Swapping a VW into a 1st gen IFS 4 runner (1 Viewer)

[dohcdelsol93]

More posts/pics to come as I weld in patch panels from the donor rig. I ran out of daylight today. This week was not super productive thanks to another rover misfire cel. Lost a night of 4runner production. I need to get this om602 into the rover so it's not so unreliable

 

[ntsqd]

I wouldn't mind having a Rover V8. I think that I'd finally build the LoCost 7 that I've been threatening to build and put that and a T5 in it.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The 4.0 is a good motor when fuel is 1.50 a gallon and it's not a daily driver.

The best disco 2 has a merc or yanmar diesel and 80 series axles.

 

[ntsqd]

Mickey Thompson made it's older brother, the Olds 215, go pretty fast in the '62 & '63 Indy 500's with only a 2 speed trans-axle*. Dan Gurney driving it might have had something to do with that......

*It was an interesting trans-axle, made from a Franklin Quick Change rear axle, only with two sets of gears in it. I don't know if they used a dog-ring or if they physically moved the pair of drive or driven gears. One of my mentors, who worked on it, has passed away or I could ask.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The aluminum block is great for hp to weight ratio (the LS motors are a wet dream to many)

That is, until you stuff it into a 5500 lbs rig

The high octane fuel it demands isn't exactly cheap in 2022.

It was never a bad motor, just ill suited for what the britt engineers wanted to do with it in the land rovers. Britt electronics in a sensitive obd application do not exactly help matters.

I don't want to sound anti landrover. I didn't like my land cruiser 2f pr 1.5f either, nearly every country in the world got a better diesel option land cruiser and land rover diesel option than we did.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

I have way too much welding to do. Won't be done this weekend

 

[dohcdelsol93]

No updates other than I hate welding small gauge steel. Really wish I could cash in on that trust fund from some long lost rich uncle so I can buy a nice tig. Welding like this can...and is... being done with a 120v flux core Lincoln but it's slow and requires lots of clean up.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Body work finally getting somewhere

 

[gnob]

Good work. Sheet metal is so tedious.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Thank you. It's not perfect by any means. Would be easier if either vehicle was perfect. The red one was rusted out at the bottom of the rear qtr and the gray was bashed in/up and forward.

I got it within maybe a 1/4". Before the repairs the window wouldn't slide up and down in the top, it maybe went up half way before binding.

Being that I'm going soft top I will likely never find out.

I just ordered the u Pol raptor liner to spray the body with. Will be thinning 15 or so % and spraying @45 psi, 1.4 tip in a cheap hvlp gun. Will likely go a little lower pressure around funders and rocker panels for more texture.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

It's closer than it was.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Not a productive week. Had a sewage back up in the house. Spent an evening digging up the septic service door so I could check things out. A root decided to grow into the tank the inlet. I then spent an evening cutting out the roots and applying root killer. I then spent a 3rd evening ripping up the flooring and sub floor to replace the ply that had gotten wet when I plunged a toilet thinking it was a simple clog. The entire event would have made for some great pics for a different plumping forum.

I'm finished with 3/4 of the new rear qtr panel. I didn't want to prime just yet but with so much exposed bare metal and rain in the forecast I had no choice.

Not perfect but this will be coated with u-Pol raptor liner. It's a little thicker than base/clear coat so it will hide imperfections better.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The lift on this thing is much higher than I anticipated. She has a good ft clearance over the shop trash can.

Finished with the rear qtr panel, it's as food as I can get it.

Too cold to do much else today.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Too cold for body filler or primer so I finished up a little welding. The hood's skeleton had come unglued in a few spots. I cleaned and applied Marne 5200 which was really an industrial adhesive that will outlive roaches in an apocalypse if you keep uv rays off of it. Plenty of weight to press it all tougher until tomorrow night.

Supposed to warm up this week. I have to apply some body filler in a few areas, treat some surface rust and do a little tailgate work. I hope to have the wet sanding done by Friday, if weather is good I'd love to spray next weekend. All I lack is purchasing the toyots 138 metallic gray paint for tinting the raptor liner.

Once body work is done its time to address the interior. The only cab rust inside is under the back seats. I have a good deal to cut out and replace but shouldn't be too much work.


The quick detach door hinges are due in this week but I'll be waiting 6 to 8 weeks for my bumper and sliders. I was told it shouldn't take that long but we shall see.

I'll be pulling the front bumper back off, doing the sliders, bumpers and roll bar all in black bedliner.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Paint laid down on mounting point of hard top. I won't be spray lining this area. If I get cold in the winter with the soft top I want the hard top to seal properly.

I'm done repairing the drivers fender, now I have to cut the rust out of this one. Once done I'm ready to spray the body.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The fender looks rusty but it's red mud other than the rust where the inner fender was retaining moisture.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

Still need to wet sand the first fenders but other than that I'm ready to paint once the weather decides to be cooperative

 

[dohcdelsol93]

I should have went with a slightly lighter color grey with the bedliner. It is mixed with the 138 color code factory yota grey something or other. It looks black in the shade and pewter-ish grey in the light. It's overcast, maybe she'll look more to my liking on a sunny day.

Got the sliders in and half my swingout bumper from 4xinnovations.

I'll work this week to mount up the sliders and reassemble the doors. I need a new windshield, ruined mine on removal...super bad...wbl623 will the be gasket I'm planning on using to ditch the crap chrome trim. If anyone has any experience with it hit me ip or link me to your install/pics. I spent an hour calling around windshield shops with no luck but found one guy who says if I buy it he'll try it

 

[dohcdelsol93]

The sliders make for a nice mixing table for now.

 

[dohcdelsol93]

I'll need to do some filler panel "massaging " on the passenger side by the head light so the grill fits better. I'll be replacing the dryer once I have the high side ac hose finished up so it will come back off and final adjustments willbe made then. I bet I'll break all these nice new grill snaps when I do.

Hope I don't upset any of the yota purists with my tdi emblem.