Anyone in here have a 1st Gen 4runner or facts on them?

I've always liked them, especially the removable top. I want to get a new beach cruiser and have been considering another Wrangler but one of these popped up...
I'll prob go take a look at it but I've barely scratched the surface as far as research.

Anyone have one? Have wrenched on one? What to look for besides standard stuff?
It has had a motor re build so the head gasket is done. 4x4 works fine, manual tranny, and the guy says the motor may need a jump start if it's not fire up daily. What could that be associated with?

Thanks in advance

 

Yotatech.com

 

Yeah wrong forum.. Get an '85 if yur gonna get one...

 

'84 first year carb 22R and solid axle
'85 EFI 22RE and solid front axle
'86-88 EFI IFS 22RE
late '88 and '89 IFS 22RE and 3VZE V6 (3.slow)

Frame rust in front of spring perches in rear
mine rusted out the A pillars where factory sun roof drains leaked
Rear quarters around wheel wells rust
OEM rear bumper isn't much, mine looked like a wadded up roll of newspaper for awhile

 

thanks for the info. Ive been doing a fair amount of reading on yotatech. Going to look at it today, it is an 86 with rebuilt motor.

 

Timing chain if it has the 22RE/22R motor.

Super easy motor to work around.

 

My fears became a realization. Price was too good to be true due to body rot. Hard pass.

 

the unfortunate reality as these bodies reach 28-32yrs old, anything clean is either restored and $$$$$ or original and $$$$$ anything else is likely to be ROUGH

i want another to just have and ride around topless, but i don't want to rebuild another one

 

I was hopeful. The pics the guy posted in the Craigslist ad we're not so detailed. I can deal with a little surface rust if it is solid but there were holes on every corner and by the gas filler neck. Too much for my liking. Plus it was covered in tarps due to leaking windows, etc. The search remains.

 

I gotta fixer-upper for ya...lol. 1st gen T4R's are the bomb!

 

I've had an 89 for about five years. Went from IFS with a ton of body lift to SAS and a bunch of other stuff along the way.

Here's my build thread, https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-beginning-4runner-sas.268555/

If you have any questions I'm happy to answer.

GH

 

As a fellow Northeast dude, buying a 1st gen 4runner up here sucks. I flew down to Alabama and picked up this rust free '86 and drove it back.





Added Softopper and full OME suspension. Issues: leaking oil (full engine rebuild $6k), leaking windshield ($800 rust repair). Totaled the rig in April this year, crappy day. Miss the hell out of it. Check for tire wear and if plastic timing chain guard has been replaced with a metal one.

Here are a couple options close to RI found on CL. Keep the search going!!

https://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/d/1988-toyota-4runner/6369428191.html

https://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/d/1987-toyota-4runner-lifted/6361137388.html

https://worcester.craigslist.org/cto/d/1985-toyota-4-runner/6335423359.html

 

My old 85 is my favorite Toyota I've ever owned; I should have never sold it. I was looking to get another last year, but as you're starting to realize they are hard to find in decent shape anymore.

 

Saggy rear springs, major headgasket problems on the 3.0 V6.

The removable top sucks, it only benefits the rear passengers.

Mine had a lot of rust but I loved the stupid thing.



I would only get a early 1st gen with solid front axle and the 22R. Late model is not great.

 

Miss my "88". Fixed it up for the ex gf. $2700
Warped heads on the 3. Slow, front and rear u joints, massive oil leak.
Turned out nice after the motor was redone. 150hp.
Eventually sold it to a kid who rolled it down the side of a mountain.

 

I loved the hell out of my 86 runner, i bought it the day i turned 17, it had almost no clutch left when I bought it, a 22re with 250k on the clock. It burned oil like no body business! I thought myself how to drive a manual in that rusty old stinky beater. I put it on its side more times then I could count (in the sand). First rig I started teaching myself how to wrench on. I loved that thing. Since then I've always owned a Toyota....or 2...as far as the technical portion if it's a manual 4 banger runner in my opinion they're fairly "teenager/bullet proof". Coming from a guy who put 2 front cilps on his. Only thing I ever had issues with were shock separations up front, but it never happened anywhere but the sand... especially when the front end was off the ground.