Gatorgrl's Grand Gen2 4Runner makeover

That is awesome. I prefer a manual also.

 

No, I have the rare rear view mirror.....lol I have a back up cam on my bus but it really isn't necessary on the Rav due to it's small size.

 

Our issue turned out to the be the circuit opening relay, found on the passenger side foot well by the ECM. We sourced one from the junkyard and it is working FABULOUSLY! And a brand new EFI relay.

 

I have a backup camera because people are too stupid to know what reverse lights are and decide walk or drive behind a vehicle that is backing up.

 

I thought if you were texting you have the right of way.

 

Well, I know this isn't 4Runner related, but here is a glimpse of what I have been doing, besides fixing that damned Runner:

We picked up 2 very sad mini bikes at a local pawn shop for cheap.
His:

And mine:



Bring on my customization magic!

Here's his after, he wanted it all black.


And mine.....cause I AM Gatorgrl after all:



Yes, I may have gone a bit overboard . But I love it!

 

Well today we found 1.5" wide black vinyl tape (electrical tape) and used it to tape all around the damned sunroof. This way hopefully we can seal off any water from entering via the sunroof to see if this clears up our mysterious leak in the back cargo area in the corners. He didn't want to go with a more perm. tape, like flex seal or gorilla tape as he didn't want to mess up the paint. Time will tell if this is the fix or not.

 

My sunroof is also non-operational. The dang thing quit working while I was driving it home from San Diego to Orange County after the purchase. Just as I'm thinking this $1,600 4Runner and everything works how cool is this!...

Side note: My prior vehicle was a 96 P38 4.6 Range Rover which had a Euro Chop Shop replacement in it that cost me $150 and it busted the same die cast over stressed part just like the original did. So I took Right Stuff Gasket maker and removed the glass from the mechanism and bonded it flush into the roof. No rattle, no wind noise, no hassle, except the message center would tell me that it wasn't closed and I therefore could not superlock the doors. It did not matter what it was that you fixed it would never ever be over in a Rover, typical unreliable gimmicky Land Rover crap! Oh and the rain would fill up the load space for the spare tire which was this huge cavity under a pull-up subfloor in the back. First time it happened all the interior window surfaces were permanently fogged up. Moderately warm day after the rain in Southern California what the heck I'm thinking. Opened up the load space cover and had been driving around with 8 inches of water in the tub were the spare would go if you ran OEM tires. The water had almost reached the terminals on my auxillary yellow top optima battery. So I banged out the plug in the bottom and never put it back. The plastic drain tubes had crawled off the steel pipes I later discovered during the first headliner replacement. I am so glad to be rid of that vehicle.

If you find a source for the worm drive screw which is what I think has broken on our 4Runners sun/moon roof's please advise?

I had a LiL-Indian mini bike that cost $100 as advertised in Boys Life which was a magazine you got as a Boy Scout back in Connecticut. All I remember was begging and begging my parents for that mini bike for what seemed like an eternity. My birthday was in November and hopes were high but it didn't happen and I was really disheartened. Two months later it was Christmas early 1970's and we had a really big snow that year during Thanksgiving and I got the mini bike for Christmas and was ecstatic. But I could not ride it because the snow had done several melt and refreezing cycles by New Years day. The ice on the crushed rock driveway was a death wish trying to keep it upright. Then the freaking woodruff key sheared on the flywheel and the engine would not start as the snow was melting away that spring. It really did not like the cold weather. My Dad refused to help me fix it which to this day I still don't understand except to think that he was glad I could not crash it if it didn't run. I never had a helmet and my parents never bought me one. Those were the days. It was several months later till one Saturday I was determined to remove that damn flywheel as he had told me what he thought was wrong with it. When I had got it off my, Dad was very surprised. He and I went promptly to the hardware store and got a new woodruff key right away. That was a darn fun summer, I had trails all throughout the woods around my house after that fix. The two best things I did too that mini bike was sawing off the tube for your feet and putting proper motorcycle foot pegs that fold at the mid span of the lower frame tube much like your bikes already have. The other was disabling the centrifugal governor on the engine. That 3 horsepower Tecumseh would go darn near 40 MPH on the asphalt when flatout with the throttle pinned.

Thanks for rekindling the memory and for me to take stock in the reality that the mechanical aptitude was there from the beginning with that LiL Indian mini bike!

