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Melrose 4runner 1986 restomod summer beach truck

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Old 07-09-2017, 06:04 PM
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The "un-hacking" continues...this pile of wires was a previous owner's horn relay circuit. Yesterday, the horn stopped working. Today I soldered back the original wiring and it's working well again. Did these trucks originally come with one horn or two? Mine sounds like "boont, boont"


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Last edited by Melrose 4r; 07-09-2017 at 06:12 PM.
Old 07-09-2017, 07:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
On the way home, stopped for a photo opp then spent some time picking up a few items at Harbor Freight.
got a wave from a family in a wicked orange Jeep. People don't seem to know what 4runners with the hardtop iff are around here.

Lot of great work to the truck!
They aren't common in Indiana either, mine is the only one I've ever seen with the top off, I get tons of second, confused looks!

​​​​​​​Glad to see loads of good work being done, bumper looks great!
Old 07-09-2017, 10:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
The "un-hacking" continues...this pile of wires was a previous owner's horn relay circuit. Yesterday, the horn stopped working. Today I soldered back the original wiring and it's working well again. Did these trucks originally come with one horn or two? Mine sounds like "boont, boont"

Only one horn that on mine sounds like Mickey Mouse with his balls caught in a mouse trap. BWAH-HAH-HAH!

Part of the problem is excessively long wiring, similar to the headlight and cranking circuits.

The current to the horn goes from battery, to horn fuse, to horn, to cabin, to steering column switch (switched-ground), back to engine compartment, to ground point "c" inside left front fender! Now do you guys agree that Toyota mechanical engineers of those days were much better than its electrical engineers?

I already got a plain-jane Hella that I will add to stock. Will also modify the stock wiring so the horn button will only control a relay, and the relay will carry current to both horns.
I want good horns that I can use more often than the brakes; they don't wear out as fast. LOL!
Old 07-10-2017, 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
..." Mine sounds like "boont, boont"
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The correct sound is "Meep, meep." Very wimpy but I like it.

You have to post a picture of your OEM radio. I wish I had one for this one. All I've done to the previous owner's Sony radio is to replace the speakers. My son is oddly not much of a radio listener.

My '89 at 151,000 original miles uses half a quart of oil a month. It does not leak and it is getting 20 MPG. I'm not sure where the oil is going. I've been trying to train him to check the oil at every other fill up. I had one of these from the time it was new up to 100k and it didn't use oil I guess we have trouble ahead. I have never changed the fluid in the manual trans. I went as far as buying the right sockets but it hasn't happened yet. Have changed the rear dif oil but not the front.
Old 07-10-2017, 02:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Nervo19
My '89 at 151,000 original miles uses half a quart of oil a month. It does not leak and it is getting 20 MPG. I'm not sure where the oil is going.
My mustang does the same thing (a lot slower, driven a lot less)
I was advised to check PCV valves, i guess if the wrong valve gets stuck you can end up blowing oil out the back (without burning it)
Old 07-10-2017, 07:39 PM
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I dont think mine is burning oil, haven't seen any smoke. But this was the first time i checked it. It has several leaks, valve cover, distributor(now fixed) and rear main it appears. After i set the valves i'll clean it all up and then get a better idea of what's still leaking.

Tonight i changed the oil in the trans. Went to 4 parts stores trying to get a GL-4 and wound up with Pennsoil synchromesh fluid(GL-3). Drove it after and it definitely felt a little different in a good way. I wasn't having any trouble, just didn't feel all that slippery going into gears. The oil that came out was black and thin. When i was dumping the old oil i found the washer off the drain plug in the pan. Doh! Now i'll have to pull the plug and put a new washer on it.

also noticed the small rubber boot on the shifter has seen better days and the nylon bushing on the shifter pivot looked a bit warn. Are these parts easy to get?
Old 07-10-2017, 07:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Nervo19
The correct sound is "Meep, meep." Very wimpy but I like it.

You have to post a picture of your OEM radio. I wish I had one for this one. All I've done to the previous owner's Sony radio is to replace the speakers. My son is oddly not much of a radio listener.

My '89 at 151,000 original miles uses half a quart of oil a month. It does not leak and it is getting 20 MPG. I'm not sure where the oil is going. I've been trying to train him to check the oil at every other fill up. I had one of these from the time it was new up to 100k and it didn't use oil I guess we have trouble ahead. I have never changed the fluid in the manual trans. I went as far as buying the right sockets but it hasn't happened yet. Have changed the rear dif oil but not the front.
could be burning it, but a leak will waste more than you'd think. I had a Corolla that had 275k mikes on it going 100/day in my commute. It burned a qt a month but still got 34mpg. Just watch out for error codes having to do with the catalytic converter. The oil usage, if excessive enough, can damage it.
Old 07-10-2017, 07:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Nervo19
You have to post a picture of your OEM radio. I wish I had one for this one. All I've done to the previous owner's Sony radio is to replace the speakers. My son is oddly not much of a radio listener.
ok, here it is the way it was in the truck, stacked to the Sony. My Dad's 86 pickup had the am/fm cassette player which is better because of the separate Bass and Treble controls but this stocker sounds great on radio. Since the po cut holes in the door for the Polk spkrs, i might just put a 2ch power amp under the driver's seat and run that to the doors. Then just ipod line in to the power amp when i want to crank tunes.

