85 Body swap

tor-redneck

tor-redneck

New member
i had another thread going but it is dead. ill start new hoping for opinions. as you know my body went to crap. i found an 87 4runner with no rust. it was a whole 4runner minus the engine tranny and t case. i want to know what all i can use from the 87 on my 85 frame. today i got the body off of the 87 and tomorrow i start taking my body off.

i plan on taking my body off with the engine and all still in the frame, and setting the newer body on. the 87 has a tach unlike my 85. what i need to know is can i use most the stuff from the 87? it seems to have a bigger brake booster better igniter etc... also would i want to use my 85 ecu or use the 87? not sure how much of a difference all this stuff makes. opinions appreciated!
 
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i would guess use the 87 booster and stick to 85 cluster,ecu and other electrical bits if it all works... maybe?:confused: i can't see too many drastic changes between 85/7.
 
The cluster will swap. If you're lucky, your '85 will already have tach wiring in the factory harness. I put an SR5 cluster in my base model '86 and the tach worked, but I got lucky. If you don't have factory tach wiring you'll have to run your own tach wire from the coil to the cluster.

You'll want to keep the '85 ECU I suspect - emissions and stuff can change from year to year or between Fed/Cali trucks, I wouldn't mess with that. I don't know about any brake master/booster changes between '85 and '87, you could keep the stuff from your '85 if it's been working great or take a chance on the new stuff, your call. I suspect which coil/igniter you use probably wont matter either, I'd personally stick with the one I knew worked and keep the other for a spare.
 
Swap the rear axle from the 87 over to the 85.
It's 3" wider and has bigger brakes and will bolt right.
Pull the fuel pump out and save it.

The ECUs are probably the same, just compare the part numbers and you'll know for sure.
 
X2 on the IFS rear axle. The 87 has a dual diapham brake booster and probably a 1" bore master cylinder, as opposed to the '85 single diaphram booster and 7/8" bore master. Go ahead and swap those, and look into swapping the IFS calipers and rotors to the 85 if you haven't already.
 
You can't swap the 87 caliper and rotors.
You could swap the 87 caliper and Land Cruiser rotors, but the 87 caliper isn't any bigger than the 85, so there's no point.
 
thanks for the advise. so it looks like ill use the new booster and mc. just relized the rear axles 3rd member is missing but ill keep whats there for a future upgrade. kinda wish this would have happened sooner. 3 days ago i had to put all new bearings and seals in the rear axle lol.
 
tor-redneck said:
thanks for the advise. so it looks like ill use the new booster and mc. just relized the rear axles 3rd member is missing but ill keep whats there for a future upgrade. kinda wish this would have happened sooner. 3 days ago i had to put all new bearings and seals in the rear axle lol.
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It hasn't rolled around too much with that 3rd member missing, has it?
 
it rolled out of the shop and onto a trailer. then rolled off the trailer at our ranch. is the 3rd member i have in the 85 the same as the 1 in my 87? i want to post some pics of what im doing, but its so basic i dont know if any one cares to see it. let me know. ill take some pics tommarow.:artist2:
 
The 3rds are the same, but the ratios might be different.
Just check the axle code at the bottom of the VIN tag.
It'll be Gxxx (where x=some number). If they are the same your in business.
 
tor-redneck said:
it rolled out of the shop and onto a trailer. then rolled off the trailer at our ranch. is the 3rd member i have in the 85 the same as the 1 in my 87? i want to post some pics of what im doing, but its so basic i dont know if any one cares to see it. let me know. ill take some pics tommarow.:artist2:
Click to expand...

Those'll be the same 4cyl thirds. In addition to checking the VIN on each truck, you can do a spin check to see if the ratios match up. If they're both manual trucks, they should be 4.10s.

Your halfshafts can wobble in the axle tube without the third member to locate the inner splined ends. If it's been rolled around like that more than a few feet, I'd be for new bearings and seals on the '87 axle for sure.
 
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decided to go grey instead of red. im also going to install my brown dash. one thing you guys forgot to mention is how much of a pain it is to swap out the harness behind the dash. 85 and 7 are different. not sure if cutten the 87 harness would have been eaisier but i swapped. its going to be so nice to have a bady that isnt rusten from the bottom up! also, all the trim is here unlike mine. any one know of a good paint for it? i hate the red!
 
man these forum issues are getting old. when the forums were jacked the last few days my pics worked. now they seem to be fixed and pics are jacked lol.
 
also.....any one else ever had the issue with the top of the tranny and tcase all wet on top? hope its a simple seal job.....you can see it on the pic on page 1. on a side note, the work is being done at our ranch...noone lives there so its a place to all meet up, drink beer, and watch me work on the runner...
 
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Look at the back of the motor, any chance it's just a valve cover seal? In any case, while you've got the body off is a great time to break everything down, clean it all up real good and regasket it anyway.
 
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