1989 First Gen 4Runner

[G-Cat]

My first vehicle was a 1985 Toyota 4x4 truck. Living in Colorado Springs, I had a common configuration:

White, Vinyl Bench Seat, 22R/5-Speed, AM/FM Radio

No A/C, no P/S, no clock, no lighter, no P/S door mirror.

I sold that truck in College in 1991.

In 2000, I bought a 1986 replica of the 1985 (but with IFS) from a friend that had owned it since high school.

I daily drove this truck for a year in brutal Dallas, TX with no A/C. I then retired it to my sister’s barn in KS for 14 years.

In 2015 I brought it to Georgia. I thought it would be a great character builder for my kids to have as a first vehicle: standard transmission, no A/C, not much room for friends.

Every time I drove it I was transported back to high school. My schedule and patience level did not lend to teaching my kids to drive a stick...that will have to happen in the 77 FJ-40.

The lack of A/C was the real killer. Texas then Georgia...horrible.

I found a 1989 SR5 4Runner for sale. After a few emails, I traded my 1986 truck with 135K miles and a few hundred dollars for this black First Gen, 4x4 with a 3.0 V6 (boo), automatic tranny (boo) and a working A/C system. (Yay)

 

[G-Cat]

The 4Runner had a partially desmogged V6, a straight pipe filling-in for a stolen cat, filthy carpet and aweful wheels...here are the Craigslist photos:

 

[G-Cat]

It had had a fender bender on the P/S rear, sported 1.5” spacers all around and was missing a front bumper corner, rear bumper, and had cracked rear light covers.

 

[G-Cat]

ODO showed 174K miles though PO had put in a newer, lower mileage transmission.

The interior was dirty but mostly in-tact

Those wheels

Not a fan of the K&N, but not mad enough to remove/replace

 

[G-Cat]

Part of the trade involved the P/O keeping the wheels, tires and spacers and I keep the FJ-40 wheels, hubcaps and new 31x10.50 Coopers from my truck:

 

[G-Cat]

 

[G-Cat]

Added a new front bumper corner, new rear lenses, a bent (P/O included) rear bumper and a new Softtopper with tinted windows:

 

[G-Cat]

I pulled the seats and console to get them clean. I also pulled the carpet and took it to a car wash where I spent $10 in quarters removing 30 years of red clay, dirt, grease etc.

 

[BlueCruiser84]

What’s the build date on that? I have an ‘89 (per the VIN) built in 10/88 and it has a different interior.

 

[G-Cat]

12/88 Build Date

 

[yotadude520]

Wow! Looks like a really clean 4Runner!

Any plans for a 5 speed 3.4l swap down the road?

Is that your sammy in the background?

 

[G-Cat]

Thanks!

The 4Runner is at the bottom of my vehicle depth chart. My 14 year old will drive it in high school...but he won’t be getting a 3.4. It’s fully desmogged which I’ll post about later, and is great for a high school ride with the 3.0.

Samurai is from the PO’s Craigslist ad.

 

[gnob]

Mine is also 10/88 but same interior. Do you have crank windows?

What’s the build date on that? I have an ‘89 (per the VIN) built in 10/88 and it has a different interior.

This is a nice rig. really like the oe hubcaps

 

[joseywales]

Part of the trade involved the P/O keeping the wheels, tires and spacers and I keep the FJ-40 wheels, hubcaps and new 31x10.50 Coopers from my truck:View attachment 1872189

Thank god! I was going to have trouble sleeping tonight thinking about those HIDEOUS wheels on that thing!
I actually like the 3.0 auto in my ‘89, but I’m beginning to think I might be strange...

Mine is a 01/01/89 build and other than crank window doors, it’s the identical interior.

 

[BlueCruiser84]

Mine is also 10/88 but same interior. Do you have crank windows?

Yes I do have crank windows with the flip-out glass triangle. Guess that’s the difference.

 

[G-Cat]

I wish I had crank windows and the flip-out triangle glass...and a center console with an in-tact lid and no rear heater...

 

[BlueCruiser84]

I wish I had crank windows and the flip-out triangle glass...and a center console with an in-tact lid and no rear heater...

My lid is gone too! Someone with a 3D printer needs to crank these suckers out.

 

[G-Cat]

EGR delete, air rail gone...

 

[G-Cat]

Ordered an LED for the dome light...

Had some PFRAN LEDs left over from the 99 100 Series and the 98 3rd Gen, so added them to the map lights...

 

[G-Cat]

Went ahead and put some PFRAN spares in these worthless courtesy lights...mostly because I like everything to work and I don’t want a drained battery due to an open door.

Added a new HVAC faceplate. The correct SR5 piece didn’t have the blue...but I liked the one in my 85 truck and the one in this Runner was trashed.

You can also see the dash cap I installed over the passenger side...it covered 2 big cracks and looks fine in black with my truck: