Hello, I was on the market for a cheap daily driver for around my ranch, and all the snowy and gravel roads around.

When I ran across this truck. I couldn't help myself. it's a 1987 4runner with a rustfree but dented up body, tore up inside and good undercarrage and it was 1200 cash. I live in rural northern WA and i don't do much driving so i was looking for something that would absorbe the crappy roads without shaking apart and around here we basically leave the trucks in 4WD all winter long.

So i found me a fixer upper i hope to turn into a perfect rural "get me around" suv on a budget.

The runner has a 3" body lift and is on 33" tires that are BALD. It's missing the rear bumper and the front one is missing the corner pieces. The exhaust system is also basically gone. I think the kid just welded a glass pack on to the downpipe to avoid getting pulled over in town.

What do you guys think? keep the lift? Are body lifts on these trucks fine? any negative effects? need to replace the tires but what size? ground clearance around here means not pushing snow when the plow hasn't been through, so it's a good thing but not at the expense of terrible gas mileage. Does the tire size drastically affect MPG on these trucks? I was thinking of dropping down to 31 or 32s

Besides, the tires, replacing any missing or broken lenses, and body bits and pieces i want to start by fixing up the outside some. find a good front and rear bumper with either winches or at least 2" receiver tubes and rock slider/steps for the sides. Anyone know of a company that makes something like that for a reasonable price. I was thinking of throwing on harbor freight winches if the bumpers have a place for them.

apart from that It's gonna get a rattle can paint job (currently rattle canned flat black). I'm gonna try to pull the dents out best i can but don't plan on spending any money on that as it's gonna be a ranch truck and it'll probably get more dents anyway.

I've always liked cutout fender flairs but i was also wondering what size tires i could fit in there if i removed the body lift but cut out the fenders and installed those flares?

Also what suspension mods would be ideal for a truck that drives on gravel, dirt and snowy roads at 30-50mph 80% of the time? Most trucks around here end up with electrical problems simply due to the constant vibration tearing around on these roads at decent speeds. I don't want to go super tall and completely ruin any handling around the switchbacks. Just trying to find the best combination of clearance, handling and vibration absorbtion. What do you guys think? Keep the suspension stock? install different springs or shocks or go suspension lift?

Thanks for any info. I've got a lot to learn. I've started looking at a lot of other build threads but most seem to be aimed at rock crawlers and off-roading so slow speed driving while i'm hoping to build something that will handle well at speed on dirt/gravel/snow but can also drive around without getting stuck in the snow too easily.

 

I have a 86 4runner 3" body lift, 31x10.5 m/t they are ok in wet conditions but snow....they SUCK. I haven't done much wheeling because I can't afford to break anything. I do want to remove the body lift, but need stock bushings. I get around 20 mpg (22re) but it seems that the tires/lift are rough on the trans. Good price though

I would recommend an A/T tire for snow, I just purchased a set of 245/75/r16 for my chevy from www.treadwright.com for $518 shipped (16/32 tread). I won't receive them until next week but heard nothing but good things about treadwright

 

Removing the body lift and cutting out fenders will still allow the 33" tires. I have a 87 pickup that I run 33/10.50r15's on.

Ground clearnce will only be achieved with larger tires. There for balljoint spacers is great for that. Install a extra leaf or zuk mod in the rear will also lift it a little. Both can be done for around 200.00 bucks.

I hate body lifts so I 100% disagree with anything over 1". That's just my opinion.

As far as bumpers you can always build them cheaper then buying them. Keep that in mind.

Harbor freight winches are great for there price. We have one on a car trailor and its lasted for years. Just keep it protected for the elements.

Spray on bedliner is great for paint jobs and its not to expensive.

As far as tires: bfg km2's are awesome for everything. I run them and love them.

Now for traction.... Is this gonna see pavement. If not welding the rear will be great for this truck and give you some massive traction in all terrains.

Oh one last thing. Be creative. Build what you can buy what you can't make.

 

Grats on the yota and welcome! Get some pics up. We love the pics.

 

Oh I'm assuming that your runner has stock 4.10 gears. That's acceptable with 33" tires if your not trying to hit 70 mph. I ran 4.10's with 33" tires from 2006 till dec of 2012. I 4wheeled every chance possible and never had any problems at all. I now have 4.88's that I picked up from a 92 runner. These gears are sweet for the interstate. I can hit 90 mph with no problem. Most 3.0v6 auto 4runners from 90 to 95 came with 4.88's stock. So there not hard to find and really quick and easy to swap out. I got a thread on here for doing the swap.

