El Burro - 1989 4Runner Build

[TheCascadeKid]

1989 4Runner v6 5spd

My first car was a 2nd Gen 4Runner. After seeing first hand the abuse they could take I became a Toyota fan for life. I eventually sold it and got a commuter that was more practical at the time. When I decided to pick up another 4x4 to get places my daily driver couldn't, I immediately started looking for a 1st Gen 4Runner. So with no further ado I present to you, El Burro!

IMG_1913 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

 

[TheCascadeKid]

Pictured above is the condition I bought the truck in aside from the classic 4Runner sag. I picked up a pair of TJ coils to do a Zuk mod and level out the suspension. Hey, who said jeeps aren't good for something? :ylsmoke:

After that I replaced the body mounts figuring they were probably due for a swap

IMG_1742 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

El Burro quickly became my do it all rig. I spent some time running this minimal set up while I schemed for the future.

IMG_1852 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

IMG_1985 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

This was about 2 years ago. At the time I was setting in motion plans to head south on the Pan Am for 2 years. As I began to plan my trip I found Expedition Portal. Needless to say my build plan quickly spiraled out of control as I drooled over pages and pages of build threads

I wanted to build a camper in place of the hardtop, and knew I would be carrying a lot of extra weight. Now I'm not a 3.0 hater like so many out there, but I do know they are total dogs. Enter my desire for a 3.4 swap. I finally found a donor that had been "gently" flopped on it's side and made an offer. Two weeks later the owner called me back and I drove it home that night. I proceeded to pull a fully functional engine and begin my swap. What could go wrong?

9D7A3299 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

So you may have noticed I said, "at the time I was planning". Shortly after starting the engine swap I got an opportunity at work I couldn't say no to. I was away from home for over a year and moved twice. Along with missing my departure date the 4Runner slipped down the the priority list. About a week ago I finally crossed my fingers, tuned the key...and she fired right up!

Now you have the full history. I'm not sure if or when I'll get to hit the Pan Am, but I'm excited to put all these yota parts to use that I've been stockpiling for the last two years!

More pictures including her first road test to come soon!

 

[JET4]

looking good, very nice

 

[TheCascadeKid]

Thanks, JET4! I definitely have a soft spot for the 1st Gen 4Runners.

 

[Renegade_Medic]

That's awesome!

 

[TheCascadeKid]

I've been getting all my wiring tucked away and cleaning up the engine bay. I went back and forth on doing a body lift or cutting a hole in my hood to clear the intake. I really didn't want to cut the hood, but in the end my distaste for body lifts won out.

I picked this bumper up off craigslist about two years ago. I knew it was a bit premature to install with all the work left to be done in the engine bay, but I couldn't help myself

My exhaust arrived last Friday, but being stock for a 3.4 it's routed down and out the passenger side. Next step is to hack it up and weld it back together to dump out the driver side. I wanted to make more progress this weekend but couldn't pass us the chance to enjoy all this snow the NW is getting!

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[KLRTim]

Looking Good

Looking good Looking forward to following its progress.
like you I love my Hilux I have an Australian 1986 2.4 Diesel 5 speed duel cab Slow but goes everywhere

 

[TheCascadeKid]

That's a beautiful Hilux, KLRTim! I would would love to have a Toyota mini-truck with a stock diesel.

I started in on my exhaust tonight and made a little progress. If it didn't take an hour to get all the shipping labels off that were stuck directly to each of the three sections I may have been able to finishing getting it tacked together.

The down pipe fit well and there was enough clearance to install the upstream O2 sensor inside of the driver side frame, so I moved onto the muffler section. Of course the downstream O2 sensor is right where my torsion bar is mounted. I decided the best route was to flip the whole section 180 degrees around the axis of the inlet/outlet. I made one cut on the outlet to counter act the rotation and maintain the orientation to pass up and over the rear axle.

Here the rotated outlet flange is flipped and tacked to check the fit prior to final weld.

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I assume rotating the muffler has no effect on the functionality, but if anyone knows otherwise please chime in!

