What to look for in a gen 1

[Madhatter45]

Another newbie looking to pick the brains of the experts on these trucks.
I've decided I want a 1st gen T4R for a hunting, beach trips, and light wheeling truck. I may occasionaly use it to commute or for errands in town.

After digging around on here for a while, I've decided that I do want a 22re and 5 speed, and learned that rust is the curse of the 4Runner. Timing chains are also a weak link. Other than looking for those issues, what things should I specificly be looking at when inspecting a truck? As many of these vehicles have been modified, are there any that would be especialy desirable to have done- or any to stay away from?

While I'd like to get a truck in the very near future, buying one is contingient on either selling or trading for my diesel Landrover, so I think I have a fair amount of time.

Any advice is greatly apprecieted.

 

[KidVermicious]

Another newbie looking to pick the brains of the experts on these trucks.
I've decided I want a 1st gen T4R for a hunting, beach trips, and light wheeling truck. I may occasionaly use it to commute or for errands in town.

After digging around on here for a while, I've decided that I do want a 22re and 5 speed, and learned that rust is the curse of the 4Runner. Timing chains are also a weak link. Other than looking for those issues, what things should I specificly be looking at when inspecting a truck? As many of these vehicles have been modified, are there any that would be especialy desirable to have done- or any to stay away from?

While I'd like to get a truck in the very near future, buying one is contingient on either selling or trading for my diesel Landrover, so I think I have a fair amount of time.

Any advice is greatly apprecieted.

Stay '86+. You won't get fuel injection in the '84, and you'll pay a premium for an '85 22RE truck that you don't need to pay - the solid axle is only necessary for really hardcore trails, you don't need it for a utility truck. The timing chain isn't a weak link so much as it's a neglected link. Folks don't change it at the factory recommended intervals because it's a PITA. You'll know if it's started to go, the chain slap sound from the front end is distinctive. Rust is only a huge problem if the truck is from the NE and Midwest where they salt the roads heavily, or from a wet coastal climate. When you're looking for rust, don't just check the body panels, get under the truck and look hard at the frame rails and body mounts. Those can go too, and they're expensive fixes.

I personally am not a big fan of inheriting other peoples projects (and problems), I'd stay away from any truck that's too heavily modified unless it's really impeccable work or a screaming deal. You don't need mods for a utility rig anyway, light trails and hunting duty are right up a stock 4Runner's alley.

You can also find the 22RE/manual combo in the second gen, so don't pass up a good deal if you see it. You'll give up the removable top but gain 2 more doors and a coil spring rear end.

 

[Bad_Vision]

Head gaskets are more of a weak link then the timing chains, yes rust is a killer.
look for a 84-85 4runner they have a solid axle in the front and makes them rare and better for upgrades later down the road and cheaper to lift if your into that kind of thing.
84 models came with a 22r carb motor and the 85 came with a EFI 22re now the re is finicky if you dont have good grounds from rust eating them away it will get mad and not run or cause other electronics to act weird.
other then that they are amazing they run forever and everyone on the street will look just to see the rare 1st gen.

 

[Madhatter45]

A solid front axle, while nice, is definatly not worth a premium for my intended uses.
I'm pretty set on a 1st gen, I really want the removable hard top for the beach trips and 2 doors is not really a limitation for me. A soft top would be a bonus or something to get down the road.
Another must-have is A/C, as I live in the NC sandhills. If I find one with inoperable air, how tough a fix is this? I'm not a gearhead, but a fairly capable shade-tree mechanic...

 

[Bad_Vision]

AC systems can end up costing you massive amounts of money.
if it doesnt work then have it tsted to find out whats wrong and just pay a shop to do it.
ac is not something you want to get into until you are prepared to spend long hours and possibly big money to repair.
if the system works but leaks it may just need o rings and thats the cheapest thing to fix.

 

[KidVermicious]

Another must-have is A/C, as I live in the NC sandhills.

That's what the removable top is for. We regularly see 100+ during the summer, and my AC hasn't worked for years.

 

[Madhatter45]

That's what the removable top is for. We regularly see 100+ during the summer, and my AC hasn't worked for years.

While you get hot weather, I'm guessing that you don't have 100* weather and thunderstorms dropping 2" of rain in an hour at the same time...
A soft top would be ideal for me, put it down when the sun is out, but flip it up when a storm rolls in. The truck would be a sauna without a/c during a storm.

 

[fourwd1]

The biggest problem is going to be frame rust. It rusts from the inside out, so you dont see it until its real bad. The common spots are where it curves upward from the horizontal, above the rear axle, and where the fuel tank sits against the frame.
Take a small hammer or something and start banging away at it.
Some small holes thru is not bad, and don't worry about surface rust.
The places where the body mounts is another place to check.

Don't worry about all the hype as to which front axle or engine it has, just make sure the vehicle is on good shape and runs good. I'd also be a little leery of one ghat is highly modified. A lot of people don't really know what they're doing when it comes to bolting things on.
Good luck with your search.

 

[Starcitygta]

If you never been to the south the heat is really intense. Ac is almost a must this summer we saw a whole month of mid and upper 90 and above. My ac works it's one reason I bought the rig

 

[Madhatter45]

I personally am not a big fan of inheriting other peoples projects (and problems), I'd stay away from any truck that's too heavily modified unless it's really impeccable work or a screaming deal. You don't need mods for a utility rig anyway, light trails and hunting duty are right up a stock 4Runner's alley.

This is great advice, its tough to tell if sombodys done good work or not. Of course, Murphy's Law tends to seek me out.
I recieved an inquiry into trading for my Rover. The 4runner he has not so much been heavily modified as completly rebuilt. Its an 85-86-89 model year (85 frame and running gear, 86 body, and an 89 rear axle). 20k miles on a rebuilt 22re, comes with a Suntop soft top as well as the hard top and good a/c... No lift or extreme mods.
The good news is that the current owner seems to be a prety serious hobby mechanic, and is very interested inmy Landrover. Of course, Im not sure at this point if he's a GOOD hobby mechanic.
We're coordinating to meet up this weekend, hopefuly he's done good work.

 

[Madhatter45]

Here's the listing. Given the available information, what should I pay close attention to when I look at this truck?

Convertable
Also have suntop softtop
Suntop is the only top that requires no drilling and uses the factory power back glass.They havent made these tops in years and only made a limited number.I have never seen another.Very Rare.
Straight axle
Efi
Ramsey 6000 winch/custom front bumper
SmittyBuilt rear tube bumper with built in hitch.
22re just installed from a low mileage wrecked 4runner.Runs super quiet and strong.
Brand new radiator
New rear main seal.
New clutch
5 spd shifts smooth
Just changed oil.
Nice cd player motorized flip down face.Hd sirius ready.
Aftermarket Temp oil and voltage white face guages.4 color settings.
Titled as 86 /The original body was rusted out so I swapped a almost perfect 86 body on.
Also installed a Rear axle from a 87 ifs 4Runner with 430 gears..1.5 wheel spacers up front.

-Given that the origional body was rusted, a close inspeciotn of the frame is in order.
-Im not sure if the axle swap was putting a rear 87 in the front... the listing isn't clear
-Try to detemine if everythign was hooked up properly when the body and motor were swapped out.

Anything else to look at closely? Thanks!

 

[KidVermicious]

No, he put that '87 axle in the rear. That's what the wheel spacers on the front are for, the stance got wider in '86 with the introduction of IFS, so he's spaced the front axle to match the rear.

Make sure the front and rear gearing is the same - if he's put 4.30 in the rear, make sure it's 4.30 in the front too.

If you see anything that looks off or sloppy, I'd walk.

 

[Madhatter45]

Thanks, Kid, that makes sense. I'll make sure to check the front gearing.

 

[dy97]

Thanks, Kid, that makes sense. I'll make sure to check the front gearing.

I dont know alot about 4runners in particular because i just got my first one.. but i have done alot of mechanicing and i would be cautious of the new oil.. new oil in something for sale is almost always a red flag.. maybe it was just time but i would make sure you hear a cold start on this engine. If you show up and the engines warm already i would be leery. Check the oil and see how thick it is.. if its really thick like a straight 40 or has like an stp oil thickener additive that would be a red flag too. Just trying to help saw the new oil thing. Alot of times if a motor is collecting shavings in the oil or getting water in it pple will throw in new oil and sell or trade for your good ride.. good luck

 

[Madhatter45]

Dy97, very good point. I always insist that a vehicle be cold when I go to look at it. A warm motor usualy indicates the seller is trying to hide an issue.

 

[fourwd1]

There's a couple of red flags in that ad that no one has noticed.
The biggest one is "titled as an 86".

 

[Madhatter45]

There's a couple of red flags in that ad that no one has noticed.
The biggest one is "titled as an 86".

I noticed that, but the explaination makes sense. The entire body was replaced, its an 86. So the VIN is for an 86, so thats what the title should say.
My biggest concern is that really is a Frankenstein truck. If all the work is well done, I'm not that worried. If not, my search continues. The challange is trying to detemine if its well built.

 

[fourwd1]

But having it inspected and re-titled could be a problem, something to consider.
And if the body is rusted bad enough to need replacing, there's a very big probability the frame has severe rust problems.
The reason I bring it up is because I've been there. Rust, frame swap, body swap, the whole 9 yards, with my '83.

 

[fourwd1]

Also, it won't pass inspection with the front wheel spacers. You'd have to take them off which is no big deal.
But next thing that comes to mind is the suspension. Is it stock or lifted? Suspension lift could also be an inspection road block.

Just a few thing to think about.

 

[Madhatter45]

If all else looks good, I will ensure that the paperwork is in order. Assuming that its an 86 body, an 86 VIN, and a matching 86 title and registration, there shouldn't be a problem
Thanks for sharing your experiance with a body swap. Ill make sure to give the frame a very close inspection, particularly around the body mounts.
I wasn't aware that the spacers need to be removed for inspection, thats good to know. I don't believe its lifted; what problems does that create with inspectors?