vwtech's build thread

[vwtech]

So after a year of researching 3rd gen 4runners, and after seeing, and turning down about 7 with rotted out frames. I finally was able to find one worth saving. I responded to the ad just 15 minutes after it was posted, and the seller agreed to meet me after work that day. The truck is a 98 Limited with electronic locker, and 266k miles on the clock. After climbing all over, and under the truck, and a 20 min test drive we agreed on $700, and the seller handed over the title.

I drove the truck 30 minutes home, and immediately started to compile a list of necessities, repairs, and wants.

I'll add posts as I go. I've already put in some good work replacing necessities the past 2 weeks, and I will post the photos in separate posts in this thread.

Hope you enjoy! I have tons of plans in the works for this thing!!

Some pics of the truck...

 

[vwtech]

Truck was not without it's problems, hence the low price I was able to negotiate. The power steering lines had rusted out, and leaked power steering fluid. Pretty much all the sway bar bushings, and link bushings, as well as the rack bushings were blown apart. On top of those issues, the truck was missing the fuel door. The rear hatch had a massive dent on the left side which was preventing the window from rolling down, and the rear hatch handle had completely rusted out preventing me from even opening the hatch.

I ordered up poly bushing kits from wheelers for the rack, and front and rear sway bars/links. I also ordered the power steering lines from rock auto, and new sway links for the front. I ordered a new hatch handle/bracket from Toyota, and picked it up the next day. That night, and into the next morning I got to work replacing the rear hatch handle/bracket assembly and knocked out the dents on the hatch, as well as lubricated the hatch window regulator, cleaned up, and anti-seized all the bolts I removed in the hatch. It will have to come apart again at a later date to replace the rear license plate trim that is busted, and replace both the dim/oxidized plate lamp assemblies, but for now I was happy the window now works perfect, and the hatch opens/closes perfectly.

 

[Harleydoc]

I would say you got a good deal on that one and it is running and drive. Will make a Great ride that is for sure


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[vwtech]

I would say you got a good deal on that one and it is running and drive. Will make a Great ride that is for sure


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I did indeed, and I plan to do that deal justice. I want to keep this thing for a long time so I plan on giving this truck a lot of love, and functional parts.

 

[vwtech]

Next on the list was the rotted out power steering lines. I managed to pull them out of the truck without loosening the steering rack which turned out to be a waste of time when I noticed how truly worn the rack bushings were. I ordered a poly kit from wheelers, and removed the sway bar, the links, the rack, and the power steering hoses. The rack was pretty nasty from the drivers side valve cover leaking so I decided to take it to work to clean it up, and install the new bushings.

 

[vwtech]

Progress!

So, a lot has happened since started fixing up the truck. I got married, and went on a honeymoon, and had to do some work to my house so I haven't had time to update the thread.

I took care of the rack bushings with Poly ones from wheelers, and also installed new front sway links, and replaced those bushings with poly as well. During that install I bumped the rotted out rear heater core lines with my ratchet handle, and they crumbled.... better in my garage then on the road. So I ordered up a set of those lines from rock auto, installed them, and flushed the cooling system out before filling it with Toyota coolant. I installed the new rack lines, flushed the power steering, and filled that as well.

The 4runner was finally ready to take to the lift at work.
Once at work, I changed the oil with factory filter, and synthetic, as well as changing the fluid on both diffs, the transfer case, and transmission. I also did a brake fluid flush to get the old nasty brake fluid out. I removed the rusty rear hitch, and brackets ( which was a giant pain in the ass) so I can coat the frame with rest prevention inside, and out. I also replaced the spark plugs with factory Toyota plugs, and replaced the air filter as well. While I had the wheels off I road force balanced the tires, and gave all the suspension components that are worn out a good soaking in PB Blaster ( I've been doing this periodically so when it comes time hopefully things will come apart a little easier. The last little bit of maintenance I did was grease all the driveline u-joints, and slip joints.

 

[octanejunkie]

Great deal and nice project truck :thumb:

Make your life easy and just get a new rear hatch complete and bolt it on.

The rest of the stuff you are doing is reasonable and warranted.

What are your plans for this truck? DD or wheeler?

 

[vwtech]

Great deal and nice project truck :thumb:

Make your life easy and just get a new rear hatch complete and bolt it on.

The rest of the stuff you are doing is reasonable and warranted.

What are your plans for this truck? DD or wheeler?

Thanks! It was a super good deal... (never happens for me). And I totally agree, after I got the hatch, and window functional a guy contacted about parting out his Limited because his frame cracked. (same year, and color) as mine, but his body/paint is immaculate. So I'm buying his hatch to swap over.
Since it's winter time it will be daily for now, then in the spring it will move towards more of a remote camping trip vehicle with a mild lift, and some offroad upgrades. Once that happens I will be looking for another runner to daily drive while I sort out this one.

 

[octanejunkie]

Nice

If I were starting over, with a 4WD, I'd seriously look at the Sonoran Steel 1.2 kit

Just sayin

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[LA2SD]

Pretty awesome that you have access to a lift. Waaaay better than jack stands.

 

[cblock406]

Hey, that 4Runner looks familiar! Congrats on getting married, I just got married in October, sadly no honeymoon yet. Looking forward to updates on this.

 

[vwtech]

Nice

If I were starting over, with a 4WD, I'd seriously look at the Sonoran Steel 1.2 kit

Just sayin

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I'll check it out for sure!!

Pretty awesome that you have access to a lift. Waaaay better than jack stands.

Yeah, it's a lot more comfortable work , and makes repairs go a lot faster for sure.

Hey, that 4Runner looks familiar! Congrats on getting married, I just got married in October, sadly no honeymoon yet. Looking forward to updates on this.

Yeah man, I've been following your build, and I hope that mine will look as nice as yours when I'm finished. Congratulations to you as well! We did a two week road trip out west to wyoming, Utah, arizona, and colorado. Lots of off-road, and hiking fun. We also stayed at the Sundance resort in Utah for four days, and nights. I highly recommend Sundance to anyone who loves outdoor stuff. You should check it out!

 

[vwtech]

Quick work

Tore the running boards off the side of the rig today. Looks a million times better I think. Gave the truck a good wash to get the salt off the body, and frame. Used WorkHorse brand cleaner on the dirty door cards to clean them up, and it came out great. No pics of the cleaning yet because I need to do it a couple more times, but that stuff works, I highly recommend it. Also if anyone needs running boards for a Limited, and can pick up in my area PM me. I'll let em go for a good six pack of craft beer. Great condition!!

 

[vwtech]

Well lets try this again. Unfortunately after three years of ownership my limited got totaled. Such a shame, it was still running great, and in my opinion would have surpassed 400k no problem. I had to start searching for a replacement, and due to all this covid madness, I had a tough time finding a decent truck, or getting to it in time before it was purchased. I finally found a 2001 SR5 with 200k. It was a trade in at my local Toyota dealer. They were awesome about putting it on the rack for me to inspect, and also had a tech do a used car inspection on it before I purchased in case his eyes saw something mine didn’t. The frame was solid with the usual surface rust, and it had all the familiar worn out bushings, and general maintenance needed. I’ll be adding posts as I go through this one like I did with the limited. However, this 4runner is much cleaner than my limited was, and, I will be doing everything to this SR5 that I wanted to do to the limited. Some pics of the new rig.

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