I took it on a shake down run and found a few issues. One the gas gauge was not working. I swapped in another SR5 cluster and that fixed that problem. The other problem was it would jump out of gear in 2nd and 4th. Swapped transmissions and that got that fixed.

Here is a problem I still have not found. At idle it as a rattle like a heat shield is loose. Rev it up and it goes away. Another problem is a whistle or whine. Might be a vacuum leak or a fan clutch. I will pull a belt off one at a time and see if that helps locate the problem.


I should of caught the faulty gas gauge in the previous pictures. I took it to the gas station and filled it up to get new gas in the tank but really was hoping the float was stuck or it was just out of fuel. That was not the case. The SR5 gauge swap thread shows how to correct the mileage on them. I have done several but I have also broken a few gauges doing the correct mileage. I suggest not correcting the mileage by removing the needle. I have not tried hooking a gauge up to a drill and it would take a while to do it that way but if I ever decide to correct the mileage, it will be with a drill. These trucks have tons of miles on them anyways.


New cluster fixed the problem. At least I did not have to pull the tank and chase electrical issues. I will go thru and clean the cover and replace some bad bulbs here shortly.


New to me transmission. If there is a way to get transmission oil or brake fluid all over the shop I will find away to do it. Of course it did not leak out when I brought it in to the shop but I walk away and fluid goes every where.


Easy Off is the best cleaner I have found over any of the other commercial cleaners. I had this one cleaned up in about 30 minutes. Do not leave it on aluminum very long and make sure you have plenty of ventilation. I have even taken them to the high pressure car wash trying to get the build up off of them and cleaned them with a wire brush on a drill and spent hours getting them cleaned up. Easy off and some light scrubbing will clean thing up quick.


This is the transmission I took out of the red 87. One reason it was probably sent to the salvage is because of it jumping out of gear. Probably 1987 gear oil in it. The sludge that was built up in it was nasty. When putting in a used transmission, I will make sure it is topped off just to see if it is a good transmission, not putting any new oil in to it until I know it is good. Anytime I get a used car or truck, one of the first things I do is to give it a full tune up and change all of the fluids. Most times the transmissions, transfer case, and differentials the fluid is brown and most likely has never been changed.


Lovely brown oil that came out of the transmission. If this were a new transmission I would go with synthetic oil but since it has been broken in with conventional oil I will stay with conventional oil.


These 4 transmissions are junk. Most of them had bad oil in them when I swapped them out. One is a turbo transmission. One day I might try and learn out to rebuild them, just cant scrap them out as I know how hard they are getting to find. One day I would like to swap the out if Marlin Crawler for a new one. Might be something I would do on the 87 when I get to it.


These three transmissions have the 5th gear whine to them. I will use one just to get one movable but to drive with it whining every day, I will swap one out just for that reason. Also when in 5th gear, I will not lug the motor or transmission or do any heavy towing/pulling in 5th gear just to try and keep the wear and tear off of it. 5th is just for cruising only for me.

 

This transmission needs the Shifter Bushings replaced. This is a cheap and easy fix that makes a huge difference.


http://www.marlincrawler.com/transmission/parts-upgrade/heavy-duty-shift-lever-ball-seats

http://www.marlincrawler.com/tech/guide/heavy-duty-shifter-seat-installation

Things I plan on getting done this week if weather cools down and a reminder for me.
Rear Carpet.
Shifter Bushing
Drivers Mirror......................done
Wax
Zuk Mod
Cluster Gauge......................done
New Gear Oil........................done
Finish Getting front shaft in,,,done

I had a friend with me and we both tried to find a rattle in the engine compartment. It is not a mechanical problem but something loose. Been there since I got here and still have not found it. The power steering and ac pulley adjusters are frozen and will not budge.

I got the new cluster in. I just have not test drove it to see if the speedometer needle works correctly. I still had to add new fluid to the transmission and it was getting hot in the shop. Got the front shaft back in as well. While working on it, I had a guy to walk into the shop wanting to buy one of the 4runners. Sure gets frustrating when they hit you with a low ball offer. He showed me a pickup for $1000 on his smart phone. I showed him the junk transmissions I have and told him that I have worked on enough of these trucks to know that they are just loaded with problems. Suggested that truck would probably be a better buy for him. It would be a big project to get it to where I would want it to be.

Gauge is in.

 

I was trying to find what was causing the noise I was hearing and had a friend to help locate it. When I first fired it up he said it is the Timing Chain. I will have him to do it in a few weeks when I get everything else done. It would take me awhile to get it swapped out. While working on it, I dropped a socket and had to drop the skip pan and someone used 13mm hardware bolts to hold it on. I will be replacing them when I put the skid pan back on. It is dented up a little bit but did give it a good cleaning and a coat of paint along with the windshield wipers. I used some trim paint on the mirrors.


Another on going project I am eventually going to get completed is to get the front end of my wall art is to hide a bench light and maybe get the head lights hooked up to some sort of power to come on when I turn on the shop lights. I added a marker lens and head light for the drivers side. The only good thing on this front end is the grill, everything came off of rusted or wrecked trucks.


I mentioned this on another build I have but will mention it here. I am in the process of getting this 76 Ford Super Cab. Owner lost the title and is in the process of getting a replacement title. I will start a build on it in the "Others" section when I get the title and pay the owner. I had thought of building a 50s Ford but it will not be heavy enough to pull a 5th wheel camper for what I am wanting to do with it. I would be cheaper to buy a newer model truck for all the things I want to do to it but that would be settling for a truck that came from the factory. I really like this body style and want to build it the way I want it set up to be. If I could only get a title from the owner. Hoping the title comes in next week. Impatiently waiting on it and looking forward to getting started on it. You will see some of the same things on this truck as I do my Toyota builds. Start with the fuel system and pulling the engine and working my thru the bugs that will bound to pop up.

 

My in laws had a similar Ford Super Cab. I wish I had known they were going to sell it. That thing was a beast for hauling firewood.

 

Nice looking supercab Terry, I hope the title comes thru so you can hurry up and get it!

I like the wall art too!

 

Hello Robb...I missed out on a short bed Super Cab but for what I am wanting I think the long bed is going to be better. These do have the ability to haul things but they get thirsty doing it. I will eventually have to find a more fuel efficient motor for it but am gong to work with this motor for a while until then. One reason I like this truck is when I was a kid, I worked for a farmer and hauled square hay bales in a truck nearly like this one only a standard cab. I remember when they were new. Used them to haul a lot of fire wood also. This one will haul fire wood for the shop but wont get dented up like most do.

Hello Ed... While I was typing out a response to Robb, I got a phone call from the owner saying they got the title. Wahoo!!! I will go and pay the owner for it in the next day or so and then it is going to be a little bit before I get it home as I have to find a trailer or have a wrecker to bring it here for me. Still working on that but it sounds like I am going to be the new owner here real soon. Looking forward to getting it home and getting started on it. I will post a build thread when I am the owner of it . The wall art and getting the shop set up has been an on going project. I will get it done someday.

 

Got a call from the 76 trucks owner and hoping to own the truck tomorrow, not sure when I will get it home but am getting excited. It will be my winter project. I don't like winter but summers are to hot in the shop and think I can actually get more done during the cold just because I can heat the shop. Cooling is harder to do. By 10 in the morning I am run out due to the heat. Been working on Toms truck and getting the shop ready for a new project.

Been trying to get ideas from garage journal.com and other sites trying to get things organized. Harbor Freight is having a sale this coming weekend so will see what I can get on sale. I did drop my cut off saw and broke it. I bought two so one can be a grinder and the other a cut off saw instead of changing blades all of the time.

It took two days as I have been slowly wet sanding and polishing out the drivers side and hood getting the orange peel smoothed out.


Not sure if you can see where I worked some orange peel out with sandpaper but here is a before shot.


Here is an after shot but wanted to show where I had to send this truck to a body shop and have them to repair a rusted section that was about half an inch wide and 2 inches long. One thing I like about body work is when done correctly, it is rewarding seeing like no damage ever existed.


I did get the skid pan on and still have to do the rear and from the doors forward. Slowly getting there. Soon will start on the trim.

What the rusted area looked like before.

 

A friend of mine showed me the using "00" steel wool can smooth out some glass and give it a cleaner and smoother look.


Masked off the "L" trims and got them painted.


Painted and working on other trim.


L Trim Removal steps and how I do it when I have to remove them.
To get the L trims off, you have to remove the whole window from the inside. On Passneger Side, I have my feet in the floorboard and knees in the seat, I place my left arm across the top and apply pressure from my elbow to my fist. Applying a little more with my elbow and start breaking the glue tht holds the window in. I try to keep all of the glue on the glass portion. I use a putty knife to help. Once I get the top seperated from the cap. I hook my arm thru the window to keep it from falling to the ground. Once the glass is out, the L trims are just bolted to the window part which will be visble when out.


I got the B pillar trim painted. I will need to go back and touch it up as a bug got on it when the paint was wet. Looks better with the trim painted. Still have to work on the badges.


Got both the B pillars trim painted. Will get the badge installed at a later time.


I am to go meet with the owner of the 76 Super Cab tomorrow around 10 am and should have the title in my hand then. Not sure when I will be able to get it home as I my runner is not heavy enough to tow it home or will get a friend to help get it home sometime next week.

 

Terrys87 I absolutely love your attention to detail; I just started college and will be starting a lot of body work on my T100 next summer. Your build has really been an inspiration to take my time and makes me want to start the work now. Hope everything with the Ford goes good for you and you're able to get it

 

I like the steel wool idea

You are doing an awesome job on this.

Hope to see the 76 updates

 

If I can't have a Toyota I like Fords. I love that generation of truck and the crew cabs must be scarce as hen's teeth at this point. If you do a build somewhere let us know.

I got some better B pillars. What did you use to paint? Trim paint, plastic paint or just Rustoleum? I used satin black Rustoleum on the top's "L" trim and it looks good. Going to try to restore the emblems again. My younger son is driving and he's trying to get it ready for Maaco. Too bad they are having the $299 special this week. It's not ready for them.

 

Hello T100craze....I remember school days. Ramen noodles and bologna sandwiches. Keep school as your focus but when you have some free time and not much money, a gallon of bondo, sanding block, sand paper, and rattle can primer for very little and elbow grease is free for when you have need something to do, you can little by little work out the dents. Don't worry about getting it perfect, even Mark Worman says he doesn't get all his cars perfect on Grave Yard Carz. If you did get it perfect, you would not want to drive it. You will have to re sand it just before painting but body work takes time but is the most rewarding I feel. When you get it completed, you will still get a sense of satisfaction years after wards. I posted some builds on here that were a little embarrassing when I first posted them but still enjoyed the results I got when completed. The worse the truck the better, lol. Post a picture if you want as I like seeing what others are working on in body work. Hang in there on school, later on these days will be some great memories for you, it doesn't last forever even though it does seem that way. Welcome to Yotatech.

Hello Robb... The steel wool does give the glass a smooth finish and can hide some blemishes. I was concerned when I was first showed how to do it. I will get some information up on the 76 here soon.

Hello Nervo19... I always wanted one and finally got around to getting one. On the "L" trims I used Rustoleum gloss paint. On the B pillar I used Bumper and Trim Paint. I had thought of going with satin on the "L" trims and hope it was the right decision. You think it would look better with satin on a silver truck? On the badges, I am having a difficult time trying to find a color golden enough. Everything looks yellow. I have several different colors and even one says gold on it and I still don't like how it looks.

A friend of mine worked at Maaco and they turned out some really nice jobs. They can get paint at a much cheaper price. Paint can get very expensive and they have the paint booths that helps for a better finish. I am thinking I will do the body work on my 76 but have some one else paint it for me as I don't think it will fit in my shop. Along with the height of the truck and the horizontal surfaces, it would be awfully rough on me getting up and down trying to get all the horizontal surfaces. Painting the hood, roof, and cap on a runner takes its toll on my arms. One reason I tend to paint the cap separate from the rest of the truck as you can get a break from it and it being a different texture can catch a break on a slight color change if the atmosphere varies from when you paint the truck The vertical surfaces is easy.

