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1989 Toyota 4runner SR5 -- Restoration & Modification
For a Toyota gearhead like me, this is one of the best forums anywhere on the Internet. I have been reading and enjoying, Now I have a project to share.
A Little Background
I wanted a first-generation 4runner for as long as I could remember. So when I stumbled on this one it was kind of inevitable that I would buy it. And when I say I stumbled on this 4runner I mean it. I was driving in Lake Geneva on my way to Home Depot to get some materials for a job that I was working on. When out of the corner of my eye, I saw this forlorn, hard used, rattle can paint job wearing, little truck sitting on the edge of a condo complex parking lot with a for sale sign on it. I whipped a U-turn... As I looked the 4runner over the urge to try the the key from my '84 Xtra Cab (which is what I was driving at that time) in the door lock overtook me. And sure as heck, the key turned the lock and unlocked the door. Now I was in for the full program so next I tried the ignition lock, and it too turned and the dash lights came on. I didn't dare go any further. I sure wasn't going to try to start the engine. Instead, I turned the ignition off, I closed and locked the door, and took down the phone number on the sign. These were all pretty good indications that I must own this particular 4runner. I called the owner and by that evening I was the new owner. Although this 4runner is somewhat rusty in the usual places it is in surprisingly good condition for this region of the country. It turns out that this 4runner was originally sold in California and licensed and registered there for the first 11 years of its life. This explains why it even exists in Wisconsin. If it had started life here and stayed here it would have been long gone to the junk yard.
Slowly But Surely
For a number of years this has been a project in my imagination only. Right now my main focus is on my 1993 Toyota pick up. I am going to be counting on that truck to get me through the winter (2017 – 2018). Once I get it running I will retire the 4runner from daily use. I hope to keep it off the salty winter roads for the rest of its life.
My Plans for the 4Runner
This is a picture of roughly what I hope to achieve with my 4runner. The CanBack soft top, the 33s, 4.88 gears, a little armor, a winch, etc...
For Phase 1, I am thinking 33 inch tires with Toyota 8 inch axles front and rear. That would mean a solid axle swap for the front, which I would do in combination with a front coil spring suspension conversion, The rear would get 63" Chevy leafs.
In the short-term, the 3.0 V6, 3VZE engine needs a valve job and the automatic transmission needs to get yanked in favor of an R150F five speed manual. I have almost 2 sets of everything I need to do both the heads and the transmission changeover.
Here is What I've Done So Far
Attacking the Rusty Quarter Panels
I am also slowly rebuilding the quarter panels, which are pretty rusty. I made a mold of the part of the quarter panel just behind the door and I am trying to piece a few other sections together to rebuild the lower third of the quarter-panel. I plan to take a mold of that lower third once I have it in nice shape.
I Replaced the Muffler and Made a Tailpipe with Mandrel Bends
I wanted to get experience working with mandrel bends and v-band exhaust clamps so I made up a tailpipe for the 4runner. I installed a new muffler and made some hangers. I think it came out pretty good.
A 100 Amp Alternator Replaces the Dying 60 Amp Unit + Wiring
The original alternator was going bad so I thought an upgrade to a bigger Nippon Denso alternator was in order. I chose an alternator from a 1992 Toyota MR2. The case is a good bit bigger, but it is a relatively easy swap. It's mostly plug-and-play except for the bottom bracket, which needs to be lengthened by about an inch. I thought the charging wire should be upgraded, So I ran a #2 gauge cable from the alternator to the battery. I left the factory charging cable, which is only a #6 gauge wire, connected as well. The two cables are pretty much running in parallel. It seems to be working quite well.
The Celica Seat Upgrade
The first picture shows an early '90s Toyota Celica seat installed in my 1984 Xtra Cab. I stumbled across these seats one day on eBay about 18 years ago! When I saw pictures, the Celica seats looked good, but I had no idea whether they would fit or not. When they arrived at my door I was happily surprised to find that they looked better in person than they did in the pictures. And when it came time to install them three out of four of the mounting points lined right up. 17 years later they have found a home in my '89 4runner, but the driver's seat is getting worn out, so I am on the lookout for a replacement. I would consider getting the same seats again, but it's getting harder to find them in good condition as the years go by. After 17 years it might be time to try something new. Seats from the 2013 and up Scion FRS/Subaru BRZ look pretty interesting. Whether they will fit or not remains to be seen.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 05-14-2018 at 11:59 PM.
I want to hear more about how you made those molds. Cool project, those can backs are nice.
I am trying to locate some pictures that would help explain the construction of the molds. I will definitely put something up about that.
In the meantime let's talk about the Canback soft top.I have been collecting pictures of the frames and the fabric covering with the hope that I might be able to make one myself. I have a head start on the game too. I have access to an industrial sewing machine that belongs to a family member.
Well I have a Softopper, and a few years ago I had a Kayline. The Softopper is much better than the Kayline, material is better and from what I have seen my ST keeps water out.. things I don't like are that it does not fit snugly on back corners and at highway speeds it sucks inward like puckered cheeks which makes the windows rub on roll bar. Still a decent top and I'm mostly happy with it, but the Canback has more of a frame, seems like heavier canvas material and seems to fit truck better. I'd love to see what you come up with, I love the ingenuity on YT.
Supposedly Canback is in business again, I think there was someone trying to get a group buy going to get them to produce the 4runner tops, but haven't seen anything on that in while. If I remember right the price was up there, quite a bit more than the Softopper, probably worth it but hard to justify for me.
Well I have a Softopper, and a few years ago I had a Kayline. The Softopper is much better than the Kayline, material is better and from what I have seen my ST keeps water out.. things I don't like are that it does not fit snugly on back corners and at highway speeds it sucks inward like puckered cheeks which makes the windows rub on roll bar. Still a decent top and I'm mostly happy with it, but the Canback has more of a frame, seems like heavier canvas material and seems to fit truck better. I'd love to see what you come up with, I love the ingenuity on YT.
Supposedly Canback is in business again, I think there was someone trying to get a group buy going to get them to produce the 4runner tops, but haven't seen anything on that in while. If I remember right the price was up there, quite a bit more than the Softopper, probably worth it but hard to justify for me.
For me, the great thing about the Canback design is that you can mount a roof rack on it. I think the load capacity was around 350 lbs. If I build my own i'm gonna look for ways that I can upgade that so that it could carry a rooftop tent.
Although I am off to a slow start, I am enjoying the planning phase and have lots of ideas about the possibilities. One of the things I've always wanted for my 4runner is a sunroof. While I was researching possible engine swaps in another forum here on yotatech, I stumbled across this awesome the solution.
It is sourced from a mid 2000s Range Rover. Credit goes to Yotatech contributing member "RMA" who is a master of the 1UZFE swap, which I am also considering.
In fact, I've been watching Craigslist and seeing Lexus LS400 cars priced at or below $1000 popping up pretty regularly. I am even holding out hope that if I shop hard maybe I can get one for half that price or even just free for the taking. That would be the right price for me. My main concern in such situations is being able to see the engine and all its supporting components, like the ECU, the wiring harness, the vacuum hoses; the engine accessories, like the AC, the alternator and the power steering pump, etc., installed in the donor vehicle. Even if the engine was worn out or not running, because once I got everything figured out I could run down to the JDM import store and by one of those low mileage engines that they bring over here from Japan. Seems that the cost would be comparable to a 5VZFE swap, except that I would end up with 260 hp instead of 190.SaveSave
Last edited by wrenchtech; 10-25-2017 at 04:32 PM.
Well I have a Softopper, and a few years ago I had a Kayline...
Did K-line make a complete topper? I thought I remembered a little bikini top that they made.
The Softtopper has a good feature in that it can fold back and out-of-the-way. With the Canback the back seat passengers never really get to be out in the sun. I mean, that's why want a sunroof, to be out in the elements as much as possible when conditions warrant it.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 10-25-2017 at 04:34 PM.
