Toyota 4Runner Resurrected Not Once, but Twice by ‘YotaTech’ Member
After blowing two motors, Yota Tech member was ready to give up on his old 4Runner, but better judgement prevailed.
Most old vehicles head out to the pasture, left for dead once they reach a certain point of disrepair. But that doesn’t really apply to older Toyota vehicles. Even with hundreds of thousands of miles and inordinate amounts of rust, enthusiasts refuse to let these die-hard vehicles, well, die. That includes Yota Tech member Saturn, who has resurrected his well-used 1990 Toyota 4Runner more than once over the years. And he’s documented the Toyota’s latest incarnation here in the forums for our enjoyment.
“Here is my 1990 4Runner, 5-speed 4×4 3.0 with well over 300k miles when I got it. I bought it off a buddy for $1,200. Promptly shot a rod out the side of the block and dropped a Craigslist motor in. I finally got it running and slapped on some 33″ KM2s, then got a Chassis Unlimitted winch bumper and a Smittybilt winch. Love the bumper, haven’t had to use the winch yet. Did the quick release door mod, tons and tons of fun, I hardly ever put them on anymore.”
Soon, however, more problems surfaced, which led the OP to think about selling his fun old 4Runner.
“Unfortunately, neglect, long work hours, and having to work on many other projects led to me not fixing the broken oil pressure gauge. At which point the rear main developed a severe leak which I did not notice. The engine started making some of the most horrific noises I’ve ever heard an engine make. At this point, it had been running again for around a year. But I was pretty dejected and listed it for sale while I looked at engines and pondered what to do.”
The OP eventually came to his senses, however, and decided to rebuild his 4Runner once again. That started with an engine teardown and rebuild, of course. But the OP also took this time to rebuild the entire suspension, upgrading it with Land Cruiser coils and Skyjacker shocks. And after a ton of time and even more work, this old 4Runner was running like new again.
Since then, the left-for-dead-twice Toyota has been hitting the trails hard, making up for lost time. And needless to say, Saturn is happy that he didn’t get rid of his fun toy. This thread is an inspiration to anyone faced with a big project and is well worth reading through in its entirety, even if you’re not. So be sure and head over here to check out the entire saga!
Photos: Yota Tech forums
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