2001 Toyota 4 Runner - Restore Options

Hello 4 Runner Forums,

I drive a green Toyota 4 Runner with about 250k miles. I am unsure if I should try to restore this vehicle or if I should just start purchase another vehicle/financing another vehicle.

If I decide to keep this vehicle and restore it, what are my options and how much would it cost? Mainly the paint is peeling and the front plastic visor is broken. How much would it cost to give the car a paint job or plastidip the car in black? I would like to make the car look awesome, if possible. Please see attached pictures of my car and a picture of a 4 Runner I think looks cool.

If you could please let me know your opinion/s, that would be appreciated! Or so.

Thank you,

Eugene

 

Is it worth trying to take on a project like this? What would the difficulty level be for a noobie? Link below

PlastiDip a WHOLE CAR - How-to by DipYourCar.com - YouTube

 

First off, welcome to the forum, 2nd. Have you kept up with the mechanical maintenance? Like lbj,s oil leaks, radiator, fluids, and other items. It looks like some holes in the roof? How does it look underneath, like rust, or no?

 

Hi! Thanks for the welcome! Car got oil changes every 5k-10k miles or so. For the other items I can take the car to get checked for fluid levels etc. The car, to my knowledge, never had any major work done to the drive train engine/transmission and has been in zero collisions/wrecks. Clean Title

I am the third driver/owner of this car. First the car was my mom's, then my brothers, now I drive it. It's been in the family since it was purchased in 2001 or so

I think the peeling went through the clear coat and paint, and is at the bare metal in one or more places (I think). I have not noticed any rust. Please excuse my noobiness

 

Yes on the oil changes is fine, at 250k miles some items need to be replaced, the lower ball joints are one of those, they have been known to fail catastrophically. The holes i see are in the hood pic. Looks like they are through the metal.

 

Hi, thanks for the response/info. Do you think the car is worth restoring the paint and body and spending more money to fix it up? Or do you think I should sell and then go for another vehicle?

 

Is it a 4x4? It looks like a well optioned Sport model which is nice. 4x4 is worth twice that of a non 4x4

At 250k miles...you have some major maintenance due.

If I were to buy your car, I would factor in that I would need AT LEAST $1500k in parts (not labor) to get her back into shape.

Shocks/Struts/ball joints/Radiator/Timing belt/water pump kit/hoses/belts/plugs/wires/valve cover gaskets/incidentals. That's assuming she runs perfectly and doesn't need a new Throttle Body by now or the gas tank dropped for a fuel sender/pump. Those things go out at 250k too.

As to the paint. The sides look fine? I would stop by a "Dent Wizard" or someplace that fixes minor paint issues. They could probably scuff the top and paint it quick and cheap. I am usually amazed at how they can blend the paint. If you want more...then ask them...and they can probably point you to a shop that can do a full body scuff and spray. Point out any dings and they can probably pull/smooth them over. You will be FAR happier an expert does the body work.

Do not do the plastidip. You will make a mess.

The front bug deflector is aftermarket. You can just remove it.

You didn't mention where this car lives? If there is major rust underneath, then sell her now.

 

Thanks for the response. I went to speedee today and it looks like ball joints and struts are ok from visual inspection.

I think I also got timing belt changed two or so years ago.

I am unsure if it is a 4x4, how could i check that?

Is the vehicle worth restoring/fixing up, or would I be better off buying/financing another vehicle?

 

This picture looks cool. Maybe I will paint my car full black or granite/gray with black accents, also with a front bar like this.

Would it be expensive to paint the car full black or granite gray, or should I just buy/finance another vehicle?

 

Do you have a Maaco paint near? Take down for an estimate.

 

OP, good paint is not cheap, and changing color costs even more.

You have a 4wd. My advice is to take your time selling it for a good price, then put that money towards one you want, with factory paint in a color you like.

Restorations seldom pay off.

