Joining the family soon, Is this a good buy?

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Hey guys, new to the forum here coming from pirate4x4

I am planning a trip from Alaska to Argentina down the PanAm highway. I was originally looking at LC's but after learning about the gas mileage I ran away with my tail tucked between my legs.

In comes the Tacomas and 4Runners. After looking at the LCs I moved to the 3rdgen V6 97-02 4runners w a factory rear locker. Couldnt find one of those in my price range yet so I am now looking at 1gens with the 22RE and 5-speed

Came across this one in my area and am hopefully going to go check it out on Saturday. Hopefully I can negotiate it down a bit as the price is a bit high for a 20+ year old truck. I plan to hopefully trade the tires for something a bit smaller and AT, add a front bumper/winch, baseline it, build a sleeping platform in the back and head down south in about 6 months

$3500- I am selling my 1987 Toyota 4runner EFI SR5. 22re, Heat and ac, power steering, removable top. Manual. New tranny and clutch, new radiator, new head and top end, all new seals and gaskets. New chain and guides. 33 inch pro comp mud terrain, 3 inch body lift. Pro comp add leaf. Black steel rock crawler wheels. After market stereo. Great truck! Great on gas! Awesome 4wheel drive!

 

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just talked to the guy who owns, says he blew the headgasket and warped the heads about 6 months ago, rebuilt the whole top end, replaced all the seals, hoses, belts etc, then about 2 months ago his tranny goes out, replaced that, then last month the clutch goes, he just replaced that

hes looking to get a 4dr 4runner and tahts why hes selling, hes got 2 tire kickers ****ing around about buying it but if its still there on Saturday Im going to take a look and hopefully buy it

 

[4-Ripcord]

I'm liking everything except the body lift. I don't trust em.

Were you going to start a thread to document your preparation and adventures for the trip? Because you definitely should, I would love to hear all about it!

 

[T?@\7]

buy it

looks like a good buy to me, i paid $500 more for mine and that one looks just as clean or maybe cleaner. Anyword on rust?

and thats gonna be a hell of a trip man, for sure, ive driven the entire panama section of the panam, up until it turns into SERIOUS JUNGLE anyways. Keep usposted, and dont let those tire kickers steal that thing

 

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yep definitely going to start a thread once i get the truck, i am going to have a million questions im sure

no rust that i know of, it isnt a problem out here in northern california but i will doublecheck to be sure

he says the front seats are in rough shape but nothing a seatcover cant fix and it has a low idle that he thinks is caused by same aftermarket sparkplug wires?

 

[defrag4]

looks like a good buy to me, i paid $500 more for mine and that one looks just as clean or maybe cleaner. Anyword on rust?

and thats gonna be a hell of a trip man, for sure, ive driven the entire panama section of the panam, up until it turns into SERIOUS JUNGLE anyways. Keep usposted, and dont let those tire kickers steal that thing

ah yes, the dreaded darien gap. 90 miles of unpenetrable jungle between panama and columbia

i plan to ship around it on a freighter, attempting to go through is a great adventure though,

heres an interesting video on an expedition of the most unlikely vehicle crossing the gap

YouTube - Corvair in Jungle- Daring the Darien

 

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Can you gives me some things to look for when checking out the truck? obviously checking for leaks, strange knocks from the engine, shifting etc,

anything specifically to look for in the 1stgens? I asked him if he had done any recent axle maintenance and he said they looked good, how can i check?

 

[cometobanks]

moist spots where there is a leak. shake the yoke, there should by VERY little to no play back in forth.

Hard to check anything else without disassembly.

Search here theres a zillion posts about axle health.

$3500.00 is an attractive price, it is what its worth, there are cheaper deals, but bird in the hand and all that then, right?.

 

[clemson4rnr]

Not to hijack this thread, but have you checked this blog out...

Trip Prep | A Long Drive

A couple from San Fran bought an FJ and did the same thing a couple years back. Alaska to Argentina...

Pretty inspirational

 

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Not to hijack this thread, but have you checked this blog out...

Trip Prep | A Long Drive

A couple from San Fran bought an FJ and did the same thing a couple years back. Alaska to Argentina...

Pretty inspirational

thanks for the link, i have been planning to do a an extended trip for a while, originally by backpack, then by motorcycle, and then stumbled upon the Expedition Portal website and instantly got hooked into overland travel.

I have never really been off-roading before and have tons to learn, I wrench on my own vehicles but have always been scared off to delve into large repairs/mods

i plan to learn as much about this vehicle and 4x4'ng as possible before we leave

this is a fellow currently doing the same trip in a newer TJ The road chose me

 

[nlinn]

it looks like a pretty good price to me, I got mine this spring for just a grand...but that's mainly because the guy was a really nice guy who couldn't stand seeing his first car rust sitting in his driveway.

I'm really interested in seeing how your trip goes, I've been planning a (much) shorter one from Arkansas to Panama in my '86 and his '94 pickup...I spent a school year studying in San Jose, Costa Rica and I'm dying to go back.
The only thing stopping me right now is Northern Mexico, kinda crappy place to drive through right now.
Keep us posted, i'll be interested

 

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i got it! :bluejump:

headed up there today to check it out, talked to the owner who showed me all the recent work he had done, showed me the receipts for everything, we went on a test drive, tested the 4wd, everything seems great.

it does have a low idle which he thinks is due to some aftermark plug wires, i am going to try to replace those tomorrow and see if it helps, any ideas what may be causing that? it runs great once it gets going but seems to try to idle down around 300-500RPMs which is almost stalling it

need to fix the drivers side window, just sounds like the gear is stripped, they are manual

the body lift is in great shape as well as the add-a-leaf, i couldnt see a spot of rust on this truck anywhere

i got it for $3000 and am pretty satisfied, i think this is the exact truck to make this expedition in, with a few fixups and mods it will be ready to go!

 

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87' FSM is on its way, thanks amazon!

 

[Awz]

Grats on your buy. You'll like it. Good price for what shape it's in.
The spark plugs could be causing your low idle, grab some from Toyota (they do cost more, but it's not THAT much more) The engine also has a cold start switch, if it's cold they dump a little extra fuel into the intake to keep it going better. (I mention this one because mine is flat out missing, and it'll do the same thing when it drops below freezing point). It may also just need the idle adjusted. There is a small flat head screw right next to the throttle plate. I don't have a tack, so I have to adjust that one by ear.

Mike

 

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i think i know what is causing it, i took apart the intake and found a pretty big crack in the underside of the flexible bend that goes into the TB

Any idea where I can buy a replacement for this part? I tried searching the partnumber on the hose but couldnt find anything.

 

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For those wondering, this is the part # for that boot

22231-35011

AH-TY-84 TOYOTA P/U 84-95 2.4L OE#22231-35011

and good luck finding one on a sunday :doh: