1988 First gen resto-mod

[Toyotafan03]

So I've been on this forum for a little while now. Just got rid of my 4th gen build and decided it was time to go back to my roots. Went and picked up a pretty good platform for a nice resto-mod (in my opinion). 1988 4Runner:

Only spot of rust on the entire truck is this quarter sized area on the wheel lip:

For some reason, unmolested first gens that are solid are very hard to come by in my area (eastern Tennessee) so it took some searching to find this one.

I had a 1986 first gen a few years back:

that blue turd is what hooked me on 4runners. But even after finishing my 4th gen build:

I still wanted another 1st gen. So here goes my build thread. Excited to get one going after so many months of looking through every one else's lol.

Future plans for my 1st gen:
-Re-paint entire body and fix the little rust (my father has been a body and paint guy since he was 18 and over the years he has helped me perfect my bodywork and painting so all that will be done by myself)
-fix rear main seal leak
-upgrade to brighter headlights (HID?)
-soft topper soft top
-low range off-road front bumper
-all pro rear bumper
-3-4" lift
-ditch the bullet hole MT's and get some Stealth Custom Series wheels.
-33" bfg KM2's
-Redo ENTIRE interior
-add sound deadening Matt under new carpet
-add some better speakers around the whole inside (marine grade for back area?)
-re gear with 4.88s?

I also plan on buying a new grill and using the old one to experiment with a "satoshi" type grill like what the 3rd and 4th gen Toyota guys are doing.

And I'm still adding to the list. Here's a question for you more knowledgable first gen guys:

Will my 22re pull 33s with stock 4.10s or should I upgrade to 4.88s? My previous blue 1st gen had 33s but it wouldn't roll out of a tree backwards! But that may be due to the worn out 22re with 450,000 miles on it (literally)

Very excited to be starting my own thread. Have been using this forum for a long time and very much enjoy seeing and reading everyone's builds! More to come!

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Looks like a great platform!

For gearing, I'd go 4.88's, that will be a perfect fit for 33's. I have 4.88's and 35's, but my motor has been replaced with a much stronger, non-stock 22RE, so it pull well with this combo. Speedo is dead-on @ 70mph according to GPS with this setup, 33's will read a bit higher, but you'll have good torque with the setup.

I'm still not a fan on HID retrofits for the 6054 beams, they just look very odd! Just posted this somewhere else on this forum, the Hella 6054 H4 headlamps with Hella's 55/100w bulbs are incredibly bright and a much better pattern than standard halogens, but they are pricey.

Marine speakers would do well in the back if you're not planning on putting the cap back on, although its sorta pointless to do the soundproofing if you don't.

Good luck on the build! Look forward to the progress...

 

[Toyotafan03]

Looks like a great platform!



For gearing, I'd go 4.88's, that will be a perfect fit for 33's. I have 4.88's and 35's, but my motor has been replaced with a much stronger, non-stock 22RE, so it pull well with this combo. Speedo is dead-on @ 70mph according to GPS with this setup, 33's will read a bit higher, but you'll have good torque with the setup.



I'm still not a fan on HID retrofits for the 6054 beams, they just look very odd! Just posted this somewhere else on this forum, the Hella 6054 H4 headlamps with Hella's 55/100w bulbs are incredibly bright and a much better pattern than standard halogens, but they are pricey.



Marine speakers would do well in the back if you're not planning on putting the cap back on, although its sorta pointless to do the soundproofing if you don't.



Good luck on the build! Look forward to the progress...

Rethinking the marina grade speakers now because I do plan on running a soft top on it all summer... With the hard top in the winter. And now that I just ordered a brand new carpet kit I don't plan on letting it get wet. So the marina speakers are kind of pointless now that I think about it.

 

[Toyotafan03]

Could I just swap front and rear third members from a first gen v6? I've heard that some of them came stock with 4.88's and it would be the cheaper route for me I think.

 

[PlanetExpress]

That's a pretty good looking body on that 1st gen. Just out of curiosity why did you end up selling your 4th gen? I have an 03 V8 and I love it!

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

Could I just swap front and rear third members from a first gen v6? I've heard that some of them came stock with 4.88's and it would be the cheaper route for me I think.

