Starting a build up thread for my 1987 Toyota 4Runner SR5 22RE. This is not going to be a fast paced thread, just a way to document it.

Bought it to replace my 92 truck as a DD. Picked it up with 215k on the clock. New motor at 197k, clutch at 207. First thing I did was pulled the fugly wooden roof rack off, and painted the drivers door white. Changed all fluids, shocks, plugs, wires, etc. It had been sitting for 4 years, so it needed a little love.

Pics from craigslist and the condition when I picked up.





It had 4 mismatched tires, so on went a set of 235/75/15 Cooper Discoverys. Love those tires! Work great in the snow!

And I drove it like that for the first winter.








Changing the pinion seal:


The rear end was sagging, I bottomed out on everything. I had some old toyota leaf packs lying around, and threw a leaf in each side. Picked it back up to stock height. Also got a set of 31x10.5 KM2s and put them on some America Racing Outlaw II rims I had. And it started to get wheeled as my TR gets worked on.













Highlift on the roll bar, and some amped sony 6x9 for rear sound.



Powerinverter in front of the roll bar on this side. Its normally just me and my girl in the truck, so the seat stays folded up most of the time. Looking for a rear seat delete if any one has one..



Custom shifter boot.



Parts rig. 95 4runner sr5 3vze. Bought for the motor for my TR. Made my money back in extra parts selling the rest of it off. So I got gears and a engine as well as a lot of other parts for free. Ahh the beauty of craiglist.



Then I installed a set of 4.56 gears from my parts truck. Took off the sway bar. and removed the front valance. And thats where it sits as of today.






Ive owned it pretty much for a year at this point, odo is @224k

A coworker that often rides in the truck kept referring to it as "The Rattlewagon" because off all my tools and stuff that always seem to be rattling when i drive. Haha. And the name stuck.

 

That is one of the scariest ways to work on your rig I've ever seen....

 

We just lifted it that way. See the cinder blocks by the wheels...

 

i would have at least blocked the front wheels, even with cinder blocks under the rear wheels...personally I like solid objects instead of stuff that has a reputation like 8x8x16's

rear seat deletes: I have only seen 2 come up in 5 years...
might get lucky:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...rs-etc-221646/

personally I would just make one out of plywood with some doors with accessible storage and some tie down points for the milk crates

 

Changed the alternator belt and a idler pulley tonight in a buddys garage.



4.56 gears. The shifter fork is locked in place. We couldn't get the short shaft out to put in the Non ADD shaft from the stock 4.10s and the truck had to get me to work on Monday. I tested it out, and works just as it should!


What the heck!! Some one put a weed wacker engine in there!!! oh..wait nevermind...

 

Man I love wheelin. From M.O.R.E park in Whitehall, Ny









I have a ton of pics from today. Put most of them in the "pics of your truck" thread.

I have never been one to name my vehicles, but a co-worker of mine, after riding in the runner a couple of times, has named it "The RattleWagon". I like it and it stuck. Haha.

 

Bent my bumper trying to push a disabled jeep up a hill. Worked better in my head then in real life. long story short , only damage from the day was this:



Easy as 1-2-3 to fix.
1: Take bumper off


2: Lay on ground and hammer flat


3: And reinstall! Its not perfect, but hey, it was bent before.

 

Ok So in the past 2 months Ive spent alot of $ and time on repair for this truck. Im not complaining, it went a year without needing anything major. And its nice to have a full operational truck again!

Replaced: Diffs, starter, alternator, master cylinder, tail pipe, idler pulley, alt belt, 2 ball joints, PCV valve, thermostat, idler arm, and I tightened the wheel bearing. And most of this started to happen when it got cold!

Need to recoup my funds after the holidays, then put some money in to the TR

 

Looking forward to more!

 

All my maintenance/repairs paid off! Truck passed VT state inspection with flying colors.

Snapped this one this morning. Man its been cold out.

 

WIth the stock size winters. Looking for a new set of 31s to mount up on some SR5 wheels I have. 235/75s and 4.56s on the highway suuuuuuuuck.

 

How is the frame holding up in that rig?

 

Frames mint. Still has factory paint on it. Came from New Mexico. This is only its 3rd VT winter (on the road). And carwashes happen when its above 20 in the winter. It was in an accident at some point, so I think its still a little tweaked.

I put my KM2s on again yesterday for the summer and BAM. 6" of snow. I need a set of all terrains.

 

Dang, well my truck saw its first 22 years in NH, you know the story.

 

I know that story. My 92 was originally from PA. I bought it from a guy in Lebanon, NH. Was really clean then, but after 5 VT winters, any time I go to work on in, I plan in time for a broken or stripped rusty bolt. Haha.

This runners a dream to work on after that, every bolt just works without putting up a fight. Non rust belt people dont know how lucky they are!!

 

FInally got some garage time in, and had to spend in on the runner instead of the TR.

Changed the front crank seal and had a u joint go in the rear shaft that caused the rear pinion seal to leak. So now that the dd is back in good shape, I can spend some time on the TR next weekend.

This is why I drive 1.5 hours to work on my crap. This is the new shop at my parents house.









That bolt was a PITA. Had to use the torch and heat it up.
Also stripped the AC system off the truck, didnt work and I had no intention of fixing it.

Now check this out. THis truck was in an accident at some point in its life. And I have always thought that the frame was a little tweaked, but this confirmed it. Other motor mount sits flush against the block, and the back 2 bolts of this mount are right against the block, but there are 2 washers on this side. Scary. The more I dig into this truck, the more hacksjob repairs I find.



I also pulled the carpet out of the back. I use it more for a truck anyway, and the carpet was nasty.

Thats all for now.

 

Hello Re-RE.. Nice looking Runner. Hopefully you can get the hackjob fixed. I know you guys up in the rust belt have a tougher time then we do. I envy the west coast people.

I have worked in a body shop. If it isnt tweaked to bad, the cost of getting the frame straight again is fairly reasonable.

That would be a nice shop. I will be glad to get mine looking as good as yours. Othe then interior its identical. Looking forward to your build.

 

Scribed! Looks like a good project so far!

 

THanks for the words. Its not so much a build, just a log of what I do to it. Im not too worried about the frame, it still goes down the road straight. And ill repair as needed. But as of now, its just my daily driver, temporary wheeler.

Also noticed this weekend, that my EGR system had been removed.

 

Blacked out my grill. Forgot about the markers. Haha, guess Ill do that tomorrow after work.