JasonRedwood
Explorer
Good deal!
Moab or Bust, 1987 4Runner Low Budget Build
- Thread starter Freebirds
- Start date
Good deal!
ReadyForAdventure
Observer
This picture reminds me of my workspace, yay for street/parking lot garages! haha
Nice progress on your rig, keep up the good work!
-RFA
Freebirds
Observer
Well I finally gave in and bought a used pair of manual hubs from Yota Yard. I'm a little disappointed how brutally they were removed. Instead of tapping the studs with a brass drift, it looks like they hit the outer edge with a hammer. If you look at the ones for sale on Pirate you can see they were removed the same way. They appear to be dented near every stud hole. I'm hoping bolting them down will straighten out the aluminum body. But hubs are the last thing on my mind right now, I started tearing into my timing chain yesterday. The drivers side chain guide was missing and chattered into a million pieces inside the oil pan. The chain also made a set of nice grooves on the inside of the cover, luckily the coolant passage behind the waterpump still looks solid. It's been a long day, I'll post pics tomorrow of my progress. I'm hoping the install goes smoothly!!
Freebirds
Observer
The Equipt 4runner is looking pretty nice. I've never had the pleasure of really wrenching on a new car. I can't imagine how nice it must be to not have to deal with parts covered in oil and rust!
Freebirds
Observer
The friend I bought the 4runner from also has an FJ62, they're great rigs. When it's time to expand the family I may have to find one of my own.
thebrassnuckles
Explorer
I pulled mine the other day, I used a pair of needle nose pliers and pinches the cone bushings and they came right out. No tapping or beating needed.
Freebirds
Observer
It's been a while since my last update. Good news is I landed a paid internship through the city of Denver. So I'll have a little more money and a lot less time, it's funny how that works.
We're leaving for Moab on Thursday and I'm happy to say the 4runner is almost ready. It's definitely not “done”, a project rarely is, but it should be capable enough to have some fun in the backcountry and I won't feel bad if I pick up a few dents and scratches along the way. So here is what I've done:
Over spring break I replaced the timing chain, chain guides, oil pump, all of the belts, and a plethora of leaking gaskets. I decided to remove the oil pan in order to clear out all of the debris, which was harder than I had anticipated, but doable. Here's the timing set:
I also found out the skid plate was only held on by one bolt because someone in the past sheared off the other three. I was able to remove the one near the front, but the cross member mounts were beyond repair. My solution was to weld a nut over the stock location:
Of course, one week after I spend $90 for a pair of manual hubs I find a pair in the junk yard for way cheaper. I picked up the second set for spare parts or maybe to sell in the future. I also pulled the braking system from a T100 (dual booster, 1” master cylinder, S13WB calipers w/ pads, and larger rotors). The brakes needed to be replaced anyways, so it seemed like a great time to upgrade. I paid $90 for all of these parts plus the wheel bearings, 54mm nuts, and a hand full of other hardware:
Old master and booster:
1” master and dual booster:
Old rotors, calipers, and auto hubs:
My lovely wife cut out some excellent gaskets for me:
Larger rotors/calipers and the manual hubs (YAY!):
I can't wait for the snow storm this week so I can try out the new hubs!
The biggest purchase so far was a set of tires. I shopped around for used tires for the past few weeks at some scrapers and from CraigsList. I also considered buying retreads, but for the cost I finally settled on a new set from Discount. The tires were $600 after taxes, mounting, balancing, and hazard protection. This doubled the cost of my project, but I think it was a worthwhile investment.
Finally, I mounted up the stock bumper from my Dad's TJ Rubicon and a pair of old driving lights. Here she is:
We're leaving for Moab on Thursday and I'm happy to say the 4runner is almost ready. It's definitely not “done”, a project rarely is, but it should be capable enough to have some fun in the backcountry and I won't feel bad if I pick up a few dents and scratches along the way. So here is what I've done:
Over spring break I replaced the timing chain, chain guides, oil pump, all of the belts, and a plethora of leaking gaskets. I decided to remove the oil pan in order to clear out all of the debris, which was harder than I had anticipated, but doable. Here's the timing set:
I also found out the skid plate was only held on by one bolt because someone in the past sheared off the other three. I was able to remove the one near the front, but the cross member mounts were beyond repair. My solution was to weld a nut over the stock location:
Of course, one week after I spend $90 for a pair of manual hubs I find a pair in the junk yard for way cheaper. I picked up the second set for spare parts or maybe to sell in the future. I also pulled the braking system from a T100 (dual booster, 1” master cylinder, S13WB calipers w/ pads, and larger rotors). The brakes needed to be replaced anyways, so it seemed like a great time to upgrade. I paid $90 for all of these parts plus the wheel bearings, 54mm nuts, and a hand full of other hardware:
Old master and booster:
1” master and dual booster:
Old rotors, calipers, and auto hubs:
My lovely wife cut out some excellent gaskets for me:
Larger rotors/calipers and the manual hubs (YAY!):
I can't wait for the snow storm this week so I can try out the new hubs!
