Just washed waxed the old truck! Still looks presentable after 33 years!
Media Readers Rides, for pics and specs on your Toy(s). (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter 2ndGenToyotaFan
- Start date
Photo/Video/Audio threads
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Gotta keep lovin' these old girls.
It's going to be slow progress because we just had a baby so time is pretty limited, but:
Baseline it (needs front axle rebuild, injection pump, and a little rust repair)
Turbo it and build 3" straight exhaust. I just traded a snowboard for a turbo setup from a 2l-t.
Build it moderately taking care to keep it as light weight as possible:
Minor lift, probably 2" ome or efs
Upgrade tires, currently thinking of either some streetable 235/85r16 mts, or a combo of 235/85r16 for street use and 34x9.5 swampers for offroad (not sure if I can fit these with a 2" lift)
Rear (front as well if I can afford it) selectable locker and regear probably to 4.56. Currently has 4.30s on 28s.
Sliders and tube style rear bumper that covers the rear of the box behind the wheels. Probably will omit front bumper/winch for weight.
As a side note, our baby hates to sleep, but the Hilux is a sleep miracle due to the vibrations of the diesel - for any prospective parents needing justification to get into a diesel Toyota...
Last edited:
1 of my 5 yota's. 92, V6, manual, 31" muds, sway-a-way torsion bars, re-arched springs and an add-a-leaf, 800 lb. cattle feeder, I built bumper and bed, 225k 80% of miles are under 10mph off road/dirt roads.
1986 turbo sr5 4runner, turbo motor taken out currently in a om617 swap.
Glad a friend showed me this forum. Some really cool trucks y'all have. This is my first post here. I'm an adventure and dual sport motorcycle guy at heart but as I get older and discover changing priorities, I found myself with a need for a cheap, around-town small truck which will serve dual duty as a camping rig for my 3-year old son and I. Bought this '91 4x4 from the original owner last week. 3.slow V6, 131,000 miles, 5 speed manual, all paperwork for every service ever done since new. Has some battle scars from living an urban traffic filled life in Atlanta, and what I think are leaky valve cover gaskets. Exhaust is rusted almost completely away, too, and rear bumper needs replaced. I do not plan to heavily modify it, but a mild lift and/or some larger tires are in order. I think I did very good for $2000. I prefer driving it over our diesel 2017 2500 Silverado, LOL.
SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr
SILVER Star
Really digging those wheels. I contemplated going with some older fj40 wheels and hub caps but decided I didn’t want to go that route.
Anyways, here’s my 88 with 204k miles. I picked it up in August for $500 non running. A lot of fixes here and there as well as some mods and maintenance and I just drove it for the first time on the streets last weekend. Surprisingly no rust on the body except where a hole was punctured in the back quarter panel. The underside though has quite a bit of surface rust from presumably sitting in tall grass and dirt for so long.
Before
Here is how is sits now. I will hopefully have the round headlights on this Friday if I get a chance.
SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr
SILVER Star
Those wheels work too
Nice Rig!
Thanks! Yeah I’m rather pleased with how they turned out. Just a bit of elbow grease and $75 for materials to refinish them. Can’t argue with that.
$500 seems like a steal. The rust free body alone is worth more than that. What are your plans for the truck?
SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr
SILVER Star
For now I’m just getting it as solid as I can by making it aesthetically nice and reliable. I kind of have an itch to paint it TRD pro cement, but after ripping around on some gravel roads this evening, not having to worry about rock chips etc was nice considering how far the tires stick out compared to my 80. I may end up throwing on a newly painted hood, passenger fender, and paint the roof as well as the hardtop. Pulling the body and blasting the frame and stuff is also something I’d like to do as it definitely needs preserving.
I definitely want to redo the entire interior, but I’m not deadset on it completely yet. For now I’ll probably put fresh carpet up front and vinyl in the rear along with sound deadening, custom cargo panels, and a new audio set up.
Probably to most people’s dismay I’m going to keep it IFS, but I’d definitely like to either design my own mid/long travel set up or go with a TC kit eventually. I already have my 80 for long trips and rocks, but it absolutely doesn’t have the fun flickable manners that this does. I could see this being tremendous fun out in the dunes where my 80 was the last thing you’d want there.
I’m also itching to dive into a 1UZ motor swap. I’d really like to put a 2uz into my 80, but with my 80 is too nice for it to be my first go around with a motor swap, and I don’t want it down for as long as I could have the 4runner down for. The 4runner, although a different platform and slightly different motor would still be a huge learning experience that I could improve upon for my 80 swap.
Granted my 80 has 415k original miles and I don’t want to pull its motor until it’s done so I will probably finish it off with some big mods and then really dive into this 4runner as time and finances allow.
Pic from this evening
Last edited:
BlueCruiser84
SILVER Star
What’s the story on round headlights?? Please do a write up. I’m dying to do a first gen pick-up grill/lights on my 4Runner.
SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr
SILVER Star
Aesthetically, I like them a lot more than the Jeep XJ mixed with dodge front end that first gens have so that’s kind of why I’m doing it. I also didn’t really want to buy any new headlights when I have access to some nice 7” rounds sitting in boxes. I’ve already partially installed an aftermarket grille from auto parts warehouse which is surprisingly good quality, but with the mangled and bent up front bumper I haven’t built any specifically designed metal brackets for it. Right now it has a screw and plastic clip in place, with the outsides being held on with zip ties.
My 7” retaining rings came in so I may play around with installing them when I get into town tomorrow evening. I’ll post up a thread to document the progress. I will also be making some custom surrounds for them as I want it looking factory at the end of the day.
Long time lurker, first time poster.
It's a work in progress but getting there. Slowly. I dreamed of buying this exact same truck from a friend/the owner back in 2005 but never had any money. I bought it finally in 2015.
1985 DLX Turbo Diesel 'Truck Norris'
-No lift 35's, modified fenderwells
-4.88's front and rear
-Aussie lockers front and rear
-Big front brakes
-New turbo, transmission
-Transfer case e-brake
I have a bunch of parts waiting to go in. I'm finishing interior stuff/gauges and stuff that I can do without having to spend money I don't have.
I'm currently looking for a 3L to swap the 2LT with.
I orginally started a thread inquiring about buying the truck and swapping the W56 for a A340/AW4. 6 years after starting the thread I bought the truck. There are some picture of how I received the truck and some mundane fender cutting/folding pictures.
Naive newby turbo diesel inquiry. - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
I'll do the full build over on Pirate since that's where it started. (@TDtrucknorris on insta if you want to follow along)
Mountain biking is my career/passion/hobby. There won't be many days without a bike on the truck.
The 35" KM2's are gone. The plan is 285/75r18's (35x11) all-terrains.
Fresh paint. Rattlecan almond rustoleum.
It's a work in progress but getting there. Slowly. I dreamed of buying this exact same truck from a friend/the owner back in 2005 but never had any money. I bought it finally in 2015.
1985 DLX Turbo Diesel 'Truck Norris'
-No lift 35's, modified fenderwells
-4.88's front and rear
-Aussie lockers front and rear
-Big front brakes
-New turbo, transmission
-Transfer case e-brake
I have a bunch of parts waiting to go in. I'm finishing interior stuff/gauges and stuff that I can do without having to spend money I don't have.
I'm currently looking for a 3L to swap the 2LT with.
I orginally started a thread inquiring about buying the truck and swapping the W56 for a A340/AW4. 6 years after starting the thread I bought the truck. There are some picture of how I received the truck and some mundane fender cutting/folding pictures.
Naive newby turbo diesel inquiry. - Pirate4x4.Com : 4x4 and Off-Road Forum
I'll do the full build over on Pirate since that's where it started. (@TDtrucknorris on insta if you want to follow along)
Mountain biking is my career/passion/hobby. There won't be many days without a bike on the truck.
The 35" KM2's are gone. The plan is 285/75r18's (35x11) all-terrains.
Fresh paint. Rattlecan almond rustoleum.
Last edited:
@wrecked Nice truck! I have your axles but with 5.125 ratiofrom factory!
a 3L to make a 3LT or? I doubt it will make a big difference. I have only the 2L, no turbo. Slow but steady. Got me halfway around the world.
It would endeup as a 3LT I suppose. Possibly with a GT2871RS . The Motor needs to be rebuilt. I figure a little extra displacement would help.
With the 4.88's, 35's and the 2LT with the stock turbo I could do 75 on the freeway. 99.27% of the time I'll be 70 or less. I'm not one to break the speed limit.
Ah that's okay. I can also do 75 or even faster, with just the 2L. Only have like 29 inch wheels so that does not compare.
And the van is somewhat aerodynamic.
But the noise is horrible, as I'm sitting on the engine, and there is no turbo to dampen it.
Your truck will already go everywhere the way it is now.
I mean I crossed sanddunes with only 75hp, you have more power and more ground clearance.
I love this thread. 
