When I was working on replacing the rear bumper I realized that the brackets for the side bumper pieces have been cut off and replaced with some homemade "brackets". Wonders never cease:





Here they are, all removed:


Here are the correct brackets I sourced through Facebook:


I'll post more once I have them cleaned up and ready to install.

 

Nice work on getting the hard to find bits......I found mine on FB Marketplace......where did you find yours?????

Mike

 

Thanks! I've been through several places - Facebook 1st Gen Groups, Marketplace, Ebay. Ebay was my best score as I found a location in the Bay area that has dozens of these trucks, many in almost untouched condition. That's where I found that little valve cover bracket that I could not find anywhere else. They are far from cheap, but beggars can't be choosers.

 

This is really a great thread! Love your attention to detail on these parts and pictures with explanations to go along with it. Great work…enjoying see your updates!

 

I tackled restoring the labels on my combination switch, using the lettering kit from https://mofaraz.com/. The process consists of positioning each decal on the stalk, then rubbing the decal to transfer it onto the stalk. Afterwards, I sprayed the entire stalk with several coats of SEM Satin Clear.

There's definitely a learning curve, and I went through 2 kits before I got the hang of it (for me, the trick was using stronger glasses ). Mo was super helpful in answering my numerous questions, and I would definitely recommend his product(s). My results were not perfect, but a big improvement over what I started with.

 

Ooooo fun, mine are getting worn and was looking at a new assembly on eBay for a price covered in gold, this looks way more fun looks good to me though!!

 

Those combo switches look fantastic.......

When you take on these tasks and complete them yourself, you are always your own worst critic. You did great work and should be proud of it.

Mike

 

Wow! Looks great!

 

Thanks Mike! And yes, I am usually my own worst critic .

 

Today was time for the rite of passage for every 1st Gen 4Runner, from what I've heard - dealing with power windows. Mine didn't work, not the driver side switch, not the passenger side. Nothing new for me on this truck.

So first I took apart the switches to examine the contacts. Remove the door trim, then remove the screws to free the switch and separate the buttons from the contacts:






The FSM gives a pretty good overview of what contacts should be closed in every position (OFF, UP, or DOWN):



I tested every configuration with my trusty DVM, and found a number of contacts that were not closing when a button was pushed. From what I've read, that's fairly common, and requires bending the contact lever up a little, so that the buttons are more effective at actuating them when pushed. So I did that, and managed to get every connection to under 1 ohm:




That did not fix my window issue, so on to the next step - the door lock control relay module. The module is conveniently (not!) located behind the ECM in the passenger side kickpanel. Access would be easy if it weren't for a stripped screw that held my ECM in place, so I had to drill it out before even getting to the door lock relay module. Once there, I did the tests per FSM:




Every test passed, which implied that the relay module was bad. As a sanity check I looked at the wiring diagram, and saw that a properly functioning module should be sending battery voltage to the door switch when the ignition was on, via the L-R wire:




I measured mine, and got about 3V. So the relay was not fully closing. I priced a replacement module, and saw that they are running $100-200 on Ebay, without any guarantee of being better than mine. After some research, I came across this wonderful post: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...68/index2.html. Skipping to post 22, @Duffdog had a great photo of a circuit board issue in the relay module. So with nothing to lose, I took mine apart, and found a break in the exact same location as he posted (circled in red):




Closeup:



Sure enough, DVM showed open circuit:




Soldering is not my forte, but I did manage a nice blob to make a good connection:



Confirmed by DVM:



I put everything back together, and lo and behold, we have functioning window switches again!

 

Bra vo, Leon!

 

Probably the hardest thing to fix on the truck is the seats, since the original material is unavailable, and no one makes a reproduction material. So I'm trying something new - use a patch from a donor passenger seat to fix the bolster on the driver seat. It's not the easiest or most cost efficient way of going about this, but my options are limited. Here's what I'm working with:




And here's where it will go:



I haven't priced the cost of labor yet, that's this week's goal. I'm prepared for sticker shock .

 

First thing, take the seat out and disassemble the base. If you walk into the upholstery shop with the lower seat cover and repair piece in hand, the cost shouldn’t be too bad. If you remove the listing wires, you should be able to scrub the upholstery or put it through your washing machine. It will clean up well.

 

Thanks, that's the plan! I think I'll bring in the entire lower cushion so they can see how the cover is attached to it, plus my seat foam needs some repairs. I initially thought that the donor patch was a much darker shade of gray than mine, but then I soaked it in a sink with some Oxy Clean for an hour, and to say that the water turned absolutely black would be an understatement. Yuck.

 

I soaked mine in purple power and then washed with Dawn dish soap. Yuck.

Just add water. Makes it’s own sauce!

 

Oh yeah, that looks very familiar!

 

Found a very nice local upholstery shop, the gentleman said he'll do the job for ~$120 - seems fair enough to me. I asked him to also transplant the left side bolster foam from the donor passenger seat onto my driver seat foam. Another $60. Ka-ching.

In the meantime, I'll take the opportunity to clean and paint the frame rails, yuck.

 

I've been following along intermittently...I certainly appreciate your commitment to the details. I just noticed you're in Portland...If you haven't checked out All Truck Parts in Vancouver yet it might be worth a try for some of the bits and pieces. I haven't been for a few years, but the guy use to keep a few decent '80's runners and pickups around that weren't too picked over. Not especially cheap, and the guy is a PITA to deal with (bring cash, their card swiper is a museum piece, or at least it was), but I was able to find a few otherwise unobtainable items there.

 

So i’d bet his hourly rate is $120. That would make sense. High temp engine paint works great on the dry, rusty seat springs and frame.

 

Yes, upholstery is definitely an art and you’ll have to pay for it, most I’ve ever attempted to do is fix the heated seats in my suby, I was scared with the whole hog ring thing but it turned out fine, but when it comes to stitching and stretching and all that……I’ll leave that to the pros

Rigs looking amazing!!!! How much more do you have to do to this thing??!!!!!