The biggest purchase so far was a set of tires. I shopped around for used tires for the past few weeks at some scrapers and from CraigsList. I also considered buying retreads, but for the cost I finally settled on a new set from Discount. The tires were $600 after taxes, mounting, balancing, and hazard protection. This doubled the cost of my project, but I think it was a worthwhile investment.
Finally, I mounted up the stock bumper from my Dad's TJ Rubicon and a pair of old driving lights. Here she is:
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Martinjmpr
Wiffleball Batter
Yeah, if this storm turns out to be what they say it will be, then you should be able to give your 4wd system a good workout!
For those not in the Denver area, after a couple of weeks of gorgeous Spring weather and temps in the 70's they're predicting a foot of snow in Denver for tomorrow and a high temperature of 23 (for those in metric-land, that's -5 c.) :Wow1:
I'm a card-carrying cheap SOB but IMO one area you don't go cheap on is tires. The benefits of "cheap" tires are far outweighed by the potential risks.
Discount is usually a good place to go. Here's a hint when dealing with discount: NEVER take their first price. Tell them you're going to "think about it" or shop around. In most cases, they'll drop the price to keep you in the store.
Freebirds
Observer
Yeah, if this storm turns out to be what they say it will be, then you should be able to give your 4wd system a good workout!
For those not in the Denver area, after a couple of weeks of gorgeous Spring weather and temps in the 70's they're predicting a foot of snow in Denver for tomorrow and a high temperature of 23 (for those in metric-land, that's -5 c.) :Wow1:
I'm a card-carrying cheap SOB but IMO one area you don't go cheap on is tires. The benefits of "cheap" tires are far outweighed by the potential risks.
Discount is usually a good place to go. Here's a hint when dealing with discount: NEVER take their first price. Tell them you're going to "think about it" or shop around. In most cases, they'll drop the price to keep you in the store.
Yep, gotta love spring weather in Denver!
I haggled with Discount quite a bit. Luckily there was a Big O' next door, so I was able to go back and forth to work the price a bit more.
wingysataday
Adventurer
looks like fun man!
Freebirds
Observer
I didn't have any problems clearing my current wheels, which are an old set of American Racing. There wasn't a noticeable difference in the overall radius, so I would assume that they would also clear stock wheels. The only clearance issue I came across was between the caliper and the backing plate. That was easily fixed by trimming the backing plate with a Sawzall.
The snow storm was a bit of a let down. No major accumulation, just a very cold wind. The hubs worked flawlessly though!
Crenshaw
Adventurer
I love watching your progress fixing that thing up! Very refreshing in comparison to all the yuppie builds you see on here.
My '87 runner was totalled a few years ago and these threads really make me miss it. I love my 2nd gen but its just not the same.
We got a ton of snow here in the Arkansas valley from this storm but its all but melted away by this afternoon. Back to mountain biking tomorrow!
My '87 runner was totalled a few years ago and these threads really make me miss it. I love my 2nd gen but its just not the same.
We got a ton of snow here in the Arkansas valley from this storm but its all but melted away by this afternoon. Back to mountain biking tomorrow!
thebrassnuckles
Explorer
Oh man, I didn't realize you we're in Denver! I'm in Loveland! We will definitely have to meet up sometime.
Freebirds
Observer
Just got home and I am exhausted. We had an awesome time in Moab. The 4runner worked wonderfully during the whole trip. I'll post details and pictures tomorrow!
For sure! Maybe we can plan a trail ride this spring
For sure! Maybe we can plan a trail ride this spring