My 1987 Toyota 4Runner is Worn Out | Engels Coach Shop
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- Опубликовано: 7 сен 2024
- 36 year old Toyota 4Runner needs some help to keep in the running. The rear suspension is weak and in need of new springs, if it's going to keep on functioning. It's old, but trust worthy, so I'm going to invest in a new rear spring assembly to keep this rig rolling.
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#wheelwright #blacksmiths #ranching
Love the old 4 runners. It's gonna get better gas mileage now, because it's always going down hill. 🙂
😆😆😆
A good wax job will help too. It will cut down on the wind resistance.
Made me laugh 😅
Me too when I asked my boss if it would work ...... with a grin/smirk he said it actually might ...... if I drive fast enough.
@mariapcancer I'm a recent cancer survivor myself. Best of luck to you
Watch Wes Works meets Engels Coach! I was amazed how solid it still was underneath. It certainly doesn't owe you anything, just shows what a little regular care can do. Excellent
Another WWW viewer here! The coaches over there in Wes' back yard take a beating with winter weather road conditioning...... Luckily, that is not a big issue in West Texas!
My parents newer vehicles out on the peninsula in WA St. Are another story! Wes would be right at home there!
Car Wizard would approve!
He could sale it for 5grand in inoperable condition yeah it owes him nothing
@My Cancer Journey you got this
My brother has driven Toyota trucks since 1984. Never had anything else. They've all been good trucks, I get it.
You are very fortunate in Montana! In Northwestern Ontario, where I live, a vehicle of that age used daily would be about 75% rust and not worth fixing even if you could. That old beast looks great underneath. It’s also a testament to Toyota’s durability and reliability. Thanks for another great video.
I was thinking the same thing Jay as I am in Ontario also . It looks like a new truck
You guys salt the roads.....
Haha no doubt! Hello from the Prairies.
Looks like the underneath has been regularly cleaned off and treated ?
Same here in New York State
Glad you didn't get confused between projects and installed a lever with a block as a brake on the side... 😂 Just kidding, good stuff! 👍
You've added a new dimension to the term "Wheelwright". Your after hours projects are always interesting!
Both my 86 and 96 4Runners sag in the back on one side. I put Airlift 1000 airsprings on my wife's 2005 4Runner and that solved its sag problem and to help pull a trailer. But thank you for leading the way for one of my first retirement projects next year.
This brought back memories. My dad worked on our cars in the 60s and 70s--motors, springs, you name it--all under the carport next to the house.
Love the video , I am 73 and still do all my own service work as well. Also maintain my daughter dodge journey. Just last week we changed the driver side CV axle out. I found the fountain of youth is to have more to do than you can do, giving a person a variety. Somethings are a priority, but you still have choices.
Hope I can still do my own maintenance when I'm your age.
Now that you’ve disturbed the spare tire I hope Murphy doesn’t cause you to need it.
Thanks for letting us watch you work.
I have a '93 Toyota 4 X 4 pickup 4 cylinder with a 5 speed transmission. I have put 233,000 miles on it and it is still running fine. Regular oil changes, flush hydraulic brake system periodically, change coolant annually. I have changed out the transmission and differential lubricants too. Bout, other than shocks, brakes, tires and tune-ups it does its job daily. I did install NGK Iridium spark plugs too. I'll keep it until it dies.
This episode definitely had a 'Watch Wes Work' feel to it... you truly are a man of many skills!
When I lived in Montana, I bought an 81 Toyota Tercel for $375 and drove it for 5 years. Sold it for $500 and it was still running great.
Hi Diane and Dave, well this is a departure from the norm of waggon work but as always very interesting. Dave you are a persevering and inventive man as ever well done.
Just keep goin' the same old way. An admirer from the UK.
22r baby! one of the best motors ever made!!! I've had 10, between many old rwd celicas (still have one left, 85 with 430,000 miles on it) and a couple of pickups. Never had the joy of owning a 4 runner, but did get a sequoia for a song several years ago and she's an amazing beast as well! but recently, at 38yo, I got a good job, had the money, so I went out and bought a pre owned 2015 Tundra, exactly the way I wanted it. Hoping to have this girl until I retire!
Since 1987 I think my rear end has lowered a few inches as well. Good work and video
Thanks for the video!
I am old enough to remember when you could buy a good car for $100
Glad to see “out with the old” was only referring to the springs. Looking good now.
So much like my 1984 Dodge Rampage Ute. it has a like number of miles closing in on 400,000 miles with the original engine/trans and still runs very smooth.
I wish we had ute's in the states. Or hilux, or land cruiser that wasn't a luxury mall crawler
@@12345....... I too wish it we're so. My Rampage was the last true Ute made in the USA. My other Ute is a 1965 Ford Ranchero I'm remaning. Hoping someday to complete it.
Great that you are keeping the old farm truck on the road.
I just installed on my 2nd gen 4runny 1 1/2 inch Old Man Emu Coil Springs with 2inch spring spacers and Old Man Emu's shocks and struts all around... Best decision I made and she looks ready to play now... My shop is putting in all the front suspension links, rods and bushings... I plan on hitting the trails a lot this summer...
That is very clean for its age. Here in the land of Lincoln that would have been a hard job to do when it would have been less than 5 years old. We usually have to sawsall and torch them off.
Toyota makes good stuff. I had a 70 landcruiser that also had a broken odometer and burned a little oil (well OK, a lot), but it just kept going through things it shouldn't have survived. It finally died one day because I didn't have a quart of oil with me. I would have fixed it, but the bolts were so rusty that I couldn't get the engine out. Same starter for 25 years.
You might be prepared re- adjust the headlights so you can see down the road better, too! Good Stuff, Dave & Diane!! Thanks
Terrific investment in a trustworthy vehicle. Always glad to watch whatever you’re working on. Thanks as always for sharing!!
I got a chuckle out of watching you use your favorite horse shoeing hammer to bet on the front spring mount. I guess in a way you are putting new shoes on a old horse!!? LoL THANKS Dan H
Always good to have some "thick-ash" blocks on hand! I bought my Tacoma 4x4 new in 2001 and drive it daily still. Those old trucks just dont wear out if you do something nice for them once in a while. Yours looks just right to me now.
Looking forward to those old springs making an appearance in the future as hardware for a wagon.
I put new rear springs on my 2000 Tacoma and it really had a high arch and stiff ride, I was a bit unhappy. However after taking a load of ruble to the dump (heavily loaded) the springs set in, height came down a bit, and ride became normal, real happy now. Load it n shake it 😁
Pretty cool how seamlessly you stroll from the 18th century to the 20th century.
Glad to see that you are maintaining and not scrapping. Not suprized to see it though
Like an old girlfriend. You know it inside and out. Owes you nothing but not going to hurt you either.
Good choice on the springs. Get new bolts and bushings wherever they are used. Keep your impact gun and torch and grinder handy. Can't believe how rust free that rig is. I also can't believe that spare lowered. Good time to do Brakes. I expect you put lots of grease on that Roller/bushing. You may have to re aim your headlights too.
The chain on the spare tire was a great idea comparing to my 2000 silverado rusty cable. Nice work all you need now is a flux capacitor😜
Bumper to ground isn't the usual way to measure lift. Center of tire to wheel arch is the standard way to measure. Not sure why, but that's the way I was taught to measure changes in suspension height. Another thing I notice is that the new springs have 4 leaves + 2 overloads, while the old only have 4 leaves total.
IT HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU
Suggestion- I did the front and rear suspension on an 86 Toyota PU. Crank in about an inch more lift (preload) to the front torsion bars. They go soft and sag, too. It would also get your truck a little closer back to level. Compared to the rear leaf springs adjusting the front torsion bars is simple.
those old leaf springs make great knife blades!
Now, instead of "bottoming out on every little bump", you will "feel every bump" very stiffly... unless you have some weight back there. I lifted my 81 Toyota 4x4 pick up by 4 inches with better travel shocks. It was indeed stiffer... washboard roads and trails were quite exciting without weight in the back. I really enjoy your honey do's and after work projects.
One of my favorite trucks wish I could buy it
You're just such a dang cool guy, Dave!
I love that vintage of Toyota truck. I had a 1985 4x4 pickup back in the day and loved that truck, it was hit by 2 cars and was totaled.
Those Toyota's will run forever with a little care, I live down the road in laurel and I have an 85 Toyota extra cab that's my " go to the dump truck" with 180 thousand miles on it from the billings commute. Love your videos keep letting us watch your adventures! Thanks!
Those old 4 runners are still one of the best used cars you can get IF you can find them. So easy to work on and they last forever as long as you take care of them. New toyota trucks are plagued by mechanical issues just like every other brand vehicle being sold today.
Maybe give us a little followup comment in a few weeks about how the vehicle feels with the new springs. Is it too stiff? Does it ride much worse off road, or is it good?
Back in the early 1990's I had that same year 1987 SR5 4 Runner with the EFI R22 engine and a 5 speed with 4x4 and A/C. Same color too ! That thing was so reliable !
It looks good I hop it drives as good as looks the car is well preserve for the age it looks awesome.
Wow!!! That is a solid old 4 runner!!! You are lucky not to be dealing with rust like we get here in WV. Awesome!!
I purchased my first 4Runner in 1985 new from the dealer and ran it for 27 years. Sold it when I purchased a newer 4Runner that I have had for about 10 years now. I regret selling it. Everything about the truck was repairable by me. Not so much my newer one. Put 478,000 kms on it and it never broke down. I spent so little on parts for it that the cost of my oil changes was by far the biggest expense. It was so well balanced that I got 150,000 kms on a set of tires, never rotated, they wore out evenly. My only issue was the engine could have had more power going up hills. Too bad it didn't come in a diesel power plant. It would have been unstoppable.
Very nice. Our 31 year old son has a 1987 4 RNR that was purchased new by his aunt and has been in the family since then. He has done a lot of work on his. Rebuilt motor with a lot of upgrades. New leaf springs to lift it up, new shocks bigger rims and tires. Power seats he pulled out of a car in a junk yard plus I don’t know what all. He hopes to get it repainted when he can afford it. Those old 4 RNRs go forever. My 2017 4RNR just went to our daughter and son-in-law, I now have a 2023. Engines will change next year so wanted the 6 cylinder before they go away. I put a lot of miles on my rigs.
You guys in Montana are blessed with rust free vehicles! In PA that truck would be mostly rusted away by now.
When I replaced the springs on my 76 K20, the bushings and new u-bolts came in the kit. Really made your truck sit nice. It will ride a lot nicer on those fine Montana gravel roads.
Nice little old truck . I have a 2003 Chevy S-10 pickup that I bought brand new with around 96,000 miles on it and yours looks better than mine does under it . Bet I couldn't get my spare tire down that has never been taken down since I have owned it . I like the new stance of your truck now .
Great video as always,little tip,always leave the end bolts slack until the wagon is on its feet then tighten them up
As always; Thank you sir, thank you ma’am, thank you both for letting us be a part of your day.
A rugged older 4 wheel drive is a mainstay of farm equipment. Glad to see you are getting your monies worth out of htis one.
From horse drawn conveyance to horseless carriage! Evolution! Thanks so much for sharing
Hi Dave and Diane ☺ well you made a good buy on the toyota, it's done Stirling service for the last 18yr. Nice fix Dave, it sure sits nice now, and will go another 18yr, lol. Hope your all well, thanks for another interesting video mate, stay safe, best wishe's to all, Stuart and Megan UK.
West of the Mississippi the chemistry of the land is such that vehicles don't rust like they do in the Eastern USA. It may be that the Autobody industry subsidizes the road salt cartel, but our vehicles rot before they stop rolling.
My Friend Pattie has a Toyota Camry she bought 2002 the car has over 300,000 miles she has never had any problems with it, she goes from Florida to Canada twice a year it's a great car needs some TLC paint is fading the interior fading also some minor cracks on the dash, she wants a new car but still loves this one
May 4runners do the “Zuk mod”, and add some coil spring from a Suzuki sidekick? Between the bump stop and the Bump stop bracket on the frame. Lifts the truck and is cheap/effective. Many owners find replacing the rear springs lifts the rear too high, and has a rough ride, especially with the old man emu springs .
Lucky you had some blocks of that beautiful wood handy , well done
I'm impressed. You did this replacement so well. You even used the torque wrench!
Oh and the extra bushings? It's funny how that seems to happen. I'm glad you can laugh about it. Thanks for sharing.
I wanted to leave a comment in support of your channel but, your content leaves me speechless. I can't think of a word to say!
