I bought this sick 1995 4Runner from someone who was in the middle of swapping it with a 1uz. It's by far my dream car and I'm super motivated to get this build started. This car is pretty gutted and all the parts are pretty much in boxes, the transmission is just kind of hanging there, and the engine is just placed in there but not secured yet.

I'm not entirely sure where to start with this project. I'm super new to this community and I wanted to learn more about cars and how to build and fix them without having to totally rely on someone else to do it for me. I just need some advice on where to start and things to look for when doing the build.

The guy I bought it from left it out, so there was a bunch of rat droppings in the carpet and seats, so I took those out and started cleaning the inside of the car. I planned on getting plastic floors and new seats anyways, so no biggie. I'm in the process of inventorying what I have and don't have. I don't exactly know where the guy I bought the truck from left off, so I'm sure I might need to restart the whole project, but like I said before, I'm not entirely sure where to start.

 

Buying a factory service manual. Getting the EWD manual is a sound purchase, too.
Get the vin# and model# off the drivers door jam decal. Then go to EPC-data.com and practice looking stuff up. Those parts diagrams will save your sanity.

I’d probably pull the engine back out and put on a stand. Easier to evaluate.