feel like i've been here before!


ah, i guess i have been!








swapping back to the "road" tires...

 

with the road tires and wheels back on, time to venture further north than last year.


approaching the mackinac bridge




on the mac


it's a long bridge across the strait


heading north to see superior


first time ever seeing superior!






a lot like the ocean as far as wave action and dunes






lighthouse barely visible just right of center

 

crowded at the lighthouse/museum (whitefish point) - lot's of tourists (like me). it was lunchtime, but i wasn't interested in crowds.

headed south from the point, and saw a promising two-track on the west (right) not too far along - so decided to give it a try.



















so far, so good. just what i was looking for. no crowd, and a bit of wheeling in the UP to boot!

 

it got better! trail pops out right on the northern shore! a beach to myself, nobody in sight. perfect lunch spot, and i got to wheel to get there. made a good day into a great day.

 

Looks like tons of fun Wally!

 

Those Grabber Generals???
Seem to perform well on the sand and the highway apparently.

 

i've been happy with them. these are the grabber AT2 version. they do ride nicely on the highway, and decent for mild wheeling.

i just bought a set of bfg mud terrains in 33x9.5/15 that i put on 4runner #1. a tight fit, but no rubbing after a bit of wheeling. they fit completely within the fenders, unlike the 32x11.5/15 set, so i'm liking that.

 

Hi Wally, I mentioned to you a few months ago that I have a 84 4runner that i bought a year ago. It is all original with 132K miles and 1 owner. A few days ago I trailered the runner to a friend who works on old toyota trucks and runners....he actually makes his own metal racks for runners that he sells all over.

Anyway, my question is that i would like some guidance from you, if you're open to it, in how to proceed with getting this runner back on the road. What parts to buy, tires and wheels, good suppliers of toyota parts etc. My plan is to keep it mostly factory and stock but I know many parts will need to be replaced as it has been sitting since 2006. My mechanic will only use toyota parts whenever possible as he thinks that they are the best.

if this is something I can send you info and pics of and get your opinion on, that is what I am looking for. Be happy to send you some dollars for your time or starbucks gift cards or walmart gift cards etc I would be happy to compensate you for you time. Joking about the Walmart gift cards but maybe you have a Buc-ee's close by, I love that place.

Just reaching out to you because I have followed your comments for years on BAT and I am impressed with your knowledge about older runners and trucks. in the end I don't want to have to re-do something that I spent good money on during this process and your input would help in this regard.

If your agreeable, let me know how best for us to communicate etc and maybe I need to start a thread on a 4runner site?

Thanks for your time, Mike
email is : fpdmcshane@sbcglobal.net

Sacramento, California

 

no compensation needed. i would also encourage you to check out 4runnerleon's and melrose 4r's build threads as "current" active threads with good information about toyota parts and the repairs to them. i would echo your thoughts on creating a build thread for your 4runner as a way to chronicle and catalogue the progress, and setbacks, as you go. do it here at yotatech. i'd avoid facebook for advice about a lot, as there are so many incorrect statements floated as facts by so many posters in the various toyota/1st gen related groups; fine for general browsing/information, but hard to tell what is true vs opinion in a lot of cases.

i use a variety of sources for oem parts, including my local toyota dealership (grappone). mcgeorge toyota, yotashop, 22re performance, toyota overstocks, lakeland toyota are just some of the places i've purchased parts for my 2 '87s. in general, if you can't source an oem component, look for non-oem stuff manufactued by aisin, yazaki, and sumitomo as just as good (and they were/are oem suppliers for toyota).

 

Thanks for the quick reply to my request. I have started a new build thread on this site and have attached a link below.

I will check out the 2 threads you referenced above to gain some knowledge about these trucks.

Thanks for the info about facebook, i already found that out regarding datsun Z cars with which I am very knowledgable about.

Thanks too for the OEM parts source, it will be interesting see if my local Toyota dealership parts department has any parts I need. At least the parts guys will have a smile on their face when I come in looking for 84 4Runner parts.

Regards, Mike

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f198.../#post52489955

 

installed a set of spiker engineering hood struts. got these from @4Runner4Leon who owns spiker. they work excellent, and install quickly using a 10mm, and an allen key. opens the hood just a bit higher than using the hood prop, plus there's no hood prop in the way to bump into.

i'll update with any further thoughts after i've used them for a while. edit: these work fine with aftermarket fenders (which is what i have on #1). hood is original.

 

a few months ago, i finally got around to installing some oem anti-rattle tailgate strap clips that i've had in the parts bin since 2015 or so. of course, i put them on #2, which i purchased in 2018 (it's the nicer of the two i have on the road). pretty simple removal of the old broken clips and install of the new ones. after two months of driving, i can't honestly say i can hear any difference.

 

also had to replace the alternator in #1 last month. got a denso-rebuilt from o'reilly's with a lifetime waranty. we'll see how that goes. install was pretty straightforward, although i thought i remembered doing this in the past without having to pull the distributor and removing the power steering pump from its bracket. anyway, complete job took about 45 minutes, no issues at all encountered (and installed new alt belt). good-bye, charge/brake light!



shiny compared to the original


the pump doesn't need to be disconnected from any hoses, just removed from the mounting bracket. with it and the distributor pulled, the alternator can be removed from the topside, rather than pulling the lower radiator hose (and draining coolant). i find this method preferable, anyway.






ready for the distributor to be reinstalled

 

Nice!

 

Yup, it's a tradeoff - remove it from the bottom, which requires removing the coolant hose/pipe (the FSM way), or from the top, which requires moving the PS pump. I removed mine form the bottom because I was going to drain the coolant anyway, but otherwise your approach may make more sense.

 

a few job site shots from the last few months....

 

got around to replacing the hvac panel on #2. still available from toyota (although i got these through yotashop along with the idle adjustment O-rings). they are exact fit, and come adhesive-backed, but they aren't the same single color as the originals. still, nice to have an unbroken panel where the settings are visible.



oem panel from #2



oem panel from #1



close-up of the settings - note the "pip" for the heat/defrost blend



part number



note the tri-colors (vs the oem single color) and the addition of the "a/c", and the "heat/defrost" blend setting

 

Looks good wally! I did this on mine, very satisfying (and cheap) .

 

leon - were you able to source a single-color panel, or was it tri-color?

i should add that in replacing the plate, the best way is to pull the entire trim piece, which includes the clock surround. then, the old adhesive can be scraped off and the mounting area for the new panel cleaned, dried, and the new panel attached. much easier than contorting and fiddling while the panel is installed in the dash. takes all of about 8 seconds to pull the entire panel. using plastic trim removal tools, pry from the far right gently (glove box side), and the panel will release from the tab, and then work towards the left, and each small tab will release without breaking.

 

Wally, I also got the tri-color one. I didn't have an original to compare to, since the PO put in a tri-color one from a different year, so I don't know if the original for an '87 was single color - sounds like it might have been.

Like you, I pulled the whole trim piece off (1 min), then spent half an hour or more chipping off the old plate and glue remnants . Here's my post on that:

New label:



Comparison:



The old label was very brittle, and broke up into many pieces:




After cleaning off all the residue, it was time to install the new one. To answer my earlier question, the label has pre-applied double sided tape, so it's easy peasy:





Back to OEM look: