2DoorRunners 96 4Runner Build

[2DoorRunner]

I have spent countless hours lurking on T4R for the last couple weeks in anticipation of buying my next 4runner. I picked up my first 3rd gen 4runner tonight! It was going to be an engine donor for my 2nd gen, but i dont have it in me to tear her heart out.

Im sure it seems like a pile of scrap to alot of people, but i see the potential. Just needs some elbow grease, alot of it! Not many people can say they paid $800 for their 4runner though.

It is a 1996 limited, 3.4 auto, and just rolled 200k. The PO has owned it for almost 9 years. But his wife drove it alot of the time, and managed to wreck it, THREE TIMES:nono:
It sat in his driveway for the last year, gathering pine needles. Which i am guessing are whats causing the sunroof to leak, growing copious amounts of mold on everything.

My first priority is to get it cleaned up, fix the front end, and all maintenance, timing belt, re seal, all hoses, ignition system, etc.

It seems like every vehicle i buy is covered in old sun baked stickers:frusty:

 

[JamesDean91]

I see the potential as well good call!
Looks like a new bumper(tube or plate) 99+ headlights, sport hood, satoshi grill, good elbow grease cleaning up and she will look perfect again

 

[Hepar]

Lol. At least most of them are on the windows. They're a little bit easier to get off from there. And $800?!?! That's a great price! I see the potential in there!

 

[Slow_T4R]

Looks like you made out pretty damn good for $800 bucks. Good job!

 

[JohnsD90]

Nice truck, these are in scrapyards now so I'm not surprised by the $800 buy in. Should have a quality truck for around $2k total including truck price.

 

[2DoorRunner]

Thanks guys!

I tried to make a lot of progress today, that didnt work out so well.

Started off at the licensing dept. with the obese grumpy woman telling me i need estimates, pictures, etc. to transfer the title:der:.
I will go back next weekend with the paperwork filled out by the PO stating why the price was so low, and talk to the other employee that knows i come in with cheap vehicles all the time.

I also needed an emissions test. I failed, but only because they asked me to shut it off. Shouldnt have been a problem. Except the positive cable had popped off the battery on the way there, deleting the stored data from the ecu.:ybrick:

The kid doing the test (who talked about his jeep half the time) wouldnt let me fix the problem right there. It took a few minutes of convincing his boss to let me get it running, rather than push it across the parking lot.

Needless to say, plenty of dumb ass govt. employees made my morning quite frustrating!

I bought a new camera last night, just for you guys:tea:

Grabbed some pictures before heading to the shop.
The stock motor runs great, even with the neglected maintenance.

About 80k on the timing belt.

My mint condition interior. Jealous?:eyebrows:

All of which was caused by the moon roof.

The only thing the PO wanted from the 4runner was the wheels when i find some tires. He gave me the OEM wheels and lug nuts, in need of some paint.

When i drove this home the first time the gauge cluster was full of condensation, i was sure i was going to have to tear it apart or replace it. A day of driving with heat on high and it looks like new!

 

[BigBluePile]

Oh boy.......

 

[2DoorRunner]

Gave it a basic look over on the hoist and changed all fluids.

I found a leaky axle seal, and it appears that the half moons and back of the valve cover gaskets are the main contributor to the motor oil leak.

I got tired of the crushed front end pretty quick, so i did my best to repair what was there until i can get replacement parts and build a bumper.

I was planning to cut that out and replace it with some beef anyway:tongue1:

Anyone have cheap headlights, grill, and hood? I used an assortment of pry bars, a BFH, and a couple zipties. Still looks like crap, but at least i can drive it without looking like it was wrecked 5 minutes ago.

Brake clean isnt just for brakes. A little 200mph tape will hold it for now.

New battery. Its small, but i get the for dirt cheap, and i will replace it with a yellow top when i get a winch. I need to extend the factory positive cable so i can add a new battery lug.

The headliner is a soggy mess. At this point i am looking at replacing the entire moon roof assembly, or pulling it, and covering the hole.

The motor works, but is in sad shape.

And finally, some clean interior pics. I didnt have enough time to tear the carpet out, but it is bearable to drive now.
Not bad considering the door panels were all green. And yes i know i forgot about the seatbelts:doh:

Not a whole lot of progress, but its a start. Time to order some parts:wave:

 

[DeathCougar]

I just picked up a really nice 1997 4Runner parts rig with a MINT interior.

PM me if you need parts for it.