Yes, there was a 4.88 diff that Toyota used, but it was "special, read here:

The FACTORY 4.88 V6 diff is unique!
- Axle code G144, white pinion paint code,
- generally came in 92-95 trucks/4runners with V6, auto tranny, 31" tires, and tow package.
- Housing offsets pinion towards ring gear, allowing ring gear to be thinner
- OEM Toyota gears are the ONLY gears that fit this diff due to the thinner ring gear. All other gear sets have thicker ring gears and do not fit.
- The carrier (case) is the same as the V6 diffs, so normal V6 lockers, LSD's, etc. will work in this diff

** V6 diffs are swappable with 4cyl and high pinion diffs

You'll wanna go through this page to fully understand what to look for when you do the swap:

Erik's Toyota Differential info

Honestly, with 33's, the 4 cylinder diffs are just fine, even with 2 pinion carriers. I'd just get your existing diffs re-done with Yukon 4.88 gears, it'll probably be cheaper than trying to souce toyota's 4.88 third for front and rear, and if you ever have a problem with them (not that you would, unless you really, REALLY beat on your truck or the diffs were bad from the start), you'll be stuck buying Toyota's ring/pinion set, I bet that will make it 3 times more costly than just re-gearing what you already have.

 

[Skipow]

4runners this clean just dont exist in maine, jealous.

 

[Toyotafan03]

That's a pretty good looking body on that 1st gen. Just out of curiosity why did you end up selling your 4th gen? I have an 03 V8 and I love it!

I have bought and sold vehicles since I was 13. The money I make on them is my playing money that I spend on my projects. The 4th gen was a project that I had been wanting to do for a long time. After it was done I got offered a ridiculous amount of money for it. So I decided to sale it. I actually really liked it. Even with the lift and tires it handled like new. One of my favorite vehicles I've had so far.

 

[Toyotafan03]

4runners this clean just dont exist in maine, jealous.

Trust me it wasn't an easy task finding one like this down here either! Just have to look high and low and act fast when they come up. Had someone trying to bid up the price over the phone while I was standing there trying to buy this one!

 

[Toyotafan03]

Yes, there was a 4.88 diff that Toyota used, but it was "special, read here:



The FACTORY 4.88 V6 diff is unique!

- Axle code G144, white pinion paint code,

- generally came in 92-95 trucks/4runners with V6, auto tranny, 31" tires, and tow package.

- Housing offsets pinion towards ring gear, allowing ring gear to be thinner

- OEM Toyota gears are the ONLY gears that fit this diff due to the thinner ring gear. All other gear sets have thicker ring gears and do not fit.

- The carrier (case) is the same as the V6 diffs, so normal V6 lockers, LSD's, etc. will work in this diff



** V6 diffs are swappable with 4cyl and high pinion diffs



You'll wanna go through this page to fully understand what to look for when you do the swap:



Erik's Toyota Differential info



Honestly, with 33's, the 4 cylinder diffs are just fine, even with 2 pinion carriers. I'd just get your existing diffs re-done with Yukon 4.88 gears, it'll probably be cheaper than trying to souce toyota's 4.88 third for front and rear, and if you ever have a problem with them (not that you would, unless you really, REALLY beat on your truck or the diffs were bad from the start), you'll be stuck buying Toyota's ring/pinion set, I bet that will make it 3 times more costly than just re-gearing what you already have.

How much does a shop usually charge to install gears? Probably a stupid question because it all depends on the shop, like everything else. I just have no experience with re-gearing. Do the 4 cyl 4runners have a 7.5 or an 8" rear end? I'm completely out of my realm when trying to decide on what to do with this part my my build. So it would be best to go with a Yukon 4.88 set up front and rear? From what I've read online (if I'm looking At the correct part) it will cost about $500 for both sets of ring and pinion. Plus labor cost of putting it in. So roughly around $1,000? Have no idea what a shop may charge to put them in.

 

[Toyotafan03]

Anyone ever had any problems with their first gen at hwy/interstate speeds? Seems like once I hit 60 mph it starts shaking like crazy. Stops when I drop down to about 55 mph. Other than a bad alignment, what else could be the issue? Sorry for all the questions. Having to work long hours and have had no time to make any progress on the 4Runner the past couple days. More to come soon!

 

[Quatre Coureur]

I got my G144 front IFS diff from a '93 at the pick-a-part for ~$120. Found my rear diff on CL for about $220. It had 4:88s, I just added the locker. Looks like a great project. 88s FTW!

