Hey guys,

New to the forum, thought i would show off some progress on my T4r,
This swap has been completed and is currently running and driving. It took approximately 18 man-hours between two trained techs, Myself and another toyota tech.

Im from canada, so 2wd trucks are non-existant unless they are an import and 4cyls are just as rare, they are all 4wd v6 and rusty

This is a copy/pasta from another forum

1998 4 runner. Not that special you might say, But this particular example is a U.S. truck. Its 2WD (i know) and automatic (blech) but it came from texas recently and had passed the out of country no problem. Might I add it has zero rust? Bonus was that its a 2.7 4cyl, very rare in this generation, also had working a/c, power windows, mirrors and locks. I picked it up for $2000 with 138k miles on it which makes me feel a bit like i stole it. I bought it over the phone without even seeing it first, and asides from needing a set of tires and some front brake hoses, it passes a safety without a sniff. Here it is on a road trip


Projector retrofit, Im a little sick of crap hid kits, so i decided to give a projector retrofit a shot. This particular projector from the retrofit source just sandwiches over your H4 housing, installation is neat and a snap. Kit includes projectors, shrouds, bulbs (d2s) and amp cables for $170 if you provide a set of ballasts. This is also a HI/LO function projector with a little solenoid and shield.



I added an amber LED strip due to my lack of DRL


(pardon the potato phone quality)
Output (at about 60ft) notice the lack of glare above the cutoff line


3 inch lift and 31x10.5x15 tires


Winter shoes, I dont mess around. 265/70/R16 studded Federal Himilayas. One of the best winter tires on a budget. Plus studs.


I picked up a 1996 4runner that had been rolled in central alberta. Miraculously its also a 2.7 but it has 4wd and a manual. The plan is to swap in the 4wd/5spd drivetrain and The task is not an easy one, I had to aquire a 98 pcm and engine wiring harness due to the fact that the newer truck uses wasted spark vs a distributor. I also had to move the transmission crossmember forward about 6 inches to avoid interfering with the transfer case. Cut and weld Holes needed to be drilled for the slave cyl, pedals needed swapping, the shifter hole in the floor needed cutting, P/N switches needed fooling and diffs needed installing. But at the end of 3 long evenings (18 hrs total work) between two guys. we had some success!









There is still some stuff to do, like wiring in the clutch cancel switch, the clutch switch for starting and the clutch switch for cruise control. As well as combining the manual and auto clusters to remove PRNDL and make the speedometer/odometer in KM. But other than that it runs and drives factory, No CEL or strange vibrations.

Next up:

-color tinted bedliner along the lower door skins and lower rockers to keep stone chips, scratches and pesky rust away. Just waiting for my monstaliner samples

-Volvo S60/V70 sport seats to replace the worn out base model seats. Hopefully i can find a heated + memory set and get the functions to work. These are some of the most comfortable OEM seats I have sat in.

- Taurus E-fan, just to pick up some MPG's and quieter running.

I finally found some volvo seats to swap into the Runner, As they are probably the most comfortable seat I have ever sat in out of any car.

this swap would also work in any other car/truck, depending on your skill level (seat bracket fab)

The goal is to make the power functions and the seat heaters work (i live in canada)

I scored these bad boys at the pick n pull (thank you row 52 for notifying me of its arrival) from a 01 v70 turbo. They are the sport seats, in the colour I wanted and they are mint! wee!



Now for the fun part, getting the seat heaters, and the power functions to work. The drivers seat uses a memory function and module, and is on the CAN data network. I don't want or need to put them on the network nor do i need the memory functions.

The motors are all stepper type (according to the diagram and are 4 wire vs 2) motors with position sensors. These wont work without module control so i will need to use the relays, motors and switches from the passenger seat as these motors are identical in size and shape and are a standard DC motor. The controls for the passenger seat should swap over to the drivers trim peice for oem fit and finish.

Next time one of these p2 cars shows up at PNP, I will grab all the stuff from the passenger seat and swap it onto the drivers, as far as I can see between the two seats, the motors are exactly the sa, Notice how the passenger seat requires only two power (one for stop logic, and the other for the motors) and a ground! much much simpler!

If anyone could comment on the diagram, I assume 30+ on the fuse lines is just 12v+, but im not sure about X+ as i dont have a symbol key. Maybe 5v+ for the logic board??

Drivers seat


Passenger



The fun part will be controlling the seat heaters (not shown). In the car the climate control module Pulse width modulates the seat elements to control temp. It also has a temperature thermistor to watch and make sure the elements dont get too hot. My plan is to build / buy a small module to PWM these elements using a knob or dial to control it (change in resistance = change in duty cycle 10-75%) as normally they are controlled by the climate control module.

As for mounting i plan on welding the Volvo rails to the toyota mounts. The seatbelt buckle bolts to the seat on both the volvo and the toyota so that should be simple for retaining the toyota seatbelts.

Ill up date this as i make some progress with more pictures.

Very cool, manual is the only way to go! Save that other 2.7 motor for the future. They've been known to have head gasket issues.

very cool indeed.

Can you tell me exactly what you got for the HID retrofit? I love the fact that you use the existing H4 so you don't have to do much cutting.

im lovin this thread!

throw a long tube header and a high flow muffler on that 3rz! you'll love it.

Sold it to a friend in need aid a swap for his tired 22re. The 96 motor uses a distributor vs wasted spark so the engine harness, head and PCM are different. I'm a full time mechanic so if I run into head gasket issues I can fix it pretty easily

I have the toyota shorty header on it already and have a 2015 tacoma stainless exhaust and mag aglow mufflers I plan on making a 2.5" exhaust for it somewhere down the line. Got it all for free from work so I'll cobble something together there!


The hid retrofit uses the Morimito mini D2S projector from the retrofit source. You can buy a complete kit from them if you have your own ballasts (I have original DDm 55w ones) for about $175. The mini d2s is better than the mini h1 IMO due to the fact that D2S is the bulb type for all oem hid projectors, giving you massive bulb selection.

These projectors are designed to clamp directly over the H4 hole in your housing, no cutting required. They aren't the best on the market compared to oem projectors, but for the price and the ease of installation I would reccomend them. The light output is awesome compared to even some oem hid systems. Keep in mind you have to mod the hi/Lo shroud slightly to allow for smooth operation as they tend to bind a little out of the box.

great work my friend. love what you've done so far. keep up the good work.

as far as the retrofit....did you use a universal kit or vehicle specific kit from another vehicle?

It's universal, see my previous post!

Some other stuff ive added or done in the last while...

Relocated both front and rear diff breathers when my rear axle seal went.





Painted valve cover when i changed the valve cover gaskets. Also added a ratcheting LS400 oil cap



Added an OEM shorty header



And last but not least, a shift knob from a 70's Toyota pickup. The smaller knob fits in my hand better.

Hey I like it! I know I love driving my 3rz 4x4 so I hope you enjoy yours!

I love it.

Next plans include more front lift using 2012 tacoma front struts, it's an experiment for sure, so we will see how that goes.

Yeah that might not work out so well....but then again I don't know enough to tell you for sure it won't either.

They are about 3 inches taller than stock, but have a different sized bolt pattern on top. Mounting is the same at the bottom. The plan is to swap the 4 runner upper strut mount over. We will see, I don't have the parts until tonight.

Another 3rd gen goes out to pasture, this was the donor truck for my 4wd and manual swap.

We're you ever able to power the Volvo seats and swap them in? I grabbed a set for myself and am starting to research the wiring. Just wondering based on your comments I'm wondering if I need more parts it of another passenger seat. Thanks!