Mgizler's 99 4Runner build

[Mgizler]

Well I finally picked one of these up, and kind of silly how it happened.

Quickly After selling my 85 4Runner, I realized that I missed having the capability to load up the family and go on an adventure. I tried to justify keeping a 91 reg cab pickup that I had just redone, but the fact that I was never able to drive it or fit my family in it pretty much sealed the deal.

So....I had been trying to sell my Regular Cab 91 for some time, and had no luck. All the while, I kept finding quite a few 3rd gens for great prices that I kept missing out on. I really was pretty dead set on picking up one that was equipped with the Factory E-locker, and some basic amenities.

Weeks went by and there was the typical low ball offers on my 91 and then people not coming through with showing up to look at it. However......Yesterday everything changed. Friday night, I got a call from a guy down in Kansas City, KS that wanted to look at it. I agreed to meed him half way in Mound City, MO for him to check it out. Well needless to say.. he was happy, and I was happy driving back with Cash in my Pocket. Now I had not checked Craigslist, or really looked for another 4Runner for about a week. I just simply decided to wait until I was able to make an actual decision.

Well.....after I got back, I just decided to look and see if there were any new ads up in the last few days. Much to my surprise, there was a 99 Limited 4Runner that went up Friday. I immediately called the guy and asked if it had the E-locker. He was not sure what I was referring to, but I walked him through were to find the button and he confirmed that is was in fact equipped with it. So after chatting for a few minutes he informed me that it had 167,000 miles on it and recently had a timing kit, and intake gaskets also. So... needless to say, I asked the wife if I could leave again to check it out. Of course she already knows I have been a Toyota addict for longer than we have been together, so she was understanding. Haha!

I met up with the guy and everything was confirmed. Not only did he have receipts for the recent work, he also had receipts for work done dating back when he first purchased it, and also had all the factory owners manuals, and everything.

I was very happy and surprised by how clean it was inside and out. There are some blemishes and dents in the body here and there. Looks like the rear passenger door was repainted at one time, but the frame is solid, there is no rot on the body, it runs and shifts smooth, and did I mention....It has the E-LOCKER!!!! so Happy I found one of these. Now the family and I can go on little expeditions and explore the back country again!

Here is the first time I saw it.




Confirmed the Locker





Some Interior shots






First night in its new home.







And THIS is why I got it!!







Here is a quick list of some Modifications I want to do first.

OME 2.5-3" lift

Bigger Tires, Maybe 285's or see if my 15x8 steels will fit

Remove the Running Boards and possibly Make some Sliders

Make some Front and rear bumpers. Rear tire carrier bumper for sure.


But the First order of Business is take it to work tomorrow, Throw it up on the hoist and go over everything.

So Excited about this.

 

[Mgizler]

Got it up in the air this morning to confirm that the frame was as solid as it looked on while on the ground.

I still cant believe how clean it really is. Definitely needs some stuff here and there, but I think its a great base to start with.

 

[Mgizler]

Just did a quick once over it yesterday while up on the hoist.

Changed the oil, and looked over the brakes. They are not too bad. The ball joints are original (still riveted in) and will be getting changed in the near future. Shocks and struts are also original and beat pretty bad, so I am saving for some OME coils and struts/shocks. Then most likely going to go with 285's of some sort.

I really want to set this thing up to daily drive, and to weekend wheel/explore.


First order of business after the oil change was to remove the rust forming running boards!

 

[Mgizler]

Gave it a bath after the kids and I got home.

 

[Mgizler]

So.....I decided to do some investigating. I knew there was one spot of concern for rust. Right in front of the passenger rear tire.

I started to Remove the rocker trim



And I discovered some scale. At first glance, it was just bubbled paint, then I started to poke around with a Screwdriver to open it up.




Glad I found it now while its still small.

Lesson here fellow T4R members. If your 4runner has the plastic flares, and rocker trim, it could possibly have some rust under there.

When I pulled the rocker trim down, it was full of dirt and a ton of crap.

If I could easily remove all the flares and trim without having to fill a ton of holes, I would. They are just safe havens for rust to start.

Anyhow....... I am planning on tearing into it on Thursday. Cutting out the bad, making a new panel, and welding it in. I an going to use some Fusor 2-part seam sealer on the seam near the tire, and most likely use some duraglass on the patch after its made. then ultimately paint and reinstall the rocker cover.

