chapolito's 97 manual Baja Surf Camper build

The last month has been taking care of the usual post-baja maintenance—cleaning, wash, oil change. The only broken part during the trip was both headlight buckets failed. It was the little clover clips that retain the adjusters that broke, because I disassembled them incorrectly, and cracked the clips.

Unfortunately, those are only sold as part of the whole bucket, fortunately Toyota still sells those, so I picked up a set:


At this point it would have been better to buy new TYC replacement headlights.

I know the front mudflaps are a pain to get off, so I've been avoiding putting cerrakote on them, but Took the rear mudflaps off and got them cleaned, already looking a lot better:


Applied Cerrakote:


Reinstalled, you can see how much better they look than the front:



Developed a coolant leak and found a bulging upper radiator hose. Once I got it off there was a clear split:


I have no record of this being replaced, so not sure how old the hose is. I do recall replacing the radiator around 2010 (and again in 2021), I'm guessing it is from then—13 years old. Hose attachment on the block was very crusty, took a while to clean it up.


I was in a rush to order the replacement hose [PN 16571-75180 | 3RZ specific] and I didn't fully think it through, but I wish I would have replaced both the upper and lower hoses since I needed to drain a lot of the coolant. Maybe I will replace all coolant hoses at once if I do that. Got it put back together with new clamps [PN 90467-37005] and bled the system:

I now have a new deadline—spending the month of October working remotely and driving the whole peninsula. Will get a lot of surf, but also hoping to spend time exploring the sea of cortez.

Between all the rain we've gotten, I haven't been out working on the rig much. Lots of time for planning, researching and purchasing...the first parts arrived today:


I've been chasing vibration at low RPMs for a couple years now without success. Did a compression test and am happy to find it within spec:
cylinder 1: 168psi
cylinder 2: 180psi
cylinder 3: 168psi
cylinder 4: 170psi

Next idea is to try engine restorer prior to the next oil change and see if I can bring them higher/close together. If that does not affect it, I plan to replace both motor mounts + trans mount.

Fixed the rear hatch wiring, a total of 5 wires were severed.


Nice to have a rear defroster, cargo light, and reliable roll down window.



And I've had a hell of a time getting it smogged, I keep going to picky tech. First time they required me to remove the oil catch can, and today they failed me for having a the taco mini header, I called the state ref to weigh in, but I'm just going to try a few more places tomorrow to see if anyone will care. I did learn that the catch can was capturing a milky oil froth, just shy of 1/4 cup after 3.5k miles:

Catch can would be a problem, but the mini-header shouldn't be. Does it have a heat shield over it? Maybe just the exposed pipes are a red flag in a 'careful' smog tech's mind?

-Charlie

phattyduck said:

Catch can would be a problem, but the mini-header shouldn't be. Does it have a heat shield over it? Maybe just the exposed pipes are a red flag in a 'careful' smog tech's mind?

-Charlie

Click to expand...

Yes, has the heat shield. Tech accused me of trying to hide an aftermarket header with a "piece of metal".

I spent 4 hours this weekend trying to get it smogged, and finally got it tested and it passed. In total, I visited 8 smog places. Apparently the machines for 99 and older isn't made any more and they break all the time.

chapolito said:

Apparently the machines for 99 and older isn't made any more and they break all the time.

Click to expand...

Oi. I have TWO '99 and older vehicles due for a smog right now.

-Charlie

Since having the upper radiator hose go out, and partially inspired by seeing [MENTION=636945]Spiker Engineering[/MENTION] do it, I decided I should swap out all the 25 year coolant hoses. Would be a shame for one to blow out in the middle of Baja. Another benefit is cleaning up the heater hoses now that there is no rear heater.

Sourcing all the parts was a headache, and I created this hose mapping to help. This coolant hose diagram is only applicable to a 3RZ / 2.7 without the rear heater (aka auxiliary heater).