The old Yankee tradition: use it up, wear it out, do without. For some of us, throwing things away is just not something that we do easily, I would not be surprised if the old springs provide material for some future project.
Being a Yankee, I have the bad habit of not using something, because "I might Need it later".
Thanks, Dave. You remind me that it's not what you get, it's what you get and take care of. I buy a new vehicle with the aim to keep it on the road for a lo-ooong time. I've replaced so many parts on my 1980 Silverado, on average, it's probably only 36 years old (not 43!).
You are so much a man after my own heart. Hey, its only 37 years old, and what's a half million miles or so? It still has some good in it! 😄 You give me something to aspire to. Mine is only 23 years old and has a quarter million on it. You aren't only going to have to relearn to drive it, you are going to have to get used to lifting things six inches higher to load it. Well done.
Those Toyota auto's sure do run along time. Some woman in the building I am in had one over thirty years. I heard from a number of people she thought oil changes and such things were a rip off so she had very few of them done but that car only this year went to the junk yard. The body was still in like new condition. That is here in Ontario Canada where salt is all over the roads from late fall until rain in the spring.
Always a lot of fun watching your videos
That 4Runner is a classic now!
Aw man I grew up in one of those. So hard to find another, wish every day I could get it back
As someone from the salt belt, I am envious of the condition of this old rig. It's near perfect rust wise from what I can see.
don't know what's more impressive YOU or the 4-Runner. Well done relaxing video. THANKS😀😀😀😀
I had to repair a few cars that had worn out springs. It's usually not hard if you take it to a spring shop if direct replacements aren't available. One shop in N.Virginia made me a set for the rear end on my 1972 Ford Pinto that had been damaged by hitting a divider island at high speed. One of my brothers "borrowed it"without asking me first.It was leaning on the left side 4 to 6 inches.I got tired telling people why it was leaning and no,I'm not that fat. I replaced the shocks because they were leaking too. The cost was less than $150. Well worth it as it drove much better after that,too.
We have an 80series ‘95 , triple diff locks , 4.2 straight six that’s off roaded all the time , 440,000 miles it starts on the button and runs like a dream ..those Toyotas are built to last ..👍👍
Great video Dave. Building wagons from scratch, restoring an old hotel and now replacing rear springs on a Toyota 4 runner. You are a man of many talents. I think I'd be carrying that spare tire in the back. Sure as shootin that first flat you do have is going to be in a blizzard when you're out feeding cows Or maybe in the mud after spring thaw. No fun laying in the snow or mud getting that tire down although with the new springs you will have good clearance. Keep that old Runner going. Just my thoughts, love all of your vids.
But as he said: 18 years without a flat. Having that spare in the back would just be a hassle to deal with especially how Dave uses this truck.
There's no reason to lay down while winding the spare down
I have a 2001 Tundra. Recently, I had to drop the spare and found the cranking mechanism to be a pain (those tires are heavy). I found that I could put a socket on the end of the bar and use an impact driver to do the turning.
Won’t be too long before getting down and under vehicles gets a little harder,...but that’s one thing,...it’s the getting back up again that’s the concerning issue later! Enjoy working under whilst you still can young Dave, the romance unfortunately will soon desert you! ATB Cheers
Great adventure for the day, thanks for bringing us along
They must not use much salt on the back roads outside of Joliet. Watching South Main Auto in New York, the salt belt takes an awful toll on the metal parts of cars, trucks, etc. The compartment where Dave found the jack and tools would have had it's bottom gone to the vapors of rust city in that area. Enjoyed seeing Dave bend a wrench on a horsepower drawn vehicle! Truly a jack of all trades, and master of most of them! Old iron will last if you take care of it. I have a 20 yr old Civic that is my daily driver. Bought it new and will put another timing belt on it when due. It's on the second one now. They come due every 105K miles.
Rear spring will settle about an inch with use and you may want to crank the front torsions up a bit to ''equal'' the firmer ride! I drive my 40 year old Toy PU and it rides much firmer than my 4Runner!
Awe man I love these 80s era Toyota trucks! I've owned a bunch of old Toyota trucks over the years and as long as you take care of them they will last forever.
Right now my current daily driver/mud truck is an 86' Toyota 4runner I bought back in 2010 and it still runs like a top! I also have an 85' Hilux extended cab that I've been working on and restoring myself since around 00'. My goal is to make it look like the Hilux from the movie Back to the Future, I finally got all the body work done and the brush guard and light bar I just need to paint it now.
