Many of you know, or know of, my 4Runner. I've had this rig for almost 5 years now.....and put about 1k miles on it in that time. it started life as an '87 turbo SR5 with an automatic, had a rough life, culminating in being run out of oil. 300 miles later....rod knock. Shortly after that, it came to be mine. it spent most of it's existence in Colorado, so it's very solid. DSCF0594 by Numbchux, on Flickr DSCF0686Medium by Numbchux, on Flickr I swapped in a high-mileage non-turbo 22RE from an '86 that I parted out. I was able to drive the truck some last summer, including a trip to the offroad park in Gilbert for the open house. then the head gasket blew. in the process of attempting to repair this issue, I realized that the head had been off before, and there were many poorly-repaired crossthreaded bolts, including one of the head bolts. I decided that motor wasn't worth repairing. It needed a lot of work, and would never provide the power needed to use the truck as a truck, and at freeway speeds....certainly not without a substantial investment. So I started pondering my options. I needed something common and cheap to repair. fairly cheap to obtain. I wanted to keep a 4-speed auto behind it. And availability of bolt-on motor mount adapters, as I do not have the skills or equipment to weld. And put out 175ish hp and at least that much torque. The answer was easy. Really only one option that fits all those criteria. I mentioned my thoughts to a co-worker over the winter. And it turned out he had exactly what I was looking for. So, when the snow melted.....for $40 delivered..... DSCF0883Medium by Numbchux, on Flickr a '92 S-10 blazer with 150k on it. under the hood: DSCF0887Medium by Numbchux, on Flickr an OBD1 CPI 4.3, rated at 190hp and 260lb/ft. with a 4L60 transmission ('92 was the only year with this combination with the non-electrical transmission). DSCF0894 by Numbchux, on Flickr DSCF0897 by Numbchux, on Flickr I did a lot of maintenance on the motor while it was out. Water pump, timing set, serpentine belt and idlers, alternator, and the plastic fuel lines that run from the edge of the intake manifold to the injector in the middle (these have a tendency to crack, which can lead to fuel in the oil.....which can lead to failed main/rod bearings). While I had this cool intake manifold off, I decided to pretty it up: DSCF0918 by Numbchux, on Flickr Advance Adapters adapter to mount a gear driven Toyota tcase (from the '86 parts rig) behind the GM 4L60. DSCF0925 by Numbchux, on Flickr This required installation of a new output shaft in the transmission. I paid a friend (Phil at SVS, Inc. here in Duluth) to perform that labor. At the same time, he replaced all seals, filter, and 1st gear clutches. AA motor mount adapters, bolted to 4crawler 2" mount spacers (to lift the engine/transmission up, to accompany the 2" 4Crawler body lift). The stock 4.3 motor mounts were too tall, and didn't line up well: DSCF0940 by Numbchux, on Flickr some mounts for a 327 solved that problem. and only about $15 shipped from rockauto. stock toyota tcase xmember: DSCF0928 by Numbchux, on Flickr the tcase hangs down far enough as it is, and then they mount it with a 3+" thick stamped sheetmetal crossmember. breakover clearance is greatly reduced. I've got a budbuilt crossmember that's 3/8" thick steel, with a 3/16" skidplate that bolts to it (that's right 9/16" of steel under my tcase). and molded to take advantage of the 2" body/drivetrain lift: DSCF1131 by Numbchux, on Flickr while I was at it, I bought Bud's rear shock mounting kit, to free up some more travel in the rear, and simplify a u-bolt flip: Motor and trans are installed, possibly (hopefully) for the last time: DSCF0934 by Numbchux, on Flickr Original plan was to finish the 4runner, and then take the XT6 off the road for awhile and do some much-needed maintenance on it. But, the 4runner project has taken too long, and the XT6 is falling apart. But soon, the 4Runner will live again, hopefully with some 33s under it too
Fantastic chux! The 4.3 is a fantastic motor, I had it in my full size chev, after chasing down a misfire associated with the dist, I never had another problem with it.
yet another Chuxfrankenwagin... Luv the old toyotas... if I had my way Id be driving a Landcruiser now
Nice work Matt. I wouldn't mind a similar Yota in my stable. I always loved the '86 pickup my cousin had.
TECHNICALLY, that 4L60 is a 700R4 if its not computer controlled. Same thing, I know, but just being a PITA. Would you mind keeping an eye out for another one of those? I need OD in my Camino. lol
TECHNICALLY, it's only a 700R4 if it's '91 or older. '92 they changed the designation to 4L60, and then '93 came the 4L60E. but yes, it's identical in every way other than the name.