Part numbers of the hoses and clamps I purchased:

Radiator Hoses
1657-175180 - Upper
16572-75090 - Lower
90467-37005 - clamps(4) for above
90916-03120 - Thermostat
16325-62010 - Thermostat gasket

Heater Hoses (W/O Auxiliary Heater [aka rear heater])
87245-35430 - Heater to engine (Gates 19111 was much cheaper)
87245-35670 - Engine to valve
90467-22004 - clamps(4) for above
87245-35660 - Valve to heater
96134-42100 - clamp for above (valve)
90467-22004 - clamp for above (heater)

IAC + EGR
16261-75040 - Water by-pass (no. 1?)
16264-75020 - Water by-pass no. 2
16267-75010 - Water by-pass no. 3
96135-51300 - clamps(6) for above

Oil Cooler
16281-75011 - Water by-pass no. 4
16282-75012 - Water by-pass no. 5
90080-46349 - clamp(4) for above

Coolant metal pipe 1 to coolant metal pipe 2
16283-75010 - Water by-pass no. 6
90080-46349 - clamp(2) for above

Total cost was around $170. Hope this helps someone in the future from having to do all this hunting.

I continue to collect parts for the suspension:

Ever since I saw someone put BMW seats in their 4Runner I've been keeping an eye on Marketplace and checking out the 3 series at pick n pull. Finally, a clean pair of e92 sport seats popped up in the bay area and I was able to nab for $300.


So while I wait for the last suspension parts to arrive, I got the drivers seat installed. The seats did not come with the connectors, ran to pick n pull to grab these:


These wiring diagrams (Thanks to folks on the Bimmer forums) have been posted here before, but I'll do it again because I think I've only seen one posted, but the driver and passenger have different wires. The colors were correct for me.

Driver:


Passenger:


I am very relieved I didn't set off the airbag. I'm still waiting on the adjustable pulse generator to arrive, so the seat functions only work for a minute after turning the key to ACC, but they all work except the heated seats. Will try to get to that before next winter.

Installing the seat was straightforward as I was following charted territory. Drilling out the feet from my old old drivers seat was a pain.


Going to really need that 4-way lumbar support...my back is wrecked after lifting the seat in and out all weekend. It must weigh twice as much as a stock seat.


Bolted up 3 feet with some grade 8 bolts, and welded on the last one. Welding project #2 went miles smoother than the floorpan fix. I tested out a new paint—VHT Roll Bar and Chassis, which I'm planning coating the LCA I'm cleaning up right now. Went on pretty nice and felt strong after only 30 minutes. Might use this on all parts for durability.


Took it for a first test drive and really liked how it felt. Going over speed bumps and ditches was much smoother/comfortable and the bolsters really helped to keep me locked in to the seat. Downside is that I'm sitting a little higher—depressing the clutch feels odd...perhaps I'll get used to it. Overall I'm really excited about this install!

Man, I hope you love those Tokico shocks as much as I do. I just recently swapped out my LC80 springs for some OME 861's. The ride quality is just what I was looking for. As for the seats, those turned out quite nicely. The price doesn't seem horrible especially for the condition that they seem to be in. Nice find.

JoeT4R said:

Man, I hope you love those Tokico shocks as much as I do. I just recently swapped out my LC80 springs for some OME 861's. The ride quality is just what I was looking for.

Click to expand...

Me too! I was worried the 861s would ride too harsh unloaded since this is my daily. What is your experience between the two loaded vs unloaded? I also didn't want that much of a lift in the back as I'm only planning on 1.5" in the front.

chapolito said:

Me too! I was worried the 861s would ride too harsh unloaded since this is my daily. What is your experience between the two loaded vs unloaded? I also didn't want that much of a lift in the back as I'm only planning on 1.5" in the front.

Click to expand...

So to be honest, I absolutely love my 861/Tokico setup. It's a nice firm but very comfortable ride. I'm also unloaded most of the time, no armor/aftermarket bumpers or anything additional. I think it rides incredible with this setup. You'll find many opinions all over this forum and everywhere else, but until you try something for yourself you'll never really know what it's like.

