This is the original condition of the 88 4Runner. Not bad on the outside, not bad on the inside, either, but there were some care issues with the cargo area in the back. A previous owner or owners, used the back for plumbing and or painting supplies. 

  

 

 

 

Gotta start somewhere, so I removed the factory hitch and rear bumper. Then put some off road friendly tires on it. They were 30x9.50x15. This is stock flex with original 22 year old suspension. 

  

Ended up getting a sweet deal on some rims and tires. It made a big difference in stance and look when they were put on. The bottom line out of pocket deal was $125.oo, not counting mounting and balancing. I couldn't pass that up. So here's a few with the big tires and chrome rims.

 

From this angle, you can see how little clearance there is when you stuff 33" tires in a wheel well. That 22 year old suspension sag was unacceptable. So I bought new rear leaf springs and shocks from JCWhitney. Here is a side by side comparison of before and after the suspension and clearance. Also added a Marlin Crawler Rear Bumper.

 

Here is a shot of installing the MC rear bumper. We had to re-drill holes for it to fit. Added a few spot welds as well.

 

With the steering rub I got with the bigger tires, I needed something else. So I bought a 1" body lift. I only went with 1" because I have an auto tranny and you can run into some tranny shifter linkage problems if you go bigger. But, I added some extra grade 8 washers to get an inch and a quarter. I cheated a little.

 

That all but eliminated the rubbing in the fender when I turned the wheel hard. I need a little more clearance, though. I think I will have to hammer down the standing body seam inside there. Pics when I do it.

Here's a few photos of the leaf spring and shock install, in no particular order. As you can see, this was before the bumper install. First you have to get the spare out of the way. The mechanism won't work though. It has been rusted and gotten mud and dirt throughout the entire system of moving parts. Nothing would turn to allow the spare to come down. So I cut the chain with some giant bolt cutters and let the spare fall to the ground. There is so much more room under there with the spare gone.

 

As you can see, even with no weight on the axle, the leaf springs are almost flat. They needed replacement. First step is to safely jack up and secure the vehicle with jackstands. I used 4 of them. Took the shocks out first.

 

 As you can see below, there are oil spots and stains all over the suspension components. This is from using PB Blaster. I would coat everything several times a week for 3 weeks before any parts were removed. This philosophy worked very well. I had little trouble removing any part, bolt or nut. The rear shackles were the worst though. I had to hammer out the shackles once the nuts were removed and this caused them to bend. Plus there was still pressure on the shackles from the leafs.

  

Here's the old stuff out and a shot of the new leaf spring.

 

Here is a shot of the axle after it fell off the jack. OOOOPPPS. And starting to put the new parts in. I re-used the perches and u-bolts till I get some shock relocator brackets. I also have u-bolt flip kit waiting to be installed. The brackets and flip kit will be installed at the same time.

 

 Here are the 2 leafs in with the front bolts loosely secured and trying to align the rears for the install of the shackles.

 

Here we are with the shackles and shocks installed. I used adjustable shackles from local parts house cuz nobody else had any. They were $20.oo. I used the middle bolt hole for some lift, about 1.5". The exhaust is wedged against the shackle, but I don't think it's serious.

  

 Now it's back on the ground. Got a little back to front rake going on too.

 

Now to the not so fun stuff. Painting and bodywork is not my forte. I may pay someone to do the bondo work. I have been buying sandpaper and primer every payday to make sure I have enough supplies to do what's needed. There are bumps, dents and dings on every panel of this vehicle. The tailgate seems especially dinged and dented. ........................................................................

I may end up getting some aftermarket fenders and a hood. The fenders and hood on it now are tweaked. New ones seem to be fairly cheap, but the rest of the body will need to be dealt with. I have been experimenting with primers of different colors. I have found that using darker colors in the beginning was beneficial. Sanding after primer was applied gave me a good view of what needed to be done.

I used my corded electric drill and attached a 6 inch disc to it. I found that 80 grit was good for removing the factory plastic decals and taking it down to bare metal. I wanted a different color on this 4 Runner since I read this, http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=3492965&Main=2655425#Post3492965                                        Anyway, I was inspired although I have never done this before. Sanding and primer-ing is a thankless job. Could this be why good paint jobs cost so much? I don't need this to be perfect, but want it to look good. That means doing all the things that professional shops do. ugh... Here in Reno, NV, the weather is sketchy this time of year, October till April. One day can be 80 and the next 50. Nights are colder this time of year as well. So with this in mind I will spend my time getting the body ready for final paint next year. Here's a few pictures. 

Here you can see the slightly crunched right front fender. Hence needing a possible replacement. Hood stripes are gone now. Drivers fender shown below, with some free of charge trail damage. Yep, buckled the fender a lil bit. Now it's tweaked and may be replaced.

 

 

 

 

 

Above you can see the 2 different yellows. I am partial to the paler yellow sprayed on the fenders compared to the bright yellow on the hood. It all depnds on the availability, tho. I will look for John Deere yellow first, then go to the brighter shade if forced to. There will be black graphics to accent the yellow. Haven't figured out the patterns yet.

 

 

 

 

Here's the way it sits now. About the only thing I want to do now is remove the rear MC bumper and sand and primer the lower rear quarter panels and tailgate. Maybe some bondo too. Hopefully you can see the Light Yellow well enough on the front fenders.

A fun, got to do thing for this winter when the weather is on the good side will be to re-do the rear suspension. This will include a rear u-bolt flip kit (already have this), rear shock relocation brackets (need to buy or make this), add my ZUK rear coil spring brackets (already have the brackets and 14", 100 lb. coils), maybe some axle shims to put between the leafs and axle pad (need to buy these), install 1" differential drop kit for the front (already bought this), and some 1.5" ball joint spacers (need to buy these).   

Hey, Thanks for Looking. Remember I am an amatuer at body work. I have alot to learn and alot more work to do before final painting begins. If I get the opportunity this winter, I will post up progress of anything I do.

 

This Toyota 3.0L V6 engine is not very buildable. It is very expensive to get 200 HP out of it. Engines can be bought, but you're paying thru the nose. It's $3000.oo or more to buy a turnkey motor with good HP. It's not like a Chevy or Ford where you can bolt on horsepower and feel the difference.

Pictured below is a MAF (mass air flow) from a '91 Toyota Camry with the 24 valve V6 motor. This unit is relatively bolt on and plug and play. The numbers on the silver and black tag are 22250-07010 and 197100-3690. This is being used because it has a larger inner diameter than the factory supplied MAF, 3 inches compared to 2.75 inches. It helps the motor get more air. The intake tubing between the MAF and the intake manifold will be replaced with larger 3 inch pipe or ducting with about a 45* angle in the middle. More air and better breathing means better throttle response. Many say you can hear the difference.

I found this MAF at my local Pick-N-Pull. It took 10 months to find the exact car that was intact when I got to it. Many were the 4 cylinder. It was $63.oo. I still need to acquire the tubing I spoke of and get a better flowing air filter to go in front of this MAF.

  

I have been buying things all winter and spring for install on my 4Runner.

First up is an old Warn winch, the Belle View. An 8,ooo lb. oldie but goodie. It has fast line speeds but must be hand spooled out. It has a mechanical brake. There is a set of three cables that must be run into the cab.

Also needed is a stout bumper to hold the winch. Plans are for a solid custom bumper, not a tube bumper.

 

Bought some paint. Brightside Interlux is a marine paint. It rolls on with hi-density foam brushes and rollers. Bought plenty of sand paper in varying grits to wet sand, 400, 800, 1000, 1500 & 2000. Going to be a chore. Also in the "need to install" category is 1.5" ball joint spacers from 4Crawler.

 

Also purchased from 4Crawler is this front differential drop bracket kit. It works in association with the ball joint spacers.

Next up in the "need to install" category is a u-bolt flip kit from Wab-Fab. Plates are on the left and the bolts are on the right. This allows the bolts and extra threads to point up and out of the way when wheeling instead of pointing down and possibly getting in the way or stuck on something. They look and feel sturdy.

 

Next in this category is what's being called a "ZUK Mod". The plates on top and bottom of the springs are welded to the top of the flip kit plates and the bottom of the frame after removal of the rear bumpstops.

 

Purchased and now pictured is a set of Trail Gear rock sliders. This picture is from the Trail Gear website. Here is an example of what they look like installed.

     

I bought 4 new to me rims. Black Rock Krawlers, 15 X 8. They will be good for the new rubber. Hopefully I can get a good deal on some 33 x 10.5 x 15. Yellow paint and black trim looks good, in my opinion.

Anyway, it's summer already and I need to get cracking on this thing. Wish me luck. Progress pictures as allowed, unless I do it.