RunnerUp 97 4Runner Teardown/Buildup

[RunnerUp]

Hey guys, picked this 97 2wd V6 4Runner over the weekend for a decent price, first job is tear down, second job is to build up.

My plans for this truck arent set yet

First step is cut away the destroyed sheet metal and sell the parts I dont need
Second step is get the motor running

After that Im not sure what I need to do and I dont really want to think abt it until it runs. Anyways onto the pics!

What she looked like before the tear down

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner002.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner004.jpg

Tear down begins!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner006.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner009.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner010.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner011.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner018.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner019.jpg

[RunnerUp]

Getting it into the back yard where it will sit until it rolls again, unfortunately the yard was just resodded last week... TREAD LIGHTLY!!!


HAHA just saw that my beligerant buddy was waving to me while he was being useless, thats the face of an idiot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner034.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner035.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner036.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner037.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v723/runnerup/97%204Runner/974runner039.jpg

[RunnerUp]

To explain the spray painting... my buddy got wasted while we were wrenching and decided it would be fun to spray paint the panels/glass that was worthless....

As far as the parts for sale... the roofrack, tail lights, running boards, passenger side lighting, tow hitch and sunroof and rear window deflectors are for sale. the rear differential is also going to be for sale when i get a new rear axle for it and I believe it has 4.30 gears. PM me your offers, random parts are also going to be sold so if you need something and its not in the previous list just shoot me a PM and ask.

[neliconcept]

you going to be using inchworms adapters for 4wd or 4wd tranny? i may need the output shaft on the tranny but not totally sure yet.

nice find

[RunnerUp]

I havent decided if I am going to be going 5 speed swap or using the adapter yet. Like I said 1st priority is to get the truck running. Right now I dont want to sell off any of the running gear until I decide what to do with it + I want to prob. keep the tranny until mine kicks the bucket as it is MUCH cheaper than a rebuilt tranny would be.

Thanks, it was a real good find, the interior is REAL clean and I plan on swapping some of it to my 02 one day soon.

[neliconcept]

is it leather or cloth? im having my entire interior redone with an off white alacantra and black panels.

[RunnerUp]

its leather, and REALLY clean leather. my side bolsters on my leather seats are all but totally gone so that is one of the main reasons i picked it up. now i am trying to accumlate parts as cheap and as easily as possible, it looks like for right now i am going to have to fix the IFS so i can move the truck around without having that drivers front tire have a mind of its own. luckily i think all it needs is a tie rod end LCA and maybe a rack and pinion, all easily found at a junkyard.

as for the motor its going to need a radiator, battery and alternator as far as i can tell. perhaps a new main fuse box but until i get more sheet metal removed im not going to be able to see what else needs to be replaced. the block doesnt look punctured at all and its still holding oil. the timing belt was solid and recently replaced so the belts (except the alternator belt) are probably all good to go.

hopefully in the next two to three weeks i can get it rolling and running.

now i am reexaming what i want/need to do with it and a long travel suspension has come up in conversation a couple of times, so i need to rethink it all out. luckily i have a while until it HAS to be moved so i can take my time with that decision.

[RunnerUp]

oh, and i also am going to have to come up with plans to do some tube work for the front end as i really have no desire to replace the front clip (if you couldnt tell that is) so if anyone has any suggestions im all ears!

[Seanz0rz]

check out lance's rebuild of the chaos edition. some good tube work there.

[RunnerUp]

thanks will do that!

[RunnerUp]

damn! thats some SWEET tube work on chaos 2.0!!!! that is actually EXACTLY what i was thinking of doing if i didnt go SA with it, so now i just have to get it running and rolling with stock parts (they are DIRT cheap at junkyards) and then figure out what i want/need to do with it.

[Good Times]

Don't forget that you'll want a main tube frame for the front that will hold the radiator and other junk up front. the subframe will tie into your cabin/fenders/hood/lights.

The reason why you'll need a subframe is because the cabin will flex and you want to make sure the fenders/hood/lights all flex together (otherwise it'll really do a number!). Make sure to reuse that front body mount to tie together the subframe to the main tube frame. Check out what I did and you can do something similar depending on how you set it up. Subframe tubing can be really thin (I used 3/4" - forget what the thickness was but it was thin).

Take measurements 10 times and then cut the tubes cuz you really have to tie the hood/fender/lights all together which is a pain in the rear.

[RunnerUp]

ok, so im trying to think about this and im getting no where, i need a solid frame tied to the real frame for stuff like radiators and ac condensrs and then i need a subframe for the panels and lights... do i have that right so far?

if i do, how do i tie the two together in a way for it to work?

or do i just get new front body mounts for it and put the subframe on that?

[Good Times]

ok, so im trying to think about this and im getting no where, i need a solid frame tied to the real frame for stuff like radiators and ac condensrs and then i need a subframe for the panels and lights... do i have that right so far?

Yup. Subframe will be stuff like fenders/hood/lights. I put everything that goes in the engine tied to the tubing on the frame. (ie relay/fuse box/batteries/power steering reservoir)



if i do, how do i tie the two together in a way for it to work?

or do i just get new front body mounts for it and put the subframe on that?


