RampartRanger

So this is more of an introduction than an build up right now. A little background about me. I'm from a small town of Woodland Park, co. I've always been into cars, specifically Subarus. Had multiple impreza builds and was an avid forum member over on RS25.com. Well I've since left the Subaru game and went and bought myself something I've always loved the look of and wanted....a 1986 Toyota 4runner! Now I lucked out and got this particular rig from a family friend for only $350! But with any vehicle that cheap it came with a plethora of problems. This is where I'll document the trials and tribulations of my 4runner.

Here's from the day I got it!


And here's the first time I took the top off, Jesco Mae loved that!

After buying it in the mid summer of 2013 I only got in about 1000 miles before just about everything went wrong.

Here's a list of what I've replaced/fixed so far.
-all four shocks used Skyjacker nitro 8000 series
-all new brakes including drums/shoes pads rotors and a whole new caliper on the passenger side.
-all new tires 31" Goodyear wrangler at
-both front cvs
-front wheel bearings
-rear axle seals and bearings
-2 hella 500 fog lights
Now, that's all regular stuff for a vehicle with 235k on the clock. At this point I was really loving the truck. Was a beast off road, I loved the removable top and it was just a all around joy to drive. I quickly fell in love with my 4runner, a passion I haven't felt for another vehicle since my 1998 Impreza.

In the fall of 2013 I took a trip to steamboat springs for some grouse hunting. On the way back my head gasket blew. Typical white smoke and burning coolant. I was pretty upset but kind of new something like this was going to happen at some point. I took it to a local shop that I had trusted with many of my previous cars. The job they did was, Uhm, less than good. Within 200 miles of the head job I lost oil pressure on the highway, developed and knock and within seconds a piston detonated and I had literally shot a rod through the side of my block.

Devastated I towed my poor 4runner back to my dads house and that where she sits. Hasn't moved since October 1st. I've been working my tail off saving up for a new remanufactured engine and I'm just about there. This week, February 2014, I'm starting to order all new engine accessories, oil/water pump, clutch, pacesetter headers and a lot of other miscellaneous odds and ends to complete the install.

At this point I'm just waiting on parts and a good warm week to get it done. Stay tuned for a really stock build lol.

Here we go, parts ordered as of 2/11/14
-Pacesetter headers
-Clutch incl. throw out bearing
-timing cover (oem spec)
-water pump (oem spec)
-valve cover hardware kit
-oem transfer case knob, PO stuck in a really lame aftermarket knob
As of Feb. 21, 2014
all ordered from 22reperformance.com
-Header/exhaust stud kit
-5qts break in oil
-ultra gray engine sealant
-Intake manifold hardware kit
-OES Distributor and rotor
-OEM Thrermostat
-Remanufactured 22RE!!



4/25/14
Engine swap complete! My truck now has a freshly remanufactured 22RE installed and is completely driveable. Couldn't be happier right now!

FUTURE MODS
Well I already have my ZUK mod springs in hand. Just need to cut my bump stops and install them. This is just a temporary fix until i can afford to buy some proper leafs for the rear.

I have some LCE headers on the way, they will get installed as soon as the arrive.

ALso have a new set of Crager steelies in 15x7. All black with the red/blue stripe around them. Witing to get my tires switched over to install them.

I think my next major purchase for the rig is going to be some new bumpers. I have been doing a little shopping around and I really like the LCE front bumper with winch mount and NO stinger. Not really a fan of the stingers on bumpers. And I also really like the 4xInnovations bumpers and they are fairly reasonable in price.

Long term goals I'd like to get a LT set up and possibly a body lift to accomodate some larger tires. I'm also thinking about some Toyotafiberglass.com rear quarters to eliminate the rust issues. And Eventually a paint job. This is all VERY long term and will most likely have it done by the summer of 2015.

kornhuskerwizard

Ive been to woodland park, beatiful country!!Welcome and nice rig. Looks like a rebuild plus finding a block. Lots of good info on here.subarus are cool, but wont go places your 4runner will.

By the way Jescoe Mae wouldnt be referenced to Hankiii?

RampartRanger

I'm going to go with a whole new remanufactured engine. But also replace all the accessories with new stuff. It has definitely already taken me places none of my Subarus could've ever gone! And yes that is a Hank lll reference! Named after the great Jesco White.

Gizler00

iTrader: (1)

That stinks on the block. But nice that you have the ability to go with a whole new block and accessories. Always a good feeling knowing you have a new complete engine under the hood.

That was literally a steal of a price at 350$$!!!

RampartRanger

Some parts ordered, updates in red!

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

Great looking little runner you have. Sorry to hear of the block. With a little time and effort, you will have a great and fun little truck. All kinds of info on here to help get you going. Looking forward to your build.

RampartRanger

Well I wish I would've done some research on the pacesetter headers before I ordered them. I just took my friends word it, he drives a 87 4 runner and has the pacesetters, he has no problems with them. But after looking through some threads here on them it looks like they have a ˟˟˟˟ty track record.

RampartRanger

Parts list updated, ordered a few things.

RampartRanger

Well since I don't have any exciting updates i thought I'd show you guys a few of my previous cars...

My first Rally X with my 06 Impreza



Heres my 99 Impreza Wagon, so many hours and dollars spent on this one. was sad to see it go.



