Haha you mean you didn't feel comfortable driving around knowing that the next pot hole you hit you could lose your rear axle?!?! Haha bit seriously man its a nice runner and im jealous, gonna be following your thread keep up the good work!

 

Thanks dswag.

I took the truck in to an alignment shop this morning. The guy said one of the cam bolts is frozen, but he still got the wheels to +0.5 degrees and +0.2 degrees camber. Unfortunately, now it pulls to the left, so I'm going to stop by again tomorrow morning. I figure I'll hit the cam bolts with PB Blaster overnight, and maybe he can give the frozen one a shot again.

He said that the front seems very stiff and the shocks may be over-extended or bound up. I haven't been able to figure out what shocks are on it, they are red and have "Made in Japan" stamped in the bottom of the tube. It looks like I've got a 2" BJ spacer in the front and the Zuk in the back. Any recommendation on shocks? I don't want to dump a ton of money in to it because I'm thinking next year I'd want to go SAS and put a proper leaf pack in the rear. But I DO want the thing to drive correctly for the next year. I know those are conflicting concerns.

 

I see you did the whole gate and it looks good, but just thought I'd throw a quick tip out there for future reference.

When spot painting roll your masking backwards. The roll will automatically blend and soften the edge to avoid a hard line.

 

Oh, nice! That makes sense.

 

I spent the evening researching and figuring out how much I'm willing to spend. I just ordered some Skyjacker H7000's.

http://skyjacker.com/product.php?ProdID=25001
http://skyjacker.com/product.php?ProdID=26991

 

Just a couple photos, if anyone was wondering.

Here's the new u-bolt next to the u-bolt I took out. You can see the threads worn off on the bolt, as well as the holes in the bracket being worn wide.



I took the braket to a shop along with the u-bolt and got them to enlarge the holes until things fit. It isn't pretty, but I cleaned it up with a file and it works.



I did a test fit, measured, and cut the u-bolts to the right length.



I didn't grab an "after" photo, but things look good and sturdy. If I get bored I'll tear it back apart and throw some paint on things.



I also took some time yesterday to get the lock installed in my ammo box.

Started with a hole and worked it larger with a file and my Dremel.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778673182/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778673182/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/ocell/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778671660/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778671660/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/ocell/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778670124/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778670124/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/ocell/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778669036/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7778669036/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/ocell/, on Flickr


I've also got this tarp system figured out for overnight and rain. I can fasten it quickly, I'm very happy with it.




I hope you all don't mind me over-sharing!

 

nice runner! I have the same problem as you, I decided to get a truck for weekend fun and after 6 months of research i got the 88 pickup with the 3.0....

 

google toyota marker lights, youll find them.

 

Thanks BadaBoom!

I picked up a cheap timing light from Harbor Freight, and last night I finally got the timing set. Honestly, what took me the longest was figuring out where the timing notch was on the drive pulley. I took a photo so others might come across it if they're looking for a good visual indicator of what they're looking for.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7792709736/http://www.flickr.com/photos/ocell/7792709736/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/ocell/, on Flickr

I had set the timing by feel before, and I was close, but it was still retarded a few degrees. Driving the truck today I can tell it runs MUCH smoother and has quite a bit more power. A small change in timing really makes a big difference.


Tonight I threw in a K&N panel filter. My butt-dyno puts it at about 120hp added. But really, I know we're looking at about a 0.25 hp gain if I'm lucky.

I also filled up again tonight. Second tank of gas was at 14mpg with 16mpg for the first. Not the 40mpg Nissan 200SX I drove for the last 11 years, that's for sure.

 

Hey man im lovin the build thread! Keep up the good work! I used to drive a 200sx too and yeh your right, you barely ever have to put gas in those things lol. What else you got planned for the 4runner?

 

I always thought my lifetime MPG would get better over the years, not worse: http://screencast.com/t/of2VXojjC

I don't have any real clear cut plans for the 4Runner yet. Right now I'm focused on cleaning it up, mechanically and visually. Making it a reliable and safe road/trail machine. Small upgrades and fixes to turn it in to a nice clean 4Runner that is pretty close to stock. It will honestly see more time on the road than off.

Longer term I'd like to put a new set of leaf springs in the back and get rid of the Zuk mod. I'd love to SAS the front, but I'm not making any promises to myself yet.

So I can't make any promises on whether this will be an interesting thread or not, and I'm hesitant to call it a "build."

 

Nice to see another person with a Toyota. Tour going to be hooked on that thing lol

 

I meant your

 

Yeah, no doubt, 22R4X4.

Here's a look at the new u-bolts installed.

 

I knew that my passenger side wheel cylinder in the rear drum was leaking, but I hadn't opened it up to see how bad. I can feel pulsing in the brake, and the truck dives hard left under braking (either the right rear not braking, or an alignment issue), so I knew the brake fluid had probably already ruined the drum and pads. I think today confirmed it.

Non-leaky side:


Leaky Side:


Oddly enough, when I was torquing my wheel spacer bolts, the parking brake would hold the passenger side (leaky side) firm while the driver's side (non-leaky side) would slip when I was wrenching.

I priced all the parts at RockAuto and came in at $200 (2x wheel cylinders, pads, and drums, am I missing anything?) because I want to do both sides together. So... I'll be putting this off until next month. I'm trying to keep myself to a budget on this project every month. I have 3 brakes that work fine, so no problem, right???

 

You could probably have the drums turned at Rock or what ever local auto store you have on the CHEAP as new drums aren't cheap, even when they are cheap. Take the drums in and have them check the specs on them. I have only seen them need to be replaced a few times out of tearing apart 100 or more drum brakes (I was a brake slave at a shop for a while ). The front rotors generally take most of the abuse. The brake fluid won't RUIN the drums but a good turn will help things along in combination with the gratuitous use of brake fluid and a nice clean rag.

That said I would suggest you get a new spring kit if the the drums only need to be turned and you have a few bucks to spare. The springs are a weaker point IME.

This is all budget minded where I'm coming from. Make sure to tear down the adjusters, clean really well and lube them properly. After this you shouldn't have to mess with the rear brakes for quite some time.

 

First off, very nice rust free 88 you have there...us Rust Belt guys aren't used to seeing 'em like that. I'm going to be selling mine this year after I pull the braided brake lines off and put them on my 94. I just love the look of the 1st gen 4Runners....

Also...."Longer term I'd like to put a new set of leaf springs in the back and get rid of the Zuk mod. I'd love to SAS the front, but I'm not making any promises to myself yet."

How come you want to get rid of the Zuk mod? I was planning to do to it my 88 but new baby on the way, not enough time and money...you know the deal. Everyone that does it raves about the soft ride and ability to flex off road.

 

Maybe the coils I have are too stiff (I didn't pick them, so I have no clue what their spring rate is) but my rear end is VERY firm. The bump stop will also never come close to hitting, the compressed spring is too tall for that to happen, so I know it's going to limit the full travel of the suspension. I think it's a great way to level the truck out, but I'd like to "do it right" eventually. Plus I think it'd be a fun project, and that's part of why I got this truck. So I could learn.

 

Thanks, I feel lucky about the rust. The autocheck report on this 4Runner shows that it was bought new in Texas and never left. Once I saw a 1st gen 4Runner I didn't want any other truck/SUV.

 

My Skyjackers came in today. I know for sure that I'm going to hit the dust boots with some black vinyl dye. That's just too much red out of the box. I haven't decided if I'm going to leave the shocks white without stickers or paint them, maybe dark grey or black. I guess I'll see how much the white stands out first.