So, first off, this will be a SLOW thread documenting the progress of my build-up.

I had an 85 pickup in high school that i spent all of my money on, rebuilt 22R, lift, tires, etc... I then sold it two years after high school for 3k. I've regretted it ever since. Not because I could have gotten quite a bit more for it, but because it was my favorite vehicle I've ever had. Always reliable, and always a ton of fun. (Me and my friends drove the shock mounts through the inner fenders jumping the truck off dirt ramps in a new housing development ) Fast forward ten years and I finally got my hands on another Yota. I recently moved from California to Louisiana and was looking for a 4Runner. Unfortunately, the south doesn't seem to share the love for old Toyotas like CA does. So, after a few months searching Craigslist farther and farther from New Orleans, I found an 85 4Runner about 5 hours east in Florida for 4K. After talking to the owner over the phone, I got the impression that he knew his Toyotas well and that he was a stand up guy. So I loaded up the wife, and we drove 5 hours to *hopefully* drive the 4Runner back with us.
SUCCESS!!!

 

So, first up, i had to paint the wheels black along with the removable top.

 

Next, I finished sanding the body down and hit it with a few rattle cans of Rustoleum Camo Sand. Then I decided I needed some new tires. Went with some 33x12.50 Dick Cepek M/T's.

 

Threw in some cheap gauges from AutoZone. (Oil press is still not hooked up)

 

Door panels were kind of torn up, so i gave them a little makeover. Lined the inside of the door with some Peel 'n Seal from home depot to get rid of some of the road noise, then went with some MDF covered in indoor/outdoor carpet. I think it looks pretty good.

 

I have more pictures that I will upload tomorrow to catch up with where the Runner is at now. Keep in mind, this will be a long term thread as it is my DD now and will be for awhile. Just something to document my build as time goes on. Also, theres not a whole lot of rocks down here in Louisiana, just mud and swamps so this won't be a linked, super flexy truck anytime soon. Although i do plan on moving back to the west coast eventually so perhaps someday...

 

Nice looking runner, a coat of fresh paint and some new aggressive tires made a big difference in its looks! Look forward to seeing some more pics.

 

Looks like you found a solid runner and they are getting harder to find in the south. Welcome to Yotatech.

 

Thanks guys. Been creeping on here for a long time, only recently created an account. Theres a ton of knowledge on this site that I have used and plan to keep using in the future. My wife used to get mad at me because i would sit here and read build threads and tech write ups for hours, and i didn't even own a Yota at the time! haha, guess i've always had them on the brain.
Well, i found a picture f me and my 85 pickup in high school. Dang, 2004 seems like yesterday! (That thing was way to high for 33's in hindsight!!)

 

Since she's a DD (even though its only like a 10 mile round trip to work), I decided to fix up the interior to my liking and make it quieter inside the cabin. Anyone who has had an old toyota that had the interior stripped out of it knows the "tin can" sound. Well i wasn't a fan of it, and i also wanted to be able to have a conversation with my wife without having to shout to be heard.
New carpet from Custom Auto Interiors:

 

Wanted to put a stereo in it so I could jam on the way to work and on my fishing trips. Ended up making some interior panels that match my doors. Turned out quite good if you ask me. I still need to install the head unit though. Got rid of the El Cheapo rear seat and made the area flat with a piece of plywood. I would still like to find a good rear seat (the fold down kind) and rear seatbelts eventually, but for now, its just me and the wife, no kiddos so I can wait on that.

 

The stock driver seat was pretty worn down. Couple that with the "lift" that someone in the past installed on the truck (It felt like they just stuck some add-a-leafs at all four corners), my liver and kidneys couldn't take the bone jarring ride anymore. Scored a pair of Celica GTS seats (super comfy) from a local Pick-n-Pull for 50$. Was going to have them reupholstered to match the truck a little better but the lady wanted 700$ to do the pair. Ended up just getting seat covers haha. Still only have the drivers side installed since i would like to eventually swap the mounting brackets from the old seats to the Celica seats and make use of the stock mounting locations. However I don't have a welder and i live in an apt at the moment so that will have to wait.



Also, the Old Man Emu suspension (to ease the jarring ride) before I installed it. Those are TrailGear greaseable shackles in the 6in size. I ended up not liking how tall they were. Plan on stepping down to 5in at some point.

 

Did the rear drums and the new suspension at the same time. Was able to use one of the lifts and air tools on base at the auto hobby shop which made it super easy. Don't have any pictures of the install since its pretty straight forward. One thing i will mention, the 6in TG shackles coupled with the OME springs require some front d/s lengthening if you intend on flexing out. At full droop on the lift, the slip yoke just barely kept popping out. Thats one of the reasons I'd like to try the 5in shackles instead. Also, the OME shocks were not made to accommodate longer shackles either, so i will need to get some longer shocks as well. But, like i said, there are no rocks here in Louisiana, just mud, so ill be ok while i mess around with the suspension.

 

Had to jam the load sensing rod all the way up into the LSPV to stop it from leaking. If anyone knows a place that sells new seals and what not so i can rebuild it, or maybe someone has one laying around....???

 

Pulled the valve cover to check on the timing chain and guides. Looked good, guides intact. Checked valve clearances while i was in there, clearances were off a bit, so i set them to .008 and .012. However in hindsight, valves were cold when i adjusted them which is probably why they are quite a bit noisier now. Need to get back in there and quiet them up. Painted the valve cover and MAF sensor while i was in there. +5hp!!! New vacuum lines, new plugs, new wires, oil change, etc...

 

Couple weeks ago doing some morning fishing

 

Well, I'm all caught up now. Its been a great six months or so that i've had her. looking forward to many more years and many more projects. I will be moving into a house with a garage in about two months so that will allow me to start a lot more projects. I have some minor rust spots id like to repair, need to fix the AC (summer in the south with no AC is pretty much like living in hell), tint the windows, change out the power steering pump with a higher output TG unit (which i already have), i would like to do hy-steer as well because the bump steer on this thing sucks. I want to clean up the front axle (cut off all the extra brackets), rebuild my knuckles, and install these.

I plan on getting 35's and just went ahead and geared for that. Probably should have went with ARBs for a DD but i figured, hey, its only a 10mile round trip, i can deal with Detroits.

 

Love your 85 you have here!! So Clean!!!

I did High-steer on mine with the OME springs. It worked out great. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Thanks man! Ive been following your build for awhile on here, its an inspiration! I will definitely let you know if i have questions when i get around to ditching that stock J-arm steering!!

 

Your interior turned out nice, thats my next project. Where did you get your vacuum lines, I need to replace some of mine, might as well do them all at once. When you do your high steer, I'd be interested in your old steering arms if you want to sell them!