 

Hi guys, thanks for the welcome. I'm pretty sure everything on this truck is stock and worn out. i think all they did was put in a body lift and 33s and that was the extent of mods.

As a previous Jeep CJ7 and AMG Hummer owner I'm used to driving 60mph as my max. I do like to be able to drive 60 though. I don't want to end up with something that can't cruise comfortably at 60 when i do decide to drive into the city.

something else i forgot to mention. One of the front hubs is whining and since i'm pretty sure they're the original hubs i think they probably need replacing. Any suggestions on a replacement? OEM? Warn? etc?

for the interior i plan on ripping everything out and either rhinolining it or simply installing a new vinyl interior. we are constantly tracking snow into our vehicles and most of the winter there's frozen water puddles IN the trucks .

Also probably gonna go with wet okely (spelt wrong i'm sure) seat covers to keep them water and stain resistant (i have toddlers).

 

i have a 87 that is pure stock and I run the smaller 235/75 /15 tires with the mud and snow tires .( Under going a Major refurb)

With my normal load out of work tools it goes great in the snow .

There are times one gets high centered and needs to break out the shovel.

Welcome to the forum

 

Hi Icentropy-
The softest possible ride? That would be the ZUK coil mod I recommend the 14" x 125 pounders...you need 2.... specify the 125 rate
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-RACING-C...125492&vxp=mtr

http://gearinstalls.com/cman1.htm
http://gearinstalls.com/duckie.htm
http://gearinstalls.com/weldless.htm

If you have the oem leaf packs and the rear suspension is pretty much stock then the 14 inck coils will never come loose. So, I'm also a big fan of cutting the upper steel stoppers(on the underside of the frame) to about 1" long. The coils won't make any noise, they won't come out, and they will fit right in place like they were made for the coils. In addition, they will give extra payload ability. I would think that "payload" is important on the farm. They will probably never sag again for as long as you have the Runner....something that cannot be said of most new replacement leafpacks. These coils will give 4 inches of rear lift. There's a ton of threads on the ZUK MOD on this forum also. Many use TJ coils that fit a little differently on place but I still like the clean look of these aftermmarket racing coils.
You can crank the front torsion bars for maybe 1.5" lift and don't go any higher...it will get too rough riding up front.

ZUK


ps----the coils will tend to promote "equal pressure" on the ground from a left/right tire point of view.....meaning traction will seem better with the coils in place.
Also, your rubber snubbers on on your present leafpacks should be in good shape. Here in sunny AZ the rubber is always in great shape. Back East and up north in the snow region it seems they go to hell and want to fall off.....bad news when the coil depends on them for location. They don't take too much stress to hold the coils in place but they should be in good shape and not ready to tear off. A new set might be needed but that's about it for expenses. I had to trim the corners of my rubber snubbers on my 2001 Tacoma to get the coil to clear the rubber and fully rest on the steel bottom plate....easy to do with a flapper wheel. Just a little corner trimming on the 4 sides.....

 

Thanks Zuk! That looks perfect. Cheap and useful! so that's a 4" suspension lift on the rear right? Does that mean i should replace the shocks as well or should i keep the stock size?

Thanks for all the advice so far guys. I will hopefully be posting pics of the truck soon. I need to buy a cheap digital camera this weekend.

 

Yep...4" solid lift in the rear only. You can probably run around with the stocker shocks in place....others have.

 

well i've begun my parts purchases to get this truck back into decent condition

First off i ordered those 2.5" x 14" springs for the zuk mod. I don't know what that's gonna do to the truck as i already have a 3" body lift on it but the rear is sagging so hopefully it'll kick the rear just a few inches above the front at the end of the day. I think i'm going to go with cuttout fender flares and remove the body lift in the future but for now i suppose i'll leave it in till i can afford the flares.

I also ordered:

- set of Warn hubs (the existing ones are the original ones and one is starting to whine)
- set of spark plugs and wires
- valve cover gasket (the only thing leaking in the whole truck)
- oil filter for the upcoming maintenance

It's just a start but i figure it's a good start. What else would you guys do/check on the truck? I basically think the previous owner was kinda a "don't fix it unless it's broke" kinda guy so any maintenance that it shoulda got probably wasn't done. Just trying to start going through it in order of importance to see if i can get it in reliable, well running condition during the next month. I have a 2000 mile roadtrip (to northern CA and back) coming up next month and I thought it would be fun to get this truck in good operating condition before then and take it.

is there any easy bolt on (or cut off) type accessory that helps the engine/power or efficiency on this truck? I know using large tires (32-33") only makes it worse so i figured maybe there was something to offset it. Or is the engine basically an "is what it is" kinda deal and no point in spending money on anything for it besides getting it running back to OEM specs?