I had LC80 springs with approximately 110K miles on them before I yanked them. Loaded down with those springs was pretty bouncy, especially as time went on. Overall a softer ride, but again bouncy. Unloaded they were good, not as bouncy. I'm not at all knocking them, they served my truck well for the past 8 ish or so years. They came with my Sonoran Steel 1.2 setup I bought in 2014. I've wheeled with them and they did excellent.

The 861's are indeed a tall spring, but the combination of them coupled with the Tokico shocks just makes me really happy. Unloaded they are firm but comfortable. For example going over train tracks, speed bumps, potholes in the road, etc seems like such a breeze now. It's not as harsh nor do I get any violent feedback.

I should also note that I had 5100's out back with the LC80 springs.

Loaded with 861's seems to drive nearly identical to unloaded, but I also haven't thrown a bunch of stuff in the back lately. Nor have I taken them off road yet. I imagine doing a long distance road trip with luggage and cargo would be a good way to find out how they perform under load. So far so good.

Sorry for the long winded novel, but when someone asks for my input on something I have firsthand experience with, I wanna share everything I know with them so hopefully they can make a better informed decision.

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JoeT4R said:

You'll find many opinions all over this forum and everywhere else, but until you try something for yourself you'll never really know what it's like.

Click to expand...

100%...I finally just needed to make a decision and see if I liked it. Swapping the springs if I really dislike them won't hurt the bank like hating my coilover choice. Thanks for sharing all that info!

chapolito said:

100%...I finally just needed to make a decision and see if I liked it. Swapping the springs if I really dislike them won't hurt the bank like hating my coilover choice. Thanks for sharing all that info!

Click to expand...

For sure. Can't wait to see some updated pictures soon. Fortunately the rear seems to be the easiest. And no worries dude!

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dude, awesome post. i'm fresh from a 1g taco and now onto a 98 4runner and stoked by your build and progress. i also live in san diego and your baja excursions definitely are inspiration for my continued exploration down there (for surf mostly, but also want to see more of the sea of cortez). i've hardly dipped my toe in since moving down from norcal, but maybe this'll be the year

great build, work, and thanks for documenting!

skusty said:

dude, awesome post. i'm fresh from a 1g taco and now onto a 98 4runner and stoked by your build and progress. i also live in san diego and your baja excursions definitely are inspiration for my continued exploration down there (for surf mostly, but also want to see more of the sea of cortez). i've hardly dipped my toe in since moving down from norcal, but maybe this'll be the year

great build, work, and thanks for documenting!

Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm mostly just cobbling together what I see others do on the forums. :hatsoff:

Baja is always calling! So much to explore. I've been adventuring there my entire life (parents first took me down when I was 1 in '87) and there is still so much to see. One of the things I miss about San Diego is being so close. You should take advantage of that!

A couple weeks ago I found some nice LCAs at pick n pull. Both looked like they had an oil leak drenching them for years, but that made them come out fairly easy.


Gave them a clean. Am planning on reusing the cam bolts. We'll see how removing mine goes, probably will need the reciprocating saw.


Next, I popped the bushings out with the bottle jack + torch method (thanks Tim & Sean for the videos!)


Then I got to wire wheeling and brushing. After I knocked off all the surface rust I could, I put Rustoleum rust dissolver gel to make sure I got all the rust:


I painted them using VHT Roll Bar and Chassis.


I was happy with how they looked, but more importantly, the durability. Only a couple tiny chips came off wile pressing in the new whiteline bushings. Before putting those in, I went heavy on the anti-seize:


Was able to press them on a little woodworking vise:


For added rust protection, I went over the paint with cosmoline, which required taping the bushings:


All done! I considered also upgrading the bumpstops, but that should be easy enough to do while installed in the future.


Another suspension piece ready to swap. Just waiting on the LC shock washers to arrive then it all goes in.

One last prep item for the lift—painting the JBA UCAs. I thought the red would clash too much with blue Kings, and red isn't really part of the color scheme I have in mind. It hurt a little to disassemble and scuff up new parts I just shelled out $550 for.


