Well to start out, just a few weeks ago my dad said I could have the 4Runner! I was pretty excited when he said I could have it since I've wanted it since I was little. When I was little, we used to live not too far from the Northwest Off Road Specialties shop and when we would drive by I was always amazed by the awesome 'yotas they had there (more specifically the yellow '79 pickup) so it's pretty awesome to finally own a Toyota! I'm looking to install a mild lift since a SAS is out of my budget and is too much for my limited knowledge. The truck runs great with no mechanical problems that have been brought to my attention, but I'm thinking with 250,XXX miles on the clock I'll have a few sooner or later. Most of the work that needs to be done is the petty cosmetic stuff like fixing the cracked dashpad, replacing the driver's mirror, etc. I do have to replace at least part of the exhaust because the tailpipe section is rusting out, but that is just a good excuse to get a performance exhaust to just make it sound a bit better... lol Anyways, I hope to get this project rolling fairly quickly, but we'll see how it goes. So far all I've accomplished is putting a set of Yakima bars on, but I don't think that actually counts as progress.

Current Plans [Updated 10/24/2012]:
- 4 inch Bracket Lift w/ matching rear springs
- 15x10 American Racing Outlaw II's
- 33x12.50 BF Goodrich A/T's
- 4.88 gears
- New Exhaust
- Dick Cepek Lightbar w/ Pro Comp 5x7's
- Get a dashpad cover
- Fix little cosmetic issues

Well, here's just some pics to show you what it looks like at the moment...

 

Nice looking 4Runner there!

 

Thanks! I was really happy about the condition of it since it really could have been a lot worse.

 

I also picked up an altimeter! Were these an option in '88? I've heard that they weren't, but I really have no idea



Before I install it though, I'm gonna fix those nasty cracks... Does anyone know of a good way to do it that doesn't take too much knowledge/skill?

 

Nice looking 4runner, and nice score on the altimeter!

I was just reading through svdudes' 4runner build eairlier today and he had some pics of how he fixed his cracked dash. Here is a link to his thread:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f199...ild-up-236257/

I hope this helps you out, look forward to seeing some more progress on your build!

 

I was actually just reading that thread... What I can't figure out is how he textured it. I'm looking to keep the interior looking as close to stock as possible and I don't want to have mismatched dash colors/textures. Unless I find a fairly idiot-proof method, I'm either gonna pay someone to do it right, or find someone on craigslist selling one/parting out a rig. Thanks for your help though!

 

Well, I picked up a set of Ultra wheels (164 Series) off of Craigslist for $150. They came mounted on 31x10.50 Goodyear A/T's which don't have the greatest tread on them, but then again neither do my current tires. I bought them from a guy who works at the local metal recycler and he says that they get 1st gen 4Runners/2nd Gen Pickups in there all the time and that if I told him what I need then he'd try to get it for me. He has an '86 4Runner and that's how he gets his parts so hopefully I now have someone to go to for parts/tips about my 4Runner.

Anyway, here's the wheels... I haven't mounted them yet because I have to get my floorjack back from my Uncle. Hopefully I can get them on tomorrow!

 

Nice rig

 

Thanks!

 

So, I've been looking around trying to find even SOME of the parts that I need for the 4Runner... The local junkyard doesn't seem to have ANYTHING that I'm looking for so Craigslist and eBay are gonna have to be my virtual junkyard for now. Today I found a replacement front bumper on eBay that looks like it'll fit just fine, but I want to get someone from the forums' input about it. If you look at the pics you can see there is quite the dent and the top edge of the bumper has been pushed up a bit. (top-left corner of the license plate). There is also quite a bit of damage to the lower valance below the bumper and some guy on eBay sells those too. Anyways, if someone has any knowledge about this replacement bumper/valance feel free to share it!

Bumper eBay Link

Lower Valance eBay Link

 

I REALLY thought I'd be making quicker progress on this build, but that seems not to be the case Anyways, I got the new rims mounted a couple weeks back and just today I sold my originals wheels in OK shape for $200! So on top of getting some new wheels I made $50! Now that I got some more cash to throw into this build I hope to get to progress quickly!

I also dropped the spare to help with some of the sag... Still has some sag so I'm not sure what I'm gonna do yet. I'm thinking about the possibility of running airshocks in the rear that I can adjust depending on the weight in the back, but I'm not sure yet.

Updated Pic:

 

Yesterday I cleaned and repainted the skidplate that has been off of the 4Runner for a few years now... It had sat outside and unfortunately got surface rust all over it, but that was easily taken care of with with some scotch brite pads and a can of black Rustoleum "Hammered". At least I can say I accomplished SOMETHING this weekend... lol.



The slow pace won't be like this for long. Next weekend I'm planning to repaint the top since it is faded so badly so that's gonna be an all weekend thing (prep, paint, cure, cleanup), but I feel it will be well worth it when I'm done. There is no damage to the top so I'm just gonna scuff up the surface and shoot it with a few coats of satin black Rustoleum and see how it turns out. I heard it turns out really good if you do it right, so I'll make sure I do a whole bunch of research before next weekend. Anyways, I just wanted to post an update and try to get the this thread going :/

 

Well, here's the first part of my dashboard refresh! New heater control knobs to replace my old ones! I had a complete set on my 4Runner, but these are brand new Toyota ones that are in perfect condition that I got on eBay for $1.00 plus shipping and I couldn't pass up the offer... lol

I know it's not much of an update, but even though I don't get many responses I want to keep the thread updated :/

 

Your making some good progress, l like the wheels you put on, they set it off nicely!

 

The runner looks sick.
And ya I know what you mean. Having a yota with a low budget and all these great ideas, just sucks your money away.
How old are you?? Haha just curious

 

Just thought I'd share a window sticker I thought was pretty awesome! It was on a Toyota pickup so it counts as relevant... lol!

 

So I found out that Toyota still sells the heater control sticker (part #: 81942-89102) so I went down to the local Toyota dealership and ordered one up! Since I was installing the new sticker I figured it was a good time to switch out my old heater control knobs for my new Toyota ones also!

The Parts!


The old nasty sticker and knobs!


And here is the finished product! It really helped the looks of the dash and it's nice to see the symbols on the controls white instead of orange/brown!

 

Sorry for no updates for a while... I did make some progress on the 4Runner though! I took advantage of the Memorial Day weekend and decided to paint the top. It really helped the look of the truck! I just roughed up the surface with a Scotchbrite pad, cleaned the surface, and then hit it with satin black Rustoleum.

Before...





After the first coat...



And the final product... (bad picture, looks WAY better in person!)



I also took the time to paint the rusted wiper arms (the ONLY rusty part of the 4Runner BTW)...



And for my final update, I installed a new steering wheel since the old one was worn out. I still have it just in case I want to go back, but I don't think I will

 

Nick, nice job, I did my cap in black bed liner.

 

Runner looks good, may not seem like your making big progress but it all ads up. From the looks you have a solid base to start with so that's a plus. Work so far looks good I like the wheels including the steering wheel. Keep the pics coming great work.