Thanks for the steering wheel pic. It looks fantastic. The leather on the top of mine has started to disintegrate. I stuck a Walmart steering wheel cover on yesterday, but it looks so tacky. I hate to lose the air bag and horn with an aftermarket replacement. I think I'm going to return the steering wheel cover and consider other options. I wonder if a hemp cord wrap would look good...
Saved from the Scrapyard: Ressurecting a 500$ 3rd Gen
- Thread starter UnderFire
- Start date
UnderFire
New member
I've seen people wrap their wheels with paracord, redo them with leather kits and a couple other quick fixes. They're not my choice really, but they don't look terrible. I've also got a couple decent 2 spoke 96-97 steering wheels laying around if you want to replace yours, shoot me a PM if you'd be interested.
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JBurt
Senior Member
I'm in the same boat. I used a wheelskins cover. Not perfect, and after 3 years or so I could use a new one, but I liked it better than other options.
Not my picture, but here's one
That's the best option I've seen yet.
UnderFire
New member
Spring is starting to spring a little bit in the PNW. Since I was just starting to get the runner dialed in as we came into winter I didn't quite get to do much besides knock off all the years of crud. Today I decided a handwash, wax and cleaning up the outside in general would be a good use of sunshine. It cleans up pretty well, nice shine to the black paint.
If only it didn't get dirty after 5 minutes black would be the best color for a 3rd gen runner, but since I don't live in a bubble it doesn't stay shiny long.
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If only it didn't get dirty after 5 minutes black would be the best color for a 3rd gen runner, but since I don't live in a bubble it doesn't stay shiny long.
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Last edited:
UnderFire
New member
4Runner's set to go under the knife next week sometime. Full front suspension overhaul. I've also located a few of the little things I've been searching for and should have it about as good as it's going to get before I have to ship it off for a full detail.
This little gem that forum member @JTORC was kind enough to send my way will be finding its way onto my hatch, along with a brand new burtman spoiler that I just bit the bullet on.
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This little gem that forum member @JTORC was kind enough to send my way will be finding its way onto my hatch, along with a brand new burtman spoiler that I just bit the bullet on.
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VernySanders
New member
If only it didn't get dirty after 5 minutes black would be the best color for a 3rd gen runner, but since I don't live in a bubble it doesn't stay shiny long.
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I just did this with my truck, it made such a big difference, I need to start a build thread. Mine is also black, did you do the roof? Looked like you had pulled the rack off, i just pulled mine yesterday to claybar / polish / wax today. I bought a 60 dollar Bauer brand polisher from Harbor Freight and an hour and a half from start to finish by myself with beer drinking time included I got the polish and wax done. Used a black turtle wax polish for black paint. I need some clear sides like that. I know where to get the clear rear lights but not the fronts. Im sure its earlier on the thread though. Thanks for reviving this one!
VernySanders
New member
Mine looked that way, I tried putting a chain inside of it on the end of a drill connected by wire that ran through pvc to prevent kinking. Didnt work out so well for me but a smaller version of what I did would work pretty well. Your rear control arm mounts could be pretty toasty. I drilled a hole at the front of the control arms in the lowest spot for drainage. I hit the frame with a 5 lb deadblow hammer and knocked out at least 10 lbs of rust flakes from the entire frame. Natural weight reduction, I didn't get afraid though because of the fact that if you look at any of the rot its all on the bottom on your frame just like mine. This summer i was going to cut the bottom of the frame out and give it a 20 year service, then seal her back up. With fresh steel.
Like you said, anything is fixable.
UnderFire
New member
Past the kink up in the frame is all solid luckily. Just the silt that found its way in the end and kept absorbing moisture caused that. I'm glad it's not terrible and I'm planning on addressing it as best I can.
Mine looked that way, I tried putting a chain inside of it on the end of a drill connected by wire that ran through pvc to prevent kinking. Didnt work out so well for me but a smaller version of what I did would work pretty well. Your rear control arm mounts could be pretty toasty. I drilled a hole at the front of the control arms in the lowest spot for drainage. I hit the frame with a 5 lb deadblow hammer and knocked out at least 10 lbs of rust flakes from the entire frame. Natural weight reduction, I didn't get afraid though because of the fact that if you look at any of the rot its all on the bottom on your frame just like mine. This summer i was going to cut the bottom of the frame out and give it a 20 year service, then seal her back up. With fresh steel.
Like you said, anything is fixable.
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UnderFire
New member
After stumbling into the most one in a million no chance it ever happens again kind of trade deal and ending up with a 4runner to partout I ended up finding one thing I could use for the boneyard runner.
Some woodgrain window switches. So I put those and a gauge surround and keyhole surround I already had in. Looking classy. More like a limited a little at a time.
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Some woodgrain window switches. So I put those and a gauge surround and keyhole surround I already had in. Looking classy. More like a limited a little at a time.
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UnderFire
New member
Been a long time since we've had a viable work space, spent a solid 3 months, yes 3 months cleaning, organizing, laying out tools and equipment in an effective manner, etc. Much nicer to work in the shop now. Time to stop stalling and get to work. Front end rebuild commenced tonight.
Gotta start off by stripping everything down to the bare bones. This is where the only real "pro-tip" for this update comes in. If you haven't done lower control arm bushings, you haven't had the pleasure of dealing with adjustment cams seized to the bushing sleeves. There is no good way to hit them, no good way to get ahold of them etc. So you should resort to cutting them out, and plan on replacing them.
This is where you'll run into issues. Standard sized angle grinder discs aren't quite long enough to cut it, and are dangerous and uncontrollable, and a Sawzall seems like an ineffective match for the super hardened steel.