 

Here is a link to the 76 build https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f188...estore-296600/ it will start out slow as I have to still get it home hopefully in the next week. Then I will pull the bed to get the fuel tanks out and cleaned. I will start soaking the motor down and eventually pull the drive train out. Ford uses soft rubber valve seals and over time they crystalize and turn to glass like material so I will pull the heads off and go thru them. Hope I have great compression. To pull the drive train out the front clip will come off and since I am going to be that far into it, I will lift the cab and get the frame cleaned up. I just like doing a full build on my projects. Several things will be about the same as I do on my Toyotas.

Long term goal is to get the truck where it will pull a 5th wheel camper for my retirement years. I got to get enough power and economical then what it is set up to be currently. In a few years when the brats are out the door, I want to find a 5th wheel camper and paint it to match the truck. I should have the truck up and running within a year. I will have to send it to a body shop and have them to do the rough in on the rear wheel wells as I don't have the skills and welder to do that kind of repair. I did the same on Toms runner where I brought it home and did the finer repair. I see getting the truck completed body wise and running wise in about two years. After that I am going to start looking for a motor swap to replace the current motor. 429 I am sure are nice but I know they get thirsty. I will try everything I can to get the mileage in the 15 and up range before swapping motors but it is not looking to likely from what I have been reading.

 

I have been into just about every part there is on a 22re. I have had three trucks to get the best of me. My 85 I had to convert to 22r just because I could not get fire to the plugs. It was in the wiring harness somewhere. Mistys 88 will do the cherry manifold and I have sent it to Toyota and they were unable to fix it. In the past week, I have helped a friend trouble shoot a 91 extended cab that has a miss to it. He has well over 40 hours into it doing trouble shooting and asked for my assistance. He knows these trucks as well or better then I do. I have about 10 hours over a 3 day period on it as well and we can not get it figured out.

We have gone thru and tested everything on the Ignition side from coil, igniter, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, distributor. Checked all vacuum lines. Gone thru the entire Fuel side from a new fuel pump, cleaned and tested the injectors, fuel filter, AFM, crimps in harness, valves, timing, computer, and I know there are some other things I am missing. Compression is 175 or better on all 4 cylinders. New motor installed a year ago. We both also have known good parts for swapping out and testing to see if that part is actually at fault and have access to each others stash of parts if needed. This truck has gotten the best of the both of us. I can usually find the issue within 30 minutes when I got the truck in front of me. This one has us both beat.

On other things, I have been slowly trying to get my shop up to where I want it to be. I am going to start hitting all of Harbor Freights sales and getting the tools built up that I have been holding off on. Today HF had a sale and bought two angle cutters. One I will have a cutting blade on one and a grinding disk on the other. I dropped my last one and was always having to swap a cutting blade for the grinding disk. Been wanting a creeper for years and finally got one. I have 10 times the amount of tools my dad ever had and he got quite a bit done with what he had but some tools weren't around when he worked on trucks. But still having some tools do make working on things so much nicer.

 

It is probably going to be the first of next week before I get my 76 home. Always some kind of delay but will get it home eventually. grrr... It will start out slow anyways as I will be soaking bolts, cylinders, and gas tank before anything really starts happening.

Not what I wanted to come out in the shop and see this morning. I will deal with it later and see what is going on. My brother found a nice 94 pickup and wanted to know if he should get it. I talked him out of it as it would be me working on it and those would be emergency situations to get it back on the road. I know any 20-30 year old truck is loaded with problems and he would not want to spend the money and time to do it right. I really suggest if you want to get one of these trucks or even like my old Ford, it is best to tear one down and bring it back up. Not something he is not willing or able to do.


I have looked everywhere for gray carpet. I could of gotten it off of a carpet dealer but it is expensive and even they dont do an exact fit. Any replacement carpet will be about 2 inches all the way around. For the cab, I would only use an aftermarket replacement as it will have the contours formed into it. For the trunk, I suggest getting a piece for about $30. If they have a remanent piece, most shops will just give it to you. Finding and exact match is nearly impossible.


Here is a sample piece I took from the original carpet and sampled against the stores pieces. I probably went to 20 different stores trying to find samples from mom and pops to big box stores.