 

[Infamous82]

For the shaking check the tie rod ends as I'm sure they're worn out unless the PO replaced them. Rotate and balance tires and check axles and driveshaft. My 85 had a shake from 40-55 that was caused by a worn out OEM tie rod end, even rotating the tires helped

 

[ajohnson]

I think East Coast Gear Supply would charge $200 labor for each diff just for set up, so add that to gear sets and master install kits. ECGS is great to deal with, if you call them and tell exactly what you have and want, they will know what you need. You can pull the diffs yourself and ship them, or find a reputable local shop to set up the gears.

 

[flyinhawaiian01]

How much does a shop usually charge to install gears? Probably a stupid question because it all depends on the shop, like everything else. I just have no experience with re-gearing. Do the 4 cyl 4runners have a 7.5 or an 8" rear end? I'm completely out of my realm when trying to decide on what to do with this part my my build. So it would be best to go with a Yukon 4.88 set up front and rear? From what I've read online (if I'm looking At the correct part) it will cost about $500 for both sets of ring and pinion. Plus labor cost of putting it in. So roughly around $1,000? Have no idea what a shop may charge to put them in.

I'm really not familiar with anyone in Tennessee, but I do know they have a lot of wheelin' spots out there! Find a local wheelin' club in your area and ask several members who they take their rigs to (most of 'em will have a forum online), that's the best way to find out who to (and not to!!!) take your rig to get stuff done!

As for gearing, the IFS toyotas used a 7½" third up front and an 8" in the rear. Personally, I wouldn't ship the diffs off, only because that will be another expense to pay for, and diffs are not light! It may only be about 30 bucks to ship a diff, but you'll be paying for two of 'em and most likely paying both ways! That's another $120.00 added on to the cost, and I'd rather jump in my other vehicle and drive several hours to hit a reputable shop for that amount.

I'm also a bit leary of just dropping a junk yard diff in a vehicle without at least pulling it apart and inspecting the mesh pattern and condition of the ring/pinions. If you don't mind spending a few bucks more, try looking at this:

https://www.marlincrawler.com/differential/complete/open-carrier-8-4cyl

Its completely rebuilt by Marlin, ready to go, and for around $1500, you can have two brand new open diffs! Add a little more for a rear locker if you do plan on wheelin' your rig. You can then recoup a small bit of your cost by selling your 4.10 diffs on craigslist.

For the shaking, it could be a whole lotta stuff going on, and even a combination of things, such as what other posters stated. Along with what infamous82 stated, could also be a bent wheel, flat spot on the tires, all kinds of things. Do the free stuff first before moving forward.

 

[Toyotafan03]

Ok, thanks for the advice guys! Plan on addressing some issues this weekend. More pics and updates to come

 

[Quatre Coureur]

The dismantler G144 front end gets cleaned and inspected since u gotta swap diff covers when u lose the ADD and swap on your longside axle.

 

[Toyotafan03]

Started working on the interior a little bit today. Here's the only shot I thought to take before disassembly. I've been driving it back and forth to work for the past couple weeks to try and figure out any bugs or anything else that needs to be done to it before I start tearing into everything. But there was 28 years of dirt and sweat caked into the seats and I was just about tired of smelling the BO from the seats so I figured it was time to gut it and order a new complete carpet kit as well! Anyone have any advice as to a solution for the cracked dash? Thought about filling it with bumper filler (flexes with plastic better than bondo) and then adding some fiber glass on top of the filler and just repainting it. But I figured it would just crack again. Plus it will probably start falling apart when I try to take it out anyways. I don't think I'll find a good replacement anywhere because of how prone they are to cracking. Would a dash pad be the only solution? Just don't quite like the way they look even after you spend hours of gluing to try and make it look factory. May be my only option though. Going to pressure wash and scrub the seats and interior this weekend and hopefully get the shaking fixed. Stay tuned!

 

[Toyotafan03]

Btw: does anyone have a factory shifter bezel? The plastic rectangular trim that goes around the trans and 4x4 shifters. I have he console, just not the piece that extends from it. If any one has one out there they would like to part with I will buy it! And I will also have these Mickey tompson 15" wheels and 31x10.50-15 tires up for sale as well! Great tread on tires.

 

[Toyotafan03]

Started mocking up my tacoma console swap before I hit the interior. Anyone interested in doing this swap, there is not one bolt hole that lines up to the factory brackets.

Also... Look what I found when I moved the floor mats!