nightfire785's 1990 4runner slow build thread
03-15-2012, 06:03 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
nightfire785's 1990 4runner slow build thread
Well i finally started doing work on my 4runner after about a year of owning it and figured i would start a thread for it. Kinda wished that i took more pics of it but i guess its better late than never.
Its a 1990 4runner 3.0 4x4 31x10.50 15 4.56
I am the third owner and probably the only one that ever looked under the hood haha right now i use it as a daily driver and the dirt road ever now and then due to the stockness but that doesn't stop me haha
[IMG]
[/IMG]
This is how it looked when i first got it
[IMG]
[/IMG]
The work done so far
The very first mod i did on the 4runner when i got it was get new tires. I got 31x10.50 Yokohama's after the old tires were dangerously bald. I also ended up changing the stock shocks for some cheap napa response ones just for the mean while. Then after running well up to about 4 months in the transmission fill tube seal began to leak so i got that all fixed up. I then got bored at looking at the stock rims and decided to paint them up one afternoon. I personally think it makes it look more aggressive haha
Before....
After....
I also ended up taking the rear bumper off but i think im gonna put it back on one of these days. Then after a while of gathering small bits and pieces for the interior the water pump failed on me about 8 months into owning it, so while i was in the engine i decided to just go ahead and replace the timing belt and the radiator. Now it runs as good as a 20 year old engine can and the mods are slowly making their way into the budget.
Current Work
Today i just replaced the CV axles and man it sure was a PITA due to it being my first time. Glad i did my research on this site before changing them. That jack in the rear trick came in handy haha. I honestly feel better about my 4runner after comparing the new cv's to the old ones haha
How it looks right now
Anyways now that that is all taken care of i think im ether gonna invest in a sweet looking front bumper from ether AOD or TG not sure yet, i might do and exhaust set up, or save up and do a 2-3 lift.
Its a 1990 4runner 3.0 4x4 31x10.50 15 4.56
I am the third owner and probably the only one that ever looked under the hood haha right now i use it as a daily driver and the dirt road ever now and then due to the stockness but that doesn't stop me haha
[IMG]
[/IMG]This is how it looked when i first got it
[IMG]
[/IMG]The work done so far
The very first mod i did on the 4runner when i got it was get new tires. I got 31x10.50 Yokohama's after the old tires were dangerously bald. I also ended up changing the stock shocks for some cheap napa response ones just for the mean while. Then after running well up to about 4 months in the transmission fill tube seal began to leak so i got that all fixed up. I then got bored at looking at the stock rims and decided to paint them up one afternoon. I personally think it makes it look more aggressive haha
Before....
After....
I also ended up taking the rear bumper off but i think im gonna put it back on one of these days. Then after a while of gathering small bits and pieces for the interior the water pump failed on me about 8 months into owning it, so while i was in the engine i decided to just go ahead and replace the timing belt and the radiator. Now it runs as good as a 20 year old engine can and the mods are slowly making their way into the budget.
Current Work
Today i just replaced the CV axles and man it sure was a PITA due to it being my first time. Glad i did my research on this site before changing them. That jack in the rear trick came in handy haha. I honestly feel better about my 4runner after comparing the new cv's to the old ones haha
How it looks right now
Anyways now that that is all taken care of i think im ether gonna invest in a sweet looking front bumper from ether AOD or TG not sure yet, i might do and exhaust set up, or save up and do a 2-3 lift.
07-25-2012, 11:41 PM
#4
Registered User
Thread Starter
Its been a while since i updated this build but i got a ton of pics. so i went to the 2012 toyota jamboree and ended up getting lost on the mountain trying to find the trailhead to Grizzly Lake. I eventually ran into another guy with a stock 2nd gen who was also lost. i decided to follow him to some trail he said he saw some guys from another group go up. We ended up going up this ridiculous trail with massive boulders everywhere but me being me said the hell with it and continued on. It wasn't easy but with some good spotting and patience we made it up. 
Its pretty crazy what you can do in a stock 4runner. Eventually after fixing his flat tire and we cleared the quarter mile of boulders and ran into the group he saw earlier. We had to back up onto a side section of the trail. I ended up snagging a tree a pulling the chrome trim of the front left fender but oh well. After talking to the guys passing us and learning that we just made it past the hardest part of the Iron Chest trial lol we decided to follow them back down to the grizzly lake trail. On the way down I smashed my rear fender but lucky for me i was gonna cut it off anyways.
At this point our luck had run out. He tried to go over the first obstical but couldn't manage. I tried another line but with no luck. We decided to just winch me over. i got about halfway over before the counter weight on my transfer case got sheared off. During this fiasco i lost all the fluid because two holes the size of BB's were formed from the bolt ripping part of the casing off. And when i backed down i bent my tail pipe off. Not bad for my first Toyota Jamboree. Lucky for me though we were able to stick tire plugs in the holes and JB weld them shut.
So i got back down to camp and filled it up, and drove all the way back home with no problems other than the alignment. So far i haven't had any problems with the transfer case missing that 5lbs counter weight. Mechanically my 4runner is sound but i was kinda sad to see my black rims all messed up.
So as of now i made up my decision to go with the Toyotec OME lift kit as my next investment. Also if anyone knows what that counter weight does please tell me cause the only thing i can think of is that makes the ride softer when the t case shifts. I'm also on the lookout for some locking hubs.
Its pretty crazy what you can do in a stock 4runner. Eventually after fixing his flat tire and we cleared the quarter mile of boulders and ran into the group he saw earlier. We had to back up onto a side section of the trail. I ended up snagging a tree a pulling the chrome trim of the front left fender but oh well. After talking to the guys passing us and learning that we just made it past the hardest part of the Iron Chest trial lol we decided to follow them back down to the grizzly lake trail. On the way down I smashed my rear fender but lucky for me i was gonna cut it off anyways.
At this point our luck had run out. He tried to go over the first obstical but couldn't manage. I tried another line but with no luck. We decided to just winch me over. i got about halfway over before the counter weight on my transfer case got sheared off. During this fiasco i lost all the fluid because two holes the size of BB's were formed from the bolt ripping part of the casing off. And when i backed down i bent my tail pipe off. Not bad for my first Toyota Jamboree. Lucky for me though we were able to stick tire plugs in the holes and JB weld them shut.
So i got back down to camp and filled it up, and drove all the way back home with no problems other than the alignment. So far i haven't had any problems with the transfer case missing that 5lbs counter weight. Mechanically my 4runner is sound but i was kinda sad to see my black rims all messed up.
So as of now i made up my decision to go with the Toyotec OME lift kit as my next investment. Also if anyone knows what that counter weight does please tell me cause the only thing i can think of is that makes the ride softer when the t case shifts. I'm also on the lookout for some locking hubs.
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