and i just got my truck. 1990 4runner sr5 22re 1500$. any ideas on how to fix it up on minimum wage.

 

look out every one ...... post up some pics

 

congrats. whats wrong with it? detailed info helps a lot. have any pics?

 

Save your money for gas to get to work, then work harder, get a promotion, and THEN mods. Best advice ever, I promise.

 

Well said. Get comfortable with driving while you're working so hard.

 

He has a a very true and valid point!!!

I am stuck at a supermarkte making just about $9....

Though as much as I drive and the off-roading I do stock.....(not a good idea if your on minimum wage I am finding out....)

Save up as much as possible...

Take your friends cars when you go places.....

Then go from there......

Trust me......

I don't do any of that........

And I am deff paying for it now....Litterally.....

 

Welcome to aboard and congrats on your licence haha

As to fixing up your ride on a budget it depends on what's wrong with it... If it runs ok and all I'd start with an oil and fluids change, once you've "zero timed" all these time/life limited consumables you have a place to start from and fresh stuff for the winter never hurt anything. Contact Toyota and register yourself as the owner of the vehicle [this way you will be notified of recalls/service bulletins etc.] and check with them about any outstanding recalls. If there are any arrange to get them done.
Next I'd look at a tune up if it was'nt done when you bought it.
After that start putting by a little each week, watch for sales and talk to people here and take it slow.
If you want to upgrade the tunes there are installer schools around the country where you can get the work done cheap [so long as you don't care about learners working on your ride] or better yet watch some of those 'hop-up' shows on TV ie "Unique Whips" and watch what they do, read a book or two and try it yourself. If you talk to the stereo shop people you can sometimes get a deal on old demo stuff [it's usually still in excellent condition] just a season or two out of date [who cares so long as it works and sounds good].
Sorry for the long post Aviator

 

im with all the other fellas on here, i did what your wantin to do, and i could have had waay cooler vehicles if i had waited, and not destroyed everything i touched. but, you are smarter than i was at that age, your starting out with a yota, a good year at that. i went through the whole jeep phase (just got out of it) dont go there, way too expensive, constantly something wrong. if i could tell you one thing to get that would not be too bad on your wallet, it would be some good at tires. they make your ride look better, and could get you out of some mud. your trucks pretty capable anyway, you need good tires.

 

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-buchanan/93fsm/
You will want that if you do any work on your truck.
It is for a 93, but very useful info.
I would say go for gas mileage, make that your goal, and get your truck to run as well as possible.
Good work finding a 4cyl, 4runner sr5, there can't be a whole lot of them, that ought to keep you out of trouble, and speeking of that....

If you are making minimum wage, your folks must be paying for your insurance. Do them, or you, if it is you paying for that, a favor, don't get any speeding tickets. Either way, tickets will make minumum wage start looking like -$5.15 an hour.

 

Pics.

 

get all fluids replaced and your trans and coolant flushed. Check with Toyota and see if the Steering Relay Rod recall was done. And what do you mean by fixing it up?

 

sorry there small. but its a sorta fixer upper, so fair i changed all the fluids it had a prety bad oil leak so i changed the timing cover gasket and i haveadjusted the valves, also i have adjusted the timing the next thing i need to do is i think it needs a ne brake master cylinder and needs new pads and the back brakes need to be rebuilt. omostly i am fixing it up, it already has a brush gaurd and nerf bars, the the trucks paint is in near pefect condition after i buffed it and waxed it but most of the prombems are mostly in the engine my dad very machanical so he is going to help me alot in that area.
its a 4cyl so it doesnt have to much power so i cant get any speeding ickets plus if i do that trucks going bye bye
and about the stero i have installed 1 already in my sis car so i can do that

,

 

well do all thioes things and then save!! your 16 so still in highschool! im guessing a sophmore? go to work with your truck save all your money after making your rig run dependable. and then dont do anything to it untill your out of college the money i spent on my rig i wish i had for college haha so dont do what i did. save ur money and have it for college then make your truck a nice rig after college with a good job thats what im gona do! good luck to you!

 

Everyone here already gave you great advice. I drove 15-20 yrs old cars while I was in HS and college. I am glad that I finished college and get a great paying job now. Study hard and you will get lots of mods later.

 

Sweet looking truck, like everyone here has said study hard in school and save your bucks for college... you'll learn a lot from working on your own truck and don't knock that little 4 banger it is a great engine, be religous about your oil changes and it will go forever I used to have a truck with the carb version of that engine and it went 500000+kms doing nothing but oil changes and a tune up once a year. It is as bullet proof an engine as was ever made.
And if you can't help yourself and you need to fix something up on your baby don't forget to check out the used parts people have for sale here, generally they will have plenty of life left in them at a good price.
Drive safe and have fun Aviator

 

Work hard and work as long as your job will let you but don't forget about school it is more important to be educated than to have a minimum wage job (trust me i'm 19 and still learning this every day) The first mod that i can see that you need a rear springs check out the threads on changing them and then look in the clasifieds on here and find your self a good set

then put 1/4 to 1/2 of your paycheck into a savings account that you won't touch unless you need to fix your truck or have another emergency come up this will be your mod account but you should always try to keep at least $200 in this acount in case something goes wrong with opne of your mods or you over look some things (bushings, fluids, random stuff needed to make the mod work right the first time)

if you doo that then you should be set up for fun times and oh yeah never go "rescue" your buddies when they get stuck somewhere they're not allowed to be.

 

Every word of that is 100% ture....

I am in the same exact situation....

The savigns account idea is 100% good (have had to dive into mine recently......)

Yeah.....again another .02.......

 

Ha Ha.. I used to think that way... that excuse got me off one ticket with the judge... but i was pulled over more times in my 4cyl rigs for speeding than anything else I have ever driven... hands down... and gotten more tickets in the m too.. and never driven one with stock tires.... I got a ticket for 88 in a 75 in my 92... they can go fast, it just takes a while to get there...

 

88's about as fast as they'll go (from my own experiance anyway) still, GREAT engines! it's a 2.4L = a very large 4 cylinder considering Gm used a LOT of the 2.8 L v6's in S10's. it's been said alot, but you can't hear it enough SAVE YOUR $$$~~~ I can remember wanting to do so many things on my first vehicle (82 Toyota 4x4) what sucks is, you have more time and less responcibility now then you'll probably ever have (until 85) so do mods that require lots of time but not much money. Get the whole truck in perfect shape the next 2-6 years and when your out of college you wont have to fix things before you modify them. Hiriden

 

I had my 95 over 100 with swampers on... radials, but still swampers.... okay it was down hill... yeah 85-90 is pretty much pushing these girls for all they got..