Builds I happened upon a 100 Series 4 month build (4 Viewers)

[TEXAS 57]

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I have been a lurker here for a while as I am a Toyota guy.

I have a 1997 3rd Gen black 4Runner SR5 4WD with 277,xxx miles Toytec 3" lift, Tundra 231mm calipers and perfectly maintained. I live in Houston, TX in the Meyerland area so our neighborhood (not my house) has flooded 3 times in 3 years, the latest being Harvey. My 4Runner can handle decent water depths and it has been tested. I go down to the beach and kayak fish so sand is no obstacle as well.
My wife drives a 2008 RAV4 V6. I also have a silver 1957 Chevy Bel Air 2 door sedan (I have always had a side project). We have 2 kids under under 4 years old and 2 dogs... Oh yeah... and one on the way. The RAV4 and 4Runner will not fit 3 kids car seats so we started car shopping.

We looked at Minivans (wife decided she could not), newer 4Runners, Highlanders, Pilots, etc... and decided we needed a full size SUV. We looked at Tahoes, Expeditions (both of her sisters drive these), Armadas but I was leaning towards Sequoias. We had a $20K budget so there were plenty of options.

My wife's uncle had a 2002 TLC that he bought new and I had been admiring and had first dibs on. Timing was perfect... he started looking for a new SUV a year ago. He decided on an Audi Q7 on a lease. The dealership did not offer him much and he offered it to me for $4000. SOLD!

Now, this is a great deal! I got a 2002 Champagne Pearl Toyota Land Cruiser with 161,xxx miles that has been mostly dealer maintained at less than a quarter of my budget, but it is not all rainbows and lollipops. The Uncle was a big fella so he was hard on everything. He also had 2 boxers that had a full run of the middle seat area. Basically, The interior looked like a raccoon family lived in it.

If You want Fast Forward to my 1999 LX470 (Purchased 12/1/2018) Click here:
I happened upon a 100 Series 4 month build

 

[TEXAS 57]

This may be a replacement SUV for my wife's RAV4 but she opened the door and said, "NO!"

I know she can't see past the tattered interior. I feel when it is done she will want it. If not, I will keep it and get rid of the 4Runner.

The truck just got a new Timing Belt and Water Pump and Master Cylinder. He said the brakes got squishy and soft (I hear this happens). He took it to a local mechanic who replaced it with a Aisin unit. The mechanic said he did not have a special part or something like that for towing so he left it off. Does anyone know what this is?

It has a typical valve cover leak (I could literally hand tighten the bolts).

And some weird noise in the dash that sounds like HVAC door flaps struggling to open and close.

Blown speakers

Also, the A/C went out after one week of ownership.

So after lurking around here is the to do list:

Detail Wash, Clean scuffs on body, Clay Bar, Compound, Polish, Wax
Replace burnt out light bulbs
Scrub every interior panel
Repair seat foam on driver side
Leather Seat Covers from LSeat
Console Cover and under pad
Replace Front speakers w/ Infinity Reference 6030 (love them in my 4Runner)
Replace Rear Subwoofer with Pyle PLPW6D (learned on MUD)
Figure out how to hook up my phone to Factory MFD Nav Unit (Music)
Replace Valve Cover Gaskets and PCV Valve
Replace Hood Struts
Remove all carpet and pressure wash and possibly re-dye
Remove wood trim that is peeling up
Rewrap steering wheel
Rewrap tranny shift knob
Buy butterfly drink holder thingy
Update GPS Map DVD - Gen 2/3
Center console top latch not working
CD Changer Cartridge Missing
Adjust Torsion Bars (has deep front sag)
Possibly mild lift (it needs shocks anyways soooooo....)
Brake pedal pad is missing
None of Key Fobs work (one has the case but the key is missing)
SilBlades wipers all the way around

 

[TEXAS 57]

I also need to get this done by late April... That is when the baby is due.

My other two cars:

Many parts on order:

LSeat seat covers, Center console cover from Ebay, Butterfly drink holder thing from Ebay, All speakers, some tune up stuff and Fel Pro Valve Cover gaskets from RockAuto, Brake pedal pad, Hood Struts, GPS DVD update, Key Fobs and Batteries, Silblades

I also bought a Lexus style steering wheel from Ebay after hearing a couple good reviews.

