My "New" '87 T4R

[elcidsurfer]

So, long story short, my wife lost her job last month and we needed to get out of our pricey Xterra payments and get into a paid for with cash, reliable 4x4 SUV.... So I found an 85% restored '87 4runner and jumped on it (See Avitar cause I still havnt figured out how to post pics)

The Good:

Almost everything was kept original on the restoration.
22RE is still getting 23mph on my daily commute to work.
5-Speed and 4x4 shifts great.
Interior is in like new condition.
Hard top has never been removed.
New Paint Job in 2007.
Undercarage sandblasted and POR Coated in 2007.
22RE rebuilt 50,000 miles ago.
New clutch 20,000 miles ago.
New Head Gasket 10,000 miles ago.
New AC 10,000 miles ago.
New Exhaust 10,000 miles ago.
New AT Tires 10,000 miles ago.
Im sure Im forgeting something but oh well.....

The Bad:

1. Engine starts, but then knocks, rattles and dies if it's sat overnight. But then it will fire off strong on the first try once it's run for a few minutes.... Any thoughts?

2. Rear window motor is going out, and only powers up and down every other time... Where is the best place to get a replacement?

3. Car shakes when breaking at high speeds and pedal sinks to floor.... Bleed break lines and replace break pads?

4. Due to the typical rear end sagging someone simply put 1.5" lift blocks between the leafs and the axle to level it out..... I'm not a fan of doing this at all, so Im thinkin of just replacing the rear leafs. Do I need a small lift in the rear to keep it leveled out or do I just go with a new heavier duty leaf in the rear to keep it from sagging?

5. Needs new shocks and stearing stablizer... Any recomendations? Bilstien, Old Man Emu, Ect....

6. Cruise control doesnt work... I honestly dont think I'll fix this, haha.

So thats the good the bad and the ugly... Any help on the bad points would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

Smitty

PS: This is not a problem, Im just curious... I have the stock auto locking front hubs, which is not a bad thing, but honestly Ive always preferred manual locking... How difficult and costly would it be to swith out the auto lockers to manual lockers?

 

[T?@\7]

good year!

and welcome :bigok:

 

[cometobanks]

1. Engine starts, but then knocks, rattles and dies if it's sat overnight. But then it will fire off strong on the first try once it's run for a few minutes.... Any thoughts? Might have water in the gas tank. or 100 other problems...

2. Rear window motor is going out, and only powers up and down every other time... Where is the best place to get a replacement? Most toyotas of similar year have the same motor for power windows. I have several if you cant find one near by.

3. Car shakes when breaking at high speeds and pedal sinks to floor.... Bleed break lines and replace break pads? Pedal sinks to floor could be air in lines or rear brakes in need of adjustment. Shaking is usually warped rotors or alignment problems.

4. Due to the typical rear end sagging someone simply put 1.5" lift blocks between the leafs and the axle to level it out..... I'm not a fan of doing this at all, so Im thinkin of just replacing the rear leafs. Do I need a small lift in the rear to keep it leveled out or do I just go with a new heavier duty leaf in the rear to keep it from sagging? Blocks in the rear are fine for on the road driving and LIGHT off roading.

5. Needs new shocks and stearing stablizer... Any recomendations? Bilstien, Old Man Emu, Ect.... What do you plan to do with this thing? Off the rack is fine for on road driving.

6. Cruise control doesnt work... I honestly dont think I'll fix this, haha. Yeah, its worthless...

So thats the good the bad and the ugly... Any help on the bad points would be very much appreciated.

Welcome buddy!

 

[elcidsurfer]

CTB,

1. I spent the better part of this afternoon trouble shooting it with my Haynes Manual.... could be anything fuel system related...

2. I think I may take a trip to the junk yard for the motor.

3. Next weeks project = bleed break lines and check pads, rotors and drums.

4. I was just conserned with the blocks b/c Ive never been a fan of that type of "lift" not to mention that the leafs are almost straight across now and have no curve and very little travel left in them.

5. It's my daily driver, but we will take it off road for hunting, camping, and just havin fun on the weekends so I was thinkin of upgrading from the originals.

6. Cruise Control on an '87 5-Speed, hahahahahaha....

Thanks for the help.

Smitty