A lot has happened in the past few weeks, namely getting all my seats back from the upholsterer. So I've been waiting until they were all in to make an update. I was able to find the OEM SR5 tweed fabric from 1985 so I used that to replicate SR5 seats. Since the SR5's didn't have bench seats, I came up with the split design, putting the brown vinyl in the middle and the tweed on the outside to carry the lines. Finally, I came up with the idea to take the leftover fabric and make a custom rear panel to match the interior. I also painted the screw/washers with the same brown I've been using on the faded plastic panels. Carpet is also in, but I messed it up as I didn't realize there was actually a molded area for the front seat rails (didn't let it sit long enough to re-mold. I'm ordering another front piece because I'm anal). Enjoy!




















Also, installed a new Aisin water pump as I have been getting leaks out of the weep hole for months now. I went factory specs and didn't use RTV. In the end, I think I should have. Because even with new hardware and the proper torque specs (which are pretty low), I chased a leak around one of the lower passenger side bolts. I gradually tightened it, tested it, and did one final tightening and the leak stopped. So I'm definitely over on the torque amount but it's not leaking. I think it's because I have the original timing cover and I didn't do the greatest job of cleaning it off.


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Finally, I installed a marine amplifier (2 x 40 RMS) from Kicker to power the front 4" speakers. I was able to keep the factory radio by using special hi-level speaker-to-RCA inputs. Still a bit strange, since the gain is all the way down and I can't get close to 3/4 volume, but the distortion is gone and I can actually hear music through the 4" Polks with the top off at highway speed. Still need some tweaking here, as I'm thinking the speakers rated at 45 RMS may be a little light so I'm on the hunt for some 60 RMS speakers. I also went through and used sound deadening on the back of the dash panels on the driver's side, since they rattled like crazy. It really worked and they weigh a ton now I also used some foam tape to stop the switches and vents from rattling as well. Now when I push the deck light or rear defrost, it's a solid "click" ... very satisfying











Lastly, I finally found an unbroken, manual 4Runner shift console bezel on eBay after looking for the last 9 months. It's the last interior piece I didn't have. It was blue, but I used that same brown paint with the adhesion promoter, and it looks brand new. Giving this one a long time to dry before I install it ...





On a sadder note, it seems I won't be able to avoid a head gasket replacement. As I've been driving more, I've noticed a small coolant leak but couldn't trace it. After my last longer drive on a weekend, I can now see dyed coolant coming down the driver's side of the block from the head gasket area. It's never overheated since I bought it in March, but I think with a brand new coolant system and no where for it to escape elsewhere, plus the limited time it was driven before I started driving it a lot, contributed to the failure. So, I'm going to try and do it myself, along with the timing chain. Just hoping the weather stays a bit on the warmer side for the month of October. Bummer, but at least I got to enjoy a few weeks with the top off before I shut it down for awhile. But I think I have an oil leak somewhere on the rear side anyway (valve cover gasket possibly, hoping not rear main seal) so I'll be able to tackle that plus a valve adjustment.