Belated build thread as I have had this a few months...

Had an 84 that I really regret getting rid of so I've always had a soft spot for these things. Picked this up a while back and have been SLOWLY working on it trying to get it up and going (time constraints due to work/school etc...I know everyone here understands).

Purchased as a non running project (TOYED with the idea of using it as a parts truck for my OTHER project when I saw the ad...that quickly changed when I saw it in person and met the PO...lots of love went in to getting this thing to its current point and I simply fell in love). PO had worked on it a few years and ran out of time to use it so it had been sitting for two years in his garage when I came along).
- No exhaust

Status when purchased:

- Carb gummed up from sitting
- 5.29's (PO is definitely mechanically inclined, did work himself but built rear third first...suggested swapping front/rear for streat use bc there is a SLIGHT amount of additional resistance in rear...he wasn't worried about it bc it was an offroad use only truck for him. Assured me patterns were corect when assembled and said he just didn't want to take it apart to ad another ship bc he was under the gun for an offroad trip he was getting ready for. I plan on swapping at some point)
- Aussie front and rear
- Unknown lift (guessing 4"? no shocks and has drivers side lean)
- Older 33's BFG AT's (my try running them a while...read somewhere on here that some enjoy 33's w/5.29's bc even though stock ratio is w/35's...the weight difference isn't taken in to account with that setup)...we'll see.

Plans:

- Relaible DD capable truck that can take me anywhere, do what I want to do and get me back again in comfort (AC/Stereo/maybe sound deadener). MAY want 4.88's at some point...like the look of 33's on these things...

So far:

- Desmogged w/ LCE engineering Kit
- Weber 32/36 (In progress...more to follow)




- Get it up and going

 

Pics bc that's all anyone cares about anyway!

Pardon the mess...haven't done any real cleaning as of yet.


When I went to look at it






Loaded up!





Interior





And both my Toy's together!

 

Now for the isssues encountered so far:

Thought there was a difference between CA/Federal trucks...this was originally a Texas truck but still has a smog pump...thought that was interesting...made it necessary to recycle old stock exhaust manifold from an 82 so I could use block plates on DS of head (where EGR ports are)

Desmogging has been a MAJOR PITA!

Removed intake manifold only to discover desroyed threads in front part of head. Tried my luck at Helicoils...we'll see if they hold...torquing them down tonight for reinstall hopefully.

Rewind:

On FIRST reinstall after desmog as soon as I added coolant it started POURING out of intake...this SHOULD have been a clue that they weren't tight...just thought there might be an issue with squareness of head (recycled intake manifold off of another 82 as well bc original was destroyed trying to remove water plate on bottom for desmog)...well I drained all coolant just to see if it would fire (needed to hear it...i had been slaving away seemingly forever to get everything ripped out and needed SOME sort of confirmation I did something halfway right). I turned the KEY and POW! strange sound I've never heard before...turned key again and it started fine for a few seconds (w/ starting fluid)...my heart sank when I saw liquid coming out of exhaust pipe...I immediately knew my mistake...I was afraid I hydrolocked the engine. Checked again to make sure all coolant was out and I figured damage was done...so i tried again...once gas made it to the new carb it fired right up and idled smooth! Kind of a whine/whistle (maybe leak from intake?) was only sound I noticed..

Now:

Gameplan for tonight is to try and get everything reinstalled/torqued down and re start engine...more to follow...

My VERY FIRST attempt at helicoil last night!!! HOPE they hold...didn't seem too bad once i got the hang of it...never even tried tapping before...seems sturdy...



Installed...I DID remove that tang at the bottom before mounting fuel pump.

 

Sub'd. I like it. Hopefully that helicoil holds.

 

Thanks...Yeah you're telling me! At this point if they fail and I need to remove head for any reason i'll prob just pull engine and rebuild (or GET rebuilt rather)...not sure if I'd be willing todo all of the work associated w head gasket on a 200k mile engine..Did a total of four inserts, one for fuel pump and three to hold most forward portion of intake on...time will tell I guess.

