1988 4Runner: Summer Beater

[ssapach]

Well it's been sitting in the body shop for the last 3 months and I'm getting seriously annoyed. Summer will be gone before I get to drive it around with the top down.

Problem #1 was waiting for the rear panels to be made and shipped out from Quebec.
Problem #2 was having the rear panels for a pickup truck sent instead of the 4Runner.
Problem #3 was waiting for the second set of panels to be shipped out.
Problem #4 was the second set of panels having the body lines incorrectly spaced.

At this point the body man just decided to cut up the panels and add more material as needed to make the lines match up properly. But it was more than 2 months wasted just waiting for all these panels to be made and shipped back and forth.

Anyways, this is how it sits as of yesterday afternoon.



It actually has solid rear wheel wells again!



It will likely be another 2 weeks before I get to drive it home, but I have heard that "2 weeks" thing about 2 months ago.

 

[dorton]

That sucks. It was progressing quickly up until that point.


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[DeskToGlory]

The 4Runner looks great. Nice progress so far!

 

[ssapach]

FINALLY!

Friday afternoon I got to pick up my 4Runner. I didn't pick up the hard top as there were some rusted pieces that need to be fixed yet, but that's not big deal since I have the soft top.

 

[dorton]

Looks great! Glad it came together for you. Hopefully you can get some time in it before the white stuff piles up on the ground.

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[DeskToGlory]

Looks like it was well worth the wait!!

 

[ssapach]

I'm quite happy with the results! It's not the original color, it's a slightly lighter grey with a little more pearl in it.

I hate to even put the snorkel back on it now, I don't exactly want to make new holes in the A-pillar and fender now that it's painted. I'm also not sure I want to do the SAS on it either, as that might just result in me taking it off-road and wrecking it.

I also hate to leave it parked all winter, as it's fun to drive in the snow and cold.......this thing has a wicked heater!

I might just wait until the snow flies to decide on the SAS. If I do it, then it will be a good excuse to keep it parked for a good chunk of the snowy weather. :elkgrin:

 

[dorton]

I know the feeling on the snorkel. I have a extra fender I had painted in case I decided sometime after taking the leap I wanted to go back.



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[toyotech]

Sweet looking runner. I was able to modify one of the mounting brackets to mount tr control box right above the winch and all cables reached. Any chance you could tell me where you got the snorkel kit?

 

[ssapach]

I purchased my snorkel from a place called 4 Wheel Auto Wholesale in Edmonton. It's just an ARB snorkel, but I'm not convinced it's the correct match for this vehicle. The snorkel doesn't really match the contour of the fender when it's in place......although it does actually fit.

 

[tanglefoot]

Wow--that's quite a ride! The "beater" in your thread title is completely misleading. "Show rig" is more like it.

 

[DeskToGlory]

Wow--that's quite a ride! The "beater" in your thread title is completely misleading. "Show rig" is more like it.

Agreed!!

 

[ssapach]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Work takes it's toll on me. I have to leave behind my refurbished toy for a while so I can go out and pay for it.

Next up is building a rear bumper. I can weld, but I'm gonna be honest.....I'm not exactly the greatest actual fabricator. But I'm going to give it a go, seeing as how I've already started.

Then I wouldn't mind building some sort of a drawer/storage system that I could lock up. So then if I ever take this rig out in the summer I won't feel so worried leaving it parked somewhere and getting robbed blind from every tool inside. I mean, it's an old vehicle, I need to keep some tools/supplies with me.

Still want to give it a better sound system as well. A CB and VHF radio wouldn't hurt, but those aren't so urgent at the moment.

Oh the plans I have in my head, just that my time off from work doesn't always allow me to get much done.

 

[DeskToGlory]

Thanks for the comments everyone!

Work takes it's toll on me. I have to leave behind my refurbished toy for a while so I can go out and pay for it.

Next up is building a rear bumper. I can weld, but I'm gonna be honest.....I'm not exactly the greatest actual fabricator. But I'm going to give it a go, seeing as how I've already started.

Then I wouldn't mind building some sort of a drawer/storage system that I could lock up. So then if I ever take this rig out in the summer I won't feel so worried leaving it parked somewhere and getting robbed blind from every tool inside. I mean, it's an old vehicle, I need to keep some tools/supplies with me.

Still want to give it a better sound system as well. A CB and VHF radio wouldn't hurt, but those aren't so urgent at the moment.

Oh the plans I have in my head, just that my time off from work doesn't always allow me to get much done.

I definitely understand! I've had a total of 4 weekends to work on my truck with another 2 or 3 before ditching out on our road trip. Hard to fit it all in while making the money to pay for it!

 

[ssapach]

Got some work done on the rear bumper:





I think I said it earlier, I'm not the greatest fabricator. I haven't bent enough tube or figured out my bender well enough to get the measurements right on a single piece of tube. The top tube was a single piece but ended up being 5" too wide, so I had to trim and splice.

It isn't all welded solid in it's current state, I still want to make a couple pieces that extend up and wrap around the rear corners and perhaps tie the sides into the frame brackets. I also might make up a swing out tire carrier while I'm in the welding mood.