an alignment after doing all that, but if you are doing it yourself the parts aren't really that bad, if you take it into a shop the labor is going to kill you. Power steering pump off a wrecked truck would be fine, most of the other parts I would get new, calipers would also be fine as long as you knew they were good, but I can get a new caliper down at NAPA for under $50 bucks, so unless you had a donor rig that you knew they weren't rusted froze up on from sitting around I would go with new rather than chancing one from a junkyard.

I suggest investing in some PB blaster or equivalent and an airgun if nothing has been taken apart for 30 years; at least if you are anywhere where they salt the roads.