Just purchased today!

Package deal from a local fellow, included the following:

- 1 1985 4runner - 22RE w/ headers and LC cam, auto, decent interior, not running
- 1 1986 4runner - 22RE, 5spd, a bit torn up inside, running roughly, good tires and brakes
- 1 Pro-Comp 4" lift kit
- 1 spare IFS steering box + other various parts
- Home-made bikini soft top

The '85 is living in the garage for the moment and the '86 will live outside.

Future plans (comments and suggestions welcome) -

- Get the '85 running
- Install the lift, with high-steer, and clean up the undercarriage
- Swap the transmissions
- Lockers, gears, twin-stick in the '85
- Build some sliders and bumpers (note to self, need to relearn to weld)
- Turn the '86 into a smooth DD

I think I have my work cut out for me...

Here's the '85, already pushed into the garage:



The '86 should be arriving shortly.

 

10/11/09 -

'86 arrived at around 6:30 last night. She shows 333k on the clock! I did some quick diagnostic work this morning.

I pulled the plugs to check wear and gap. #3 cylinder was running hotter than the rest and all gaps were just a bit too big. After regapping, I next looked at the oil and coolant. Oil level was fine, but oil needed changing - it was dark and smelly. Coolant was slightly low, but also had significant oil visible just from a quick look under the radiator cap.

Preliminary diagnosis - head gasket.

She'll runs, roughly, and can move under her own power, but won't go above 30mph. There is also a massive exhaust leak. Actually, I'd call the entire exhaust system a leak. A white cloud of sweet-smelling coolant smoke envelopes the truck at stop lights. I bought a new manifold gasket today, but I don't plan to install it yet, since it'll just need to be replaced again when the head gasket issue gets addressed. The rest of the system could probably use redoing.

The transmission feels better than I expected and shifts smoothly between all gears once warmed up. I suspect a fluid change is in order, but other than that, it should be ready to roll.

So, plan of attack has now been altered a bit. I'm going to get the '86 running well, first. I suspect that the head gasket and exhaust should be enough to make her reliable for the moment. Once she can drive around town without issues, then it'll be time to dive into the '85.

 

Found an '85 in much better shape, so these two are up for sale.

Link to fs thread - https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f108...1986-a-193993/

 

Did you buy this one?:

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/1418538033.html

 

That's the one.

 

building a truck is half the fun but from that craigslist add you made a smart move..that one looks and sounds pretty dang cool.

 

I tend to agree with you. I built my WRX from stock.

But, given that I just passed the bar exam and expect my workload to increase, I'd like to have something I can daily drive now and continue to build, rather than something that'll require work just to be reliable.

BTW, if I'm asking too much for those trucks - I'm not as well versed in the Yota market as I was in the Subaru one - please, tell me. I was hoping the "OBO" would cover that, but who really knows?

 

Man, nice grab. That looks like a really nice rig. I saw it pop up a couple of days ago but it is a little out of my price range.

 

You can have the other two, cheap!

 

Nice! I still wanna see the rig you got instead (The craigs list post is gone) As I said on cottora dibs on the 85 - troy and I may do an engine swap with the 3.4 we got for tippy and possibly a full frame swap too.

 

Oh dibs are off for now... With me being sick and troy slammed at work we haven;t had time to discuss anything. Bumpity for an awesome deal!

 

So, I've been slacking on the updates.

The original '85 and '86 are still for sale.

Here are some pictures of the new '85 (click for embiggening):









It's sitting on a 3" lift with 34x10.50 TSLs. The wheels are FJ40 steelies, painted black. Both bumpers and the rack are one-offs made by the PPO's son after he learned how to weld.

I should have some Hella E-code sealed-beam conversions showing up on the 9th. I'm excited to have more usable light! Thanks to BoostinChick for those. I also ordered a set of 58" sliders from Addicted Offroad this morning. They should be arriving next week.

The left front tire rubs against the spring at full left lock, so some 1.5" wheel spacers are coming next. They'll match up with the already-installed '88 V6 rear.

I also found a twin-sticked Marlin dual-case setup with 2.28s in both cases for a damn good price, so I'll be picking those up next weekend. I plan on swapping 4.7s into the rear case before installing them. I'm thinking a triple-stick mod will be in order; I don't really want to cut up the center console.

Lastly, I picked up a Hi-lift Allcast 60" jack from McGuckin's in Boulder for $70. It's living in the back of the truck right now until I can find the time to rig a mount on the rear bumper.

As for home made projects, I ended up including my old Yakima rack with the sale of my Subaru, so I needed a fresh way to mount bikes.

Enter RockyMounts. I purchased two of the "Clutch" model for $25 each at their factory store in Boulder. Then, I headed over to McGuckin's for some mounting hardware and discovered the same model on sale for $20. RockyMounts price-matched and away we go.

Using a 2x4 I had laying around the garage, I drilled a few sets of holes. Two sets allow for a straight mounting. Two sets are angled slightly so wider handlebars don't interfere with one another. The entire thing is 52" wide which fits nicely across the back of the truck. Each mount is 14" from the end of the board, leaving plenty of room for the handlebars. I measured my mountain bike and it has 13" from the center of the stem to the end of the bar. The mounts are held in place with 6mm carriage bolts and nylon lock nuts. I also beveled the edges a bit to make it look nice. I may paint it eventually, but, meh.

Total cost to mount two bikes securely within the cargo area: $44 and some change.