Alright....update. I parted out the XT6, so this stayed on the back burner for awhile. And then winter happened..... But, I've been whiddling away at the project over the last couple months. Tcase shifter is on, and I've been working on the transmission shift linkage, and some wiring work. first step, was to add another notch onto the toyota shifter. The toyota setup was PRND2L, with a button for 3rd (O/D off). The 700R4 has PRND321, so in order to select first gear (which will be necessary for crawling), I needed one more notch. these are both "after" pictures, but I think you get the idea. I cut another notch in the guide, and clearanced the base. Had to clearance all the plastic trim to match. S7302793 by Numbchux, on Flickr S7302798 by Numbchux, on Flickr Bought a B&M Universal shifter cable, B&M trans temperature gauge, Summit Racing drain plug kit (the 700r4 doesn't have a plug, so this is just a bolt and pair of nylon washers that allow you to just drill a hole, and clamp it down. threads are the same as the temp gauge sender), 6-position fuse block, 5 little rocker switches (on-board air, radiator fan, and 3 sets of lights), and a bunch of adapters that attach to the stock steel fluid lines with compression fittings and adapt to a hose-barb. DSCF1194r by Numbchux, on Flickr compression fittings installed. long lines are transmission cooler, short individual lines are for the fuel lines on the engine, and the 2 on the flange are for the oil cooler DSCF1196r by Numbchux, on Flickr www.fittingsandadapters.com ftw. Great inventory, and great prices. Saved a fortune on these!! Also, since the tank is out, I'm working on moving it to the other side. Since I was planning on re-doing the mounts to lift it to match the body lift, it won't be hard just put them on the other side. Only things in the way on the other side would be exhaust (custom anyway...), and the shock (getting relocated anyway). Only extra work for this will be lengthening the level sender wires, and extending the filler pipe and vent (leaving the filler where it is....). This will allow me to put a mid-'90s Land Cruiser rear axle in it, hopefully next winter. There are a few of these on car-part.com complete for around $500. Which would mean 9.5" ring gear (should go well with my 7.5" front :ugh: ), full-floating hubs, disc brakes, drum-in-disc parking brakes, factory electronically selectable locker, and the same width as the long travel IFS. Challenge is the diff is 4" offset from center......but only problem there is the gas tank. Also, the FJ80s are linked and coil-sprung. So some bracketry would have to be cut off and spring perches welded on.....doable.
Skip the double washer drain plug set up. They leak every time you look at them crosseyed. Weld a bung in the pan. You will be happier in the long run.
going back for the other 2 tomorrow..... On the truck: DSCF1229 by Numbchux, on Flickr 35x12.5r15 Cooper Discoverer STTs, with wheels, almost brand-new. $650. Nice!
I need them on my LC.... one weekend I need to come up and go out on some tracks with you guys.. although my stock LC wont go as many places hahaha
May 21st. Open house at the Iron Range OHV Recreation area outside of gilbert, MN. We in the North-shore wheelers will be hosting a number of guided trail rides geared towards newcomers. An FJ-80 would do great, especially if it's got the factory lockers!
Clutch-type LSD from an '82 Supra. Drop-in for the front of the truck DSCF1274 by Numbchux, on Flickr doing some POR15 work on the rear wheel well rust. DSCF1281 by Numbchux, on Flickr DSCF1282 by Numbchux, on Flickr apparently Marine Clean takes year-old iron ore mud off with ease.... DSCF1284 by Numbchux, on Flickr DSCF1287 by Numbchux, on Flickr DSCF1290 by Numbchux, on Flickr Cut out a chunk from an old Thinkpad laptop case to cover the hole where the old tcase shifter was. Then I drilled 5 holes in it..... DSCF1295 by Numbchux, on Flickr Then I started the wiring...with 3 tabs per switch, there was a bit to do DSCF1303 by Numbchux, on Flickr I decided to integrate a number of circuits into a custom add-on harness so that I can continue to add to this setup without having a rats-nest of wiring. So I found a matched pair of plugs from an old subaru harness so I can unplug the shifter trim for future maintenance. Then 5 relays will mount behind/under the radio. DSCF1304 by Numbchux, on Flickr Then the wires go over towards the passenger side, where they will tap into a 6-position fuse box mounted to the body under the glovebox. And then the wires that go into the engine bay will tie into the Blazer engine harness for a nice, clean, OEM look. DSCF1298 by Numbchux, on Flickr the 6 circuits are: radiator fan (using a SPDT relay, using the "normal-on" side to reverse the polarity of the switch. So the light on the switch will be ON when the fan is OFF. I have also added a plug so I can add a temp switch in the upper radiator hose in the future for automatic control) On-Board Air (plan on using the blazer A/C compressor, also wired for a pressure switch) E-locker (using the Land-Cruiser control unit which is why there isn't a relay, and a covered toggle switch so it can't be accidentally switched) and 3 sets of lights (probably 1 on the front bumper, 1 on the roof, and rock lights)
No. I've been stalling on the ECU wiring until I had a plan for the auxiliary wiring....now that that's done, I'll probably wrap up the rest this week. And, I've been stalling on getting the gas tank/pump/lines mounted as I'd like to POR15 the frame while it's still accessible....but I'm really not looking forward to that project.