 

Yeah, I'm thinking you don't know what you're getting into. The car is 20 years old. While the report from SpeeDee is reassuring, the car needs some internal work to make it go another 5 years.

Regardless, the radiator is really the big one. Once the transmission cooler cracks in it, coolant gets dumped into the transmission. Then it's a $3k transmission replacement. I'm amazed that it hasn't gone south by this time already.

"Restoring" a car doesn't include major modifications like a color change. Sounds like you are looking to give it a face lift.

You will get a good chunk of change by selling her as is. FWIW, if I was to flip the car, I would first do what I said above and see if you could get the top painted...then clean and sell her. I wouldn't replace anything other than the radiator.

If you go through with a paint job that changes the color, it will reduce the car's value. People run away from color changes, it screams major accident. Also color changes done right, cost a lot as it includes door jambs and inside the engine bay.

 

The great thing about these vehicles is how easy they are to work on. Most work can be done with jack stands and a ratchet set, and there are a lot of how to videos on youtube that do a step by step on stuff.

Check the underside for rust, if it isn't bad then you have a good candidate for a restoration vehicle. Assuming its a California vehicle, there shouldn't be bad rust. The paint looks too far gone and you'll have to redo it, but you can wash and wax it for now.

 

My advice if you wish to keep the vehicle, fix the coolant leaks by changing ALL your radiator hoses and do a flush on the system. Also change your diff and transfer case fluids. Do a drain and fill on your tranny. Get it up to date on all your maintenance items. A good paint job will run your at least $1,000 or more if you change the color. You can remove the plastic piece up front and put a new one on if you wish. Open the hood and you should see where it is screwed on. Good luck.

 

Hello Everyone,

Thank you all for your input/advice. It looks like I may have most of the important items taken care of.

Vehicle is in California, have not heard of or seen any major or significant rust underneath, if any.

Looks like in 2018, the timing belt and water pump was changed, and radiator hoses etc

Car was taken to the shop last week and got radiator changed out

upper and lower ball joints are ok, dont need to be changed out

The only item left I might need, in terms of getting the car driving reliability wise, might be an oil change and changing out the valve cover gasket

The paint still aint the greatest right now.

Also, the shocks and struts are weak, but i guess that doesnt really damage the car/drivetrain, but does effect the comfortability of the car, and may not be 100% necessary to get replaced. However, I guess it may ware out the tires if i hit bumps or something.

 

Mechanic wrote "timing belt?" but I hadnt told him I took the car to pep boys in 2018 etc. Timing belt already taken care of

 

From Pep Boys Work Order info in 2018

 

Weak shocks/struts? REPLACE them. They affect controllability. A lot! You want to hit a bump in a corner and have the truck decide to go someplace you didn't send it??

Front brake pads thin? REPLACE them. They do the most of the stopping for you. They wear down enough their metal backing plates touch the rotors, time for new pads AND rotors. Not to mention stopping is a real adventure. Pads should be something you can do at home with regular tools. Easy peasy.

Same for the differential fluid. Both diffs. You do NOT want a diff to lock up at freeway speed. Changing the fluid is something else you can do at home. One wrench is all it takes. Make sure you remove the fill plug before you remove the drain plug. You don't want to drain all the oil out, then realize you can't refill it! Use GL-5 70W90, brand is your choice.

When they replaced the coolant, tell me they used the RED coolant, not the green stuff. It will make your cooling system last a LOT longer. The green will cause more corrosion, more rapidly. Bad, bad, bad. Best is the Toyota coolant. Maybe little more expensive, but it's a small price to pay for the benefits it provides.
IF you change out the coolant, while it's drained, check the thermostat. Make sure the jiggle valve is down at six o'clock. If it's not, make it that way. It's important.

Have fun. You've got a chance at some great experience.
Pat☺

 

money well spent..myself, not a big fan of ' pep ' boys...at least here in Memphis. good luck with your ride

 

Im in the restoration camp. I bought an 02 runner limited with 284k on the clock. Shes needed a lot of work. Im probably 15000 in at this point, but i really like the truck and its still cheaper than a newer car. It doesnt have any major body issues or rust (frame or otherwise). Just a little rust on the body i can grind off and prime and touch up and clear coat. Ive done a new axle (rusted pumpkin housing cover), knock sensors and harness, intake and plenum gaskets, valve cover seals and spark plug seals, one valve cover (i broke it, twice like an idiot), new injector o rings, new battery, new spark plugs, reman transmission, new front rotors and pads and rear brake shoes, new parking brake bellcranks and cable, new lower balljoint one one side, other to be done when i can get to it, new pcv valve and vacuum hose, new turn signal housings because mine were cracked, new fog light bulbs, engine air filter, rebuilt ac control panel, and now im in on a new heater core. Also need to troubleshoot the ac since that doesnt work. Checked the timing belt and water pump and those were good. Thermostat opened during bleeding like it was supposed to. I also swapped out crappy green coolant for genuine toyota red. Im also getting new AT tires for it, and its gonna need new front shocks also. Rears were done by previous owner. Call me crazy, but i want 285k more miles out of this truck! Part of why i can afford to do this is because im doing most of the work myself. Only things i didnt do myself were the axle and transmission.
So ill just say, If the truck is worth fixing to you, go for it!

 

Just curious, if I may ask: Did you replace the rear brake shoes because they were worn, but clean and dry, or did you have differential lube on them? Toyota has a bit of a problem with rear axle seals failing, leaking into the rear brake assemblies. I realize it's a bit late to go after them now, but it's something to keep in mind.

Something that can really contribute to that problem, BTW, is the differential breathers getting clogged. You might want to pull them both and try to blow air through them. If they're clogged, you'll have a leak in the axle seals, garunteeeed. They're usually cleanable in a few minutes. Amazing that something so small and simple can cause such big, expensive, problems, but they can.

Something else you might want to glance at is the condition of the various ground points, and wires. Many people forget about them, but they're critical to the truck's operation. All of them. The wires off the battery terminals can get corroded down inside the insulation, where you can't see it. I would ohm them out real well, to be sure. Also, better to have too many ground wires, than not enough. The battery to the body, battery to engine block, heads to body, alternator to head, the list goes on and on. If in doubt, add another ground wire. It may pay off in more power, better mileage, more reliable, stronger starting, again, the list is endless.

Sorry, I ramble. Sounds like you're well on the way to having another 500,000 miles available on your truck
Good luck!
Pat☺

 

I actually replaced the rear brakes shoes because during the state inspection, they told me the shoes were delaminating. I could tell they hadnt been done for quite a while so im not surprised. This was done at my local dealer so i know oem parts were used. Im using oem for everything! The dealer also flushed the brake fluid and bled the system because the “feel” of the brake pedal is bad. Fair enough, that is a valid inspection with criteria in the factory service manual and it did stop very poorly before they did that. But anyway no the axle didnt have any problems at the seals on the end! It was from the middle of the housing. I got a brand new axle because there werent any cheap used ones in my area. With shipping, it wound up being not too much more for a brand new axle. Hopefully toyota remedied the metallurgy problems that plagued the old axles and caused them to rust out. Ill definitely be keeping an eye on the diff breather as well for corrosion.

As for wiring issues, i havent run into any wiring issues, or ground corrosion issues as of yet. Everything on my truck seems to be very clean which im grateful for. Most of the mechanical stuff was neglected, but thats all easy compared to dealing with electrical gremlins. When i get the time, ill check over the body ground wiring thoroughly just to be sure. Thanks so much for all the tips!

 

Glad I was a little help, if I was

Sounds like you got this restoration totally under control. Tear it up! You'll essentially have a new 4Runner when you get done, for far less than the price of a new one. Keep up on the maintenance, and it'll pay you back with interest!

Good fortune, and enjoy your "new" truck
Pat☺