Very sorry for the lack of replies here. Social anxiety has been an issue for me, long gone are the days where I actively posted about my rigs. The camera never stops so picture dump time is coming.




Always a great feeling to read this when considering the previous owner attempted to scrap it. Thank you to my friend down under!



Thanks Cali! Yes, the ZUK mod is the only suspension mod done to this truck. Springs in question come from a 2000 4Runner SR5 4WD.



Hey SomeDay! I have always appreciated the quote, my friend! Gives me a smile every time I see your posts. For the time being, the suspension is all factory, except for the ZUK mod. The torsions are about 5 threads tighter than when it was initially acquired.



Thanks jellomellow! I had a dream last night that the e-brake failed, it rolled down a hill, and rolled over. I legitimately believed it at first and was pretty torn up about it! I was glad to wake up from that one!!!


Glad you were able to pinpoint your leak! For 12 buckets, it's now a preventative measure whenever I have a transmission out of a vehicle.



Thank you sir. I plan to reroute the exhaust, possibly add in a cutout for turbo noises. There will be new video then!

This truck has been a huge help.



Last year, my Supra went down for a full fledged restoration.



January this year, my MK3 Supra broke a 5th gear thrust washer. Just ordered the full R-series billet setup from Marlin Crawler.



The 3rd gen 4Runner of mine has been lots of trouble, first the transmission went awry, then the front end, then the head gasket, and now the rear end!! So it's down for the count as it too is recipient of some Marlin Crawler goodies, and a complete E-locker axle!









The last one standing is this beast, dirty with months of daily driven dust. It's very much an enjoyable thing to see the turbo truck dirty and being used.


















Rainy day drives and commutes have cemented a bond between us.










With no 3rd gen at my disposal (a 4WD one, at least), I took to the dirt with the 1st gen and stretched decades old suspension components.














Followed by a healthy wash, a 4Runner meet, and a little bit of sun!

Fresh brakes













Transfer case output seal for the front driveshaft replaced. Halfway photo... didn't take a finished pic as my hands were black.







Trans fluid replaced with Redline MT90 Gear oil

Taking to the canyon roads! This same area has unfortunately become the victim of the Holy Fire.

Familiar territory... Starting the truck via pushing is no fun! Time for a starter relay!







Thanks to RADRunner's killer diagram, I made this full plug and play harness with relay. No more starting problems, ever!!











A Toyota brother!







Generational brothers! Every gen in a row!
Left to right: Sami Suleiman, Ryan04, LMR, Omars 4Runner, and yours truly!











When you want to go to a 3rd gen meet, but your 3rd gen is down!!

wetterisbetter is his budget 3rd gen.

Maple Springs

The only casualty from the off road ventures was a single shock. It was overdue. I've had two brand new Monroe shocks sitting in my garage a while. Grabbed some Energy Suspension shock bushings Part # 9.8143R and put those shocks in.













Before:





After:












Rear window switch stopped working, pulled it apart.


Contacts were dirty. Gave them a cleaning, then regreased with Energy Suspension Formula 5 teflon grease










Brethren!

A little while after, the free radiator had sprung a leak. It was time to replace it.







Old radiator out...







Might as well replace the power steering pump that's been leaking, too!












Turbo radiators are not available these days. You must modify a non-turbo radiator or reroute the turbo coolant return. The issue with the coolant return is that there's only 2 spots in the turbo thermostat housing, so I had to do an in-line adapter on the radiator upper hose.







A little SEM trim black touch up on the power steering and idler pulleys:
















A little cleanup around the engine bay, including the fan.







I loved how well the distributor plug bracket held the water line, so that became it's new home.

Sexy new full aluminum Koyorad










For those of you who remember my blue parts truck, the one that donated it's 5-speed trans, center console, and became a trailer, it keeps on donating. This full metal fan shroud came out pretty good with a little SEM trim black


It may not quite be the same size, lol, but it will do a much better job than no shroud.














A little MK3 love... tires for the MK4










New gates serpentine belts and power steering pressure hose



















Now I wait for the holy fire to go away, as our only local wheeling spot is closed.

That fire is gnarly, stay safe. Great thread btw.

Fire season has also become a huge concern here in BC, Canada. I know Cali had a really bad time this last season, luckily my area had a relatively wet Summer. The previous 3 years were quite bad. I wasn't under any evacuation orders but several of my co-workers were. This really wasn't something we ever worried about 15 years ago..

Anyways, have any updates on your absolutely beautiful 4Runner? Its becoming increasingly difficult to find 1st Gen examples such as yours!!

What a clean truck!!! I love the off-roading builds but it's always a treat to see something with some minor adjusts to the factory setup that is treated with some care.

Man, what a great project! You've done an amazing job of bringing this beauty back to life.

I had a question(I'm sure you've covered this somewhere, but I can't find it yet...)- I recently got an 86 Turbo, and it has that oxidized red removable top like your did. It looks like you found a cool refinishing solution. What did you use?

Thanks!