I dont know that i can call this a build up yet, but i have been fixing this 4runner for the past 8 months or so off and on when i had the time. I bought it in February 2012 for $1000.
The good:
Anyways, here is what it looked like when i brought it home minus the rusted through front fenders. I never took a pic outside of the whole thing before it went into the garage, but trust me, it was worse than it looks in the pic.
First thing i did was remove the interior for a cleaning. The seats were not bad but the carpet was nasty. Also repainted the rear panels.
Next I fixed the rust on the rear quarters. I know bondo isnt the prefered way, but i dont have a welder and again this is being done on a budget. Also, this truck will spend alot of time in the garage and out of the weather so it should last for a while. I used an angle grinder or a wire wheel to get all the rust off then used a rust converter as well.
I decided that with the price of new front fenders only being $70 it would be better to replace than to repair.
I removed the windshield and fixed some rust in the windshiedl channel. I had a local glass company put a new one in. We ended up using rubber trim as the old metal trim was ruined. I will add some pics of it soon.
Then it was time to sand. I figured it would be easier without the top on. I didnt pull or fix every dent.
I used a number of coats of white primer since I am going from black to a light color. All work done in the garage or driveway
Here are the first coats of the paint. Rattle can Rustolium Painters Touch in Navajo White.
It came out ok. I painted about 3 coats, wetsanding along the way. Then I used rubbing compound and then a wax at the end. Not perfect by any means but it looks decent. Not super shiny but the average person wouldnt think it was rattle canned. I though long and hard about a cheap place like Macco but decided that i could do it myself for less, and be able to touch it up easily whenever i needed to. All the supplies including paint, primer, wax, sandpaper, etc. was under $100
I also fixed the front seal leak with new seals. To anyone who is needing to do this, it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. My old seal was so brittle it basically fell apart when i took it out. New seal was only $12 and it hasnt leaked a drop. A remanufactured denso starter was installed as well and now it starts up every time with no issue. Next on my list is some new tires. Probably 31x10.5 muds of some sort. I may do some sort of soft top or bikini top, and upgrade things as i go. I will update the thread as progress is made. Thanks for looking!
The good:
- It ran strong, both engine and transmission seems to be in good shape. 22RE with 5 speed with 204,000 miles.
- One owner truck since it was new
- Newish radiator
- Newish plugs and wires
- Newish tires, but they are only 29's
- AC, Heat, Rear Window all work
- The interior was dirty as heck but intact except for one rear headrest.
- Frame is rusty but not rotten through and is restorable with a wire wheel and some rust coverter and paint.
- The starter only worked once every 20 cranks or so
- It had a broken windshield with a bad leak
- Every fender was rusted through or missing.
- It had a massive front seal oil leak and a gas leak
- The paint was in bad shape
Anyways, here is what it looked like when i brought it home minus the rusted through front fenders. I never took a pic outside of the whole thing before it went into the garage, but trust me, it was worse than it looks in the pic.
First thing i did was remove the interior for a cleaning. The seats were not bad but the carpet was nasty. Also repainted the rear panels.
Next I fixed the rust on the rear quarters. I know bondo isnt the prefered way, but i dont have a welder and again this is being done on a budget. Also, this truck will spend alot of time in the garage and out of the weather so it should last for a while. I used an angle grinder or a wire wheel to get all the rust off then used a rust converter as well.
I decided that with the price of new front fenders only being $70 it would be better to replace than to repair.
I removed the windshield and fixed some rust in the windshiedl channel. I had a local glass company put a new one in. We ended up using rubber trim as the old metal trim was ruined. I will add some pics of it soon.
Then it was time to sand. I figured it would be easier without the top on. I didnt pull or fix every dent.
I used a number of coats of white primer since I am going from black to a light color. All work done in the garage or driveway
Here are the first coats of the paint. Rattle can Rustolium Painters Touch in Navajo White.
It came out ok. I painted about 3 coats, wetsanding along the way. Then I used rubbing compound and then a wax at the end. Not perfect by any means but it looks decent. Not super shiny but the average person wouldnt think it was rattle canned. I though long and hard about a cheap place like Macco but decided that i could do it myself for less, and be able to touch it up easily whenever i needed to. All the supplies including paint, primer, wax, sandpaper, etc. was under $100
I also fixed the front seal leak with new seals. To anyone who is needing to do this, it wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. My old seal was so brittle it basically fell apart when i took it out. New seal was only $12 and it hasnt leaked a drop. A remanufactured denso starter was installed as well and now it starts up every time with no issue. Next on my list is some new tires. Probably 31x10.5 muds of some sort. I may do some sort of soft top or bikini top, and upgrade things as i go. I will update the thread as progress is made. Thanks for looking!
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