Hit them again with VHT Roll Bar and Chassis...I've gone through two cans of this in the last couple weeks. If anyone reads this and tries it out: while you can handle it fairly quickly, it does take a while to fully cure. I like to leave things hanging for at least 24 hours, if not 48. Any sooner and an impression will be made of anything you set them down on.


Loving how how they came out! I didn't opt for the cosmoline for these since the red powder coat + black over top felt like sufficient protection.


The bottom of the satoshi grill has slowly been sagging, and I was hoping I could straighten it up by epoxying aluminum angle bar:


Half the clips were broken, and they all were brittle, so new clips all around:


It didn't completely straighten, but enough that it has ceased to bother me. Need to somehow adjust the skewed bumper now.

Front bumper adjustments are only the brackets and mout on bolts. So hopefully you can get enough movement to your liking.

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Suspension install


Weekend 1: Rear

Parts list

• LC 7.5 wrap springs
• Tokico LC Shocks + retaining washers
• poly swaybar bushings
• Chevy blazer bumpstops
• Extended brake line
• parking brake bracket

The rear fought me the most, largely the shocks. The issues started with the install a mechanic did of the Bilstein 4600s—they used the centering washer as retaining washer and it was very bent. I hadn't bought a replacement, so I hammered it as flat as I could.


I then spent two hours trying to get the thread started on the top before giving up and cutting 1/8" off the top bushing.

While I had the swaybar off, I decided to clean up the brackets.

I also bought new bolts because I had read of a lot of people snapping theirs. I need to apply more fluid film.


I discovered one of the rear end link boots had split, which was fine because I was planning on moving the endlinks from the front to the rear.


The front endlinks were replaced in 2017, I think the pink means these MOOGs under an alternative brand Ultra Power? Not certain, but they didn't have any play.


While I was installing the extended brake line, I also flushed the entire brake system with new fluid. I drove around with just the rear lifted and no rear swaybar—I can see why people take theirs off, but for my daily, I want them on. The rake was a little silly.



Weekend 2: Front

Parts list

• King extended Coilovers
• JBA Upper Control Arms
• LCA + Whiteline bushings
• MOOG 2nd gen rear end links
• Black with washer LBJ bolts
• Napa CV Axle

Since I was tearing everything apart, I replaced a the CV Axle that had been slinging grease for the last 5k+ miles.


Also, all 8 LBJ bolts with the black with washer - Thanks [MENTION=636945]Spiker Engineering[/MENTION] for your experiments!


One of the upper ball joints had play, so I didn't mind cutting down the rod down. I tried pressing out directly on the ball, but that blew the bottom of the joint out into the receiving cup.


After a couple more attempts I did eventually get everything lined up and pressed out the old and in the new.


After cleaning up all the fluid film, oil and, crud, the cam bolts weren't in the worst of shape.


Thankfully they came out easy.


Everything else went in without an issue.


I only drove to the store and back to see how it felt, and it was definitely much smoother. the more level stance felt way better, no long feels like you are staring down. Will get it aligned Monday morning and then see how it feels on the highway. Next weekend we're taking it camping, so that will be the real test.

The new front suspension parts introduced a new vibration when going 55mph and above. Sometimes it goes away, usually when turning and going downhill. I rechecked all the fasteners and couldn't find anything loose. :shrug:


Got the passenger e92 seat installed—interior feels so lux!


I also added a 555 timer to stop the computer from going to sleep so the functions work the whole time the car is on.


Got the bottle idea from this super helpful video. Wrapped it up in Tesa harness tape and called it done.


Cerakoted the front mudflaps.


The rear diff filler plug has been weeping for a couple years when I had the diff fluid replaced. Looks like the issue was a hard washer was used instead of a crush washer.


Gear oil was looking pretty cloudy, so I decided to drain and refill. I had my diff oil replaced a couple years ago, but I'm uncertain if it was both or one. I'm thinking it might have just been the front, since that is blue and still clear. The mechanic I had do it was not very detail oriented, so I'd be surprised if they did both and used different oil.

Looks great!!