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Old 07-11-2017, 02:48 AM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
... the nylon bushing on the shifter pivot looked a bit warn. Are these parts easy to get?
I bought my Seats and Sockets from Marlin Crawler: https://www.marlincrawler.com/transm...avy-duty-seats

Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
...the po cut holes in the door for the Polk spkrs, i might just put a 2ch power amp under the driver's seat and run that to the doors.
Curious... are the Polks still installed? If they are, I wonder how they sound with the Sony head unit, because I'm considering getting the Polk components but keep my after-market HU without external amp.. Put the woofer in usual place (door or side panel) an mount tweeter at ear-level on A-Pillar.
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Old 07-11-2017, 12:26 PM
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Just came back from the garage and re-inspection. My truck is now 100% legal for the deteriorated streets of Taxachusetts.

Rides like an empty school bus though, so we'll be working on that soon!

Also my gallon of Corroseal rust converter arrived from Amazon so we'll be prettying up the frame soon.
Old 07-11-2017, 03:52 PM
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Re: post #87 get the Marlin Crawler shifter seat and bushing I think they sell boots as well. The OEM Toyota rubber boot goes for a premium on eBay because they a re discontinued. I can only guess that one for a 1st gen Tacoma/3rd gen 4Runner would probably work but don't know for sure. https://www.marlincrawler.com/transm.../shifter-parts

This used boot on eBay is $29 right now. I cleaned mine up with 00 steel wool and hit it with tire dressing and it looks great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/84-89-Toyota...9ZOJ3M&vxp=mtr

Ha. I thought you had a OEM radio until I went back a reread your thread.

Last edited by Nervo19; 07-11-2017 at 04:08 PM.
Old 07-11-2017, 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Nervo19
Re: post #87 get the Marlin Crawler shifter seat and bushing I think they sell boots as well. The OEM Toyota rubber boot goes for a premium on eBay because they a re discontinued. I can only guess that one for a 1st gen Tacoma/3rd gen 4Runner would probably work but don't know for sure. https://www.marlincrawler.com/transm.../shifter-parts

This used boot on eBay is $29 right now. I cleaned mine up with 00 steel wool and hit it with tire dressing and it looks great. http://www.ebay.com/itm/84-89-Toyota...9ZOJ3M&vxp=mtr

Ha. I thought you had a OEM radio until I went back a reread your thread.
thanks for that info.
yes i am using the OEM Toyota radio now and the factory spkrs and it works great. I think i will run the polk speakers (that were hacked into the doors) with a power amp and iPod or bluetooth and smartphone.
Old 07-12-2017, 06:00 PM
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Today, i ordered ball joint spacers from 4crawler. I really hope adding these will let me relax the torsion bars and improve the ride. I'll have to choose some new shocks also for front and rear, maybe Toyota oem...if that doesn't do it, we'll swap out the sway-away bars for stockers.
Old 07-12-2017, 06:13 PM
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I started adding up how much i have in the truck at this point. Some may say, "don't ever do that" but i like it as a point of reference.
Purchase price $1500
Use of tow rig, fuel, tolls, food to get it from MD to CT $450
new soft top $600
new steering parts and all the rest of the stuff i've bought $800.
so total i am in it about $3350 at this point.

Way less than the project 1972 FJ40 i was trying to buy in Las Vegas before i decided on a 4Runner.
Old 07-12-2017, 06:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
Today, i ordered ball joint spacers from 4crawler. I really hope adding these will let me relax the torsion bars and improve the ride. I'll have to choose some new shocks also for front and rear, maybe Toyota oem...if that doesn't do it, we'll swap out the sway-away bars for stockers.
Why would you need to relax the torsion bar? I do not remember you lifting the rear that would require cranking the T.B. so you will actually put BJ spacers, which would bring the front 1.5 inches higher, then relaxTB back to stock height? If so then Toyota OEM shocks would work. However, if using the BJ spacers to actually lift the front on top of stock height, I don't thing OEM would work anymore; you would need shocks to accommodate the new travel between suspension height at "rest", compressed and extended.
Old 07-12-2017, 06:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
yes, no one else has contacted me about the offer. I'll PM you about it.

My "huckleberry"... That's a new one on me!
From Tombstone. Doc Holliday actually says "im your huckleberry".
Old 07-12-2017, 08:10 PM
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Originally Posted by RAD4Runner
Why would you need to relax the torsion bar? I do not remember you lifting the rear that would require cranking the T.B. so you will actually put BJ spacers, which would bring the front 1.5 inches higher, then relaxTB back to stock height? If so then Toyota OEM shocks would work. However, if using the BJ spacers to actually lift the front on top of stock height, I don't thing OEM would work anymore; you would need shocks to accommodate the new travel between suspension height at "rest", compressed and extended.
the bars are cranked to the max now. The upper control arms are down against their stops, full droop. The rear has aftermarket springs in it.
If i can get the arms up i will keep the lift and soften the ride, also reduce the crazy bump-steer.
Old 07-12-2017, 09:22 PM
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Here's hoping you still hate the ride! ;D
Old 07-12-2017, 09:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
the bars are cranked to the max now. The upper control arms are down against their stops, full droop. The rear has aftermarket springs in it.
If i can get the arms up i will keep the lift and soften the ride, also reduce the crazy bump-steer.
Got it. Didn't know about the rear springs.
Old 07-13-2017, 06:59 AM
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Originally Posted by space-junk
Here's hoping you still hate the ride! ;D
Ha! Yeah, probably will. My situation is a little different that most guys on this forum I guess, because I am rebuilding this 4Runner for street/beach, not off-roading. There is no off-roading here, and the "beach" part is very limited and costs a lot.


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