Still pretty rough, but coming together. The next step is to bond the section, that is being held on with cleco pins, to the truck with panel adhesive. Then finish it nice and paint it. At that point, I'll come back in and pull a mold of the entire lower half of the quarter panel which can then be used to generate repair panels. In the interest of full disclosure, I have buried some rust around the wheel opening because I wanted to preserve and capture the contours. The front and rear sections have had all the rust cut out before fiberglass was applied. Once I pull a mold off of the repaired sections I will go back in and cut out the rusty areas of the wheel opening.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 10-26-2017 at 10:38 AM.
Did K-line make a complete topper? I thought I remembered a little bikini top that they made.
The Softtopper has a good feature in that it can fold back and out-of-the-way. With the Canback the back seat passengers never really get to be out in the sun. I mean, that's why want a sunroof, to be out in the elements as much as possible when conditions warrant it.
Yes, Kayline made a full top. It's better looking than any other in my opinion but you cannot mount a rack on it like you can with others. There was one for sale used on CL Rhode Island recently. I think it was $300. And there was a Softtopper for sale in CT on Craigslist also.
Does anybody know what that is bolted to the upper edge of the bed, black thing running the length of the base of the canback frame? It looks like some kind of frame.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 10-26-2017 at 08:59 PM.
Most of the work I do on these trucks has to get done outdoors. It was cold and rainy over the weekend, So I took to my basement and laid up another quarter panel patch panel.
If any fiberglass experts are looking at this, I would be glad for any advice you may have. The panels I'm making are pretty thick. I'm using two layers of mat that I am cutting off a roll that I bought in 1985. Consequently, I have no idea what weight the material is. And just for good measure I sandwiched a piece of fiberglass cloth in between. I am buying my resin in gallon cans from Walmart for $37.95. Since I'm using a male mold, I have to sand the outer surface, Which will be my finished surface, quite a bit. The panel is roughly an 1/8" thick even when I get it smoothed out. I'm going to use automotive panel adhesive to bond it to the truck. I think once I do that I will feel confident to sand it down more. Any parts that are not supported by the trucks existing sheet-metal I can reinforce from the backside.
Instead of cutting along the black line right across the panel I should've cut the redline and save the bottom edge all the way across like I did on the other side, But I got a little ahead of myself with the cut off wheel. Now I'll have to work a little harder to get that bottom lip lined up and secured.
The moment of truth. Popping the panel off of the mold. My work has a few bubbles in it, still, the inside of the panel is amazing and I can just hope that the outside will finish as nicely.
Here it is temporarily fitted and held on with some Cleco pins. I need to trim the panel so I can move it up a little bit. The bottom will tuck in more before I actually bond it in place. The bottom lip is also way too tall and will get trimmed to match the old lines.
The patch panels on both sides are now bonded securely in place with panel adhesive. The rest of the repair area got another coat of BondoGlass. I am trying to build up the whole repair area to be uniformly about one-eighth of an inch thick. I am sanding the high spots down between each coat. I think I will probably need two more skim coats of BondoGlass and some careful sanding to get the contours and details right. After that, I will apply a light coat of regular body filler and sand some more. Primer will follow that, but I am not sure whether a primer/sealer or a sanding primer is the correct next step. It's not like I'm painting a freaking Porsche, but I do like to establish good work habits, and I like to think that I am preparing myself for even better and more demanding projects.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 12-09-2017 at 03:48 AM.
It is slow going now that winter is setting in because I don't have a garage. I can take it over to a friend's garage, but we've had the occasional 50° day, so I just work on my vehicles when the weather allows. Most recently I cleaned up the lower, passenger side, back corner. I cut out the rusty metal and then sandblasted the inner panel and coated it with POR 15. Then I took some aluminum tape informed it to the shape of the missing metal and shot some insulating foam in the cavity between the inner panel and the foil tape. Let it hardened overnight and peel off the tape and you've got whole-y mess. Then I take a medium tooth handsaw and cut off the high spots to trim it down to the desired shape. It had a lot of bubble voids so I squirted a little more foam on to the outer surface, let that set up, and then hit it with a sanding block with 36 grit paper to get the final shape. I will be able to skim directly over the foam with Bondo Glass. Later, after the fiberglass has set up, I can go back in and scrape out the foam.
Last edited by wrenchtech; 12-21-2017 at 04:27 AM.
10-22-2017, 05:03 PM
