Hey everyone! I’m Mason, from the Midwest. I wanted to introduce my 1998 4Runner SR5 4WD, share the history behind it, and start documenting the build here.
It’s a five-speed truck with a Yota1-built, forged-piston 5VZ-FE and a Magnuson TVS1320 supercharger. Getting it to this point has involved considerably more than the engine, though: hidden collision damage, a replacement front clip, body mounts, paintwork, suspension work, and a substantial mechanical refresh.
My wife and I plan to keep this truck indefinitely. We want to use it for camping, road trips, and exploring while continuing to improve and preserve it. The long-term goal is to get the body and chassis to a million miles.
Here’s how it sits today:
How it started
I flew to Arizona to buy the truck in September 2024. At first glance, I thought I had found an exceptionally clean third-gen with the five-speed I wanted.
I’ve been a car guy my entire life, and even I missed what was hiding underneath its appearance.
At some point before I owned it, the truck had been involved in a front-end collision. The core support had been cut, pulled, and welded back together around the lower radiator-support area. The driver-side apron and inner wheel well were damaged as well, with some of that damage hidden behind the fender liner.
After bringing it home, I went over a set of railroad tracks, and the poorly repaired front body structure failed around the firewall area. That was when I discovered how extensive the previous damage and inadequate repairs actually were.
This is what it looked like when I bought it:
And this is what we found underneath:
Front clip, body mounts, and body restoration
The truck went to a body shop, where a replacement front clip was sourced and installed to address the damaged structure.
That work also included the frame-to-core-support mount, associated bushings, and replacement frame-to-body bushings. Those mounts are easy to overlook when looking at photos of a finished truck, but they were part of the restoration too.
Most of the truck was repainted in the same color it wore when I purchased it. We also replaced the windshield, rear quarter windows, and window seals.
The body and exterior work included:
Here’s the replacement front clip and some of the work in progress:
And the truck after the bodywork and paint:
Another front-end setback
There was another frustrating chapter after the truck had been through suspension work and a safety inspection at Toyota. I documented a separate front-end incident in my original thread, and it ended up back at the body shop for a fender replacement.
While it was there, I sourced a clean OEM Sport hood. The bumper alignment was also corrected, which made a noticeable difference compared with the earlier photos.
The aftermarket front bumper came with the truck. I previously thought it might be Coastal Offroad, but I haven’t positively identified the manufacturer.
This build has definitely had its share of setbacks. A lot of what makes the truck look the way it does today came from going back through problems and getting them sorted out.
The original engine plan—and why it changed
When I started the original build thread, my plan was a supercharged 4.7L 2UZ paired with a manual transmission.
After looking into the cost and complexity, I ultimately decided to stay with the 3.4L 5VZ-FE. Parts availability, familiarity, and serviceability mattered to me, especially for a truck we intend to take on long road trips.
I liked the idea of improving the platform already in the truck while keeping the five-speed and the overall character of a third-gen.
That led to the Yota1 engine build and Magnuson supercharger.
Yota1-built 5VZ-FE and Magnuson TVS1320
The engine is a Yota1-built 3.4L 5VZ-FE with forged pistons and 9.0:1 compression.
The engine and supporting setup include:
The goal is useful power and a setup I can continue refining while keeping long-term reliability and serviceability in mind.
The supporting mechanical refresh
A considerable amount of work went into the components surrounding the engine, too.
The mechanical refresh included:
The hoses, mounts, cooling system, and other aging components are a significant part of the work that has gone into the truck. I wanted to include them here because an engine-bay photo doesn’t tell that whole story.
Five-speed transmission and clutch
The truck retains its R150F five-speed manual.
During the engine project, the drivetrain received:
Keeping the manual transmission has been part of the plan from the beginning. It’s one of the things that made me want this particular truck.
Suspension, front-end work, wheels, and tires
The current suspension and wheel setup includes:
Electrical upgrades
The charging and electrical updates include:
Getting out and using it
After the engine and supercharger work, we drove approximately 6,000 miles across the country, coming home from California.
Getting to use the truck on a trip like that after all the work was a major milestone. Road trips and adventures together are the reason we’re building it.
I reported roughly 19–19.5 mpg on the highway during that trip in my original thread. My around-town estimate was about 15 mpg, although I hadn’t consistently measured that at the pump.
We also entered the truck in our local Fourth of July parade with my wife and my water-treatment company, handing cold water out through the rear window.
It’s already becoming part of our family’s experiences, which makes all the work more meaningful.
Preservation and the million-mile goal
When I started the original thread, the truck had approximately 342,000 chassis miles. The Yota1 paperwork recorded 349,364 miles when it went through the engine project.