 

[PNWRunner]

Looks like a good start for sure, reminds me of mine when I first picked it up. DeathCougar is a good local vendor if you need parts, ive bought quite a few things from him.

At this point you have 3 options. #1- drive it till the wheels fall off #2- clean it up and sell it #3- clean it up and justify dumping ~$6000 into it because thats what you would have paid for it if it wasn't wrecked. Im sure youll come to your senses and go with option 3, and I look forward to seeing it all fixed up.

 

[muttbutt]

For 800 bucks that thing is in pretty good shape! lookin good!

 

[2DoorRunner]

I just picked up a really nice 1997 4Runner parts rig with a MINT interior.

PM me if you need parts for it.

Some seat belts without mold stains would be nice, if you still have a set available.

At this point you have 3 options. #1- drive it till the wheels fall off #2- clean it up and sell it #3- clean it up and justify dumping ~$6000 into it because thats what you would have paid for it if it wasn't wrecked. Im sure youll come to your senses and go with option 3, and I look forward to seeing it all fixed up.

I definitely plan on keeping this one! Short term plans should be far less than $6000, unless i get this raise I've been working my ass off for:wof:

For 800 bucks that thing is in pretty good shape! lookin good!

Thanks! I thought it would be at least a few more years before i considered buying a 3rd gen.

 

[DeathCougar]

Some seat belts without mold stains would be nice, if you still have a set available.

I do! Still have a 100% complete interior.

PM me, or shoot me a call/text (number is in my local CL ad) and we will work something out.

 

[2DoorRunner]

I havent worked on the 4runner a whole lot. I work late on week days, and am in the process of moving, but enough excuses.

The headliner was soggy and ruined, same with the carpet.


Before:

During:

After:
I am relieved to find no rust issues from that wet carpet. There is very little surface rust by the hatch latch in back, nothing a wire wheel wont take care of.

I decided to remove the moon roof assembly for multiple reasons. Cost of a new assembly, reliability, and simply because i dont have the desire for one, i am in WA after all.

The gaping hole is temporarily covered. I have two choices:
Try my hand at body work and weld in a patch panel. Which is possible, the biggest constraint is time.
Or rivet aluminum and silicone it. Not with the cheap stuff, we have some bad ass silicone at the shop. Just as a backup, some seam sealer on the inside would be added. I am positive this would not leak. (Let the flaming begin:behindsofa

I havent made up my mind yet, but i am leaning towards tossing some aluminum on until i have a more convenient time to weld it up a couple years down the road.


She also got a bath on our one sunny day, this didnt last long.

Now all i need is a 1st gen

 

[DeathCougar]

Why not put a factory sunroof back in it?

I have a carpet, sunroof, and headliner that are in mint shape that can go in your 4Runner.

Rather than go all backyard hillbilly and make it look like crap, fix it up the way it's supposed to be the right way. You'll love the working sunroof!

 

[2DoorRunner]

Why not put a factory sunroof back in it?

I have a carpet, sunroof, and headliner that are in mint shape that can go in your 4Runner.

Rather than go all backyard hillbilly and make it look like crap, fix it up the way it's supposed to be the right way. You'll love the working sunroof!

PM Sent

 

[CodyX36]

For the sake of all 3rd gens, Jack, listen to Josh. This isn't a 2nd gen.

 

[2DoorRunner]

For the sake of all 3rd gens, Jack, listen to Josh. This isn't a 2nd gen.

Since Josh just happens to have a sunroof and headliner for a good price, 3rd gen rep is safe for another day:

 

[2DoorRunner]

Did the valve cover gaskets and timing belt yesterday, along with some other parts.
Went to drive it this morning, and was greeted with a nasty smelling sauna. The heater core has been seeping the last couple of days, it just decided to take a dump not 24 hours after all this work:tsk:

On top of that, it appears my alternator died in my 2nd gen today as well. Im going to need another job if this keeps up!


Not OEM parts, but im not worried about that with 210k on the motor. The Continental timing belt kits always seem to be high quality, i've never had a problem with one. The fel pro box is intake plenum gaskets, which i ended up needing, so im glad i got them.

What a mess. Tons of mud, oil, leaves, and lots of mouse poop. No rodent destruction to the wiring harness at least.

Judging by how the engines exterior looked, i was expecting some sludge, this is what i like to see!

A trick for those pain in the butt seals. Use your smallest drill bit, be careful not to mark the seal surface. Get a good bite with the screw, and use a pry bar or vise grips. Comes out nice and easy.

Almost there

Done!

And thank you Josh for the sunroof and headliner:thumb3: