CRB Racing
New member
Awesome! Glad you were able to get it back.
I bet you’ll think twice about selling it again!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I bet you’ll think twice about selling it again!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Anyone recognize this 4Runner?
- Thread starter willyd520
- Start date
willyd520
New member
Thank you!
From what I've researched on the rack and in speaking with the owner, it looks like it's installed using the stock holes. This would be incredibly ideal as I can just remove it and install a stock one.
The MT's aren't for sure - I've been pondering just getting some basic black steel wheels and rocking those or the stock wheels again. We'll have to see how it looks with the ARB bumper on it and what I want to do with it from there. Don't mind a little bit of chrome!
meeceboy78
New member
great story, keep us posted im sub'd
willyd520
New member
Happy to report the 4Runner made the drive home from Las Vegas! It's in pretty good shape overall, needs a few things in the front end as I suspected and a few small cosmetic issues on the inside but it's almost exactly how I remember it!
I can't tell you how amazing it felt to be back in the drivers seat of my old rig. I've definitely got some work to do but will be updating the thread as it gets done!
My advice to anyone who is thinking about selling one of these - DON'T! You'll regret it for years to come.
Thanks again to everyone for the support and look forward to sharing the rest of the story with you all!
I can't tell you how amazing it felt to be back in the drivers seat of my old rig. I've definitely got some work to do but will be updating the thread as it gets done!
My advice to anyone who is thinking about selling one of these - DON'T! You'll regret it for years to come.
Thanks again to everyone for the support and look forward to sharing the rest of the story with you all!
meeceboy78
New member
oh this is super cool!!! glad you finally got reunited with it. I for one cannot wait to see the updates as you start repairing and restoring things back to the way it was. so awesome
i had been thinking of selling mine as well and after reading this im not sure i can. lol
i had been thinking of selling mine as well and after reading this im not sure i can. lol
NachesPass4x4
Member
You said you let it go for $6500. I gotta ask... what did it take to get it back?
willyd520
New member
Undoing all of the PO's mods!
But really, there's a few things that 2 PO's ago (The gentleman I originally sold it to) did to this thing that drive me crazy!
The dash lights are all different colors, there was paracord wrapped around the grab handles, the bumpers are all rhino lined poorly and there's stickers all over the hatch.
Already removed the paracord, extra cup holders and ordered correct bulbs to get the interior back to the OEM green. Also got some stickers off the rear window and am going to tackle the 10 on the back hatch.
At some point I'm going to try a gel paint stripper on the bull bar and the bumpers to see if the Rhino Liner will come off and It will look somewhat presentable.
I will probably replace the rear bumper with an OEM one. The PO cut into it and installed LED reverse lights which are cool, but blind my neighbor every time I back up in the morning. I may just decide to go with a swingout and be done with it, but haven't made up my mind yet.
I like to keep my builds super simple - stock but slightly modified. My Tacoma is probably the best representation of what I like my builds to be. Slight lift, ARB bumper to protect against elk up north. Almost all my mods on that truck are mechanical ones like the 4x4 swap and the manual locking hubs. So with the 4Runner I'm thinking just get rid of all the small mods like lights and paracord handles and install a new lift kit, put on an ARB bumper and an OEM chrome bumper with some black cheap 16" steelies and be done with it. Would like to do the tundra brake mod and an e-locker down the road, but as far as cosmetics nothing crazy other than what's above and just fixing the few small broken bits on the interior.
I've also ordered new OEM ball joints, tie rods, poly steering rack bushings and dash bulbs for the 4Runner and hope to get cranking on it this weekend!
Pic of my taco for reference, which is up for sale now (insert shameless plug here :rockon
willyd520
New member
Definitely not $6,500! Paid $9,000 to get it back.
I might've overpaid a little bit, but it is in really nice condition overall and has been maintained well since I sold it. If I can ride this thing out till it dies, I'll be just fine paying what I did for it and the joy it brings me makes it worth it every day!
Happy for you! What a good way to end 2021...
willyd520
New member
So I've been cranking on this thing! Replaced the outdated Pioneer head unit with an Alpine that has bluetooth & USB. Also replaced all the dash lights to OEM green, and honestly for some reason they're almost as bright as the LEDs!
My brother and I also happened to stumble upon a 1996 4Runner with a manual at a local junkyard with the same moon mist interior. We scored on the 4x4 manual ECU for our 1990 3.4 swap and I was also able to get the rear cupholders, OEM shifter & the rear window switch. When replacing my bulbs I found the hatch light is broken so I'm going to go back and snatch that from the truck as well.
