This is my buddys runner. It was originally purchased as a motor donor for his 3rd gen pickup mud truck, but he liked this body style too much, and the frame wasn't very rusty (surprisingly) so were gonna run it. This will not be any sort of resto, this truck sat in tall grass for 8ish years with the famous leaky windshield trim. Front floors are shot, rockers are shot, winched it onto the trailer with 3 frozen breaks. It lives at my house because he doesnt have a place to keep it.

We picked it up for $600 because the motor had great compression, and started for a few seconds when spraying starter fluid in the intake (and one other reason ill mention later) .





Got it home. Fuel tank was full of bad gas and the pump looked nasty. Replaced with a summit 10 gal fuel cell and e2000 pump. With the thought that we could move to the mud truck with the engine when we did the swap.

After that it would run and idle but die when we gave it gas. Found that the afm was frozen shut. Soaked in PB blaster and hammered free, cleaned up with a little sand paper and it runs well! There is no exhaust after the O2 sensor, but who cares, its a low budget beater trail rig, nothing more than cheap fun.



Got the breaks freed (removed them) and mounted some bald ish 35s and gave it a sawzall lift. Trans popped out of first but who cares, it was fun.











We added some v6 calipers off a parts truck (blue pickup in the photo above) and that seemed to stop it enough.

My buddy managed to find a few scrap hand rails, so we turned one of them into a front bumper, using the TG mount as a base.

 

And one of the main reasons we bought this truck, was that it came with a Marlin Crawler MC-07 10* clocked doubler, a spare top shift tcase, a few tacoma ( I think) drive shafts and a bucked of 22r carb and intake parts. Not sure why on that last one, but it came with it so we took it.









Pulled the w56 out of the mud truck so we could have a trans that doesnt pop out.

Right now it back on the stock cross member, but were either going to build a high clearance one, or get a FROR rear mount. the clocked case makes it difficult to use an off the shelf dual case skid.

Cut down the rear drive shaft and used the rear shaft from his mud truck to cut down for a front. Truck is still ifs, so does not need a long slip. Well address that if he ever goes solid axle, but this is a cheap, only replace it if we need to build.



Tacked the splined end on once it was cut down, and rolled it on the angle iron, tapped with a hammer till it was straight then welded it up.





Now hes crawlin. Stock diffs, with a doubler, hes at about 83:1.









Next on the list is to weld the front and rear diffs. We have more handrail and some pipe to make a rear bumper, and possibly some sliders. But for now, just more seat time.

:flipoff:

 

 

What a better way to spend Saturday night then in the garage. Made a rear bumper out of some more of the hand rail. Yes hooks are welded on, they will be bolted too.











Didnt cost a thing except for time and wire.

 

Been wheeling the danger runner almost every weekend around my house. Goes great for a "stock on 35s" rig.

Time for a few low cost upgrades.

 

Axle stripped down and brackets cut off. Now just waiting for hopes and dreams.



Had to make an axle/spring rack to hold my rusty gold.





And off to the scrap yard with the donor truck.

 

The paints a bit sloppy but otherwise making progress.

 

I absolutely love that you bought the whole truck for an engine for a mud truck, and not only made the 4runner a project, but ended up taking parts out of the mud truck to fix the beater, it's poetic.

 

Thanks! Its turned into quite a simply fun truck.

Knuckles cleaned up and started setting up the trunnions. Pulled the bottom bearing out to adjust shims and the cage stretched and all the rollers fell out. Cheap ghey bearings. So I ordered 2 from jegs. Only one gave me problems so hopefully the replacements are good and I can move on. I usually just use napa or marlin bearings but these came with the TG kit.

 

Chromo hub gears in, and axle is finished.





And the runner doing what is does best. Next movie if bringing it in and start cutting.

 

One last cruise with the ifs





Only caught my self on fire once..





Some beat 37s for mockup.

 

Mock up. Frames mostly cleaned up, running 51" rufs, box is up against the body mount, may have to cut into it a c hair more. Flat pitman arm is on the way.

Have Bilstiens and tall tg hoops, and the frame will be plated

 

This build is sick! Not enough beaters on yotatech these days IMO

 

Thank you, and I agree!!

We needed a little more candle power than the drag-gun could put out for the frame holes, had to spring for some torches.



I made the cart from old bed frame and some extra wheels, the handle is one of the torsion bars we cut out of the runner.



With the rear hole cut, we could do a little better mock up/ spring flex/ shock measure. Front hanger is tacked in place, everything should start to fall into place.

 

Made some good progress this week. The runner rolled out of the garage last night. Still needs shocks/hoops and the springs are FLAT at ride height. Which isnt bad, but I think he wanted it a little taller, so some ome spring may make its way on to here.













Shock front shocks/hoops up next, then well start on the 63s in the rear.

 

Very clean! What are the frame plates for? To weld shock hoops on?

 

Thank you! Yes, frame plates are for shock hoops and general frame stiffening.

 

Couple test flex pics while it was out of the garage. Looks like I could have gone a little farther forward with the front hanger, but it is what it is now. Maybe well see how it does with a slightly shorter shackle after driving it a bit.







Ended up having to cut and turn the tabs on the TG shock hoops to make them fit the 14"shocks. I used longer tabs that I had lying around that seemed to work pretty well, but came pretty close to the intake on the pass side.





TG bumps and stops. Will probably end up drilling holes in the bump to help it flex a little.



All welded and painted





And he picked up a set of 36x13.5 iroks to run on this for now.



Square shaft parts on the work bench now, should be 4wd by the end of the week then we can start on the rear.

 

Good ole toyota 4 spline. Uses 2x2x.25 wall for one side and receiver tubing for the other, and some stock toyota joints.





Got the brakes plumed (but I think the master went bad) and tires mounted and time to take it for a 4wd drive.

But first some stripes..







I like to sticker drive shafts and watch them get scratched off.



Rear is still 100% stock, well be starting on that this weekend.





And with the top back on



4xi engine mounts and sliders soon too.





And one more of the runner.

 

Got the rear chopped out. Will go through the axle: fresh brakes, weld the diff, a little paint then get it back under the truck with some chevy springs using skys kit.



Instead of working on this, we took advantage of the fresh snow and did a little wheelin.









Fricken love snow wheelin.