All the best to you in the new year and putt putt putt.

 

Toyota told us we could still buy one side (Passenger side)of the worm drive as it was still available, but limited supply. The other side (drivers side), the one we need, is no longer available or being produced.

 

So now we are trying to find a suitable place to hide some vintage 24 inch air horns I picked up recently, on our 4Runner. As you know, there is not any space under the hood, especially with the headers, and since she's 4x4, not much room under the front end either.

Here's what I am working with:



Yes, she's a bit dirty, but that's what they are for, right?

I'm considering trying to separate them and place each one under the front seats along the frame rail. Just worried the tires will fill them with mud and water. I call them my Anti Cell Phone Horns. I catch you fuckin with your phone instead of paying attention to the road, you WILL get blasted and I hope you drop the fuckin phone. Put your phone down and drive your car!

 

I think finding a spot under the bed facing backwards would work well, there may be a little more room, and you will still get the full effect from them. They may also be a bit more protected back there. JMHO

 

You mean back there with the spare tire? You did have a good idea about facing them the opposite direction. If I put them up along the frame rails, but faced them towards the back and a bit downward, that should keep the dirt and water out and they will still be plenty loud.

 

Pointing to the rear will also act as a rocket propulsion mod and thus give you a mega hp boost while they’re sounding off

 

Hell I'd bolt'em right where you have them on the bonnet for maximum cell phone user impact!
Get the Physics Tool Box app and report back on the db level these stinkers produce. I bet its well north of 115 dB's.
I really concur with your hatred for disengaged people who are driving their ruddy phones.
I blasted this twit the other day with my air horn's and she darn near hit her head on her roof.
It was classic!

 

db's? This is FL, we don't care about db's......lol I wanted to make them hidden so they can't tell where it came from...so it's a surprise!

 

We finally got the 3L air compressor to power the horns in the other day....something else we have to find a hiding place for.
Think we will have to take it to the shop and put it back on the lift to see what we can do to mount and hide my cell phone arsenal.

If I didn't have the spare tire under the Runner, that would be a good spot to hide all this....but then what do I do with the spare tire?

 

Went to my favorite junk yard this morning and saw a new arrival...another Gen 2. I hate seeing them in the junk yard. He was picked clean though. Did find a fuel sending relay hiding in the sidewall but it was ruined due to water pouring out of it. The undercarriage was a rusty mess but it had the same engine and manual trans that we have as well as it being 4x4. Some animal cut the drive shaft out. Sure wish I had seen it on it's first day there before the crabs picked it apart. But since our Runner is finally behaving itself, there has been no need to visit my junkyard.

 

As talented as you guys are, have you thought about fabricating a stand up bracket for inside? I know we always want more room but compromise can sometimes work out to. Just a thought lol.

 

Hmmm...not sure I want to listen to that thing regain pressure all the time. Maybe fabricate a box for underneath?

 

I was talking about for your tire, then put the tank underneath.

 

Finally got the Runner up on the lift so we could plan our air horn install a bit easier.
This is what we have come up with so far:
The big 3ltr air compressor will hide neatly behind the spare tire and should be kept dry and clean.


And we tried to find a good place to put the big chrome horns but really wasn't able to hide them so well, so i reluctantly went with the smaller 4 pack that came with the compressor. Much easier to hide in the passenger rear fender behind the tire.



Now we just have to get a switch and mount them.

 

While driving the Runner today and thinking about where I would like to put my new air horn button, I came across a mystery button.
Anyone know what it could be for?

 

Is that an actual push button or one of those push lock fasteners?

 

My 92 doesn't have that but I do have a screw hole about 1/2 inch above where your mystery button is.

 

I'm betting it's a screw hole. I know, a super technical question coming from me. lol
Will investigate tomorrow...when it's daylight.

 

That's it!
I am DONE!

Selling this piece of bullshit...finally.

After everything we have done and bought for this ungrateful pile of shit, it now decides to fuck us once again.

I am over it.

This is above my skill set and I refuse to pay someone to fix it.
It now has a headlight out.
I give up.

 

How much, lol.

 

Give me that piece of sh.. get rid of your headaches

 

Just kidding.

 

As you know, a lot of people would have not gone this far in a build. More power to you!!