This is where my glowing review for the Lenox Lazer CT carbide tipped Sawzall blade comes in. Attached to an appropriately gnarly saw, this little guy is awesome and will easily make the 8 cuts through over an inch of hardened steel needed to drop them out, safely, controllable, all while leaving the arm intact and undamaged ready for new bushings. You'll see that it's $25 for the 4" version you'll want, it's worth it. I've cut hardened 1.25" solid steel kingpins with these blades.
That said and done everything falls right back into place fairly easily, here's my stopping point for the night.
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Gotta start off by stripping everything down to the bare bones. This is where the only real "pro-tip" for this update comes in. If you haven't done lower control arm bushings, you haven't had the pleasure of dealing with adjustment cams seized to the bushing sleeves. There is no good way to hit them, no good way to get ahold of them etc. So you should resort to cutting them out, and plan on replacing them.
This is where you'll run into issues. Standard sized angle grinder discs aren't quite long enough to cut it, and are dangerous and uncontrollable, and a Sawzall seems like an ineffective match for the super hardened steel.
This is where my glowing review for the Lenox Lazer CT carbide tipped Sawzall blade comes in. Attached to an appropriately gnarly saw, this little guy is awesome and will easily make the 8 cuts through over an inch of hardened steel needed to drop them out, safely, controllable, all while leaving the arm intact and undamaged ready for new bushings. You'll see that it's $25 for the 4" version you'll want, it's worth it. I've cut hardened 1.25" solid steel kingpins with these blades.
That said and done everything falls right back into place fairly easily, here's my stopping point for the night.
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UnderFire
New member
Kept chipping away at it and got everything back together and dialed in.
Most important part of this whole thing is right here. Goodbye complicated and convinient, hello simple and reliable.
I actually got lucky on the other side. If this happens to you, you may want to go ahead and buy a powerball ticket. After 273k miles this alignment cam was not even slightly seized. Odds were against me but I was happy to see it. Saved me 3 cuts with the Sawzall and gives me a cam to add to the pile for next time.
With that out of the way I got everything all installed and ready to go.
Here I can get to a piece that a lot of people mess up when they're going through the process of a front suspension upgrade. I see it all the time, people get the installation of the front swaybar completely wrong. You see, the proper installation procedure is way more simple than people make it out to be. You're going to want to install it firmly into the nearest scrap bin.
Sway bars are a bandaid for poorly designed overly soft suspension, narrow track width and poor driving habits. Once these are all addressed you can remove it and reap the benefits, as swaybars truly do more harm than good to a well rounded IFS front end.
And the money shot, wheel back on, sans hub cap.
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Most important part of this whole thing is right here. Goodbye complicated and convinient, hello simple and reliable.
I actually got lucky on the other side. If this happens to you, you may want to go ahead and buy a powerball ticket. After 273k miles this alignment cam was not even slightly seized. Odds were against me but I was happy to see it. Saved me 3 cuts with the Sawzall and gives me a cam to add to the pile for next time.
With that out of the way I got everything all installed and ready to go.
Here I can get to a piece that a lot of people mess up when they're going through the process of a front suspension upgrade. I see it all the time, people get the installation of the front swaybar completely wrong. You see, the proper installation procedure is way more simple than people make it out to be. You're going to want to install it firmly into the nearest scrap bin.
Sway bars are a bandaid for poorly designed overly soft suspension, narrow track width and poor driving habits. Once these are all addressed you can remove it and reap the benefits, as swaybars truly do more harm than good to a well rounded IFS front end.
And the money shot, wheel back on, sans hub cap.
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UnderFire
New member
They can be found on 95-00 Tacomas. Base model standard cabs for the most part. It is a bolt on mod, you just need the spindle, hub assembly, cv axles and stub shaft.
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UnderFire
New member
I can't imagine that they didn't send them your way, but I can definitely imagine that those small but robust trucks were used up very quickly by the various industries and discarded. I'd imagine you don't see too many still around in the north.
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UnderFire
New member
After putting on a stock chrome rear bumper as a "temporary" addition since I happened to end up having it. I realized I had made the wrong choice. The OEM+ look was the way to go with this 4Runner. It's proven to be an excellent daily driver, only getting better, might as well just keep on polishing it up and get it done so I can move onto other projects.
There's a surprise coming next week, which will tie the whole thing together, stay tuned.
But for now here we go. I ended up ordering a whole front bumper setup off of ebay. I know that the cheap aftermarket chrome bar won't be nearly as long lasting as an OEM one, but the fit and finish out of the box is good. I also went with an aftermarket valance as the plastic they use more closely matches the skinny flares, the factory valances have a blu-ish tone.
Finish it up with the clear signals to match the rest, and I wired up a pair of LED's in them as DRL's since the markers already act as signals.
I'll also be digging through my parts stash and finding the best rear mudflaps I can to finish up the set. Still putting off the rear hatch, it'll be the only thing left before too long.
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There's a surprise coming next week, which will tie the whole thing together, stay tuned.
But for now here we go. I ended up ordering a whole front bumper setup off of ebay. I know that the cheap aftermarket chrome bar won't be nearly as long lasting as an OEM one, but the fit and finish out of the box is good. I also went with an aftermarket valance as the plastic they use more closely matches the skinny flares, the factory valances have a blu-ish tone.
Finish it up with the clear signals to match the rest, and I wired up a pair of LED's in them as DRL's since the markers already act as signals.
I'll also be digging through my parts stash and finding the best rear mudflaps I can to finish up the set. Still putting off the rear hatch, it'll be the only thing left before too long.
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UnderFire
New member
It's one of my go-to nods for sure. I just like knowing it's always going to work, even decades from now. Highly recommend freshening up the rest of the front e d while you're at it if you haven't already. Night and day difference.
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