Long time without a major update. Lots of tinkering, lots of frustration. But, with winter coming, I needed an upgrade for the shelter over the truck. So...I got a nice roundtop canopy. It's got a much beefier frame, thicker tarp, and the tarp is only 3 pieces instead of the 5 of the last one. And I hung a couple shoplights in it. IMG_0950 by Numbchux, on Flickr IMG_0951 by Numbchux, on Flickr Earlier this week, I started cutting the stock 4-link bracketry off the FJ axle: IMG_0952 by Numbchux, on Flickr I was pretty sure that the distributor was not set right. So last night, I started searching for good information on how to get it set. Suddenly I realized that every diagram I found online showing the firing order and spark plug wires was a mirror image of the one in my Chevy FSM, which I used when I installed the plug wires long ago. So, this morning, I went out and pulled the plug wires off, and re-did them. Turned the key, and the fuel pump didn't kick on. After some messing around with it, I realized that the fuel in the tank had definitely gone bad. Just a reminder of how long I've been working on this, I've already put fresh gas in the tank once since I started this swap...... So, while it was draining out, I got out the cutting tools, and went to town on the hood: IMG_0953 by Numbchux, on Flickr IMG_0954 by Numbchux, on Flickr Then I got a temporary fuel system setup so I could get some fresh gas to the motor: IMG_0945 by Numbchux, on Flickr And...... Just open headers, no radiator hoses, ignition coil power wire just wedged in the positive battery terminal, etc. etc. But, there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
I have 1 question... why do you even have a lawnmower?? hahaha but seriously... I wanna come up sometime and test out the landcruisers abilities in stock form... wont be anywhere near that thing but they are pretty good from factory... tired of hwy driving
lol. Hey, I have a little lawn to mow. Yea, come on up. If your cruiser has the factory lockers, It'll be extremely capable. little work with a sawzall and drill, and a piece of angle-steel, and I made a holder to use the toyota throttle cable: IMG_0967 by Numbchux, on Flickr IMG_0968 by Numbchux, on Flickr
nice... it has the center and rear lockers... no front.. its the reason I went with the 98 as most come factory with it... but Igot ****ty all seasons... is it Ogilvie? or Quad Cities where you go?? We go to Biwabik every Christmas for 3-4 days, but Im sure in the snow I dont wanna play unless they are open hahaha Is there anywhere else in MN not so far?? If I was planning a trip up.. what would be the best planning... I have minimum spares hahahah... I dont wanna break anything but I'd like to test her out... I need to build sliders and eventually bumpers... and also 33's hahahah... my truck needs redemption since I got stuck in my driveway playing around last winter hahahhaa . PS- love teh build.... A buddy had one of those back in Oz that we worked pretty good... I used to have a Diahatsu Rocky diesel.. thing was a beast.. ilooked hard for one over here but they are hard to find
Huh? I'm pretty sure 2 lockers was not an option, it was 1 (center) or all 3. I could be wrong, but I did a LOT of research on them before I bought the rear axle out of one for the locker (my donor was a '95). Quad-cities. The OHV park is in Gilbert, to be exact. The only time they are not open is during deer season, lots of snow-wheeling. Although I wouldn't recommend making that your first trip. You'd want to go with someone who knows the park very well. There is an open-house on the 3rd Saturday in May every year. You can get in for free (assuming you pass the exhaust noise test....I think it's 99db at 2k rpm). And the North Shore Wheelers almost always have some guided trail rides geared for beginners. I led that group 2 years ago, and plan to again this coming year. It's mostly rocks, so you don't need fancy mud tires, just make sure you air down to ~10-15psi so your tires can flex over the rocks. Otherwise there's a pretty good chance you'll blow a tire. In that rig, you shouldn't need spares unless you're pretty stupid with the skinny pedal. Only thing you'll need to worry about is body damage. And a good guide/spotter should be able to prevent almost any of that. Not really anywhere else to go in MN. Some minimum maintenance and forest roads here and there. And there's some sort of park down in Southwest MN, but I've heard it's not challenging....at all.
