JZiggy
Senior Member
Hello 3d Gen 4Runners!
I am finally getting around to working on my SR5. I am the second owner of this 4runner, that spent its entire life in the desert of New Mexico. I have spent the last three years either in the Middle East (Iraq, Syria, Kuwait) or where I have lived in Germany. My sister has kept it garaged in her house the whole time.
I can't wait to get to this project. Before I left I had timing belt/water pump/etc. done. I think where I will start will be to get underneath and start looking for all the rubber pieces that may have been dried out from spending all those years in the dessert - any suggestions on where to get replacement parts? I will to plugs and wires right away, and do a fluids (oil and cooling; thoughts on doing transmission flush?).
I will post another picture, but the clear coat had gotten really bad (I bought it this way). I love the forrest green (does anyone know the actual name or paint color of this?), and want to restore it. I do not think it actually needs paint but likely a clear coat restoration.
Before I do the paint, what would you suggest that I do first to the exterior. I do not see a whole lot of snorkels, but I do like the look of it (and the utility, though I am not sure how much water crossing/heavy dusted trails I will be attempting).
Next, as I mention snorkels, I want to improve the airflow. Suggestions on breathers, and exhaust? Is it worth it to get a header down exhaust? How about the intake - how can I improve this?
Major mods - I have a ski boat and I am looking at small tow behind campers. I haven't driven the 4runner in years, but I recall it having decent power. However, I just got back from Germany where I was driving a 550hp Audi S6, with the Lamborghini 5.2L V10 on the unrestricted highways (autobahn). Getting in the 4runner for the first time is going to feel like I am got shrunk in Mario Cart. With johnny law and speed limits in America, this is probably a good thing. I do want the power to get 4 people and the boat ahead of a truck from a highway on-ramp though. What can I do for power?!
I bought new tires before I left, though I cannot recall what they were. I am not really looking to lift it, but would like to have a level stable ride. What can you tell me about improving the handling?
I recall the headlights being deplorable. I think I remember holding my cell phone light to navigate in the dark. Has anyone done a HID or LED headlight swap? Does just buying a new stock setup help (after 22 years..)? I think I have a rock chip in the left headlight that actually exposes the headlight chamber to the elements. What else helps improve lighting? Suggestions on mounting aux lights? I've always liked the idea of having a switchboard to toggle a bunch of lights. I thought with the color of the car, some super yellow lights might be cool (go Pack, go - Wisconsin native here).
I took this beast camping and anchored a hammock to the crossbars on the roof rack. It was strong enough that even my girlfriend at the time and I could sit in the hammock no problem. My fat ass friend took a 30ft running start to jump into the hammock and the crossbars exploded off gloriously. Watching him hit the ground as hard as he did was almost worth it, but finding new crossbars and anchors has proven to be harder than I thought! Before deploying I went to about half a dozen junk yards looking for bars (after seeing they had 4runners in stock) and they had ALL been removed already (and not hidden away with the junk yards for excessive markups). Any ideas to get these replaced? The rails are fine, and I would consider rack - potentially something that could support a rooftop tent setup, do these exist?
I am thinking about anywhere between $5k and $7k worth of mods to get rolling. My sisters and I are buying a lake house, and I want this to eventually become the old reliable at the lake-house. I have stage IV cancer at 34 years old and am not sure how long I will be around - but I hope that this ride gets another 20 years and 100k miles.
Thanks for reading! If you have any input, please let me know.
My best suggestion is to look up some of the build threads of folks on the forum and read through... all of these questions (superchargers, suspension options, roof racks, retrofit headlights) are addressed in practical terms with good feedback on their effectiveness. All of this is possible! And there is no end to the fun modification to be done :hungry:
