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In 2013, I crashed my 4Runner on an icy road. I was devastated because it was my first car and I really loved it. It is a 1985 SR5 with all the options. My great uncle was the second owner and had it since the early 90s until I got it from him.
I didn't have the resources to fix it properly then, and I couldn't let it go, so a we paid a back-country "mechanic" to fix it the best they could. A new windshield, and seemingly gallons of Bondo later, and I was able to roll down the road again.
Well, soon enough the Bondo fell off and I was left with a leaky, rusty roof. Soon after that the transmission went out. College kid that I was, I could only see dollar signs adding up, so I found a little corner of my dad's farm and hid it away under a tarp until I can do something.
Fast forward to today.. College grad, home from the Air Force, got a couple weeks of casual status while I wait for school dates, and the local wrecking yard is closing down and the new owner wants everything gone.... Including a white 1989 SR5 with all the trimmings (and bad rods).
$1,000 got me the complete Runner, plus they through in a good 5-speed for my 22RE and a starter motor.
It even came with a Smittybilt tube rear bumper to match my front! I've been after one of those since high school! Just need the nerf bars now...
The stage is all set now. Going to do a basic body swap. Going all out and plan on using my 1985 doors, tailgate, steering column, canopy, and interior (including the dash, carpet, and wiring harness).
Wish me luck, and please feel free to send in as much advise as you'd like. These threads have been an excellent resource.
EDIT..... Here is the finished project for those who don't feel like scrolling....
Last edited by Snoop_Todd; 10-17-2018 at 09:36 PM.
Spent yesterday and today getting the trucks prepped. Everything is unplugged save for the mounting bolts, which will come out when I'm ready to start lifting stuff.
The 22RE is sure a sweetheart to work with. Everything was nice and easy to access and moved right out ot the way. I unbolted the A/C compressor and simply placed it in the battery tray out of the way.
The 3.0, on the other hand, was a headache and a half trying to get sorted out. Everything is way crammed in with wiring harnesses running every which way but straight. Nothing a little (or a lot) of WD-40 couldn't handle though.
Next step will be to strip these bad boys down as much as possible. Getting the canopy and doors off will require a second set of hands. Hopefully this weekend I'll have a buddy come out and help.
And oh by the way, I found my old box of trim that I had stashed in my old farm truck some time ago. I even have the original radio and equalizer. SCORE!
Here's a question... On the 22RE wiring harness, there is a green female plug down near the starter with nothing plugged into it. Now, seeing as the only thing that doesn't work on the dash is the temp gauge, am I correct to assume that that's were a sender from the coolant sensor would plug in? (The temp gauge never worked, so I've always had an aftermarket gauge. You can see its green wire in the upper right corner of the 22RE pic)
Last edited by Snoop_Todd; 09-26-2018 at 06:50 PM.
Here's a question... On the 22RE wiring harness, there is a green female plug down near the starter with nothing plugged into it. Now, seeing as the only thing that doesn't work on the dash is the temp gauge, am I correct to assume that that's were a sender from the coolant sensor would plug in? (The temp gauge never worked, so I've always had an aftermarket gauge. You can see its green wire in the upper right corner of the 22RE pic)
It's my 1950 GMC 3/4 ton. My grandpa gave it to me on the condition that I haul it off his property. It needs some serious TLC too, but it'll be few years yet before I can get to it.
Bit of progress today. Found out that the interior wiring harness is not compatible between the 3.0 and 22RE. Was planning on swapping dashes anyway, so a little wire swapping can't hurt too, right?
Turns out that the interior wiring harness also runs to the parking lights, horn, and blinkers... oh well, off comes the fenders
Once the 89 was all stripped down, I moved to the 85. Trying to be a bit more careful as I'm trying to reuse this interior. The idea is to line up the dash parts as I take them off, then they should go back on in reverse order... theoretically.
Still waiting until this weekend to lift the cabs. Soon.
That old truck's cool also.
No crack grey dashboard, hard to find in that shape. Clinometer bracket, moonroof, power mirrors.
You're going to have a lot of fun, and I'm going to enjoy this thread.
This is going to be great!!
my advice having just put mine back together after painting is label bags really well.
Even some of the stuff I thought I had labelled well enough was unclear after time passed.
I spent a lot of time solving small puzzles.
What are you planning to do with the old body once you swap over?
if you wind up with surplus parts, I'd be interested in the stainless wheel well trim.
I'll be the first parts vulture, are you planning on parting out the spare vehicle when you're done?
I'm not sure if I'll part it out or sell it as is. It really depends on how much time I have before I need to leave again.
Originally Posted by Melrose 4r
What are you planning to do with the old body once you swap over?
if you wind up with surplus parts, I'd be interested in the stainless wheel well trim.
\
The trim off the parts truck is incomplete, missing the driver side front wheel well. Also the driver side rear is pretty dented. But if you're still interested, I'll keep you in mind when I'm done with the major stuff.
Got the 85's internal wiring harness, steering column, and dash moved over today. I didn't put the speakers or speaker covers in yet, as I'll need access to the door wiring when I swap the doors.
The A/C and heater sub-harness were all plug and play, so I didn't have to replace any of that stuff. The door buttons (by the lower hinge) use a different plug, but they unscrew and swap straight across.
Unfortunately the rear wiring to the taillights and fuel pump use different plugs were they meet the main harness, so I'll be replacing those too. No worries though.
Also got my radio components all out and organized. I got to break out the soldering iron and mend my high school hack-job. Going to put the stock radio back in. I'm not a huge music guy, and I much prefer the look of the original layout.
Yesterday, I finished rewiring the rear half of the truck. I then went ahead and swapped my interior panels. Best part is that my interior panels no longer have any broken/missing pop rivets!
Today we got the bodies off the frames and set side-by-side. The engine bay is not nearly as compatible as the cab. The biggest issue will be the heater hoses that run down to the rear passenger heater as they enter the engine bay at different locations and will require some custom hoses. The clutch slave cylinder hose lines also have a significantly different layout to the point were the mounting holes for the brackets for one are not drilled in the other. I think I can get away with using the 89's clutch layout though. The wiring will also need to be swapped, but it isn't an issue. I'm keeping the 89's brake booster as it's bigger than the 85's.
Got to get the transmission and starter issues worked out before mounting the 89 cab on the 85 frame. Hopefully most of those issues will be knocked out in the next couple days.
Yep, got nothing else to do with my time at the moment. That'll change soon, so I'm trying to get it done. Plus it's addicting! Once I start wrenching, I don't want to stop!
09-24-2018, 10:11 PM
