yotarob2005

I did A hot shot starter mod last week to cure an intermittent starting problem. I was going to buy the painless wiring kit, but I realized it was just a relay & some wire for $30. Everyone with an older Yota should do this mod, cost me $12, took me about 30 minutes to do & made a huge difference. The starter spins much faster now. The original design of the system is the cause, no starter relay means that the ignition switch carries the full load of voltage & over time builds resistance. I knew this was my problem because I had 12.4 volts at the battery, but only 11.2 at the starter signal wire when cranking. According to Marlin Crawler, anything over .5 volts drop is unacceptable.

I used a 40 amp 4 pin relay & 10 gauge wire with weatherproof female spade connectors for the mod. Wiring for the relay is terminal 30 to battery for full time hot, I chose to use an eye-let connector & bolt mine to the battery cable terminal on the starter. Terminal #85 on the relay goes to ground. #86 your original starter signal wire & #87 on the relay goes to the starter where the original signal wire was.

Relay ready to go


I mounted my relay on the passenger side fender well & grounded it throough the mounting hole.

yotarob2005

I picked up this set of rear Bilstien's 5100's on the cheap. They where only used for 2 months on a 98 4x4 Taco. They are direct bolt on, only 3" longer & 3" more travel.

yotarob2005

Also picked up a cheap set of fog lights from the parts store for $15 and mounted them under the front of the truck as rock lights for night wheeling. 1 of my head lights was out so I replaced them both.

yotarob2005

Thanks Mark, I'll let you know after I have searched my area over.

xxxtreme22r

My 87 Pickup has a starter relay on the passenger side fender. A crappy one though. Why not use a ford starter relay instead of a 30 amp relay. Cost?

yotarob2005

According to Marlin's site, they started putting starter relay's on in 86, some 86's have them, mine did not. Cost was not so much the reason for using a standard 40 amp, I was just trying to copy the Painless Wiring "Hot Shot Starter relay kit". I guess the mid 80's F-150's did use a firewall mounted starter relay that I could have used instead, it just never crossed my mind untill you mentioned it.

92 TOY

Rob.....i don't know how i missed the pics of the damage, but i did. i saw mention of it on another posting of yours and searched your thread to see what that was making mention of.

my goodness i am sooooooo sorry to see that damage (i found the posting) especially after knowing the amount of time and effort you have put into your truck. i am sure that hurt much more than just your vehicle. just yesterday i saw the pic of your hidden lights and thought that the pics looked so menacingly cool that it was poster-worthy.

good luck with everything. i wish i had more than just well wishes for ya, but i don't. i imagine the tailgate is a total loss but what about that panel and otherwise?

once again best wishes on a speedy recovery for the 4runner.

yotarob2005

Thanks for the well wishes Jerry. Yes, I am still a little po'ed about the damage but staying positive about it. I am glad to hear that you understand that it hurts on a deeper level than just body damage. I do at least now have a plan on how to fix it. The tail gate is going in the trash & I found a guy has a 4runner graveyard. He said I could come out & cut off the sheet metal that I need. He also has tail gates & tail lights for sale. Only problem is that it is a 3-1/2 hours drive to the north east side of Dallas to get it. I can't make the trip this weekend but next Saturday I am going down there to get the parts & start welding my baby back together. I don't really have any body work experience, but I suppose there is no better time to learn right?

92 TOY

you are welcome bud.

what was the deal anyway.....you lost your brakes???

and i do definitely understand....when i did my engine, and believe me, i am still in amazement........ i said, well that was fun and i don't ever want to do it again.

so yeah,even though you we off-roading and stuff happens, that's little consolation as to the amount of work you have done and the amount ahead of you. one of the reasons why i pulled the plug early on our little off-roading trip was fear of killing my truck.

so again, happy hunting (for parts) and likewise i will keep my eyes wide open for parts on ebay and craigslist

yotarob2005

While I have replaced most of my brake parts (master cylinder, pads, rotors rebuilt calipers, rear shoes & wheel cylinders) I have found that when running oversized tires in extreme situations that the stock brakes are just not up to par. I will do a brake UPGRADE before the next wheeling trip. I found a kit to mount a GM 1ton master cylinder, gonna start with that

http://www.rockstomper.com/catalog/b...mtoymaster.htm

92 TOY

cool....not something i have to worry about, since the biggest i will ever go is 33's. i have dreams of 33-10.5-15's someday on it

xxxtreme22r

keep in mind with that upgrade of the MC, do you already have the dual diaphram booster? I "upgraded" to a new not rebuilt 1" t-100 master (not aisin) on mine and pedal was real squishy. I pulled a dual dia. booster out of a v6 from the junk yard and all was better. Still using the 4cyl rotors and calipers though.

yotarob2005

Thanks, I have done a ton of reading & I think that I will go with the same set up. T-100 or first gen taco dual diaphram booster & master cylinder with my 4cyl rotors & calipers for now. Maybe V-6 rotors & calipers in the future.

yotarob2005

I got some work done on my Heim joint / Tie rod end conversion. I didn't have any steel tubing laying around, so I ended up using some solid 4140 & just drilling & tapping the 3/4-16 right & left hand threads. (major overkill) Also made some stainless steel tapered bushings to adapt the heims to the knuckle & drag link. The bushings are 5/8" OD to fit nicely inside the heim's misalignment spacers & 1/2" ID to clear my bolt. I still don't have them on the truck, but here are some pics of the progress.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

That is straight up SEXY! lol..... Looking good, Rob!

yotarob2005

Thanks Mark, I have alot of work tied up in them. Need to test fit them & be sure i have enough clerance between the drag ling & frame. If not then they will need some more modifications.

Mauzer

What up! Nice work on the tie rods, I hope to see your rig in person and do some wheeling sometime soon. GL on the tailgate repair bud

yotarob2005

lol, Right on Mauzer, I'm sure it won't be long before we meet up & do some wheeling. As far as tailgate repair goes, it is going to be more like tail gate replacement. The rear quarter is what I am worried about.

Mauzer

I road trip a lot to College Station (gf's sister is in vet school) so if you ever need a hand I'd be more than happy to lend it if I'm in your neck of the woods.

yotarob2005

Cool man, just shoot me a pm next time you are heading this way & I'll let you know what I am up to. Constantly working on this thing. If nothing else maybe we could just meet up & have a beer?