Preservation is a major priority for me. I keep it off winter roads, have cleaned and touched up the frame, and stay on top of paint chips and the little issues that can become bigger problems over time.
The million-mile goal is a long-term ambition for the body and chassis. My wife and I intend to keep this truck, maintain it, and continue enjoying it for as long as we can.
Future plans
There is still plenty I want to do. These are future plans, separate from the equipment currently installed:
I want to keep developing it into a comfortable, capable road-trip and camping truck while preserving the things I enjoy about it now.
Following the build
I’m also documenting the truck through Phoenix Fabrications. I recently made a walkaround covering the build and where I want to take it next:
My original build thread, including the earlier restoration photos, is here:
Original 4runners.com build thread
I’ve learned a lot from other owners sharing their projects, including the setbacks and the things they would do differently. I want to contribute some of that here by documenting what I change, why I change it, and how it holds up.
Thanks for following along!
It’s a five-speed truck with a Yota1-built, forged-piston 5VZ-FE and a Magnuson TVS1320 supercharger. Getting it to this point has involved considerably more than the engine, though: hidden collision damage, a replacement front clip, body mounts, paintwork, suspension work, and a substantial mechanical refresh.
My wife and I plan to keep this truck indefinitely. We want to use it for camping, road trips, and exploring while continuing to improve and preserve it. The long-term goal is to get the body and chassis to a million miles.
Here’s how it sits today:
How it started
I flew to Arizona to buy the truck in September 2024. At first glance, I thought I had found an exceptionally clean third-gen with the five-speed I wanted.
I’ve been a car guy my entire life, and even I missed what was hiding underneath its appearance.
At some point before I owned it, the truck had been involved in a front-end collision. The core support had been cut, pulled, and welded back together around the lower radiator-support area. The driver-side apron and inner wheel well were damaged as well, with some of that damage hidden behind the fender liner.
After bringing it home, I went over a set of railroad tracks, and the poorly repaired front body structure failed around the firewall area. That was when I discovered how extensive the previous damage and inadequate repairs actually were.
This is what it looked like when I bought it:
And this is what we found underneath:
Front clip, body mounts, and body restoration
The truck went to a body shop, where a replacement front clip was sourced and installed to address the damaged structure.
That work also included the frame-to-core-support mount, associated bushings, and replacement frame-to-body bushings. Those mounts are easy to overlook when looking at photos of a finished truck, but they were part of the restoration too.
Most of the truck was repainted in the same color it wore when I purchased it. We also replaced the windshield, rear quarter windows, and window seals.
The body and exterior work included:
- Replacement front clip.
- Replacement frame-to-core-support mount and associated bushings.
- Replacement frame-to-body bushings.
- Extensive repaint in the existing color.
- New windshield.
- Replacement rear quarter windows.
- Replacement window seals.
- Later fender replacement.
- OEM Sport hood.
- Corrected front bumper fitment.
- SRQ headlights and grille.
- Replacement bumper turn signals with amber halo running lights and amber turn-signal centers.
Here’s the replacement front clip and some of the work in progress:
And the truck after the bodywork and paint:
Another front-end setback
There was another frustrating chapter after the truck had been through suspension work and a safety inspection at Toyota. I documented a separate front-end incident in my original thread, and it ended up back at the body shop for a fender replacement.
While it was there, I sourced a clean OEM Sport hood. The bumper alignment was also corrected, which made a noticeable difference compared with the earlier photos.
The aftermarket front bumper came with the truck. I previously thought it might be Coastal Offroad, but I haven’t positively identified the manufacturer.
This build has definitely had its share of setbacks. A lot of what makes the truck look the way it does today came from going back through problems and getting them sorted out.
The original engine plan—and why it changed
When I started the original build thread, my plan was a supercharged 4.7L 2UZ paired with a manual transmission.
After looking into the cost and complexity, I ultimately decided to stay with the 3.4L 5VZ-FE. Parts availability, familiarity, and serviceability mattered to me, especially for a truck we intend to take on long road trips.
I liked the idea of improving the platform already in the truck while keeping the five-speed and the overall character of a third-gen.
That led to the Yota1 engine build and Magnuson supercharger.
Yota1-built 5VZ-FE and Magnuson TVS1320
The engine is a Yota1-built 3.4L 5VZ-FE with forged pistons and 9.0:1 compression.
The engine and supporting setup include:
- Forged pistons with Hastings rings.
- 9.0:1 compression.
- ARP head studs.
- ARP main studs.
- Supertech performance valve springs.
- Replacement intake and exhaust valves.
- Aisin oil pump.
- Aisin water pump and timing components.
- Powder-coated valve covers.
- Replacement knock sensors and harness.
- Magnuson TVS1320 supercharger.
- Current 75 mm supercharger pulley.