Fixing the rear cupholders was probably the most satisfying thing I've done so far - It always bugged me how bad they looked!
My brother and I also happened to stumble upon a 1996 4Runner with a manual at a local junkyard with the same moon mist interior. We scored on the 4x4 manual ECU for our 1990 3.4 swap and I was also able to get the rear cupholders, OEM shifter & the rear window switch. When replacing my bulbs I found the hatch light is broken so I'm going to go back and snatch that from the truck as well.
Fixing the rear cupholders was probably the most satisfying thing I've done so far - It always bugged me how bad they looked!
willyd520
New member
When I drove the truck home to Tucson from Vegas - it honestly drove great. Drove straight as an arrow, rode well and just overall felt solid.
Once we got to Tucson though (and we have the worst roads out here) things changed. I hit a pothole on the way into town and the whole front end has been super wonky ever since.
I make it a priority on these 3rd gen 4Runners & 1st Gen Tacoma's to replace the ball joints with OEM ones regardless of when they were replaced. It just makes me feel better honestly!
Somewhere in the past 6 years the entire front end had been rebuilt with new control arm bushings and Moog upper & lower ball joints. The tie rods had also been replaced at some point with an unknown brand. Glad I decided to do this as the castle nuts on the ball joint broke loose with no effort and then threaded off. The tie rods were also reversed which makes no sense to me as well. Got all the new OEM stuff installed and aligned and it drives way better but the bump steer is awful. I'm chalking that up to the front suspension and have a new OME lift kit on it's way. I am going to replace the steering rack bushings though too as well to see if that makes any difference.
Once we got to Tucson though (and we have the worst roads out here) things changed. I hit a pothole on the way into town and the whole front end has been super wonky ever since.
I make it a priority on these 3rd gen 4Runners & 1st Gen Tacoma's to replace the ball joints with OEM ones regardless of when they were replaced. It just makes me feel better honestly!
Somewhere in the past 6 years the entire front end had been rebuilt with new control arm bushings and Moog upper & lower ball joints. The tie rods had also been replaced at some point with an unknown brand. Glad I decided to do this as the castle nuts on the ball joint broke loose with no effort and then threaded off. The tie rods were also reversed which makes no sense to me as well. Got all the new OEM stuff installed and aligned and it drives way better but the bump steer is awful. I'm chalking that up to the front suspension and have a new OME lift kit on it's way. I am going to replace the steering rack bushings though too as well to see if that makes any difference.
willyd520
New member
Don't look - she's naked!
Got the roof rack off last night - what a total PITA. I know it's standard practice to put a little bit of silicone on the thread of the screws - but the PO literally siliconed the ENTIRE rack on. It'll be buffed today while the rack is off and then I will install the factory rack back on.
It's also Christmas again and going to be a busy weekend! My new Cragar black wheels, OME lift kit, ARB Bumper and front lights are in. Going to be undergoing a total transformation and should hopefully have it done by Sunday!
Got the roof rack off last night - what a total PITA. I know it's standard practice to put a little bit of silicone on the thread of the screws - but the PO literally siliconed the ENTIRE rack on. It'll be buffed today while the rack is off and then I will install the factory rack back on.
It's also Christmas again and going to be a busy weekend! My new Cragar black wheels, OME lift kit, ARB Bumper and front lights are in. Going to be undergoing a total transformation and should hopefully have it done by Sunday!
So time for a little update on this - I finally caved in and hired a PI in Las Vegas to track down the owner through the VIN. They were able to find the owners information very quickly and due to privacy laws had to contact them on my behalf to see if they were interested in selling the truck….
And they are!! Picking it up on Saturday in Las Vegas and driving it home Sunday.
It does look a little bit different then when I sold it unfortunately, the previous owner had put on a roof rack for a kayak, bedlined all of the chrome on the bumpers poorly and swapped out my BA Mickey Thompson wheels for some FJ Cruiser ones. Truck now has 230k miles on it, but other than those few things it is exactly the condition I left it in. Here’s an updated pic:
I can’t begin to describe how excited I am to have this back in my life – few things on the list for it:
• Going to rob the ARB bumper off my 04 Tacoma and throw it on
• Ditching the roof rack for a stock one
• Cleaning the rhino liner off of the bumper
• Installing new MT wheels
• Replace all fluids
• New upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends & anything else the front end needs
• Timing belt
• Valve cover gaskets
• Supercharger…..???!?!
With all this done I should be able to enjoy this rig for a long time and I am NOT letting go of it again.
that is awesome you got it back. I am trying to track down papers on my 03 tacoma that my grandpa bought me when i was in high school. He sold it before i got my license, and i want it back. btw if you or anyone else needs to trace someone reach out to me, i have the ability to do a detailed trace on stuff
if you think that is creepy you should see what certain people at banks can do. literally know everything from childhood to present time with one search, every email, every website you signed up on, every vehicle you have owned with VIN, MSRP, actual paid price and even every tag# that was on it. miss that job doing investigations.
willyd520
New member
After purchasing the new OME lift, ARB Bumper, lights & wheels & tires the only thing to do this weekend was throw it all on!
Started with the OME lift:
Then came the task of removing the bull bar and the bumper. Unfortunately at some point in time someone had actually welded the bull bar bracket to the frame and then a bolt that was halfway through the frame to the bracket. In the process of cutting the bolt, the sawzall bounced off the bolt and punctured the radiator...oh what fun.
After the radiator mishap, we got to work cutting off the frame ends to get the ARB bumper slapped on.
I also swapped out the chinsey plastic connectors for the turn signals that ARB provides with some nice waterproof ones.
Got the bumper on later that night and the lights wired up on Sunday morning and now she's all done! Total transformation over one weekend.
Before:
After:
I'll have some better pictures in a few days, but all that's left is an alignment and a radiator and this thing is ready to roll! :guitar3:
Started with the OME lift:
Then came the task of removing the bull bar and the bumper. Unfortunately at some point in time someone had actually welded the bull bar bracket to the frame and then a bolt that was halfway through the frame to the bracket. In the process of cutting the bolt, the sawzall bounced off the bolt and punctured the radiator...oh what fun.
After the radiator mishap, we got to work cutting off the frame ends to get the ARB bumper slapped on.
I also swapped out the chinsey plastic connectors for the turn signals that ARB provides with some nice waterproof ones.
Got the bumper on later that night and the lights wired up on Sunday morning and now she's all done! Total transformation over one weekend.
Before:
After:
I'll have some better pictures in a few days, but all that's left is an alignment and a radiator and this thing is ready to roll! :guitar3:
willyd520
New member
Took a little bit of time today to press out the old bushings on my lower control arms. I don't have a press so I used the old bottle jack and heat method.
I applied very little pressure and a s***ton of heat. The first one came out like butter and the second one took a little more pressure but came out too. As I was getting ready to push my new bushings in I noticed that one of the welds on the control arm had bent.
I measured the inside diameter of the other side and compared it to the one that I pressed and noticed it was off by a whopping 1/4"!
So DON'T do this with crappy aftermarket lower control arms. Have them pressed out professionally or buy some used OEM ones. I was sick of messing with this so I bought OEM lowers with bushings already installed. While it hurt the wallet I feel WAY better about the quality of it over my old ones - definitely way heavier.
Here you can see how bent the other one is:
With the new lowers I was able to get them slapped in and set the camber decently. It'll be towed to the alignment shop but I think this finally wraps up my front end rebuild. Look at all these nice shiny parts in there!
Really looking forward to seeing how well it drives now. It was extremely sketchy before with the bump steer so bad a pothole would send me in the other lane!
I also found some old pictures of the truck and I on some adventures:
And one when I got it stock in 2013 - minus the running boards of course. :biggrin1:
I applied very little pressure and a s***ton of heat. The first one came out like butter and the second one took a little more pressure but came out too. As I was getting ready to push my new bushings in I noticed that one of the welds on the control arm had bent.
I measured the inside diameter of the other side and compared it to the one that I pressed and noticed it was off by a whopping 1/4"!
So DON'T do this with crappy aftermarket lower control arms. Have them pressed out professionally or buy some used OEM ones. I was sick of messing with this so I bought OEM lowers with bushings already installed. While it hurt the wallet I feel WAY better about the quality of it over my old ones - definitely way heavier.
Here you can see how bent the other one is:
With the new lowers I was able to get them slapped in and set the camber decently. It'll be towed to the alignment shop but I think this finally wraps up my front end rebuild. Look at all these nice shiny parts in there!
Really looking forward to seeing how well it drives now. It was extremely sketchy before with the bump steer so bad a pothole would send me in the other lane!
I also found some old pictures of the truck and I on some adventures:
And one when I got it stock in 2013 - minus the running boards of course. :biggrin1:
