Hey Ed,

Definitely honored that you value my opinion... Thanks for saying so..., and since I should interject something productive with that very flattering revelation..., the first thing that comes to my mind when looking at that picture up there is ... SLIDERS, ASAP! Lol. ... Honestly I would say I value your opinion up there with most anyone on here... But the thing is pretty clean, and we need to protect our little Throaty Redrum girls hips! Lol... Hahahahaha.

 

Hey Ed.

If a guy is willing to give up the fiberglass top, Ive seen the bob done using truck corners and tailgate. This option is a good one to do for a guy who doesn't want the power rear window in the runner anymore. By using a truck tailgate and corners, I'm pretty sure you can chop out 5" without loosing any interior space due to the thin truck tailgate compensating for the room of the bulky runner gate. This option also cuts quite a bit of weight off the rear of the runner.

It's a good option for guys using soft tops and who aren't looking to keep the fiberglass hardtop.

I've been considering the bob for years now too. My subs fit perfectly lying flat on the floor between the tailgate and the wheel-well tubs. So if I bob it, I have to make a new sub enclosure! Originally I was going to do separate enclosures for my 10's inside the factory roll-bar arches. But now I have my hi-lift jack mounted across that spot on the passengers side.... a conundrum indeed, lol.

If your not guna be concerned about giving up some space, go for it! It space is a concern, do a mild bob. 3-5". Would add tons of clearance but not make you give up too much interior room. Ive seen some pretty short bob's done and I really don't like them. Whats the point of shortening the body so drastically when the spring hangers are still hanging way down below? It pointless and doesn't even look that good. A mild bob is the way to go unless the rear suspension is getting modded to a linked to get rid of the rear leafs.

On a side note, I'm now the proud owner of a mint 04' Tundra limited. Loaded, black with a Leer topper, BORLA cat-back exhaust, both summer and winter rims and tires. All servicing done at Toyota as per the manual. Good score and an awesome truck. I'm just in the midst of upgrading the interior lighting to LED's, as well as trying to figure out how to keep my bumper mounted driving lights on while the hi-beams are on. This is my new daily driver and I'm loving the V-8.

 

HA, HA I hear ya Mark! Sliders are definitely on my "to do" list, I love the way your Ruby turned out, I was leaning more towards steel plate bumpers (eventually) but really like the looks and flow of your bumpers/sliders, she looks really sweet. But yeah, I really need to get some body armor on mine ASAP!
On another note, I still need a name for her,still haven't come up with one, back when I was still doing the engine swap and SAS a buddy of mine was calling it the "4skinner" LOL, don't think I will go with that one, ha, ha. Eventually I think something appropriate will come along and stick, maybe one of my kids will think of something fitting...

Hey Travis, that's a good idea on the truck tailgate, I think if I was doing a offroad only trail rig that would be the way to go, but I think I want to stick with the fiberglass top and original window/gate. I would love to get a soft top for summer use though. IF I do the bob it would probably be a mild bob, I don't want it to be too drastic, and don't want to lose all my space in back, like you mentioned I need room for some sub enclosures! I don't even have a stereo in the runner yet, lol, but eventually would like a nice system! Hey congrats on the Tundra, sounds like you found a really nice truck, I bet that makes your DD experience that much more comfortable, the v8 has gotta be nice, glad you stayed all yota, lol!

 

Ah hahaha I see what you did there Ed. You tricked me hahaha.

 

Im not a bob'd bed fan myself, but do see how it could be useful on the trails. I cant figure out paint at all and wish I could do it as well as you have just done. That would be so great as to know what the finished part is going to look like instead of just imagimation.

 

Ha, ha... yeah I wish it was that easy and quick to do the real bobb'd bed, and it came out as clean as that pic!

Thanks Terry, yeah the paint program is useful in that way, I just need to play around with this newer version on my wife's laptop and get more familiar with it, I'm used to the older version.

I'm starting to agree with you guys on not bobbing the bed, I'm glad I posted this question to you all and thank you for your opinions! The more I think about cutting up a perfectly good bodied 4runner and all the work involved, sheetmetal work, fiberglass work, cutting the interior trim pieces down and making them fit again, it just seems like way too much work for not enough benefit, lol, not to mention (since I don't ever plan on getting rid of my 4runner) 10 years down the road I might be like " what the heck was I thinking!!!???" LOL! Thanks again guys!

