Mmmmmmmmmmmm

That thing looks yummy.

 

Really great work so far. Makes me feel like such a slacker, I have 2 little boys and I feel like I just don't have the time to devote to my 4Runner, but here you have 3 little girls and you are taking on major bodywork and engine work.

I like how you spent your birthday, that sounds like a great day to me. I told my wife this year not to buy me anything for my birthday, I was going to buy something for my truck.

 

Thanks man, nice of you to say. I feel really fortunate to be doing this work. When the head gasket failed it was hard to convince my family to let me hang on to this truck and purchase another vehicle. I feel like this is one of those rare opportunities to get to do something like this. I also have to my advantage that when I finish this project we can sell the '03 4Runner and I'll be able to give my wife some cash.

Today was frustrating because I had an eye appointment after lunch and for several hours I couldn't see anything up close. I found it really irritating but I did what I could anyway as today was my day off from work.
I wasn't really happy with my valve cover, so I took a wire wheel to it for a while.
I will repaint the letters black:



I also ordered some stuff from 22re performance out in Chico, CA. Mostly hoses.
Customer service was outstanding!

 

Okay, getting closer to being ready to put the motor back in. I spent some time with the POR-15 the other day. I applied it liberally with a foam brush. Two coats, the second just as the first was barely tacky. After it cured I was left with this:



Everything is pretty thoroughly covered in the stuff.
Next I was able to start putting things back on my motor!
First was the oil pickup tube with a new gasket:



I cleaned the screen really well and wiped it all down. Next was the Toyota FIPG and a brand new oil pan (the old one was damaged when the motor fell and the drain plug was stripped):







All the oil pan bolts torqued to 9ft/lbs.

Then brackets and hardware as well as some water lines:










Not bad for a day's work!

 

After a shower and a beer sat with the throttle body and a multi meter and set the TPS using 4Crawler's write-up. Thanks again to Gizzler for the heads up on that!

 

Got to spend the day working on the 4Runner- things are getting closer. Yesterday I dropped the intake off at a local metal shop to see if they could get this bolt out for me:



I need professional help with that one.
The transmission also got dropped off at the shop this week. Just a good go-through, bearings, sincronizers etc. I should be able to pick it up next week.

Worked mostly on the motor today. I got the water pump on and the associated hardware and the hose from the timing cover to the pipe. I also purchased a set of aluminum half moon head seals from 22re Performance out west- got those put in too:



Most of you are probably aware of the access to the top of the fuel tank under the back seat- but just in case you weren't, here it is:




You can see I have some cleaning up to do there. I pulled it off so I could access the fuel lines to clean them. The gas has been sitting for over a year now- I'm not interested in running it through my new engine. I siphoned all the fuel out of the tank and blew out the fuel lines. Before putting it all back together I'll do some rust remediation...
I then did some touching up on the front end:



I got the new head studs installed for the header and did a little mock-up to satisfy my curiosity:



Other little things, too. Pulled the carpet out of the back to get cleaned. I realized I accidentally threw away the head studs for the EGR when I tossed the studs on the exhaust side... Put the throttle body back on the intake.

 

Nice work I just dropped off my block at the machine shop. Hope mine comes out that nice

 

And then there's this:

[/QUOTE]

I may have a spare tire carrier on an 86 I'm tearing apart. If I do you can have it for free + shipping. It's on a pickup, but I think they use the same thing? My 84s was rusty but still let my spare down, which turned out to be on the only original rim I have. So no telling how long it was up there!

 

That's what I was going to probably end up doing as well... Not sure if you know it already but I'm pretty sure the part # is 51900-35121 for both trucks and runners... Should be around $100 online but be sure to do some research first to make sure this is right I'd hate to put someone on the wrong path...

Thanks! I didn't think I'd go as deep as I did but it honestly became too fun I'm sure you know the feeling. Maybe when this one is done you can add another yota to the family and pick up that '82!

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it. Where in Nevada are you? I grew up just north of Reno. I still miss the desert...

 

Got home from work last night to a package from RCEngineering- my freshly cleaned and balanced fuel injectors! You can see that one of them was barely working at all. I wonder how often "tired" motors are just starved for fuel from poorly performing injectors...

 

How much did that run for cleaning?

 

I'll check out the part number when I work my way to the underside of the rear- I'm planning to pull the rear axle out and clean everything under there when I put in the OME springs. Thanks for the heads up.

This project honestly started as just getting a new motor. The more I thought about it though, since this is to be my DD I better do as much as I can while its down and I have another vehicle to drive. It quickly got away from me. So here I am over budget with a long list of stuff I still want to do and over a year since the head gasket failed. But like you said, it's fun! So long as my family puts up with me spending time on it... I want it to be comfortable and quiet and a solid family vehicle. Like I said before, I'm planning to demonstrate three car seats across the back seat, too! And, we'll just have to see about the next project.

 

$25 per injector plus shipping. About $120 all said and done. Sweet deal. Beats the heck out of buying new ones!

By the way, I've been enjoying following your adventures in welding. Very resourceful!

 

Yeah its been a trip. Funny thing is last comment was commending me for patience but I'm just the opposite. I cuss and get frustrated easily. Every time i burned through or missed my mark i had to walk away for a moment. That spot on the front was tough to access with a welding helmet on.

 

Cleaned and installed the distributor today- nice tip from this video:
Also did some more painting and I just about have the engine bay where I'd like it for the motor:



Changed the front diff fluid, too. Pulled the breather and cleaned it out.
Creeping ever closer...

 

I want to replace these:



Not sure what it's called or how to search for them. I want try to keep water and road salt out of the engine compartment.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

 

Do you mean fender liners? I suspect most of our generation trucks are missing them. I took mine off about four years ago and haven't put them back. It doesn't look like they are for sale anywhere. I'm not sure what Toyota would call them anyway. This guy with a 4th gen made them out of rubber mat:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-ge...umber-s-2.html

 

I still have mine. They are just a thin rubber or softplastic. . I would make them out of something similar like started above. Shouldn't be hard.

 

Yeah, exactly, my '03 has some sort of rubber matting- which is a great idea! I'll see if I can make some...
I'm sure you're right about them being missing- I rarely see them. But I was noticing how much my relatively new starter and fuel filter had rusted- inexpensive aftermarket, for sure, but they were obviously getting exposed to a lot of debris from the road. I feel compelled to try to protect my investment and I really like the idea of getting those liners back in there.
Like Nervo said, I can't find anyone selling them. Thought maybe I was just searching the wrong name.
Cutting some heavy rubber and fitting it in seems like a realistic alternative though. Thanks for the idea Nervo!