Just a heads up guys and gals.

 

[Mgizler]

So I tore into the rocker and was able to get it taken care of in two days.

Yesterday morning I went to my local U-Pull it and cut off the section that I needed. 5$ Pretty good deal.




Then I came back and went to work cutting everything out.

Once I cut the outer out, it exposed the rot on the inner. So I cut that out also.





Then I started making my patch panels to plug weld and stitch weld in





Got it all welded in and ground down.



Then I put some Duraglass on it and smoothed everything out.



Finally was some seam sealer and then Primer and Paint. I decided to use a puff can I had left over from my 4Runner. It has base and clear in it, which is perfect for stuff like this. Color doesnt match, but the door covers it up. I will cover it with the right color eventually.




When I was all done, I thought that it looked weird with a drop/dip down in the rear. I figured it was a result of the patch not sitting perfect. But I went over and looked at the other side and its the same way. I never noticed that it is shaped that way. The rocker cladding covered that.

So, I have decided to get some new clips from Napa, and i will be reinstalling the rocker cover in a few days.

 

[Mgizler]

So a week after getting this runner, the starter started to click upon cranking, leading me to realize that it was time for some new contacts. Unfortunately my local Auto/Electrical place has since closed up, I had to order them online. I really wish these places were still able to survive in todays throwaway society, but its just not a reality.

I had already become familiar with this procedure while doing some work for a friend a few years back. I remembered that the hardest part was getting the starter out of its "hole" once unbolted.

Everyday I have the opportunity to work at the shop where I teach. Its nice and climate controlled, has hoists so you can work in the air. But there is Usually something lacking when working like that. Might sound crazy, but for me, sometimes taking on a project at home, on the ground, builds a better connection with the vehicle. Maybe I am crazy, maybe I have been using a hoist so long that I sort of missed doing some repairs rolling around in the dirt.

Fast forward to yesterday.....The starter became more and more unreliable because of the contacts. Since I already received them last week, I just had to find the time to make it happen.

Its been a rough few weeks at work for me, and our lives are crazy with our twins, so..........I kindly asked the wife if she was ok with me tearing into the 4Runner after the kids went to bed.

Lucky for me, she was good with it. I think she realized that I needed some time to just do nothing but think about the task at hand.


So.......I put her up in jack stands and went to work!

As always.......This repair job can seem very intimidating to some. Especially if you are not very mechanically inclined.

Here it is. Hiding, Lurking behind everything in its way.......



First thing you need to do is disconnect the battery. You always want to do this, but especially on this job. You will have to snake a wrench, or 1/4' ratchet in there, and I can guarantee that it will arc off everything around it if the battery is still connected.

Next you need to remove the 12mm bolt that is holding the Transmission dipstick to the head, then gently twist it back and forth until it comes out. Then you need to remover the 12mm bolt that holds on the brake line that goes to the passenger wheel. Some people remove this line and open up the brake system. I just bend it out of the way. Removing the line just makes more unnecessary work that does not need to be done.

Now, you have to remove the 12v supply to the starter an the remote line from the ignition. I ended up taking the remote line off after the starter was unbolted. I just simply could not get my XXL hand in there in such a way to remove it while bolted to the block.

After you get those two parts removed, you can them move underneath the truck to loosen the two 14mm bolts. I ended up using all 1/2' drive sockets and ratchets to remove these. I know some people remove the bracket that holds the exhaust downpipe, but again.....I do not. Just more unnecessary work.

It took a shallow 14mm with a swivel, and a few small extensions. I was able to use a breaker bar to pop everything loose, and then remove the bolts with my fingertips. The top bolt takes a little more work. I actually used a 1/2' Breaker bar with a deep 14mm socket and broke it loose from the fenderwell then moved back underneath to hand thread it out.

Now..........The hard part. Its like trying to figure out a rubiks cube!! I always forget how it comes out and have to mess with it for some time. About 25 minutes of hand wrestling it in the frame rail, it finally gave up and decided to come out. I failed to get pictures of this, if I only had a third hand or a photographer...... Haha.
But, it has to come out with the actual starter motor facing down and the solenoid straight up. It seems as though it will not fit between the UCA and the Manifold flange, but I assure you that it will.