Nope.. you get a center and a rear... fronts werent an option in the US anyways... (maybe pre 98 the options were all 3) http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20111106101001AAuFmWv Quotes from IH8MUD No front locker ever. 2000+ gets ATRAC and VSC, better is your opinion. The 98 and 99 had a factory optional rear locker only. Gear radio's in the dif also changed. For daily driving, family camping, ect, 2000+ is arguable better. For "hardcore" wheeling 98,99's are a good choice. It's easy to add an ARB air locker to a 2000+. Impossible to add Atrac and vsc to an older one. Also the front dif is arguably stronger in 2000+ If your asking what to buy. I'd suggest anything up to and including 2003. Embrace the new technology. Atrac works amazingly well. Yeah Ive been searching even for trails... but I guess they are all up North (only any sort of mountains)... I am for even Fire trails type, just to get off pavement and see different things... I think a Black Hills trip will happen next year or 2 to do some Forest Trails etc...
Oh yea, '98 would be an FJ-100, it was the FJ-80s that had the high-pinion front locker. The -100 also means you have independent front suspension....in which case, it'll be a bit less tough, but you should still be very capable without worrying about breaking stuff as long as you don't use too much momentum. I've looked into the Black Hills too. I've heard it's a good idea to stick with a local, as it's pretty easy to get in over your head. I found some very promising trail maps, though.
Chux, I love your build threads. Its like reading a good book and every now and than a new chapter is released...with pictures!
yep IFS... and no turbo diesel hahahah boooo Still very capable but not as intense for sure.... I am currently researching 4WD rental ( http://www.4wdrentals.com.au/our-vehicles.html )for our trip back to Australia in 2yrs... http://g.co/maps/9grdq This is kind of the route we may take... Mt Isa - http://www.virtualtourist.com/trave.../Mount_Isa-1872478/TravelGuide-Mount_Isa.html Fraser Island - http://www.fraserisland4wd.com.au/ So should be fun but to tie me over and numb my offroad longing I need some fix now and soon hahaha
Long overdue update....progress has been slow. Too many projects. So I'll just dump some pictures here '82 Supra LSD in the front of the 4Runner: IMG_0979 by Numbchux, on Flickr Radiator hoses, intake, and "vortec" on the manifold: IMG_0989 by Numbchux, on Flickr BTW....this is not enough clearance for a radiator fan. Glad I use zipties to a separate bracket. They broke, and did zero damage to anything else: IMG_0987 by Numbchux, on Flickr New Wheels, narrower, and with more backspacing: IMG_20120130_150433 by Numbchux, on Flickr Custom power steering line, chevy fitting on the pump side, toyota on the steering box side IMG_20120427_111029 by Numbchux, on Flickr and installed: IMG_20120427_121708 by Numbchux, on Flickr Adjustable brake proportioning valve installed: IMG_20120427_212025 by Numbchux, on Flickr Hood cowl arrived today. Test-fit: IMG_20120507_095149 by Numbchux, on Flickr
ummm....no. Cowl, and possibly center section of the hood, will be black And cut.... IMG_20120510_220420 by Numbchux, on Flickr IMG_20120510_220435 by Numbchux, on Flickr Exhaust Y-pipe mockup: IMG_20120510_184736 by Numbchux, on Flickr
Yea you know me, dirt from sitting for years doesn't count as getting your vehicle dirty. It needs a proper mud bath.
soooo is this thing ready to rock yet? looks way better then the last time I saw it. I am trying to plan for gilbert in early june...with my new ish ride...
Very close. Hoping to test drive it in the alley here this week (maybe even today). Open house is this Saturday, but some jerk I know is getting married New ride, eh? Do tell....Might be there on June 1st with some friends, otherwise I'm game for a day trip as long as my schedule allows
Well keep me posted, I'm not going to the open house, so I'd like to get up there the last weekend in May or first weekend in june.
Fuel line cracked while mocking up tank mounts... IMG_20120517_143128 by Numbchux, on Flickr Compression fitting, bulkhead fitting, right angle, and hose barb..... IMG_20130430_192647 by Numbchux, on Flickr Since I had it apart, I mounted my new fuel pump down in the tank in place of the old one. Old "Genuine Steel" rear bumper: IMG_20120530_205428 by Numbchux, on Flickr New 4xInnovations one. Designed for a 2" Body Lift, with VERY beefy tow points which are solid mounted to the frame without relying on welds at all, and a class 2 rated 2" receiver hitch. IMG_20120530_214221 by Numbchux, on Flickr And with some POR15 IMG_20120601_151407 by Numbchux, on Flickr Some rattlecan paint to come later, this combination will prevent rust, and be easy to effectively touch up. Also did a test-fit today. If I adjust my radiator fan mounts, and lower the fan to the bottom of the rad, it will give a lot more clearance from the water pump.
