You didn't do any mistake, you can recover the money you invested if you part it out, but I'll wait for that if I'm in your shoes.
If you like (in my case love) the first gen 4Runners and you want to have one, you can keep it and start doing small/in the budget things.
Meanwhile you can keep searching for another one, and use this one (or the next one) for part truck, other people do that, if you search the forum, you'll find other members who got 2 trucks to make a good one. Maybe you find one with good body and blown engine cheap, and you'll probably need the good parts of this one.
If you don't know how to weld, you can learn, it's a good skill to have in life.
You'll need to invest some time and money, that for sure, but think about this, with a rebuild engine and transfer case you almost have a new vehicle, a desirable 80s Toyota truck!
This forum's amazing and that's one of the main reason I got a 30 years old truck, without the members I'd not even think about it.
Good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

I just woke up and am pre-coffee so......

Loads of coddling here. OP welcome to adult life. You can plan to win the lottery all you want. But you should've thought about all the things you're concerned about before you laid your money down for a rusty rig. Did you not know what rust was prior to purchasing?

Form a plan. fix, part out. sell. scrap. Decide on a realistic end state and work towards it.

Just got a cup of coffee so my attitude is improving.

 

That's good to hear you know a welder that'll work for supplies, that changes a lot. Check the frame integrity, as mentioned using a screwdriver and hammer. The arch over the rear wheels down to where it straightens out toward the front is a problem area on these frames. If that feels solid, you're in luck. If not, sounds like you're buddy can brace or rebuild it.

Have you fired it up yet? If the engine and tranny sound and feel good, this might all work out without too much headache.

The door wiring can all be replaced. Check eBay or wrecking yards. Same for the steering column, but it might be something small you can fix.

I know this is a 180 from my previous advice, but going to a trade school is a huge benefit in your case. I went to regular public school where auto shop was a joke. Those guys just stood around getting high. I had some buddies in vo-tech where one built a mud truck in less than a year from a pile of junk that didn't run. And that guy was an electrician working part-time as a dishwasher!

 

 

So, I hope this is a good buddy and that the collision shop doesn't already have a lot of projects lined up, because this vehicle could need EVERYTHING. Do a full evaluation of what you are getting into, the frame alone could take weeks of fabrication and could ruin your friendship with the welder.
Looking at yours makes me feel a whole lot better about the price I paid for my 95, I felt like I over-paid at $3000 since the front steering/suspension was all worn out and the brake booster was shot and it had a few leaks. The reason I bought it was that it came to Alaska from Nevada and was almost rust free!
Keep in mind if you bide your time you will almost assuredly run across a better rig for a great price and you will be able to spend your time and money more efficiently and have the 4runner of your dreams light years ahead of schedule.

 

So I just got home from work and went to see how the chrome trim is and I'm sad to say the previous owner did not do a good job keeping them pristine while removing them. Only the two front wheel well trims are straight and even then some of the bolt loops are mangled. The rear trim was just straight up bent.

I was planning to sell the bumpers anyways because i just want something sturdier to protect whats left of this truck. Both front and back are solid with the corners. slight surface rust on the backside of the bumpers.

 

IMO SomedayJ's advice is excellent. You did not make a mistake. And now we find out your friend is a welder and you have access to a shop. I see a grinder lying in the dirt in your pictures. Go to Harbor Freight or mail order some cheap wire wheels and grind out the rust. My formerly rusty 4Runner is white too. After grinding and rust convertor I used white primer to cover the bad spots for a while. Look at my signature for link to pictures. If your truck runs you got a bargain. The two things most kids do are new stereo and new wheels and tires. There are quite a few of us who would love to have that OEM stereo if you want to sell it. If you want bigger wheels look at newer 4Runner wheels. Tires are cheaper for 16" than 15" rims. I hope you save this one.

 

 

here's a video of it running and some of its other issues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdcANq85t4s

 

Smart to post this video, it'll help everyone see exactly what's going on here.

I saw: loose or broken fan shroud, maybe an evap or air hose not connected to anything, an exhaust leak at the manifold gasket, slightly high idle, fuel light on when gauge shows a full tank, and under carriage rust.

Honestly, the rust didn't look as bad as I expected it to. Living in NE Ohio did that to me. POR-15 or other urethane paints can do wonders after you patch any holes.

I'm curious, which part of the fuel sender is mess-up. Does the gauge needle ever move or will it run out of gas while reading full?

I can't help much with the engine issues cause I've never worked on a 3vze, but I didn't see anything terrible.

 

im as curious as you. once i get the steering components worked out and a temporary fix for my rust holes im gonna register it so i can drive it for a few days and bring it to one of my friends with a better equipped garage. then i can see if my needle moves

 

Get that engine roarin and forget about everything else. Rally it until that frame snaps (which is gonna happen) and sell it for parts. I wouldn't say you lost $1100, you just invested in a parts mobile that you will double your money on. No mistake made.

 

As tempting as that sounds I don't think the parts I have for it are in good enough condition to make double my money. all I really got for good parts are the rear bumper, my dash, my cluster, and my stereo. And maybe this old car phone but I kinda want to make that work again so I can use it. Although if people start trying to throw money at me for my parts then maybe but even with everything wrong and all the money that needs to go into it I still love it. I'm actually about to order all new MOOG tie rods, pitman arm, and idler arm to revamp my steering and then if I can I'm gonna find a replacement part for the tilt wheel lock... otherwise I'll drill a hole through the assembly and bolt it in place. But I'd rather find a replacement part.

 

Lots of good recommendations here!

I can relate 100% to your situation. 10 years ago I bought myself an 89 4Runner and my parents told me they would "help me" with the repairs I needed. Turned out the reason it was idling high was the dude set the idle high to cover the dead cylinder. So it needed a new engine and clutch after I burned up the clutch because of the high idle.

Long story short, they towed the truck to our mechanic over an hour away from home because he is way cheaper than shops where we were living. They bowed out of helping me, and 10 years later I still hold a grudge for them making me scrap the truck instead of letting me keep it at our barn near the mechanic.

It took me almost 10 years to pull the trigger on the 86 I just bought. I already blew up the engine, but now I make enough money to not give a ˟˟˟˟. I'll never give this one up, and wish I never gave my first one up.

If you've got a solid frame, keep the truck! There are enough used motors you can get with a short warranty from local yards. Im swapping a 2JZ inline 6 into my "new" Runner and its going to run me about $2k parts and labor. If you're in a technical school you have enough skills to do a lot of this stuff yourself. I dont have the time, or place to do an engine swap, sounds like you do. I can tell you 100% I wish I had my original truck still. Its the red one in my profile picture. The money I've invested in cars & trucks since then would have that one super badass by now. Since then I bought a Ranger for $1800 (put about $3,500 into maintaining it over 9 years), bought an S10 for $1400, got a Mustang for "free" (put about $8000 into it), picked up my new "Runner" for $3,000 (no rust, super clean, but needs an engine now that I blew one up, came with the original stripped to small block)

So, do the math. Had I kept my 4Runner I could have put about $17,700 into it slowly over the last 10 years and I'd be a lot happier. I sold all those old cars except the Mustang, and dont regret any of them... But I definately wish I had my 4Runner that whole time instead of having in-betweeners for my Daily Driver.

Chip away at what you've got slowly and youll have a sweet rig in no time. Just every time you need to do some regular maintenance work towards an end goal. Theres nothing wrong with doing a temporary patch fix to keep the truck on the road like welding in some sheet medal while you save up for nicer 1/4 panels. If I were you I'd pick up some cheap diamond plate and fill it in temporarily, its what Jeep guys do because it "looks cool" and is a cheap fix.

 

I was planning on some matte black diamond plate for now. I've been thinking that my end goal is gonna be a Toyota Fiberglass re-skin, some kind of motor swap (think chevy 4.3 or a simpler 5vz-fe), at least a 2inch lift, and some nice 33s. Although I go to a VOC school, I'm not in the auto shop program. I'm in landscaping and horticulture so I really can't work on this while I'm there which sucks. But this is my last year in school and I'll be able to work full time once I graduate so I can start putting money into this. It also doesn't need to be on the road at any certain point because my dad is nice enough to let me use his 2014 camry to get to work.

 

^^This is the most important part. I still haven't seen you post anything about frame rot, have you checked it yet? It has been suggested.

 

I was going to get under it and start testing its integrity but it ended up raining quite a bit so im gonna wait until its not soaked out there. i have checked it a couple times visually and pressing on it and i have yet to find a soft spot.

 

The trans cross member looked like crap but until you get in there and stab at it with a hammer or something it is inconclusive. You'll want to poke at the dogleg sections of the frame also, this is the hump over the rear tire where dirt collects and then holds moisture, the lower bend will rust thru if not attended to in damp and dirty condition the upper bend is the high stress pont that tends to collapse when the truck has been "jumped or abused".

The floor pan looks very intact and seems like it is just outer skin that has rusted away. A typical fix for the rear quarter panel is to buy an aftermarket front fender this provides you with the difficult piece to reproduce. What we do is use a left hand fender rear arch cut off section to place to replace the right hand side forward arch, after that it is relatively flat sheets used to reform the rear and central arch.

It's going to take some elbow grease, a few supplies and maybe some tools you don't have (harbor freight is your friend here). The more clean up you are willing to do the less money it will take when you need the professional help.

 

This is an example of what Co_94_PU says. I went to see a 30 years old Toyota truck a few months ago. It was for sale, original paint, clean, shiny, around 100000 miles on the clock, in good shape, the owner took care of it, it had some sort of wax oil or fluid fim in the interior panels (I could see that when I removed the back seat pockets) and underneath. I went under the truck and I saw a suspicious patch in the frame (you can see it in the first photo attached). I took a little hammer I had with me and what you see in the second photo it's the damage I did, I could break the frame very easly, that truck was a time bomb, rotting from inside out.

 

So I got out today and got under the truck to check the frame and various leaks. I grabbed a hefty 3lb hammer and smacked the frame a few times then got a screwdriver and tried to see if I couldn't punch through the frame. I'm certain now that the only real issue on my frame is back behind the rear axle. I got showered when I smacked it back here
On another note this was the loose hose in the video I linked in an earlier post. If anyone could tell me what this goes to I'd be quite grateful and they may or may not get first dibs on parts that I don't need.

I still haven't found a replacement part for my steering wheel adjuster so its still just flopping around. I don't wan't to drill a hole through it but I kinda need it to stay still when I'm driving.
I've decided that cutting the rear quarters 4" up and having my friend weld in new tubs is my best cheap temporary rust fix until I can afford new patch panels, although the toyotafiberglass 3" flares look pretty nice.