Mine has been totaled twice.

The quote from the Toyota dealership was $29xx.

I replace only what was needed or fixed what didnt.

If I hadnt went a little further, I would of only had <$500 in parts.

 

That last picture is of what happens when you only have 2 wheel drive! In other words, my 4 wheel drive doesn't work. When I put it in 4 wheel drive, the driveshaft from the transfer case will spin, but no indicator light on the dash comes on. I just figured the indicator light was out but I found out the hard way last night when something up front wasn't working. So it either has to be the front differential or the hubs. It worked before the accident so I don't know if when they changed the fuse box from the donor runner something got messed up with the electrical for 4wd or if it didn't work after the accident--I never tried it from the time it was wrecked to now. Anyway, if anyone knows anything about front differentials and auto hubs any help is deeply needed. I'm taking it back to the place who fixed it to look at it on Monday so they can figure it out.

 

Woah, it's been a while since I've posted on here. I still need to take pictures of when it's clean. Here are some more recent pictures...

removing front diff drain plug



It really really bugs me that the new paint looks different then the old. I believe the old paint is just faded though.


Shackles! Thank you legokcen from t*r. Damn this thing is looking low. It's got potential though!

 

Opinions wanted! Should I leave the d-rings in their galvanized state or try painting them another color? Honestly, I think they compliment the chrome bumper nicely being the color they are.

 

Nice, glad you got it repaired. How bad was the frame? Did you go with the $4000 estimate?

Please explain removing the front diff drain plug.

My opinion: Properly wash your 4Runner and through a good coat of wax on it to bring the old paint to a closer shine.

I would actually say remove the d-rings and only use them when you need 'em. If you really want to keep them on, I would actually paint them black; it would make it look more clean.

 

The frame, suprisingly, was not damaged. Measured from the ball joint to certain places on the frame here at home while wrecked and the repair shop confirmed that it was not bent. The only thing damaged on the frame was the driver side radiator support mount. No, I did not go for the $4000 estimate because that estimate was for STRAIGHTENING the inner fender well NOT cutting and replacing it like I wanted. I actually bought the front end from a junkyard for about $1400, and they shipped it free to the repair shop which did labor for about $2500.

You don't understand? I couldn't get a cheater bar on the ratchet to get it loose so I found a chain in the shed, hooked it on the end of the ratched, then drove over the chain to get the drain plug loose. LOL

You're right. I clay barred everything but the front end and put Liquid Glass on everything but the front end. Expensive stuff: http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...i_sku=89013169

If you know more about clay barring, polishing, waxing than I do, let me know about the correct steps to take to make this thing shine.


I love how the D-rings look mounted on the front end! That's why I bought them.

 

That's why when a vehicle is painted they should "blend" any adjacent panels so the difference between the new and old paint isn't so obvious. Some clear coats also yellow more than others which can change the paint color underneath new paint. New paint, no matter how carefully mixed, tinted, and sprayed will never match what you have on your car and is another reason why painters will blend new paint into the old so it tricks your eye into not seeing the difference (unless it's totally a different color!).

As for freshening up your paint, a nice buff and polish with an electric buffer would probably bring back the luster in your clear coat. Liquid glass is probably one of the best waxes I've used, it's a pain in the ass and expensive but will make it shine.

 

Rebuild..!!!!!! Swap to the next body style front like the black runner. Well worth the rebuild my friend has one with over 300,000 trust me well worth the rebuild. That black runner looks hot too.

 

Should I polish it again with the liquid glass then wax it with turtle wax? On the can it says Liquid Glass is a polish. I believe it differs from wax?

 

I detailed for 8 years and typically if the clear coat had oxidation, or fine swirls or car wash scratches we would buff it with a medium duty compound using a wool pad on an electric buffer, then clean the compound off and switch to a softer foam pad at low RPMs and use a polish or swirl remover with the electric buffer, clean, then apply wax or some kind of sealer. I would recommend using an electric buffer because hand rubbing/waxing will not yield the best results. If you are not familiar with using an electric buffer I would recommend you take it somewhere because you could potentially burn through the clear or burn any of your plastic parts if you are not experienced. However, I hate to say it but finding someone that can actually do a good buff job is difficult. Most places have someone that knows how to run a buffer over the car quick but they don't really know how to buff/polish properly in order to give a good shine and not leave swirl marks. You're from the "mid west", where exactly? If you were close I'd give you some lessons.

 

I'm from Nebraska. About 1.5 hours West of Omaha. Yeah, I've never used an electric buffer and I have no idea how to use one correctly. Growing up with an old school Dad who introduced me to Liquid Glass, hand waxing/polishing is pretty much a given.

 

I don't know if any of you guys saw this on t4r, but I have an annoying brake problem. It's had REALLY TOUCHY brakes ever since I've got it. I'm going to say that I feel it's the rear brakes creating the problem. It feels to me as if the rear brakes "catch" faster then the fronts and therefore I have noisedive and it's just not very fun to drive because the next stop is always on your mind. In addition to the touchiness, when I'm coming to a very slow stop, after I slow down/stop and release the brake pedal, it feels as if there's a slight delay somewhere (I think it's the rear). It almost feels as if the rear shoes don't come released from the drum fast enough.

I've cleaned the rear shoes and drums off repeatedly because I've had both axle seals go out recently and figured, since they weren't just saturated in grease, I'd just clean them. I just lubed the driveshaft up good but the problem still persists.

 

Got the enegy suspension steering rack bushings in on Monday the 17th. Pretty straight forward install took me and a buddy about 2.5 hours to do. The truck's steering is much tighter now, but it still wanders on rough roads. It'll drive straight on a smooth road no matter what the speed.

Just thought I'd give a little update. Been a while and still researching and deciding on lift options...... and larger tires.