 

Hey guys, just thought I'd post this, I put the top back on yesterday because it was raining, and afterwards the rear window wouldn't roll up. So today I did a quick search on the old YotaTech, and found out that there is a "top off" switch located on the drivers side by the roll bar behind the kick panel. If you don't put a bolt in that hole, or if your like me and had one odd ball shorter bolt out of all the bolts that holds the top on, and you put it in that hole, it wont engage the switch and your window won't work. I pulled the shorter bolt out , put the longer bolt back in and bam she's working perfectly again! Just thought I'd share, incase anyone else runs into this problem. I got to thank RAD4Runner for his build thread and awesome pics and wiring schematics, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have found the problem so quickly, Thanks RAD!!!

Here's a pic that RAD posted on his build thread that shows the switch

 

Yep, that's the bugger! Lol... I still, after wiring in LED's to go on with the tailgate opening, swapping in the CAMRY window motor, ... I'm still having a much more rare but still concerning resistant rear window due to something in there. Every thing in there checks out, within the testing procedures listed anyway. ... And it is also seemingly more common when it's cold out. Just glad I have a better grip of all the workings back there.... LARGELY THANX TO RAD! Good dude, indeed!

 

that Camry window motor swap sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that one. I still need to figure out my console switch, it will roll the rear window up but not down, so I usually just use the key switch on the tailgate....I'm hoping it's just the switch contacts need cleaned, or something easy like that, lol. I eventually want to upgrade the interior lighting to LED's, so many things on the old "wish list" but I really need to give my interior some attention one of these days!

 

86-91 rear driver-side door window motor..... Lookfor a grannied camry at the yard..... The one that I found it look is it not a single person has ever sat in the back seat... It's obvious why you don't use the drivers window motor... The rear on the driver side is used for some reason much less... I guess people that ride in the back like to look at an angle at the driver? I have no idea.... lol. .. But as I said just find one that looks like it's barely used and snag that and you should be in business. Its the same setup, just a slightly different resistance from year to year. Some seem to roll people's windows up super fast... Others seem just about like they're supposed to, like mine. No hesitation, no drag, it just works what a normal pace like my front window would.... Maybe slightly slower because it is a much bigger window. Opening everything up and greasing the tracks very well doesn't hurt either. Clean everything! Don't use certain types of grease that tend to dry out more quickly... I just simply used leftover CV yellow grease from Toyota that came with the boot kit. I have a little bit of a left and I found a couple of pretty good uses for it already. Clean up the contacts as well and slap a little dialectic grease in any place that is getting juice.... While you are in there you could add the diode and run a wire so that you have an on off light set up like I do in the back. You don't even have to put one in the wiper motor cover, but you could do it with a quick disconnect like I have so that it will easily be disconnected when you remove the shell. I also have two in my side panels... I'm sure you know all this already but I'm just saying that while you were in there, this is the time to do it, eh?

My guess is that it is most likely your switch... There are a couple of the things that can affect operation, but they usually would affect it in both directions. It could also be the control module inside the rear panels... I would bet on the switch first. You could easily swap one in and check just to verify.......Let me know if you need one, k?

 

Thanks Mark for the info on the Camry window motor, If/when my goes, I'll definately go that route. I'll have to check my console switch when I get back home, I wonder if I can just use a generic toggle switch to see if the window will work, then replace it with a factory switch if that is the culprit? Thanks again for the info!

 

Dang Ed. I just went through your thread again. You're so freekin inspiring lol.

I'm amazed at all the space you still have under your hood with that 302. I think if i was ever to do it all over again i would have most definitely gone a different route vs staying with the 3VZE that i had rebuilt. I can only imagine that thing must sound beastly!

 

I would suspect your contact is dirty. You need to remove the bulb to get the switch apart, if it isnt that, most likely the control box on the drivers side, one of the relays that controls the up feature is bad. Here is a link to some of the info I have found for the tailgate.
>>> https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...l#post51722787

 

Wow, thanks for the props bud, I haven't done much on it lately, but watching all the progress you and Mark have made in such a short time period has gotten me re-inspired, lol. I feel like my 4runner has been neglected lately since all my attention and free time has been going toward tying to finish my trailer project.

