I just bought a 1990 4runner that is a 2 door. Not the 4 door model. I didn't know it at the time, when I bought it, that is was a two door model. Does anyone have any info on these models? It is a base model, no A/C and the previous owner took off the original steering wheel. So no cruise at the moment either. Also, I am wondering if it is worth fixing up ( RUST!), drive it and sell it later or part it out. The body is great, except for alot of rust on the right side, behind the door and over the rear wheel well. And also beneath the lower tire carrier mount on the body. The rest of the body is rust free. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

None of the 1st Gen 4Runners were four door, the Gen 3 and 4 are only four door though.

 

so are some 2 gen....mine is 4 door

 

Basic info should be the same as the 4 door model second gen 4runner.

 

I saw one of these before I decided to buy mine (4dr). That was ten years ago and it was the only one I've ever seen. You have something unique and it might be worth it to you to fix the rust. Don't worry about the stuff around the spare tire; you can use a tie down strap to hold up the tire and eliminate the creaky old lowering mechanism.

 

yep, they are pretty rare (well not around my parts). Toyota stopped offering them due to heavy taxes during the import process.

The last of the 2door 4runners!

I would defantly save it. Rust is common on all toyotas. Mechanicly everything is the same as the 4 door runners.

 

there is a good bunch of 2 doors here in Okinawa as well....same reliability as 4 doors, just minus a couple of doors...

 

Thanks for the info. I like the looks of it and it does run pretty good. I still haven't decided what to do with it yet......At least I put a stereo back in it and covered the speaker holes up that the PO had cut into the doors and rear panels...So for now, I will continue driving it.

 

There was one recently on craigslist in my area for a few thousand.

If you like it and think it is worth fixing up, then i say go for it.

 

there was one in my area that buddy couldnt give away a red one

 

The spare tire is on the back, on a swing away rack. So, the rust is beneath the bottom bracket that attaches to the body. I have been tinkering with it, fixed the rear window switch, so it works now. I will need to fix the sunroof soon, if I want to use it. I can hear the motor but, the sun roof does not move. SO, probably will have to replace the cables or ???

 

Nice....

 

oh what I wouldn't give for a 2 door 4runner....

 

and a question no one else asked..

how did you buy it without knowing it was a 2 door?

 

my mom had one back when they first came out and she hated it because she couldn't get the car seats in very easy and then like a month after they bought theres they came out with the four door! nice truck except the 3.slow

 

In my lifetime, I have sen one 2 door 2nd gen 4Runner. So, based on that
fact, I'd say go ahead and (provided the rust isn't too bad) fix it up. I promise you that it will be an extremely rare occurance to ever see one like it.

 

I'd love to have one with a 5 speed and a 22RE.
I hate the 4 Doors, yet another reason why I have a first gen
Saw a grey one on craigslist for a while last summer, but it was a little outside my price range.

 

Its interesting that, no matter what brand you wheel (Jeep, Yota, etc..)
the 2 door versions are always what seem to be the most popular. I like the
2 door 4Runner for the sake of rarity and individuality, but for all practical purposes, the 4 door versions seem to be the most useful overall.

One thing that I'm not sure of, though, would be are the 2 door 4Runners built on a shorther wheelbase?

 

According to wikipedia the wheelbases are the same. Looking at pictures they look different, but that can be deceiving because the 2-door versions use the longer front doors from the pickups. Here's a couple pics:







Barely noticeable difference in the length of the front door:




Another advantage is that if you wanted to cut out the wheel wells for bigger tires, it would probably be a little easier than with the 4-door. But I probably wouldn't do that to a rare truck. I've seen a few around Washington for sale, there was a red one with a blown motor for $1,500 a while back. I would have bought it but the wife would have freaked. There was also a grey one that was perfect but it had like 280,000 miles on it, for like $4,000 (A little pricey even for a rare truck). Both were V6's though. I do believe they came with the 22-RE also, but have never seen one in person or even on the internet anywhere, so they are probably even more rare.

For the OP: I would hold onto it and fix it up if you don't need to sell it for money reasons. The only parts that are really different and would be hard to get is the glass for the sides, so don't break 'em!!! It's a rare truck and if it will work for what you need it for, then keep it and be the cool guy with the rare truck.

 

1990 was the 1st year of the 2nd gen and they offered it in 2 and 4 door. There is a nice 2 door 1990 for sale here in my area now.