Hopefully I'll have a good update tonight!

 

Update: some good and some bad...


Good:

Helicoils seem to be holding well. No static leaks from anywhere on intake that I can see (didn't run it)

Bad: the water block off plate between cylinders two and three continues to have a static leak...a bad one.

VERY frustrating...im going to have to rip this thing off for what I think will be the fourth or fifth time and hope its something simple like a piece of old gasket or something. I don't think the plate could be warped and there werent any leaks before so I wouldn't think its the head being warped either.

Maybe a thin coat of rtv/gasket maker before reinstall?

 

Hey man, congrats on the new Toy! Its guna look sweet

 

Yeah can't wait to see it in the future! Any updates on your trekker?

 

Hey neighbor. Nice. I need to swing by and check out the rig.

 

Sethman: Thanks! I can't wait to get it up and going...I definitely have a "vision" for it

Yota dude: Trekker is on the back burner (for now...especially since the semester is in full swing again)...when I dug in to this one I THOUGHT it would be easier/quicker to get up and going and that I'd be able to drive this one while REALLY going through the Trekker...that' what I get for thinking! ha.

Boom: Yeah dude we need to hang man...any time you wanna have a beer and point/laugh at my wrenching skills just let me know! I checked out your thread the other day...your truck is looking GOOOOOOOD!!!

 

You have a great truck to work with, I like the color and stripe pattern on it. Looking forward to your build.

 

Nice SR5 seats you scored with it!

If the helicoil doesn't hold, you can always get a nice upgraded head from ENGNBLDR

Look forward to the updates and photos - good find!

 

Nice runner you have there. I think the helicoil will be just fine. I have used them on tons of applications, even where a high torque is involved and they held.

 

Thanks, all! Yeah, I really dig the paint scheme/SR5 interior...actually prefer that it's an 84 and carb'd (less intimidating to me than dealing w/ all the electronics etc of the EFI rigs)

Super excited, just got back in to town from a work related trip...was CONSTANTLY daydreaming about how to proceed..super stoked to get back to work on it!

Gizler: how do you like 5.29's w/ 33's???

 

I have the same question, I just went with 4:88's to run with my 33-10:50's.
My original plan was 5:29 but after a lot of thought and some phone calls I decided the 4:88s were better. I still need to run highway speeds when we run to the mountains in the north, problem being, we are always in the mountains so 5th gear is the least used I fear. My decision was helped along with the addition of 4:7 low range for off road, and a lot of helpful conversation with Marlin crawler and Randys ring an pinion. Both places helped me make the decision of 4:88. For me running a stock 22R it was really hard to not to go to 5:29s. Too late to turn back now for me. If I seen 35's or taller in my future I would have gone 5:29s - but I dont see that any time soon so ........ Didnt mean to hijack your thread, just always interested in hearing more.

 

Update:

After a few VERY frustrating few weeks it runs and as of yet it doesn't have any leaks!!!

Had to remove/install intake ANOTHER couple of times (every time I went to install/retorque intake bolts another one would strip...I think just about all of them are now helicoiled...so far all is well and holding torque (used about 15 lbs on all per FSM...IIRC it says 13-19 is good...working from memory). I did end up hitting the head with an abrasive disk on the angle grinder (one of the ones that looks kind of like a stiff scotchbrite...hope that makes sense), recommended by buddy as it doesn't scratch/mar alluminum...gotta say, it worked great.

After reassembly I could NOT get it started, changed fuel pump...no change...long story short I found that the float needle on carb was sticking and not letting any gas in! I think it was from the old/bad gas run through it when I initially got it up and going. I ended up doing the typical drop/clean tank (Local radiator shop made it look new), blow lines etc while i was at it. I had never taken apart a Weber before...was a little nervous but it really IS a simple setup...once I unstuck the float needle it cranks right up!