 

[cmck]

Hello everyone. This is my first post. I have been a lurker here for a while as I am a Toyota guy.

I have a 1997 3rd Gen black 4Runner SR5 4WD with 277,xxx miles Toytec 3" lift, Tundra 231mm calipers and perfectly maintained. I live in Houston, TX in the Meyerland area so our neighborhood (not my house) has flooded 3 times in 3 years, the latest being Harvey. My 4Runner can handle decent water depths and it has been tested. I go down to the beach and kayak fish so sand is no obstacle as well.
My wife drives a 2008 RAV4 V6. I also have a silver 1957 Chevy Bel Air 2 door sedan (I have always had a side project). We have 2 kids under under 4 years old and 2 dogs... Oh yeah... and one on the way. The RAV4 and 4Runner will not fit 3 kids car seats so we started car shopping.

We looked at Minivans (wife decided she could not), newer 4Runners, Highlanders, Pilots, etc... and decided we needed a full size SUV. We looked at Tahoes, Expeditions (both of her sisters drive these), Armadas but I was leaning towards Sequoias. We had a $20K budget so there were plenty of options.

My wife's uncle had a 2002 TLC that he bought new and I had been admiring and had first dibs on. Timing was perfect... he started looking for a new SUV a year ago. He decided on an Audi Q7 on a lease. The dealership offered him $2500 initially and he talked them up to $3500. I offered him $4,000. SOLD!

Now, this is a great deal! I got a 2002 Champagne Pearl Toyota Land Cruiser with 161,xxx miles that has been mostly dealer maintained at less than a quarter of my budget, but it is not all rainbows and lollipops. The Uncle was a big fella and by big, I mean 6"6" and over 450 lbs. He also had 2 boxers that had a full run of the middle seat area. Basically, He was hard on everything. The interior looked like a raccoon family lived in it. View attachment 1587964 View attachment 1587966 View attachment 1587967 View attachment 1587968

Welcome to “not” lurking. Looks like a nice rig and plenty of interior mods to be done with a sturdy budget.

 

[SALTY METHODS]

Yikes... You're a braver man than I. That interior looks like crap.

 

[2000LC]

Looks like an awesome project, I'd love to see details on the re-dye when you do it.

 

[aging fleet]

Can’t wait to see how it turns out, welcome to Mud.

 

[TEXAS 57]

Parts are coming in... ‘tis the season!

 

[yotasavg]

Sub'd looks like a cool project!

 

[WP2LC]

Curious where you found the butterfly piece for the cup holders. In my 2000 LC it all seems like one piece and the dealer wants several hundred dollars for it.

 

[NHouston]

Hi Texas 57,

I live in The Woodlands just North of you. I have a 99 LC with 205k. Going through a brake re-build currently. On that Master Cylinder, there is a Aisin black box on the side of the MC. That is your ABS Actuator. Have a hunch this is what that mechanic was referring to. The OEM replacement part #47025-60012 comes with both the MC and ABS Actuator attached. You can un-attach the ABS Actuator and replace with used one but it is a real PIA. Since this is going to be a family vehicle, I would take it to dealer and get ABS Actuator checked out for $100.

Last week I could not get my brakes to bleed, so I took it to dealer to learn my ABS Actuator was bad. My connections were good to actuator, just needed a new box. Could only find a used Actuator. Decided instead to go for new MC/ABS Actuator Unit #47025-60012. Found one off Amazon for $800.00 shipped, which is a few hundred dollar cheaper than anywhere else I could find online. I went this route because mine is a daily driver and occasionally my wife shuttles the kids around in it too. I decided to also replace my original brake booster with accumulator as well (part #47025-60012) since I will have to pull the entire assembly for repair. The booster motor usually needs re-built or replaced around 150-200K. That part I found on Ebay new for $870 shipped. I got everything for $1670.00. You can buy the entire assembly for around $2100 shipped online (part #47050-60010). Expensive any way you look at it, but this is the cheapest route I could find to replace the whole thing with new OEM. For me, I just wanted to get it done and not worry about this unit for another hopefully 15+ years.

My guess is the mechanic just re-built your MC and left the ABS Acuator alone. You can buy the MC re-built kit for around $75.00.

Hated to drop so much $$$ in this brake system, but don't want to chance it with wife/kids riding in it. Shoot me a PM for my cell if you want to chat further. Hope this helps.

 

[TEXAS 57]

Curious where you found the butterfly piece for the cup holders. In my 2000 LC it all seems like one piece and the dealer wants several hundred dollars for it.

Ebay- $24- 30 shipped new

 

[TEXAS 57]

Hi Texas 57,

I live in The Woodlands just North of you. I have a 99 LC with 205k. Going through a brake re-build currently. On that Master Cylinder, there is a Aisin black box on the side of the MC. That is your ABS Actuator. Have a hunch this is what that mechanic was referring to. The OEM replacement part #47025-60012 comes with both the MC and ABS Actuator attached. You can un-attach the ABS Actuator and replace with used one but it is a real PIA. Since this is going to be a family vehicle, I would take it to dealer and get ABS Actuator checked out for $100.

Last week I could not get my brakes to bleed, so I took it to dealer to learn my ABS Actuator was bad. My connections were good to actuator, just needed a new box. Could only find a used Actuator. Decided instead to go for new MC/ABS Actuator Unit #47025-60012. Found one off Amazon for $800.00 shipped, which is a few hundred dollar cheaper than anywhere else I could find online. I went this route because mine is a daily driver and occasionally my wife shuttles the kids around in it too. I decided to also replace my original brake booster with accumulator as well (part #47025-60012) since I will have to pull the entire assembly for repair. The booster motor usually needs re-built or replaced around 150-200K. That part I found on Ebay new for $870 shipped. I got everything for $1670.00. You can buy the entire assembly for around $2100 shipped online (part #47050-60010). Expensive any way you look at it, but this is the cheapest route I could find to replace the whole thing with new OEM. For me, I just wanted to get it done and not worry about this unit for another hopefully 15+ years.

My guess is the mechanic just re-built your MC and left the ABS Acuator alone. You can buy the MC re-built kit for around $75.00.

Hated to drop so much $$$ in this brake system, but don't want to chance it with wife/kids riding in it. Shoot me a PM for my cell if you want to chat further. Hope this helps.

Thanks NHouston, this will give me some research. Thanks for pointing in the right direction. The mechanic replaced it with a new Aisin MC but I think you are right about the rest. I need to read up more on this overbuilt from the factory vehicle.

 

[TEXAS 57]

Got some snow this morning... very rare here.

 

[TEXAS 57]

Today-

Fitted the missing brake pad

I had a weird pop when rolling up and down the driver side window. Come to find out the bolt that holds the roller rail to the window was almost all the way out. Screwed it in - all fixed.

If you do not know about Silblades it is time to learn. I replaced all the old wiper blades with Silblades. Best prices are on Amazon. These blades last years. The ones on my 4Runner and RAV4 are 7 and 8 years old, respectively, and still work great.

 

[FxFormat]

Looking at that interior, is this your uncle?

 

[TEXAS 57]

At least the front speakers and subwoofer were blown so I replaced them with Infinity Reference 6030 Component Speakers. I was very impressed with these in my 4Runner. Pretty easy install. Trimmed the door panel holes a little and that worked (the foam ring was hitting the door panel). I left the tabs on the OEM spacers (I read a lot of folks cut them off) and drilled pilot holes and screwed the new speakers into the old spot. I removed the old tweeters and used weatherstrip adhesive to glue the new tweeters the the old mounts. Then cranked it up and taped down anything that rattled with foil tape.

The door pull was pulling away from the door panel so I put some washers behind the existing screws and found there are unused screw mounts on the exact place it needed reinforcement. Easy fix with a screw and washers.

 

[TEXAS 57]

The speaker cover on the driver side was really torn up due to shoes scrapping fabric. While the door panels were off, I switched the fabric from side to side to put the frayed side down. I tried to use a clothes shaver to cut down the fray but it wouldn’t get down close enough to look good. Switched the fabric from side and glued them down. I always wondered if I would ever use all those hand clamps in one sitting.

 

[TEXAS 57]

That $35 EBay center console cover is going to look great once installed with new foam underneath.

 

[Njck22]

Looks like a great start to what looks like a long road. Good luck fellow Houstonian! Snow was pretty awesome this morning!