I cut wide from the old carpet and using it as a pattern. You can see the 50 different shades of gray that the old has faded from.


I cut the seat backing off and will use the original as padding and noise reduction.


Old floor piece installed with out seat part as the old carpet will and has shrunk alot.


Got old under the new and will save your knees when crawling around trimming.


Just have the new piece laying in. It is getting hot so have the ac cooling the shop and need go get some new razor knifes from Dollar General.

 

It may look several shades off from the original but there a so many shades of gray out there, this color was the closest that I could find. Once the back end is together, it is seperated from the seats and will not be noticeable. The tail gate and fender pieces will stand out and will see what I can do about blending them in a little better at a later time.

Here I am cutting the excess from the rear with the trim holding it down. Where my middle finger is, is where Toyota would have it cut to. I am allowing for it to shrink.


Here I am doing it a little different then Toyota did it. Toyota has the foot of the roll bar under the carpet. I am putting the roll bar on top of the carpet to help hold it and to try and give it a cleaner look from my trimming. I slid the edge of the carpet under the side panels to hide the edges.


Got most of the back end done. Still need to work on the front and work on getting the fender covers trimmed in. I am going to try and use some interior paint on the fender covers that I used on the side panels to blend it in a little better.


Here I have an excess piece for the tail gate. I will see what I can do to cover the tail gate. Not sure what and how I will do it.


The piece on the tailgate is from the same piece I am using on the trunk area. Not sure why the colors are so far off from what they actually are.

Been helping a friend on his truck and got a picture of the kick panel fuse cover for the 89-95. I will add this to my 88 Runner build for a future reference.

 

I got a steel guide timing chain kit on order and the runner has the saggy butt thing going on. I called a few salvage yards to see if they had any TJ Jeep front coil springs and none of them had any. I really did not want to have to pull some out of the bone yard anyways so checked ebay and found some there. One thing I like about ordering on line, just a push of a few buttons and the Santa in the brown suit starts showing up at the door with parts. Another thing I like about forums is you can see what others have used for the ZUK mod and save yourself a lot of guessing. I got the idea from rustED. I have used the Black Magic springs in the past but they make the rear sit high unless you have ball joint spacers. A good alternative but there are better springs out there and you dont have to cut the bump stops.

 

I was looking at another members thread and he is having issues with his windshield. Would like to see what others replacements and the kind of luck you guys may be having. Here is my SWAG, Scientific Wild Butt Guess. I am not sure what brand Toyota uses as all of mine have been replaced. I cant blame the wife for the cracked glass as it has all happened to me. I drive at night with little to no traffic and when on interstates, I do not tailgate. When on the interstate, if you watch traffic will be bunched up and then there will be a dead spot of no cars. I either get in front of the traffic or slow down and get in the dead spot where there is no cars. Not always possible but can be done in most cases.

I recently traded the Nissan off for a RAV4, it was her turn to pick out the next modern car, it came with a new PPG brand glass and it is the worse for getting cracks. I am getting a crack a month and figure I will be replacing it in 6 months or so.


My 01 Runner has a Crinamex and I have had this windshield for about 6 years now and still no cracks. It should have some as I know it has taken some hits. Never heard of the brand but has been a great one for me.


The 88 Runner has a SGC, another brand I have not heard of but has been a good one. Getting rained on at time of picture.

 

I still have the original windshield in my truck. It is a LAMISAFE windshield that has some pitting but no cracks after 30 years of use (but I only have about 80,000 miles on the truck).

 

Thanks old87yota...That is what I was hoping for. It might help others in determining a windshield to go with for their next replacement. I worked in a body shop for a time and we swapped out what I thought was a good windshield. After putting a new one in, I could see what a difference in appearance and visibility it made to the truck. I never paid attention to the brand until I got this PPG windshield. From my own experience, it is not from my driving that is causing this windshield to get chips and cracks. I am thinking it is a poor quality windshield. I tried to get a good picture of the pits in the paint or grill of one of my trucks and all of them looks like they have been driven thru a sand blaster. Just part of being a daily driver. Factory paint will hold up better then a re-paint and even those are pitted. Shows what the windshield is really going thru.