Once you have it out, it will literally take you 5 minutes to swap everything out.

I just clamp it in a vise and go to work. There are three Slotted (phillips) head screws that hold the solenoid cap on. These are usually on fairly tight, but if you put the screwdriver on and give the end of it a quick hit, or two, they will break free from the shock.

Now that its off, you can see the plunger and the contacts. Sometimes they look so back its crazy, and other times, like this time, they do not look horrible....but bad enough.




You can clearly see the difference in from the old plunger to the new, and then i have some side by side comparisons of the contacts.







The contacts simply unbolt from the side of the solenoid housing. Be careful and take note of the washers and all the plastic parts that fit on the studs to seal up the solenoid.

After you put all the contacts/plunger back together.....you can attempt to reinsert the starter..

Now the funny thing is, It takes so long to get it out and then it literally slid right back in in less than a minute. Haha....That one will make you scratch you head every time.

Here it is on its way back in. See you again in another 150,000 miles.....



The rest of the installation is simply the reverse of the removal. Hardest part of the installation is trying to hold the starter with one hand and start the upper bolt with the other. This step helps to have another person there to help hold it while you thread the bolts back in by hand.

Wasn't to bad.....I did not time myself, but it took me about 1.5 hours to do everything. I was in no hurry.

Hope this provides some info for anyone having the same issue.

Oh yeah....The Contacts and Plunger were a whopping $13.95......Please fellow T4R members.....do not pay to have this done, and do not put a new starter in. These ones with last the life of the vehicle and then some.

 

[Mgizler]

Finally collected all my parts to install the Lift. I will say that this was one of the easiest installs I have done to date. The fact that the rear has coils makes the entire process go so extremely fast. I am used to tearing into, or tearing out, leaf packs, and u bolts.......

So Anyhow........As I stated before, I went with the Bilstein 5100's up front coupled with the Toytec/eibach 3" lift springs. And in the rear, I went with some Used 97 Lexus LX450 springs that were color coded Blue Yellow White, and Green Yellow White, and some Stock rear LC monroe shocks.

Here is a shot of the new front setup. Only thing not pictured are the new strut mounts I purchased.



Just before disassembly. You do not have to take the upper BJ apart. I took the drivers side apart then realized that I did not need to and left the passenger side together. In the event that you do want to remove them, a 3-jaw puller does the trick.




You need a spring compressor to disassemble these or you will have to pay someone who has one to do it for you. Luckily, I am an Auto Tech instructor and have access to everything I need. Here is a shot of one of the struts in the compressor.



Heres what they look like apart. And next to a complete stock strut



Here you can see a comparison of the springs. They appear to be the same length, but the Toytec is much stiffer.



Installed. I went with the lowest setting on the bilteins and achieved 3" with it.



Great picture that shows just how saggy the rear was. This is with the front installed and the back still stock.



I recommend cutting the rear shocks out. The stud nuts were so covered in dirt/grime and were frozen on. Plus there is hardly any room to get a good purchase on anything to break them free. So I cut the heads off with a sawzall.



I failed to get pictures of this, but I loosened and removed the lower link front bolts and let them hang. Without doing this, even with the shocks removed, you will not have enough flex to get the springs out.

After the links were disconnected, the rear springs basically fell out! They were so worn out it wasnt even funny.

New springs in!




Now this took some time and finesse, because they were much longer than the stock ones. I actually had to use Benchtop spring compressors to compress the springs enough to get them into the proper location while I had some students pulling up on one side of the axle and some on the opposite side pushing down.

I also failed to get before measurements but here are the afters.




Here are a few pictures of after.





The CV angle is not that bad. But I did install a 1" diff spacer this morning.

This is before the spacer. I will have to get one of after.



Finally a picture that I put together to show the actual difference of before and after. Its hard to tell until you see this.




So.... Now a list of stuff I need.

285/75/16's
Longer sway bar ends
and Extended Brake lines.

 

[flipty]

Great work here. Looking forward to doing some of the same to mine, and I appreciate the great photos that help me with the comfort level of digging into my own "from the couch".

 

[Mgizler]

Great work here. Looking forward to doing some of the same to mine, and I appreciate the great photos that help me with the comfort level of digging into my own "from the couch".

Thanks!

