bigtrucknwheels

this is absolutely wonderful! keep up the great work!

Cyberman

Back down from being sideways. Working on cleaning up the stuff to put back in. I'm trying my darndest to make sure nothing rusty gets by.

thook

You're doing a great job, Cyberman. This is really, really what I need to do to my '86 to stop all the rust and repair the holes. Trust when I get ready to do the job, I'll be lookin' you up for tips. Inspiring!

Are those 4x4's just wedged into the body, or did you use some fasteners?

Cyberman

In order to put it on its side, I cut the original 8 ft. 4x4s down to aroun 50.5 inches, which put them right under neath the stock mounting holes. I drilled holes through the 4x4s, then used bolts to hold the 4x4s in place. I originally had the lengthwise 4x4 directly under the body, but that blocked my access to the rocker, which was what needed fixed. I then used the second set, and moved the long 4x4 to the outside of the body. Once I tipped the body over far enough, the weight went to the opposite side, where I have a sawhorse with some padding on top. The roof of the cab rests on the sawhorse. I have a pair of furniture dollies that let me move the cab around the garage.

So far, I've only needed help from someone to get the body to the floor, and soon, to get it back on the frame. Everything else I've been able to do myself, including tipping the body over on its side.

bigtrucknwheels

yeah, believe it or not, if you got a little meat on your bones, providing you don't really care about damage, you can move the bed/the cab all by yourself. Im finding this out because of my parts truck haha.

93BlackYota

Absolutely Amazing! This thread is awesome........a complete tear down and rebuild. Keep up the great work.

thook

Well, I'm just thoroughly impressed. I think I'm going to have to work it a bit differently than that, though. I've got a lot of work to do the body mount locations on mine. Plus, I wonder if the 4rnr body would be so easily managable by my lonesome. Ah well.....I have plenty of time to think about it.

Still, I can work with those ideas as a basis. Thanks for replying, Cyberman.

Keep up the admirable work.

pwd

I always dream of my truck being like that, and looks like yours will be. Astounding effort there. Good luck and keep us posted, amazing job man!

Cyberman

I keep forgetting you've got a 4Runner body to deal with. You do have a few extra mount points than I have on my cab. I have to remove the wood to finish up under them. I'll just jack up the front, then the back.

thook

Say......when you're done, can I borrow your shop?!

Yeah, the more I think about it, I may wind up having to just lift the body off the frame a foot or so and work on while still actually over the frame. I just don't see how I can clear the motor, otherwise. And, I'm NOT about to pull the motor just to do the body work. Well....frame work, too. Rust just doesn't seem isolate itself to only one or the other, does it?....dammit!

Anyway, if I can get my hands on some house jacks, I think I can utilize your 4x4 idea. Just make a box out of them, strategically place them under the body, and lift with four jacks all around.

(Edited this post...lol! I was real tired when I first wrote it)

Cyberman

You will probably quickly realize that taking the time to get things out of the way will help immensely. I guess it's also a matter of how much time you want to invest.

bigtrucknwheels

well, my theory is that if you are gonna go through all the trouble of pulling the entire body off the frame, its a few more bolts and fluid lines and the motor is off too... then you can say, Yeah, I did that.

but thats just me...

thook

I don't want to hijack this thread at all, but let me just say this....

I'm not a puss' when it comes to this kind of stuff. I'll do whatever it takes. My only real limitation is space. I have no shop. Most any work I'm able to do is done right out here in the woods and dirt. Fun, eh?...lol! I could borrow a lift and motor stand from a friend, so that's not an issue. I would just be concerned about weathering it for the duration of a frame/body resto. Ah ha! Maybe I could put one of the dog's houses over it! I suppose also I'm just burned out on pulling and installing motor's for the time being. I just rebuilt the thing a few months ago. When I think about it, though, it wasn't really that hard. Hmmm....okay, I may have to change my stance on this. It would be easier getting the body off to work on it. Hell....I think I'm gonna do it. Just have to think of some way to waterproof the motor while on a stand.

You guys are too persuasive. Either that, or I'm too gullible...

bigtrucknwheels

haha, I feel your pain man, but you can't be afraid! I learned to do some real wrenching all on my own the other week, and I did it in my gravel driveway with a simple socket set and some hand tools. I swapped a whole rear end from one truck to another! (Im just stho proud ofth myselfth!)

NicCantDecide

Last time I went to a pick'n'pull I forgot my toolset :/ I came to find that almost anything can be done with two crescent wrenches and a hammer haha

Cars aren't really all that complicated once you get crackin'.

Oh, and you can weather proof your engine by throwing a tarp over it! Genius I know...

Cyberman

thook,

Don't go all crazy. I didn't realize you didn't have shelter. I've been there before. After all this time, I bought a house last year and finally have a garage to do work in. I got stuck one year out in the rain and cold trying to get my DD running again. This was all my fault, considering I was trying to install a ported head and race cams in the middle of winter.

I am a firm believer of having a plan.

thook

Thanks for the encouragement, gentlemen, but I ain't askeered of wrenching on the thing. I've done enough to both of my 4rnr's to realize that neither are all that complicated. If I have the tools, I believe I can do it....whatever it is.

Speaking of winter rain and cold, January before last I was under the '86 replacing the clutch.....all in freezing temps with a substantial amount of ice on the ground. The removal was hard enough (you know cold hands sticking to metal....ugh), but the installation was the real biotch. I wrecked the '92 while the tranny was still out in the '86, really hurt my back, but was down to one vehicle that would operate. So, 34* degrees outside and f'd up back, I was under there shoving a tranny in. No room for a plan at that point. Grin and bear it was the option. Oh, and a heater blowing under the truck to atleast stop shivering so badly.

I had to consecrate that January obsurdity with a repeat performance this past Jan. Under the truck, on the freezing ground, pulling the tranny so I could pull the motor. Timing chain crapped out and bent six valves. So, I just rebuilt the whole thing....on a budget.

Anyway....
So, yeah....I don't have shelter, but seriously I'd love to do as thorough of a job as you're doing. Well, mostly. There's no real need for me to pull the whole dash out. Unless, I decide at that point to put in a new heater core. That'd be cool! But, all the interior stuff, the exterior trim, hardtop, etc. will come off. I'll probably do it in stages, though. Pull the body off, take care of the frame and belly, put it all back together, and then do everything up top. Sound like a good plan?

bigtrucknwheels

nah, I knew you werent afraid to turn a wrench, I just meant you can't let your shelterless issue stop you! which, apparently, it doesn't!

and yes, it does sound like a good plan.

thook

Thanks! I just cleaned out my little 10x15' shop today. I'm already thinking about my dilemma, so I figure knock one wall out, expand another five feet, and I'll have enough room to stow the motor and all the removed parts until the frame and belly are done. But, I'll see how things turn out. Life has a way of taking one on turns outside the path of the plan.

Oh....never use tarps over the motor for storing outside for any appreciable length of time. Guess what happens? Uh....condensation = rust! And, it's Arkansas, no less...

So, that's enough about my plans in this thread. Onward.....please!

thook

Cyber, I was just relooking over your thread. How did you manage to get the body mount hardware freed up? I assume you had some rust issues....probably...maybe?