M-Piers97 "on the cheap" 97 4Runner build/maintence thread
 

This is my first vehicle and its on the cheap, i would like to lift it in the future, nicer tires etc.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attach...1&d=1384973653
Bare with me. The reason i bought a Toyota is because back in 2003 my grandpa bought a brand new 2002 Toyota Tacoma 4cyl 4x4 manual tranny for a work truck, he ended up driving it for 8 years before he sold it to my dad with 220,00 miles on it and told me it was worth every penny. In 2011 Toyota recalled my dads frame on his Taco, giving him a brand new frame on a truck that had 230,00 mile for free and thats when i decided that if a company was good enough to there customers to recall a frame on a truck with 230,000 miles on it then that was a good company. Sadly prostate cancer took my grandfathers life last November but before he died i told him that for my first car i wanted a Toyota, he seemed proud of my decision.

I decided i wanted a 4Runner when i seen one in the Disney movie "8 Below"
it was the COOLEST truck i had ever seen, i had settled on a 2nd gen because they were cheap, and then i found out a how little power the V6 had and all the head gasket problems. http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attach...1&d=1384973577

So the hunt was on! i had a $2000 budget and was looking for a 4x4 3rd gen, i called on a lot of them but most were out of my price range or sold to fast. It was early Sep and a posting came up on craigslist for a 97 4Runner with 230,000 for $1400, it needed some work and the reason he was selling it for so cheap was because the rear control arm bracket was broken off the frame on the drivers side. We talked to the lady and she said they just wanted to get rid of it and would sell it for $800. Well i could not pass up a working 4Runner for $800 bucks so i bought it and limped it home.
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attach...1&d=1384973739
So i talked to a local wielding shop and they said they could wield that bracket back on for around $200 bucks. It sat at the wielding shop for 3 weeks and the repair cost ended up being only $150 bucks!
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attach...1&d=1384973992

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/attach...1&d=1384974153

More to come later. This if my first big thread so i am learning how to use the forums as i go along ( im sure i butchered this build thread lol)
The other thing thats pretty crazy is that i was born July of 97 and my 4Runner build date is July of 97!

So after i got it back from the wielder i started on some basic maintenance, the plugs and wires were original from 1997 so you can imagine how nasty they were, i replaced then with NGKs, i also replaced the PCV valve and grommet and bought a K&N air filter. I still need to do the front brakes and get a oil change.

I am taking it to the stealership later this week to get the codes ran and try to figure out the misfire problem i have been having lately. Yesterday i installed some Polk audio 5 1/2" speakers in the rear doors, sorry i forgot to take pics

I also picked up some used 265-75-16 Goodyear wrangler RT/S (same thing thats on it only better tread) that i am going to get mounted Friday

Niceee. I would highly suggest you scuff up the entire underside of the car and have it coated with those frame rust prevention spray thingies.

Thanks, i might try to coat it with POR-15 i have heard good things about it

Update:
I got a oil change at the dealer last week and got my codes ran, i got a bad O2 sensor (downstream) a dirty MAF and a bad coil which has been causing some misfires. So i jumped on Ebay and got 3 new coil packs for $20 bucks apiece and put them in the Runner today....... And the CEL still flashes :frusty::dammit:
So i am going to clean the MAF and see if that helps

On the plus side i bought some really bad a$$ mud mats on sale at menards $15 bucks.

Also i didn't get a chance to throw my new (to me) tires on yet so i will hopefully be doing that this week as for now i am trying to get to the bottom of this misfire problem

Fair amount of rust there. Mine is about that bad, but farther up in front of the bracket.