Great Job Dave, it looks great sitting up like that. Ready for some off roading 🙂
If that had been a western New York truck you would have needed cutting torches. That truck is amazingly clean for being 36 years old.
Great job Dave, now you have extras or they will find a home in another project like some of my extras do. Thanks for sharing with us that does help the ride and setting of the vehicle and well worth it on a 500 dollar vehicle. Stay safe and keep up the good videos. Fred.
It's never a good thing to be weak in the backend. 🙂Thanks for sharing.
Those should settle an inch or so after some use. By the way that 4Runner is probably worth $4-6k to the right guy these days :D
Seeing that old 4 runner backing in to that classic wild west intro music just seems fitting lol 🤣👍
Good to see your still hanging on to it.
Funny, I’m a retired mechanic and I’ve done that job countless times myself over the years (I have even owned the exact model Four Runner)and I was thinking to myself, why did the springs not come with those bushes. 😊
Great a mechanic. I have an issue only experiencing can answer. I own a 98 4runner with only 140k. Recently, the truck developed a shutter (slight jerking) around 50-55 mph, after that speeds drives fine. No error codes. What do you think the problem is? Thx
@@Asian_Connection Balance all your wheels/tyres.
Watching you open up the tyre change kit reminded me of a similar situation with my 13 year old Subaru Forester. Having owned it from new, with 330000km on the clock. Having used it for launching my boat and living near the river (salt) i expected to find rust, now for the story.....
Taking the roof racks off, racks that'd been exposed to much salt water well.... i washed the fixing system of the racks down, no rust, not a single spec of rust, Subaru had used marine grade stainless steel on a part that was essentially invisible! That's a great example of brilliant engineering, i still miss my 1990 Forester to this day.
What a amazing old Toyota it's had a hard life and still going even the body work and Frame still looks good . Is Toyota watching good publicity 😎 . It definitely deserves a paint job for all it's years of faithful service
My college roommate had an 88 4Runner in the late 90s. It sagged just like yours even back then. New springs will probably settle a bit once they get broken in. Lug nuts were 21 or 22mm IIRC.
My old '98 Nissan needed the spare lift chain mechanism rebuilt last summer. While it was somewhat neglected when I lived in Texas (and it was a Louisiana truck), the 6 years up here in Michigan with Road Salt really did a number on it. Rust treatment (Evaporust), good spray paint (tractor black), and some moly brake grease and it works a charm. My springs were lacking for what I bought it for (Sattelite tv installs) so I first used air shocks, but they didn't last (well they lasted longer than the job!), so I went with replacement tow package springs with helpers that added about 2 inches from stock as well. I also went up a bit on the front torsion bars so with the fairly heavy cap, and "Winter Weight" (tow ropes, shovels, salt, straps and a heavy 36x42 pallet made of 4x4s and 2x6s) it sits about level to just a hair tail high (depends on gas load) When I pull the cap off to finish its refurb, it gets a bit tail high. Stone ax reliable, for the most part. Not as good as a Toyota (and your $500 was a deal), but the best I could afford at the time I bought it.
On my old Toyota pickup I used to use a five tire rotation. That meant every time I rotated the tires I cranked that tire down, and another back up.
Thanks for posting this...nice job replacing those leaf springs. I have a 1988 4Runner that I bought nearly new and it now has 191,000 miles, many of them pulling a boat back and forth to the Florida Keys, about 800 miles round trip. The 6 cylinder 3vze engine has served well except for a blown head gasket covered by a recall. I drive it a time or two each week to run errands and it's dependable still. I don't believe I'll ever sell it...too many fond memories.
4-Runner (4-Skinner) sag was well known in Australia. It was common practice to replace back springs with after market varieties. It looks funny seeing the back end up so high.
Had a 1986 toyota pickup
Absolutely bullet proof rig
That sits perfect now Dave! Nice work!
All was well and good... but I was 'surprised' you bought the U bolts. I fully expected to see them get made. :-)
Isn't that the way it goes. You dont get the parts you thought you should but there not in the kit and nobody tells you why so you get go and get what you need and then the parts you didn't get show up after all the work is done . Thanks for the videos