Yeah the 302 fits in there pretty nicely with the exception of the radiator and electric fans, which I will eventually be upgrading, I'll probably go with a short water pump to gain more room and a custom aluminum rad and bigger single fan instead of the 2 smaller 10" fans.
Yeah the exhaust definitely doesn't sound like the stock 22re, lol, one of these days when I figure out how to post videos I'll have to throw one up on my thread, lol.

Thanks a lot Terry, I am pretty clueless about all the electrical going on it the tailgate, my rear wiper motor has never worked since I've owned the 4runner. Thanks for the link, hopefully in a month or 2 I'll have the free time to start tracing out all the gremlins and get everything working properly!

 

Well I haven't done any upgrades to the 4runner in quite awhile, I've been DD it the last couple months back & forth to work since my 83' pickup has been having carb problems. The 4runner has been running great with no problems. I want to eventually get a Weber carb for the 83'.
I plan to try to finally get my front bumps stops built and welded in this week, also I'm planning to finally order some 10" travel bilstein shocks for the rear, then maybe I can finally get some wheelin done and some flex pics posted up, lol!

As a winter project I've been contemplating trying to reupholstering my seats. I am happy with them comfort wise,(i'm guessing they're out of a 2nd gen 4runner, I had to do a lot of modifying to get the rear ones to fold down and latch properly) just don't like the non matching grey color. I have thought about seat covers, but haven't seen any that I like, and the generic fitment usually isn't very good. So I'm thinking of using the duck canvas material (light brown) like the Carhartt work pants are made out of, I figure the material will probably out last the rest of my interior, lol plus it will match my door panels pretty well.
I found some of the fabric on line for around $7 a yard. I have never done any kind of sewing before, so this will be a all new to me, (but I like the challenge) I plan on starting out on the rear seats, and by the time I get to the fronts I should have it down pretty good. I'm planning on taking the old seat fabric and unstitching it and using it as a template to make the new seat covers, just wondering if anyone else has attempted this, as always I'm open to any advice or opinions!

 

Hardcore plans to reupholster your interior Ed!!!

Ive done some very minor seat recovering, basically using bought covers and recovering original frames. The hard part is stretching the fabric out enough that it doesn't have really annoying and ugly wrinkles in it.

The upholstery clips can be a challenge at first. I'd suggest investing in some upholstery tools to help make the job easier, at least the clip remover and reinstall tool. Also plan on having to rebuild some foam. You may get lucky and find that your second gen seat foam is in better shape then anything I've come across! Foam work is not too bad and the cool thing about it is that you can add shape to a seat the may have been either shapeless or that just didn't have the support you were after.

Your plan sounds solid and I'm interested to see if it actually pans out for you.

On a personal note, I now have a healthy 3 week old baby girl!!! She still pretty much just eats, sleeps and cries alot, but she's my angel and as soon as she understands, I'll have her in the shop helping papa build his Toyota My garage build is coming along as well (16X26 with a 10' ceiling). I'm hoping to have the rafters sheeted and shingled this weekend. Its been a huge project with a new baby in the house and all. Hence why my poor Runner has been neglected this year.

Good to hear from ya and take care Ed.

 

I might have some info for you on at least a portion of redoing the seats. Shoot me a message...

It was great to see you posted something! I do envy that little powerhouse she has... Definitely gotta do something about that eventually, myself!

 

Hey Travis, thanks for the tips on the tools, I'll look into that, anything to make the job easier on my self is definitely worth the investment! That's a good idea on the foam, I hadn't thought of that, hopefully mine are in pretty good shape, I'm over all satisfied with the basic shape of the seats, I don't think I will change anything, just add foam where it needs it if there is repair work to be done.
Maybe you can help me out on this question, does the original passenger side 1st gen front bucket seat originally flip forward to allow passengers easier access to the back? Just wondering, that's something I would like to incorporate when I do this project, my dad had a heck of a time getting in and out of the back when he rode back there, lol.

Congratulations on your new addition!!! That's awesome! They grow up quick, I'm sure like you said, in no time you'll have her out in your new shop helping you on the 4runner! The other day I was working on my trailer project and my son (he's 5 and came over to get some more of my tools to run off and play with) anyway after watching me for a minute, he says "dad, you know it would probably be faster to just buy a trailer"... I busted up laughing, I was like you know what, your right buddy!... I've been working on the project going on 2 years LOL!
Congrats again on your daughter, enjoy those new born stages while they last, she'll be 16 and borrowing your 4runner keys before you know it! Good to hear from ya, and take care!


Thanks Mark, I appreciate any info that I can get, I'm hoping if I plan this out really well in advance that I won't get to overwhelmed! I got to get ready for work, but I'll shoot you a PM later tonight, thanks again!

 

Once you get the Clipse out in the fabric of, you will see very clearly if there are any compromised or close to compromised areas of the backrest portion of the frame. The way we getting these trucks and out, they have a vulnerable point at the bottom right. Obviously I'm a bigger guy, so I'm sure that was a factor in my chair frame breaking. However, I've owned the truck for 13 years, and even just last year when I first remove the cover, I noticed that they tried to use a bracket with u bolts to hold the two pieces together. It worked for a time but the seat eventually gave way and Halloween to it. Further yet, it began to give me trouble reclining......

Most of the phone was in OK condition, but a specially around the bolsters, as most anyone knows, they are really worn thin ... I have a really wide back and even though the first gen 4 runner and early 2nd gen pickups have the most forgiving bolsters, when I start off road and really dig into them left to right, they can end up really bruising up my ribs. So, I took a portion of super dense 1 inch foam from Joann's fabrics, cut out pieces and use it he civ to wrap it around the bolster arms, which you will see clearly see work on a split farm mechanical method, pulling in and out as you turn the wheel which in turn its the bolsters in or out.

The other problem is that the backrest and back springs do tend to wear out a bit, but they were pretty close to stock... So I took another large portions of 1 inch super dense foam and cut it out to fit almost like a ti up to the very top of the seat, under the main fabric and just on top of the factory foam. This brought my back out a little bit from the backrest and subsequently kept my floating rib from constantly getting that tiny bit of pressure from the bolsters, which over 600 miles or so can really start to annoy. It's also very comfortable to have your back supported. I pull the lumbar adjustment just one click and that really helps support the lower back.

Over the last couple years, since I did this, I've come up with a couple other ideas, one of which is to install it the 2nd Gen 4runner seat foam that I pulled carefully they donor seat that I gotta pick your part. The rump and backrest portions are in perfect condition with no tears, as I carefully removed the clips that hold the foam in place. I think I would like to pull the one inch super dense foam that I installed, and try the factory phone over my own. As was mentioned, it is difficult enough to get the fabric on, so I'm sure it's going to give me a little trouble getting it over the added foam.... But I'm going to make it work, because I got to say, these are by far the most comfortable seat I've ever tried. They just fit perfectly and have good cushion in the rump where it counts on the tailbone, especially my tailbone which was severely fractured around 16 years ago. Not forgetting to mention, my back is somewhat of a disaster with for 6 millimeter herniated discs, a couple of fractures that really act up when its cold and as I mentioned, the tailbone. Those combined with all the soft tissue and fracture injuries I sustained during that should have been fatal accident, have left me with a lot of sensitivity just sitting in one place for a long. Of time. So, I need to be as comfortable as possible! I have Sat for over an hour at 4 Wheel Parts and other stores that demo their finest seats... All of them, with exception of one Corbeau, give me the sense in my nerves that overtime they will become very much and knowing and more importantly no more comfortable than the original first gen 4runner seats that I have . If you are a slender guy, it might not be a terrible idea to just do a swap to something like the Scion tC seats, which in my humble opinion were probably the most comfortable swap that I tried.

 

I have some junk seats and a sewing machine and want to try giving it a shot on reupholstering. I have never done it but am planning on it being a winter project. I have priced having them reupholstered and it is expensive. I have tried several different brands of seat coverings and have not liked any that fit great.