Pics...again...I know that's all anyone cares about anyway!

Prepped and ready for (hopefully) final install



Nice clean tank



All shiny and new looking inside!!! Even got a new pickup screen from dealer...(fluid is WD40 to prevent flash rust)




Prepping for my first Weber surgery

 

Also started trying to make this look more like a 4Runner...had an extra valence/etc from a truck I had a LOOOOOONG time ago (I KNEW I was holding on to it for a reason!). Ended up picking up front bumper/bumper ends/brackets from rockauto pretty cheap...I want to eventually paint grille black for more utilitarian look. PO also gave me a drivers side fender he had painted to match...he just left older/more beat up one on since he planned on wheeling it...I ended up bolting it on to see how it looked...I'll post updated pictures later this weekend.



Hoping to get exhaust knocked out tomorrow as I have NOTHING other than the manifold/downpipe...I'll prob just take to shop to get it done as it will only save me 70-80 bucks doing it myself (based on my math and estimate from local shop)....anyone done homebrew exhaust setup with all flexpipe???

After exhaust i'd like to figure out a no brights issue so i can get it registered/inspected and patch one small hole in drivers kick panel in preperation for bedlining interior. I'm thinking I'm going to go w/ raptorliner kit...seems to get GREAT reviews. A little nervous as i've only done some VERY basic welding (like one saturday's intro class worth)...oh well, no better teacher than experience right?

Thanks for reading.

 

No sweat! I'm still on the fence myself....I'll need to get this thing going and drive it around before I make the decision....maybe I'll see if anyone wants to swap 4.88's for these 5.29's if i decide to go that way...

 

Sorry I didnt get back to this sooner, I over looked it.

I dont mind the 5.29's with the 33's. BUt I also do not drive on the highway very much.

When I do, it is usually screaming at 3k or more at 60+mph

Has loads of bottom end torque though. and speedo is off quite a bit. I am hoping to one day throw 35's or 36's on it. I think that will give me that happy medium that I want. But for now, I drive it every day and love it.

 

Thanks for the insight! I'm still on the fence about it...I actually got it up and going enough to drive it around the neighborhood a bit and the speedo is DEFINITELY off! I may post up in the WTB section and see if anyone w/ 4.88's and at least one locker would want to trade.

Update:

- The recycled intake I was fighting the water leaks with: didn't notice that the passage for the PCV was clogged (looks like it was intentionally blocked w/ some REALLY solid stuff...guessing exhaust patch material or something). Long story short no operable PCV system so the driving I have been doing has been limited to around the neighborhood.

- Removed carb to see if I could get to intake to unclog/drill out and fix and decided to run compression test while I was under the hood again: Numbers aren't HORRIBLE but they're not great either...120,148,138,115.

NOW...questions for the group:

- I've sourced a local used engine w/ warranty from a Japanese engine recycler (comp/leak down test completed, includes intake/exhaust some accessories etc, cleaned, basically ready to drop in)...nearly half the cost of the rebuild costs I've been quoted with no core charge (I'd like to eventually build a hybrid motor to throw in so having an extra would be nice). Purchase a 60k mile Toyota built engine or go local machine shop route and have one that's been cracked?

- Any input on the 4.88's vs 5.29's? I could use tires and there seems to be a large price difference between 33's and 35's! (unless I go 17" rim...I haven't found many pictures of first gen's w/ 17's though)

- Also: I THINK it's just bad leaf springs causing the gangster lean...I have a set of used NWOR leaf springs I originally had accumulated and planned on using for the Trekker...I THINK they're the 4" versions and will fit...anyone running 35's know if I'll have any clearance issues off the top of their heads? (tried searching...wasn't very successful)

Thanks for the input, all...I'm trying to do all of this on a budget and time is my MAJOR limiting factor at the moment...

Take care and as always, thanks for reading