Recently I acquired my first car, my beloved 1988 Toyota 4Runner SR5. I had been searching for many years wondering for what I truly wanted. I knew that i had to have something with a removable top, and when I was less educated on cars and such, I thought a Jeep Wrangler was going to be the only way to go. As I got older I realized that every where I went, I saw JEEPS, JEEPS, JEEPS. Every other car on the road seemed to be a Jeep. Me, being the person I am, decided that I wanted something more unique and I came to the conclusion that there had to be other cars out there with removable tops. I started doing some research and found the Suzuki Samurai and fell in love, until I read that the engine was the size of something from a scooter. Back to research. Cruising on craigslist one night I saw a Toyota 4Runner and knew at that moment that that was what I needed. About a month after that I drove up to Chattanooga and picked up my baby.





























I have put on the fog lights in the front and done some minor touch up stuff to the interior (which is in almost perfect shape minus the dash), but now am looking to do some cosmetic stuff to the exterior.My plan it to give it a fresh paint job (It is too expensive to take it anywhere so I am going to attempt it myself) I want to do it red but not completely red so I don't have to do the door jams. I was thinking something like this.



Give me your thoughts and tips for the job as I am extremely new to this. I was also looking at Plasti-dip as well, but I do not know the quality of it? Anybody tried It?

 

I think it looks dang good in black. Good find as it looks to be in great shape.

We have a couple of red and black runners around here and i find them to look tacky.

Plasti dip won't peel off of rough paint well if that is what you plan to do.

 

Thanks for the input 92ehatch. I was also thinking the same thing about it looking tacky. I decided to just do the whole car black with regular paint (no Plasti-dip). I started experimenting today on my drivers fender to figure out what works best. I will post pictures soon!

 

Whatever you do please don't rattle can it. Good auto paint will never stick to it and it will have to be stripped to do properly. Btw cheap paint sands like silly putty.

A cheap single stage urethane is the best bet or leave it alone until you can afford it.

 

I'm taking the car to Maaco today to get a quote for painting. I tried a little my self and was underwhelmed with how it turned out. To save some cash for other 4Runner projects and accessories(Soft Top!!!), I am planning to do the prep work myself unless they give me a really good quote. There is one solid dent on the passenger rear quarter panel that I am worried about.

 

You have a nice platform to work with. A ton of people would PREFER a black 4Runner so you are lucky. IMO Maaco is a good solution. Be sure and clean it yourself with a degreaser (Purple Power, even Dawn Dish Liquid) before you take it in. I'm amazed that people take in waxed up cars and are surprised when the paint doesn't stick. I would also take off the stripes so they don't paint over them. You can get new ones from James Dean Creations.

 

A cheap hammer and dolly set from harbor freight for the dent and some evercoat body filler will set you back about 50 to 60 bucks. Easy to take care of the dent.

Clean the car with dawn or Purple power before sanding.

 

I really like the stripes so that's what I'll do afterward. I figured that they would need to come off.

Depending on the quote from Maaco, that might just be the route I take.

 

I got the quotes and now it is just a decision between urethane and enamel. Which one is better and is it worth the extra $200 to go to urethane?

 

Yes urethane is worth it. You won't be able to repaint over enamel later on with quality paint and it won't be as strong.

 

I found some rust on the rear quarters that will need tending to before paint. I will post pictures in the morning!

 

That is a great looking truck and being black with the stripes on it I think is one of the best looking trucks there is. There will be some issues that need to be looked at but most fixes can be found on here. Welcome to Yotatech.

 

Thank You! I only have about 1/3 of the stripes left on the car,(probably from body work by the PO) but I eventually want to put new ones on.

Happy Birthday to me!!! My car gave me some more rust!













All of the paint bubbling is rust. That all will have to come off. I went into the side tool compartment in the cab and found a damp piece of wood back there against the bare metal that caused the rust... Why would the PO do this?!?!?!?!?



Also for my birthday my parents got me new tail light covers. Mine were pretty faded and my parents wanted them to be able to be seen better. The old ones are above the new ones.




I also got some new toys including a welder and grinder! Can't wait to get back to working on the car.

 

Nice truck! What are your plans for it? I have my eyes on an 89 4runner that I'm hoping to build up. Looking forward to see where your build takes you!

 

I was going to mention the possibility of a line of rust under the chrome wheel well trim. I had it but it was pretty easy to clean up.


On the theme of visibility I notice you have a tow hitch. These lights are cheap and slide in the hitch and are wired by the 4 flat tow wire. It's an extra brake light and I force my kid to use one:


https://www.amazon.com/Bully-CR-007A...ow+hitch+light

 

I plan to get rid of all the rust, do some POR 15 on the frame, paint or at least do some touch up, and a softopper. I do not know what order this is coming in either. After this, I'll just do whatever crosses my mind!

Great find! I just ordered one. Thanks!

 

It's been a while since I worked on the runner, mainly because school has started. I have gotten some rust work done on the body.

This is where I had to cut out a lot of rust. PO had put bondo right on top of it.


For my first time cutting plates and welding, I think it turned out alright. Today I am working on the one rusty wheel well. Hoping to get all the rust out soon. I also ordered a trail-gear tube bumper for the rear, as my mailbox put a huge dent in mine
When I get a week off of school in later September, I plan to do the entire body in UPOL raptor liner, just as joelsmithdesigns did. Any suggestions are welcome for what I should do next!

 

Awesome. Are you are keeping the truck on the road while you do the work?

 

Yep, it's my daily driver to school. I get a lot of comments on it, which I think is unique in a Jeep dominated area

 

I got a teaser for next week...


Finally a new bumper to replace my beat up original one. I'm planning to do A LOT to the car next week as I have a fall break from school and extra cash in my pocket for new goodies. I think I'm going to tackle the paint as well, doing the pattern in the red 4runner pic in the original post, but instead of red, I'm going to go a metallic silver. Of course this is after I finish all the rust work and do my fair share of POR 15. The insides of my rear quarters would be the first thing to get POR'ED, and then after that I will work on cleaning up my IFS. All the while, I hope to get some interior work done as well. I am completely stunned with the look of joelsmithdesigns interior panels...

Lol, I hope you don't care if I cheat off your design a little bit, because its too damn good not too!

So that's where I'm at for the next week to come!