Use your crappy existing front body mounts. From your orig pic it looks to be jacked up but it will work. I don't have a good pic but try this one.

http://www.chaosedition.com/photogallery/thumbnail.aspx?ForceAspect=False&Width=600&Height=600&image=images%2FMisc%2FOperation+Rebuild+Chaos+Edit ion%2FDSC_4783.jpg

Basically I put the body mount right below my top thin tubing that runs parallel with your hood. Then I added an angled tubing that is attached below the body mount up to the corner of the bend at the top tubing by the end of the headlamp. And then I did another similar triangulation by the body at the cabin side. Like this image below:

http://www.chaosedition.com/photogallery/thumbnail.aspx?ForceAspect=False&Width=600&Height=600&image=images%2FMisc%2FOperation+Rebuild+Chaos+Edit ion%2FDSC_4793.jpg

Hope that helps.

The hardest part was getting this simple bend to follow the hood and my imaginary front tubing for my radiator. Don't forget that the hood has to be at the right angle cuz if not the fender won't come out right. What I did was fit the fender on the side and then matched the hood to the fenders. Once I knew where the hood was going to sit I built the front tubing for the radiator. After that I began building the small tubing for fenders/lights. Mounting fenders were easy as I just used the quick tabs that the desert racers use to pop fenders on/off.

Hope this helps. Mossy is doing something similar so that should also help too!

[RunnerUp]

okay so today i spent the greater half the afternoon in 100 degree heat scouring my local junkyard and just happened upon another 97 runner that had rolled... so i grabbed the alternator and driver side LCA and UCA, gonna check out my runner tomorrow and see if it needs both or just the LCA and then return what i dont need. so then all i will need will be a radiator and ac condensor, battery and power steering rack with drivers side outer tie rod. and then it will be rolling and running! i am holding out hope that the fuse box wasnt trashed in the wreck because that would just be a huge PITA.

so hopefully by the end of next week i can have this thing moving around so i can start on the tube work for the front end.

i have all but decided on going long travel instead of SA so im going to start researching on the side about that (though that part is still perhaps up to a year away unless i can find the parts for the TC kit used for cheap (dunno how likely that is though)

[RunnerUp]

IT CRANKED!!! just took my second battery out of my 02 and hooked it up to the 97 and it cranked up immediately. i think it has water in the gas tank though because it shuts off immediately after it turns over (unless that has something to do with running no radiator...

once i get the LCA and steering rack fixed i plan on changing all the fluids and then taking it for a test drive around the block.

[RunnerUp]

okay good times, i was looking at your pics for the frame/subframe and had a question. do i have to get the physical rubber body mount in order to have my subframe (lights fenders hood)move with the rest of the body?

as in weld the support from the remaining body to the rubber body mount? and then weld an actual frame for radiator/other stuff support? i cant really tell from the pics, or atleast am having a hard time visualizing.

if all goes as planned i will have it running and driving by the end of next week, and then i should be able to start getting sheet metal back on her in the 3 to 4 weeks.

after that, i get to start saving up the cash for the long travel!

[Lee]

(unless that has something to do with running no radiator...

nope.. it should run fine without one till it gets hot.

[RunnerUp]

okay cool, then that means ive either got a vacuum leak somewhere or water in the gas... ill worry about that after i get the suspension fixed this weekend.

[Good Times]

okay good times, i was looking at your pics for the frame/subframe and had a question. do i have to get the physical rubber body mount in order to have my subframe (lights fenders hood)move with the rest of the body?

Yup. I used my front body mount that was on the frame and moved it up right behind/under the headlamps and attached it to my tubing part of my frame (the radiator tubing).

I'll see if I can get some photos for you this weekend since I'll be working on it.

[RunnerUp]

okay lance, now did you use the ACTUAL (rubber) body mounts for that or did you just weld tube straight to the metal framing for the body mount and then the body?

[Good Times]

Kyle,

Didn't get a chance to take photos of the mount. I will try to do this for ya cuz it'll make sense.

Basically I cut the front body mount (located on the frame) and welded it to my tubing where my radiator is attached. This tubing is directly welded to the frame (btw). I then used the rubber bushings (stock) and attached it to the metal body mount newly welded on the radiator tubing/frame. This was welded near the top of the radiator tubing just below where my headlamps are located.

I then ran my body/cabin tubing to the body mount and made an attachment to use the stock bushings. Takes a bit of creativity but hope this helps until I get ya some pics that helps :)

[RunnerUp]

thanks, i can visualize the whole set up a lot better now. i didnt get a chance to work on this one this weekend because i was doing the tundra brake swap on my 02 and nothing seemed to work right for me.

[Mossyrocks]

Sorry I havent had time to reply to your pm, been real busy.

I went a totally different route than your going so Im not sure how much help I would be. I think Good Times has it covered pretty well though. I ended up just running the one tube from the firewall to the front clip to get rid of the inner fender. Im gonna save tubing the radiator and headlight support for another time.

And this way Ill get to be askin yall all kinds of questions.... lol

[RunnerUp]

yeah after i reviewed that one pic showing your tube support for the fender i figured that you had done that, however, i still did get a really good visualization of how to attach the fender and various electronics to that tube from your picture.

hopefully this tropical storm will be totally gone by tomorrow so i can install the lower ball joint and PS rack so i can move it to an easier place to work on it. i hope to start getting the drawings of the tubing project done by the end of the week, and then start bending it hopefully next week and then start welding the following week so lance and mossy feel free to post pics/ideas or anything else that would be helpful as this is my first time doing an entire vehicle build and its kind of overwhelming at times!

thanks guys for helping out in whatever ways you can!