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My 1987 4WD SR5 "Restoration Of A Restoration" thread
I just bought an '87 SR5, and am starting a long term restoration project on it. I figured I might as well document my work here.
I'm calling it the "Restoration of a Restoration" thread because despite being stated to be restored, almost everything in the truck needs to be redone to make it a truly restored vehicle. Everything except the paint job, thank goodness - that is truly well done.
I'd love to get feedback and comments along the way. I never started a build thread of my 3rd Gen, and now 6 years later, I really regret that. So I won't make the same mistake again!
So without further ado, here it is:
And here it is next to its younger sibling:
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-28-2023 at 03:01 PM.
First order of business was to look for things that weren't working, and it was quite a list.
The clock always reset back to 1:00 after taking out the key. And the dome and map lights weren't working. After some googling, the obvious suspect seemed to be the dome fuse. Yup, sure, enough, it was blown. A new 7.5A fuse, and we've got a clock that retains memory, and a working dome light (I replaced it with a brighter LED bulb):
Next was the door lock switch that wasn't locking. I took the door panel off to examine the switch, but it had good continuity. Then I looked more closely at the connector, and there was the issue - one pin got pushed out and wasn't making contact. I pushed the pin back into place, and everything works now (except that the driver side actuator is a bit lazy in the locking direction, but that'll be a battle for another day):
Gotta love these "free" fixes!
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 08-26-2023 at 06:37 AM.
Beautiful truck!
A lot of things are simple fixes on these old Yotas.
Thank you, and as an aside, I am halfway through your restomod thread, and am learning a lot!
You are right, most fixes are simple - but the spare parts (especially interior) are becoming really hard to come by. Much more so than on my 3rd Gen, I'm finding out. Still, I have about $500 of parts on their way to me as we speak .
Next I looked at the fluids. Power steering fluid was a mysterious mix of brown and yellow, I'm guessing someone added power steering fluid to ATF. So I did a full flush using Valvoline MAX Life Dexron VI. Turkey baster for the reservoir, fill with clean fluid, disconnect return line, turn wheel lock to lock, repeat until the fluid is clean. Easy peasy.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-01-2023 at 07:36 AM.
I proudly reconnected the wiring, only to find that the washer would not turn OFF! A bit of further diagnostics revealed that the switch on the wiper stalk was stuck in the ON position:
I pried out the push button, and found out a few things.
One, it was sticking (duh); two, one of the tangs broke off (and then so did the second one when I looked at it); three, the spring was compressed completely flat and the push button had a melted indentation where the spring sat. So I'm guessing at some point the system short circuited (maybe when the pump went bad?), and the current through the spring melted the cap and deformed the spring. I was able to rebend the spring into a conical shape, but the push button will be a project for another day.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-01-2023 at 08:53 AM.
The truck didn't start today, dead as a doornail or whatever the cliche is. Battery shows about 1V, ugh. It's dated 8/22. I recharged it, but now I need to see if it has a drain or is not getting a charge when running. Parasitic draw seems to be tiny, about 0.01A. So will need to check the voltage when I fire her up.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 08-26-2023 at 06:40 AM.
Been chasing one thing after another. Turns out the 1 yr battery was dead because the alternator was charging it at 16.7 V. After some tests on the alternator, I traced it down to dead diodes. It probably didn't help that it was soaked in power steering fluid leaking from the pump above.
I considered rebuilding it, but after taking it apart, I found that it's been rebuilt before, and not very well:
So I just ordered a remanufactured Denso alternator, 27060-35061-84.
While waiting for that, I figured I'd rebuild that leaky power steering pump:
But after taking it out, I saw that it's a remanufactured unit, and I'm not even sure if it's original Toyota. So I ordered a new pump from RockAuto, BBB N990-0217, along with all four power steering hoses.
With the power steering pump and alternator out, I have good access to the fan and clutch, so I ordered these. And now I'm pondering getting a new radiator, given that I'm already this deep in. Probably the CSF 2306. Like I said, the list keeps growing.
In parallel with these projects, I decided to have a look at the windshield washer push button. With the cost of used stalks on Ebay pushing $200, I tried my hand at rebuilding this one. I made a U-shaped backup strap out of thin sheetmetal, and bonded it into the button with JB Weld 50139. I then adhered the two broken tabs to the metal tabs with the same epoxy.
Ignore the yellow epoxy below, that was my first attempt with something I had on hand, before I switched to the plastic Bonder.
I popped this assembly back into the stalk - it fit very nicely and operated smoothly!
For the ultimate test, I turned on the key and tried the spray - it worked! What a relief. So I think I can put a bow on this project and move on to other things.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-05-2023 at 06:25 AM.
i'm curious if you'll be commenting on BaT about some of the things that have been subpar in this $$$$ 4runner. stuff that wasn't disclosed, like the washer not working (or maybe that was, i can't remember), faulty battery, fuses blowing, etc.
i hope for your sake you don't have to do so much to it, considering what the price was.
nice fix on the washer button, too. i bet that will hold up.
Today I tried to re-cover the black console lid with a gray piece I bought on Ebay. But after taking it apart, I found the foam to be too soft, so I am now in search of some high density foam. Until then, this project is on a backburner.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-05-2023 at 06:27 AM.
So failing the console lid project, under the hood I went with my gallon of Simple Green, to get rid of all the old grease (hint, that wasn't enough). Worst of all was the power steering bracket, yuck. I really hate grease and sludge. I mean this is a Toyota, not an old Mopar (I can say that cause I love old Mopars ).
One thing led to another, and before too long, I had the whole radiator/shroud/clutch/fan stuff out (never to go back in), and most of the easily detachable brackets removed. I mean the more stuff I removed, the more other parts I saw that needed cleaning, so I had to remove them... and so on and so forth.
I'm not sure what the coolant was, it was blue green... Somewhat of a science experiment, or more likely lack of any care in the past.
The radiator has seen better days, it's got rust inside and the frame fell apart when I removed the assembly:
The shroud was not much better, someone cut off the lower corners for some reason:
With that out of the way, I saw... more grease!! Did I say I hate grease?
Some more quality Simple Green time:
And more grease!
The truck has clearly been through hell and back. Most of the fasteners I'm removing are either incorrect (wrong length, wrong head, etc), or are stripped. Here are some lovely examples:
Oh well, my Amayama cart keeps growing, it's hit four figures now .
Not sure what to think of the coolant hose hard line, it has a pinhole in it. I'm thinking it'll probably still seal, then again, with it out now, maybe I should just a get a new one? It's only money right?
Well looking at these pictures makes it quite clear that a new hard line is in order. Ka-ching.
Last edited by 4Runner4Leon; 06-03-2023 at 04:32 PM.
i might have to use your washer button fix someday. this is the one in my '87 w/cruise:
melted, just like yours. it still works, and doesn't seem to stick at all, either.
Ha, that's really interesting.. so this is a "thing" for these trucks. I mean conceptually it is a dumb design for current to flow through the spring, which just sits against the plastic knob. But you'd think it's low current. Unless the pump starts going back and drawing more? Fascinating.
i'm curious if you'll be commenting on BaT about some of the things that have been subpar in this $$$$ 4runner. stuff that wasn't disclosed, like the washer not working (or maybe that was, i can't remember), faulty battery, fuses blowing, etc.
i hope for your sake you don't have to do so much to it, considering what the price was.
nice fix on the washer button, too. i bet that will hold up.
Yeah, not sure about that. I don't know the etiquette of BAT comments. As you know, the seller made himself sound like a very thorough ASE certified mechanic, with nothing left untouched, all top quality components, blah blah blah. I'll let this thread speak for itself in that regard. Believe me, you haven't yet seen the half of what's coming. But hey, it's a used car, caveat emptor, shame on me for not going up to see it in person.
For background, here is how I work on my cars, and how I expected this truck to be. These are photos of my 3rd Gen's engine bay refresh project. Everything I touched was painted, powder coated, or replated. All OEM hoses, clamps, brackets, etc.
When I'm done with Lucy (the 1st Gen), she'll be like this if not better. But it'll be quite the long road.
you do some excellent detailing. a shame lucy wasn't really as finished as it appeared in the auction. proof is the poor condition of the radiator & shroud, and the filthy alternator. pretty deliberate that the engine bay photos didn't show those things, yet highlighted all the clean top half of it all. zero chance the seller didn't know about the condition of those items (along with the other things you are finding). discouraging.
you do some excellent detailing. a shame lucy wasn't really as finished as it appeared in the auction. proof is the poor condition of the radiator & shroud, and the filthy alternator. pretty deliberate that the engine bay photos didn't show those things, yet highlighted all the clean top half of it all. zero chance the seller didn't know about the condition of those items (along with the other things you are finding). discouraging.
Thank you. By the time I'll get done with it, she'll be as pretty as was implied in the listing, actually much more so. And yes, the seller's photos were very carefully chosen, lots of "don't look here" things I'm now finding. I agree, zero chance of him not knowing about the issues, especially if he was indeed an ASE certified mechanic. All that "Ceracote" stuff is flaking right off, because nothing was properly prepared prior to its application.
The one good thing I'll say about it is that the paint job is top notch (assuming/hoping the truck was properly prepped for paint). So that's one big item I'm hoping to not have to deal with.
06-01-2023, 06:41 AM
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