- URD Super-Grip crank pulley.
- URD piggyback management.
- URD seventh-injector system and associated fuel-pump upgrade.
- Airaid intake components and silencer delete.
- Deckplate airbox modification.
- 1999-and-later MAF conversion.
- MagnaFlow Overland exhaust.
The goal is useful power and a setup I can continue refining while keeping long-term reliability and serviceability in mind.
The supporting mechanical refresh
A considerable amount of work went into the components surrounding the engine, too.
The mechanical refresh included:
- Replacement engine mounts.
- Genuine Toyota radiator and replacement radiator cap.
- Replacement thermostat.
- Cooling-system hoses and upper radiator water neck.
- Aisin fan clutch.
- Aisin fan hub/bracket.
- Replacement fan-shroud components.
- Oil-cooler hoses and seals.
- Oil-cooler cleaning and inspection.
- Replacement fuel filter.
- Denso oxygen sensors.
- Genuine Toyota ignition coils and ignition wires.
- Replacement brake-booster vacuum hose.
- Replacement power-steering return hose.
- Exhaust-manifold resurfacing and replacement exhaust hardware.
- Replacement A/C compressor, condenser, and receiver/drier.
- A/C system flushing and recharge.
The hoses, mounts, cooling system, and other aging components are a significant part of the work that has gone into the truck. I wanted to include them here because an engine-bay photo doesn’t tell that whole story.
Five-speed transmission and clutch
The truck retains its R150F five-speed manual.
During the engine project, the drivetrain received:
- Aisin clutch kit.
- LuK flywheel.
- Transmission input sealing work.
- Bellhousing cleanup.
- Replacement clutch-fork boot.
- Replacement genuine Toyota transmission mount.
Keeping the manual transmission has been part of the plan from the beginning. It’s one of the things that made me want this particular truck.
Suspension, front-end work, wheels, and tires
The current suspension and wheel setup includes:
- Approximately 2.5–3 inches of suspension lift.
- Solo Motorsports lower control arms.
- Alignment following the lower-control-arm installation.
- SCS F5 wheels, 16×8 with −25 mm offset.
- BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A KO3 tires, 285/75R16.
Electrical upgrades
The charging and electrical updates include:
- AC Delco CS144 alternator.
- Big Seven battery, charging, and ground cable upgrades.
- Replacement battery and battery hold-down.
Getting out and using it
After the engine and supercharger work, we drove approximately 6,000 miles across the country, coming home from California.
Getting to use the truck on a trip like that after all the work was a major milestone. Road trips and adventures together are the reason we’re building it.
I reported roughly 19–19.5 mpg on the highway during that trip in my original thread. My around-town estimate was about 15 mpg, although I hadn’t consistently measured that at the pump.
We also entered the truck in our local Fourth of July parade with my wife and my water-treatment company, handing cold water out through the rear window.
It’s already becoming part of our family’s experiences, which makes all the work more meaningful.
Preservation and the million-mile goal
When I started the original thread, the truck had approximately 342,000 chassis miles. The Yota1 paperwork recorded 349,364 miles when it went through the engine project.
Preservation is a major priority for me. I keep it off winter roads, have cleaned and touched up the frame, and stay on top of paint chips and the little issues that can become bigger problems over time.
The million-mile goal is a long-term ambition for the body and chassis. My wife and I intend to keep this truck, maintain it, and continue enjoying it for as long as we can.
Future plans
There is still plenty I want to do. These are future plans, separate from the equipment currently installed:
- Haltech engine management with a proper tune and engine-protection strategy.
- Injector Dynamics injectors and supporting fuel-system upgrades.
- Potential flex-fuel capability.
- The 65 mm supercharger pulley I already have, as part of the planned tuning changes.
- Considering Doug Thorley headers and a P&L crossover.
- AFR, boost, and oil-pressure instrumentation.
- 4.88 gears and a rear locking differential.
- Tundra front-brake upgrade.
- Interior refurbishment, sound insulation, and upgraded audio.
- Short-throw shifter.
- Rear swing-out bumper and full-size spare arrangement.
- Rock sliders.
- Underbody protection.
- Roof rack.
- Additional fuel capacity, with a 29-gallon Long Range America tank under consideration.
I want to keep developing it into a comfortable, capable road-trip and camping truck while preserving the things I enjoy about it now.
Following the build
I’m also documenting the truck through Phoenix Fabrications. I recently made a walkaround covering the build and where I want to take it next:
My original build thread, including the earlier restoration photos, is here:
Original 4runners.com build thread
I’ve learned a lot from other owners sharing their projects, including the setbacks and the things they would do differently. I want to contribute some of that here by documenting what I change, why I change it, and how it holds up.
Thanks for following along!