From here I started playing with the tailpipe section until I got an orientation I was happy with. I plan to triangulate my rear shocks in the near future, so I tried to keep this in mind during the fit. I marked the two cuts I'll need to make before calling it a night. Most of the hangers will be upside down or in the wrong location, so I'll have to relocate them as well.

Here's a look at my path to clear the rear axle and direct the exhaust out behind the driver side tire. This will roughly maintain the stock location of the former 3.0 tailpipe. You can see where the two flanges don't meet correctly, but this will be remedied with the final two adjustments.

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[Loubaru]

Seeing a Miller TIG set up on the HF table makes me feel better about my Hobart 190 on the HF table.... Mine always needs fiddling to get it level and some of the threads were messed up but I guess you get what you pay for.

On the muffler, I think there is a condensation drain in some of the baffle type ones so I would make sure that isn't pointing up....if so, you can probably just drill a new drain. I may be thinking about the mufflers that have the tail pipe(s) built into them though... Love the rig and shop/garage set up also!

 

[TheCascadeKid]

Good eye Loubaru! Guilty. I couldn't stomach the cost of a nicer table when I plan to build a larger permanent welding table in the future. I'm not sure when that'll be given that my garage already fits the definition for "10 lbs of **** in a 5 lb bag" I'm planning an organizational overhaul once the 4Runner isn't a permanent fixture in the garage.

I didn't see a drain of any sort, but I also wasn't looking for one. I'll inspect it tonight and cross my fingers in the mean time. Rotating the whole section is saving me the hassle of rotating the O2 sensor bung, so I'm hoping it works out!

 

[TheCascadeKid]

I set off from work today determined to complete my exhaust tonight. After a quick stop by the Toyota parts department I was on my way with the last of the hardware I needed. I started by finishing the last weld on my tailpipe and cut off the hangers that were in the wrong locations.

IMG_2369 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

I laid all the components out under the truck and started to bolt up the down pipe. It was then that I decided it would be the best time to clean up my frame in the areas that the exhaust would constrict my access to later on. So I started scrubbing...

IMG_2371 by Duncan MacDiarmid, on Flickr

After wrapping up my cleaning detour I bolted in the mid and tail pipes. When I laid out the configuration to cut and weld I was concerned about leaving enough room between the exhaust and my spare tire. True to form I left too much space, and my tailpipe just cleared my leaf spring. Too close for comfort even on an IFS rig with no flex. I pulled it out, made my cut, and called it a night. I should be able to get it wrapped up tomorrow, but then again that's what I said today

 

[Shradicalwyo]

Nice ON3Ps!

I'd love to find a first gen runner, it'd be such a good summer truck here.

 

[FJOE]

I like your shop. Reminds me a lot of mine. It's part shop, part gear storage, part bar and man cave.

 

[TheCascadeKid]

I like your shop. Reminds me a lot of mine. It's part shop, part gear storage, part bar and man cave.

Thanks! It definitely serves a few purposes. It's the first garage I've had in 10 years. Having a spot to flick on the radio or throw on a surf/ski/bike flick and wrench out of the rain greatly increases my likelihood to be productive after work.

Nice ON3Ps!

I'd love to find a first gen runner, it'd be such a good summer truck here.

They are the best! ON3P's and first gens that is I was employee #4 starting back about 6 years ago. I'm now guilty of being a bit of a ski whore. Sadly these are the ones that don't see regular use. It's hard to justify pulling out the pillow fights every weekend, but I could never let em go!

 

[Shradicalwyo]

They are the best! ON3P's and first gens that is I was employee #4 starting back about 6 years ago. I'm now guilty of being a bit of a ski whore. Sadly these are the ones that don't see regular use. It's hard to justify pulling out the pillow fights every weekend, but I could never let em go!

No way, my girlfriend used to do their social media and helped with the women's line they put out last year. We still have a pair of second year Billy Goats in the garage for friends that visit since I've gone back to snowboarding full time.