The wife's 3rd gen was getting a bit tired, so the search started for a 4th gen. I don't pay full price for anything...I was a toyota dealer tech until about 2004, so I don't mind "projects". I found an '03 V6 4x4 sport advertised with a "blown engine" for $1500...I was able to talk him down to $1400. It had a toyota reman trans installed 6 months ago, and headgaskets had been done shortly thereafter by his "buddy who was a mechanic", and then it died one day on the freeway. It would start, but ran on half the cylinders and made all kinds of fun noises. Perfect...I towed it home.
I pulled the valve covers and found that both cam chain tensioners were MIA...later to be found in pieces. One of the bolts was sitting in the cylinder head on top of a gallery plug, but the other remains MIA. The drivers side tensioner had jammed up in the chain when it fell off and broke the chain..which explains why that bank didn't work.
The engine came out, mainly to clean all the shrapnel from the ground up tensioners...I replaced rod bearings, main bearings, pistons, rings, and the timing chain set. A valve job had been done when the headgaskets were done and I couldn't find fault with it, so the heads just got a good cleaning. All went back together with an OEM gasket set, and new set of idler pulleys (the lower one was missing) and it runs great. I'm in the parts industry now so I called in a few favors...total cost on all the engine parts was less than $600.
Now I've got a truck with effectively a new engine and trans for right about $2000.
Sold the wife's old 3rd gen for $3500, which is $300 more than I paid for it 7 years ago.
Shopped EBay for some OEM rubber floor mats, a new driver's window weatherstrip, key fobs, and a few other bits.
This has factory Xreas and a couple of shocks were leaking, so I found a guy on Craiglist with a 2012 FJ TRD suspension that I got for $150. Bolted that in yesterday...it leveled the truck nicely and rides much better.
The clear on the original wheels is all peeling and yellow, and the tires are meh, so I found a set of 2015 4runner trail wheels w/ good tires that I was able to get for $450...should be able to sell the originals quick for $150 or so too, so that sweetens the deal. I'm right around $3K, all in at this point.
How it sits now.
She likes it, but commented that those OE tires just look stupid...and I agree...so I may have to splurge and throw a set of ATs on it.
I had an SAS'd single cab built 86 pickup before we had our son, but had to sell it. The goal with this is to build a mild trail/camping rig...that still has all its original street manners...it's her daily driver after all...but it's not so pristine that I'll feel bad adding some trail stripes or a few dings.
I pulled the valve covers and found that both cam chain tensioners were MIA...later to be found in pieces. One of the bolts was sitting in the cylinder head on top of a gallery plug, but the other remains MIA. The drivers side tensioner had jammed up in the chain when it fell off and broke the chain..which explains why that bank didn't work.
The engine came out, mainly to clean all the shrapnel from the ground up tensioners...I replaced rod bearings, main bearings, pistons, rings, and the timing chain set. A valve job had been done when the headgaskets were done and I couldn't find fault with it, so the heads just got a good cleaning. All went back together with an OEM gasket set, and new set of idler pulleys (the lower one was missing) and it runs great. I'm in the parts industry now so I called in a few favors...total cost on all the engine parts was less than $600.
Now I've got a truck with effectively a new engine and trans for right about $2000.
Sold the wife's old 3rd gen for $3500, which is $300 more than I paid for it 7 years ago.
Shopped EBay for some OEM rubber floor mats, a new driver's window weatherstrip, key fobs, and a few other bits.
This has factory Xreas and a couple of shocks were leaking, so I found a guy on Craiglist with a 2012 FJ TRD suspension that I got for $150. Bolted that in yesterday...it leveled the truck nicely and rides much better.
The clear on the original wheels is all peeling and yellow, and the tires are meh, so I found a set of 2015 4runner trail wheels w/ good tires that I was able to get for $450...should be able to sell the originals quick for $150 or so too, so that sweetens the deal. I'm right around $3K, all in at this point.
How it sits now.
She likes it, but commented that those OE tires just look stupid...and I agree...so I may have to splurge and throw a set of ATs on it.
I had an SAS'd single cab built 86 pickup before we had our son, but had to sell it. The goal with this is to build a mild trail/camping rig...that still has all its original street manners...it's her daily driver after all...but it's not so pristine that I'll feel bad adding some trail stripes or a few dings.
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