I did most of the work over a period of 2-3 weeks.

 

[Mgizler]

So I started tearing into the rear bumper. I knew that if I did not do something drastic, I would put it off forever.

So the one day at work, I had some time in between classes and decided to take the stock bumper off.

What a pain in the rear it was to get it off. Seemed like a 1000 unnecessary bolts and brackets.

Anyhow....Here it is sans bumper....




One of my Co-workers teaches digital media/Photography, and they also have a vinyl printer.....So I had him make me some of these.





I went off Assburns design and tweaked it some to my own liking. I am making the sides larger to incorporate a tire swingout.

Luckily, I also teach Fabrication and have access to a Plasma table. Makes cutting components out very easy.






Here it is mocked up on the truck the first day we started putting ideas together. I have two students in my Welding/Fab class helping me. I have let them take the reigns and make decisions as we go.







This is as of yesterday.. We started mocking up the sides. We have decided on a taper out from the tail light to the fender flare.







Hoping to get the sides completely mocked up, cut out, and tacked in place this afternoon when they come for class.

 

[Mgizler]

Got more done to the rear bumper today. Fabbbed up and tacked the sides in. Hoping to get this close to wrapped up tomorrow.

Here's some pictures from today

 

[AssBurns]

Dude that bumper is turning out awesome! Crazy that I happened to stumble across your thread right as you post this. Super jealous of the plasma table. Boy would that have made life easier during the build. I'm glad I was able to give some inspiration to your design. Can't wait to see the finished product. Your build is already off to a great start.

 

[Oview]

Nice one. Good luck with it. Looks clean.

 

[Beaumont67]

Mgizler - congrats on the meticulous Gen3 build, of quality / and very nice to see body work, done correctly.

So I tore into the rocker and was able to get it taken care of in two days......................
Got it all welded in and ground down.



...............

 

[Mgizler]

Dude that bumper is turning out awesome! Crazy that I happened to stumble across your thread right as you post this. Super jealous of the plasma table. Boy would that have made life easier during the build. I'm glad I was able to give some inspiration to your design. Can't wait to see the finished product. Your build is already off to a great start.

Thanks man!! I owe the motivation to start this to your thread! Thanks again for the positive vibes!

Nice one. Good luck with it. Looks clean.

Thanks. I am really enjoying is so far.

Mgizler - congrats on the meticulous Gen3 build, of quality / and very nice to see body work, done correctly.

Thanks for the words man!! I really appreciate it. I really try to make repairs to the best of my ability, and cannot sleep at night knowing I cut a corner.

I also teach welding in a Collision Program at a local college, so watching the body guys do repairs has helped me immensely.

 

[Mgizler]

Started boxing in the sides this morning.*

 

[Beaumont67]

............Thanks for the words man!! I really appreciate it. I really try to make repairs to the best of my ability, and cannot sleep at night knowing I cut a corner.

I also teach welding in a Collision Program at a local college, so watching the body guys do repairs has helped me immensely.

I still really enjoy Oxy/Acet brazing (while infrequent), to this day:
And did weekend body work as a hobby (self trained), for 15 years / in implement garage (on family farm).
Two year of HS welding (in early 1970's) plus 2 years in College...one of my favorite classes.
- all this before Mig welders was invented / so I did a fair bit of brazing sheet metal, while learning to control warpage
School was a great place, to learn welding - and some people have so much natural talent, when it comes to learning this trade.

 

[spoonsports86]

rust repair looks good

loving the rear bumper build

 

[Mgizler]

I still really enjoy Oxy/Acet brazing (while infrequent), to this day:
And did weekend body work as a hobby (self trained), for 15 years / in implement garage (on family farm).
Two year of HS welding (in early 1970's) plus 2 years in College...one of my favorite classes.
- all this before Mig welders was invented / so I did a fair bit of brazing sheet metal, while learning to control warpage
School was a great place, to learn welding - and some people have so much natural talent, when it comes to learning this trade.

Sounds like you have a great background in these types of repairs. I enjoy it and sometimes hate body work at the same time. MIG welding has definitely made things "repairs" a lot easier to make.

rust repair looks good

loving the rear bumper build

Thanks man. It feels like a race to the finish at this point. I am trying to stay focused and finish the bumper right rather than rush through at this point. But that's hard to do.