Well, just shy of 8 years later and here we are.
I've still got the 4Runner and haven't done much other than regular maintenance. Today, the odometer is at 199,598 miles.
My wife and I have been working from home for almost 4 out of the last 5 years and realistically have only needed one primary family/daily outing/road trip vehicle. We had a 2016 5th gen 4Runner for about 5 years that served us very well and now a 2021 Lexus GX460 that we drive everyday since getting it last fall. (
You would do the same and you know it.)
That being the scenario - I have done the
worst thing for the any vehicle which is let it sit too often. Added to that, it sits in the driveway as kid stuff takes up one whole side of the garage so I can't give it the nice clean space it deserves.
So, here's the story: It's time to REFRESH and RESTORE
Aside from some of the bigger ticket stuff on the horizon like front brakes and a new CV axle and boot, I want to breathe some new life into this thing. At this age it needs the not so exciting things like new rubber seals/trim, air vents, various little interior restoration and/or replacement.
I just gave it an overall scrub down to de-gunk the exterior panels and the nooks and crannies this past weekend. The interior has always stayed clean, but could use a shampoo and scrub due to general wear and tear.
I removed the original raggedy ass roof rack, sanded, restored it, and replaced it - but without the luggage carrier cross rails. (Way more streamlined; I bet I could get this speed machine up to 90 mph now.)
There's a few things I want to do that are easy DIY in the garage.
- Clay bar and wax - never done it, any recommendations on products would be much appreciated
- Replace rear window hatch seal - I believe this is Part Number: 6829035020 (I'm a sticker guy and my existing rotted seal has claimed the souls of some of my favorite stickers and that aggression will not stand.)
- LED dash lights swap - (Will keep it OEM green cause I love the look and it reminds me of the 90's.)
- Fix center console missing parts - the horizontal flat plastic piece attached to the shifter is missing and the shifter "orifice" rubber is worn out.
- Paint wood dash panels - I hate the wood grain and it needs to be black. I can search on my own, but if anyone has an insight they can't wait to share - what paint is recommended for our trim plastic?
- Restore steering wheel - it's got a tight leather wrap from the PO which works for me and looks fine, but the steering wheel spokes have eroded pretty well. I'd like to replace that part of the assembly but if it means I have to take it to the dealership for a new airbag, then never mind.
- General interior cleaning - A lot of this concerns taking off panels, trim, etc. and while I've got all these removed, I want to clean out what's underneath. (25 years, man.) Can anyone recommend the best "gunk cleaner" for metal parts?
- Wheel restoration to OEM finish - this is probably the biggest job, but the three spokes are in dire need of attention. I know what I need to do here for materials and process from T4R tutorials, it just seems like a pain in the ass to get it done.
I'll post some pics for reference soon - it's rainy and dark out at the moment.
In terms of the original vision for the truck, it's still there 100%. I've gone back and forth on keeping it or moving on, but for near future I want to keep on keepin' on. A mild lift (2 inches or so) is still on the table; I'd love to install it myself for the experience and gain some skills. I'm up for some new tires soon; the Cooper Discoverer AT3's have been great and worn really well. Costco stocks the BF Goodrich AT KO2's and runs frequent specials on "buy 3 tires and get X" kind of thing, so that's likely he next set. (Keeping the 265/75/16 setup as it works for my needs, but I am curious about getting closer to a true 32"+ tire that works with our 16" OEM three spokes.
More to come, cheers.
. Congrats on your 4Runner!
