hey guys, so i owned my 4runner for about 3 years now and i just acquired a big piece of the puzzle. an 85 2L-T powered turbo diesel 4wd. i like tellin storys with pictures, so check out the progress so far..

the 2L-T

and the body (over the years) it will be going in.
the first day the flatbed dropped it.

with my 91 in the background

 

after many months we got the old girl running again..a full wire harness later.
it didnt take me long to get in trouble with it..


a family photo

 

Wow that is gonna be a sweet build.

 

rockin some swampers..

fitted with a proper antique plate.

 

 

Looking real nice! What paint did you use for the body? Is it a rust protector or just paint?

 

its normal paint, acrylic enamel. i tried to match a 2010 toyota color, magnetic grey metallic.


and with the 91 roof racks custom mounted.

 

That color looks good on there.

 

I always wondered how that color would look on one of these, then you go and do it lol good work! Looks smooth and shiny

 

^^ thanks guys, it was a toss up on the paint. my other choice was the navy blue that came on my old 91 pickup, and my girls camry.

 

I like that color.
I've always wanted to repaint mine that color or black but then I'd cry every time I see a new scratch pop up, so I've stuck to the original so far.

 

some pics of the organ donor.

piece by piece iv been tearing her down and sellin the body parts i dont need.

 

the evo was giving a lecture about being more reliable.

drop the top.

 

so in the last couple weeks iv been workin on the diesel rig at my buddies shop. i pretty optimistic about the swap and the same time i get nervous about some of the rust on the block. anyway the tear down is just about done, parts on order.. timing belt, water pump, thermostat, timing idlers. and im sure the list will grow but im really tryin to do this on a budget.

 

as you may see, the frame has had some custom work done...

now that i got some elbow room..do the timing belt and anything else that would otherwise be annoying, in the body.

 

Sick. Aways wanted to know what the fuel economy would be on one.

 

This is going to be awesome. When I saw the repaint I dropped an F-Bomb loud enough to wake the baby up... Oops. For sure looking forward to seeing it all swapped!

 

I need a shop like that...

 

x2 ^ this is gonna be sweet

 

after work today i pulled the timing cover off for the first time. looks like its been replaced at least once before, with only 95k on an 85. for peace of mind im gonna put in new timing and cooling parts. i wont see any parts for a few days so i may have my buddy start on a custom downpipe . hes real handy with a mig, and i wanna learn.