Hi all, just wanted to drop in and give a thanks to all for contributing all the info that helped me purchase a 4Runner, and then begin bringing it back to life. A few pictures of her so far.
Bought her about 2 months ago, 1991 SR5, 5 speed 22RE. 180k on the clock, excellent condition interior (although not exactly matching colors), but kinda rough exterior.
Upon purchasing:
First step was to remove the running boards, paint the hood, which was white, and swap the wheels for more 'age appropriate' ones.
Then a little photoshopping to see how some additional paint would look...
I liked this look, so proceeded with it...
The main reason for this was to cover up a lot of the faded, chipping paint on the truck's roof, and 'haunches'. The paint on the vertical surfaces was more or less in good condition, so a design like this would cover up the problem areas while still retaining much of the original color. Used Rustoleum automotive primer with a Rustoleum satin finish on top. Spraying RainX on the Rustolem once it had dried really made the black appear rich and dark. Next step was to address any areas not covered by the new paint. Bought some Toyota touchup paint to cover any scratches.
As she sat, for a while...
Continuing the theme onto the bumpers, mirrors, trim, wheels (Rustoleum metallic charcoal), etc...
And then onto some interior work. The dash pad was badly cracked, so some carpet dyed black did the job for next to no money. Also added a radio, a double stacked center console, replaced the entire carpeting from a jy 4Runner in better shape, and replaced a bunch of bulbs that were broken. Also replaced the clear plastic in front of the instruments, as mine was very scratched and cloudy.
At this time I also replaced the driver's window as it was scratched right in my line of vision, as well as the passenger side mirror which was very loose in its housing.
Then some suspension fun. Install pic of 2" coil spacer from Sky Offroading. Coil compressors on loan from ORielly's made relatively light work of this. Took about 5 hours, in the dark, with a headlamp. The most precarious part was making sure the car was supported securely despite me jacking up the differential at all kinds of angles. 3 compressors would probably have made it even easier, as would an impact wrench.
I am very happy with the results.
Then today, the roof rack was installed. I can't vouch for the strength or longevity of this yet, but I used toggle bolts from Lowes, designed for drywall.
The two little triangle tabs designed to dig into drywall were removed, to provide some purchase for the next step, epoxying the toggle sheath into the roof. Once dry, the rack was positioned.
Last step was to verify the rack would sit flat, which required some trimming of the underside, but it worked.
It's installed now, sits flush and looks great, and will be tested soon. It feels very strong, and I only drilled through the headliner once
I intend to buy two additional rails, to increase the length of the whole rack. It's a bit short in my opinion, and as I don't have a sunroof I figure (?) I can install another set of rails to create a 6' long roof rack?
Some questions:
How can I maintain a tow hitch with a 32" spare? The spare is too large- I had to remove the hitch to allow it to fit. Any ideas?
And, having never driven a 4Runner, or any 22RE equipped car, is this what it's supposed to sound like? IMO is sounds like shit, and I'm curious if this is normal. It has a fresh timing chain, new fluids, and radiator flush, but I don't know engine's history much beyond that.
Also, the passenger mirror (entire assembly) was replaced, not just the glass. It must have been from a later model, as the wiring harness did not match. I spliced my old harness onto it, connected it, and it worked. But a few days later is stopped working. I was thorough with the splicing, and am wondering if there's another reason why it could have failed.
The BRAKE light will not go off.
Serious vibrations throughout the cabin when traveling over 50mph. This one will take some figuring out.
I think that's it for now. Thanks again to all for such a great site. It's what convinced me to get the truck in the first place...
Bought her about 2 months ago, 1991 SR5, 5 speed 22RE. 180k on the clock, excellent condition interior (although not exactly matching colors), but kinda rough exterior.
Upon purchasing:
First step was to remove the running boards, paint the hood, which was white, and swap the wheels for more 'age appropriate' ones.
Then a little photoshopping to see how some additional paint would look...
I liked this look, so proceeded with it...
The main reason for this was to cover up a lot of the faded, chipping paint on the truck's roof, and 'haunches'. The paint on the vertical surfaces was more or less in good condition, so a design like this would cover up the problem areas while still retaining much of the original color. Used Rustoleum automotive primer with a Rustoleum satin finish on top. Spraying RainX on the Rustolem once it had dried really made the black appear rich and dark. Next step was to address any areas not covered by the new paint. Bought some Toyota touchup paint to cover any scratches.
As she sat, for a while...
Continuing the theme onto the bumpers, mirrors, trim, wheels (Rustoleum metallic charcoal), etc...
And then onto some interior work. The dash pad was badly cracked, so some carpet dyed black did the job for next to no money. Also added a radio, a double stacked center console, replaced the entire carpeting from a jy 4Runner in better shape, and replaced a bunch of bulbs that were broken. Also replaced the clear plastic in front of the instruments, as mine was very scratched and cloudy.
At this time I also replaced the driver's window as it was scratched right in my line of vision, as well as the passenger side mirror which was very loose in its housing.
Then some suspension fun. Install pic of 2" coil spacer from Sky Offroading. Coil compressors on loan from ORielly's made relatively light work of this. Took about 5 hours, in the dark, with a headlamp. The most precarious part was making sure the car was supported securely despite me jacking up the differential at all kinds of angles. 3 compressors would probably have made it even easier, as would an impact wrench.
I am very happy with the results.
Then today, the roof rack was installed. I can't vouch for the strength or longevity of this yet, but I used toggle bolts from Lowes, designed for drywall.
The two little triangle tabs designed to dig into drywall were removed, to provide some purchase for the next step, epoxying the toggle sheath into the roof. Once dry, the rack was positioned.
Last step was to verify the rack would sit flat, which required some trimming of the underside, but it worked.
It's installed now, sits flush and looks great, and will be tested soon. It feels very strong, and I only drilled through the headliner once
I intend to buy two additional rails, to increase the length of the whole rack. It's a bit short in my opinion, and as I don't have a sunroof I figure (?) I can install another set of rails to create a 6' long roof rack?Some questions:
How can I maintain a tow hitch with a 32" spare? The spare is too large- I had to remove the hitch to allow it to fit. Any ideas?
And, having never driven a 4Runner, or any 22RE equipped car, is this what it's supposed to sound like? IMO is sounds like shit, and I'm curious if this is normal. It has a fresh timing chain, new fluids, and radiator flush, but I don't know engine's history much beyond that.
Also, the passenger mirror (entire assembly) was replaced, not just the glass. It must have been from a later model, as the wiring harness did not match. I spliced my old harness onto it, connected it, and it worked. But a few days later is stopped working. I was thorough with the splicing, and am wondering if there's another reason why it could have failed.
The BRAKE light will not go off.
Serious vibrations throughout the cabin when traveling over 50mph. This one will take some figuring out.
I think that's it for now. Thanks again to all for such a great site. It's what convinced me to get the truck in the first place...
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