And here is my 04 WRX. Honestly this was my least favorite car I've ever owned. It was a constant headache.



I got some pictures of my ford Ranger that I rolled the piss out of... I'll see if I can dig em up and post them.

Grawg72

Looks like a nice project. I'm doing an 86 as well, and in the midst if pulling the motor to rebuild it. Good luck!

RampartRanger

Placed an order from 22reperformance.com for the remaining parts I needed. Parts list updated. All I'm waiting on now is one more paycheck and then its engine time!

I cannot wait to start working on my rig again and finally get her running again!

RampartRanger

Alright alright! A brand spankin new remanufactured 22re from United Engines has been ordered! Whenever it arrives I still won't be able to put it in right away, I live in Breckenridge, CO and thentruck is at my dads house in Colorado Springs, CO. So I have to wait till mid april till I will have time to come down and do the install. But hey atleast I have everything!

Gizler00

iTrader: (1)

Nice score on the engine. That stinks that its a ways away, but that means you can keep collecting parts for it in the meantime.

RampartRanger

Y'all know what that is?! A brand spankin new engine. That's what that is. So official date that I get to start working on it is April 21. It's a little ways away but it's the only time I'll have off between my two jobs. I have from then till May 1st to get it done. More than enough time.

RampartRanger

HUGE UPDATE

As of 4/21/14 I began working on replacing my old blown 22re with the fresh remanufactured one. Removal of the old engine went smoothly enough. After hours and hours of research on yotatech.com I knew exactly what to expect and how to handle all the PITA steps of the removal, example.. The two trans to block bolts behind the head on the top of the bell housing. I knew i needed an extra hand and about two feet of extensions. Piece of cake.

Also I was very diligent on labeling everything and snapping a few helpful photos of any vacuum lines, etc.

Luckily my dad let me use his garage to build the new motor. I had the old engine on a pallet right next to the new one which was on a proper engine stand. It took me two days to build the new motor. I really took my time and tried to pay as much attention to detail as possible to the assembly process. I did, what i thought was an amazing job.

The new parts I installed on the engine were as follows.
-timing cover
-water pump
-oil pump
-dizzy cap
-dizzy rotor
-thermostat
Mostly everything else was reused after a thorogh cleaning. I degreased the oil pan and pressure washed it EXTREMELY well along with the oil sump. Im hoping reusing that doesn't haunt me in the future. I also cleaned and repainted the valve cover.

Reinstalling the new engine went it rather smoothly too. Having an extra person during this helped out ALOT. Thankfully my friend Eric was more than happy to help for the hefty price of a free lunch.

Now this is where I had to do some trouble shooting. After getting everything in and hooking up all the vac lines, ps pump, wiring harness and all that good stuff, my engine would crank and turn over but would not fire! Checked the basics, air, fuel and spark. Had spark when i tested a plug on something metal. Was clearly getting air. And the fuel pump and fuel lines were delivering fuel. I was stumped over night.

And alas, my savior, YOTATECH!! A quick little search yielded me plenty results and possible fixes to my problem. Ended up being that i had set the timing of the distributor wrong. I had set my engine to TDC at the 0* mark not the 5* mark. Easy fix. Fired right up after adjusting that. That was this morning 4/25/14.

CURRENT ISSUE.
These dang Pacesetter headers are GARBAGE! I kinda new they were after i ordered them and checked on here and they had nothing but terrible reviews. The flange or whatever you want to call it that mates to the head is so warped that for the life of me I can't get it to seat flat on the head. Its leaking so bad it sounds like a damn tractor. So I've gotten through the initial break in period, 15 minutes of idle and whatnot. And I took it for a 5 mile drive around the block. It runs fine except for the ˟˟˟˟ing exhaust leak noise. So today I called LC Engineering and ordered a set of their street headers. I should've just done that to begin with and saved some money. ALSO there seems to be a slight coolant leak somewhere on the timing cover where its mated to the block on the passenger side. I haven't quite pin pointed it yet. Im hoping its some tiny leak i can just push some silicone engine sealant in and it'll stop. Not really trying to pull the motor out all over again.

So thats it for now. Another Toyota saved and put back on the road! I'll post some pictures of the swap once I transfer them from my phone to my computer.

RampartRanger

Okay i located the coolant leak. Was just a loose bolt on the timing cover. Gave it a good torque down and retorqued the rest of them while i was at it.

She seems to be good to go! just waiting on my LC headers to get here and the real break in period can begin!

Red Wagon

Awesome!


Waiting on those photos. Was this your first engine build?

dsal_86Yota

good looking runner. I just south of Springs, down in Florence. Glad to see another Rocky Mountain Yota

RampartRanger

Im actually located in Breckenridge, but my pops lives in the the Springs and he's got the tools and space.. Im down here quite often though since it is home.

Yea this was actually my first engine build. I purchased a longblock so it wasn't that much work. I feel I am fairly mechanically inclined so I wasn't too nervous about the build. And the 22re is ridiculously simple.

RampartRanger

Here's a few pictures of the swap. I guess I didn't take as many as i thought.

The old engine hangin right after i pulled it.



An empty engine bay...



And the fresh engine put together. Don't mind the crappy blue paint on everything. PO went a little rattle can happy. But I can assure you that everything was thoroughly cleaned before installing it on the new engine.



And here is a rod that i literally just stuck my hand in the hole in the block and pulled out...