Lastly is there PDF versions of the parts list and service manual for this truck? I looked on ebay and found nothing but the oldschool paper shop manuals for hundreds. i figured there must be PDF versions floating around somewhere?

If not, what is the recommended literature for working on these trucks yourself?

 

Sounds like a fun truck, I love beaters! Post up some pics on here when you get a chance.


Ok,
tires 33x10.50 bfg muds are a great size.
take off the body lift.
New shocks all around, makes a large difference. Bilstines are great, so are foxs. Both are a bit pricy, procomps are good and cheep.

Low profile poly bump stops in the front.

Change all fluids, t-case, trans, diffs. grease everything under the truck

Fix that exhaust, If you can find a header used on CL or something and a 2in piping to a turbo muffler.
Tune up, plugs, wires cap rotor,T-stat, hoses, seafoam treatment, and oil.
Clean the throttle body with carb cleaner, if you can pull it off get it ported 3mm and install with new gasket.
check for vacume leaks and replace any tubing.

After all that check and recheck your timing per your manual.

Bumpers are worth it in deer country, if you have any fab skills you can make one for cheep. If your like most of us who cant,
http://www.trail-gear.com/front-bumpers

http://www.marlincrawler.com/armor/f...r/front-bumper

If you want more power down the road, intake batt swap, cam should get you there.


Good luck!

 

Well i looked up the treadwright and their pricing sure looks right. unfortunately they don't make anything in 33 or 32" for 15" wheels. So it's either i go with 31" tires or go up to 16" wheels. I was thinking if i did go 16" wheels i could use 285/75/16 tires which are around 33" x 11" and happen to be the same size i use on the wife's excursion. Problem is now i gotta find/buy 16" rims that will fit on the runner. so since i'm cheap that means finding some used 16" wheels on craigslist. So i'm guessing that 6X5.5" is the same as 139mm right? so basically any 6 lug patterned wheel should fit as long as the backspacing is ok?

 

Older chevrolets with large center hole will fit in aluminum only. The center is a tad to small in the steel wheels so some cutting is required on those. All Toyota tacoma's will fit to I believe. Someone may wanna varify this for me

 

I'm looking at these on craigslist.
http://spokane.craigslist.org/pts/3538377007.html
they're nasty chrome but i figure that's nothing some sandblasting and rustoleum primer and matte black wheel paint won't fix. I'm looking to go up to 16s now just due to the availability of 285/75/16 tires compared to 33/12.5/15s. Do you guys think the chevy 6 bolt pattern will fit fine? unfortunately these are 3+ hours away from me and i can't take the truck to test fit them as i don't trust it for a 6hr round trip journey.

 

Those will fit

 

I seriously doubt your hubs are whining. You might want to take your old ones apart and give them a good cleaning and regrease. All kinds of threads on the board on how to recondition them. Not really any moving parts to wear out.

If you get whining, it is usually from the brass housing the cv goes through, or a wheel bearing. These hubs do not really ever go bad.

If you are intent on replacing the Aisins, I would be more than happy to take them off your hands. Otherwise, you can send back those Warns and have more money to replace the parts that are actually bad.

 

Yeah I've never heard of a hub whining either. Only thing in them are a couple springs and gears.

 

About the hubs, are the old ones Asin manuals? If so rebuild them! If you have auto hubs get rid of them buy some Warn manual hubs and install an auto locker in front. 4.88 gears, 33" tires (285/75/r16 BFG's are great but I am running what I found on Craig's list), 1" body lift (cut down the 3" ones you have), neoprene body and spring bushings.
[IMG][/IMG]
Don't let it get too hot or ping. This thread needs more pictures!

 

Its been said the factory asin are the best strongest hubs for 79-95 trucks and 4runners.
They make chromemolly hub gears for a reason. At one time i had older style 32x11.50 khumo m/ts on my stock 22re 5speed 4runner and perfered them over the 33x10.50 bfg km1 m/ts that i ran for awhile.