Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey toyo dudes U guys are the gurus so tell me all u know about the 4 runner (live axle mid 80's ones). I was silly enough to buy a Feroza in my dark past and after discovering the limits of torsion bars ( 1 inch of wheel travel) I'd like to buy a real 4wd. What I need is something roomier and decently economical that will eat my mates little jimny's. Oh yeah, and it's got to be street legal in QLD.
An old runner looks the goods to me, how much flex can I get out of the old leaves and still be sensible? Anyone tell me how much fuel they (or an 80's lux) uses?
Cheers mj

fuel i get 8.5 litres to 100km, city or highway makes no differance, and the answer to your other questions is to by bubs 4runner!

NICK

I think you can't go to wrong with the model of 4 runner you are chasing!

Now if you want to drive rings around your mates and still stay steet legal is to simply leave the Runner as stock as possible and throw in some form of front and rear Locker!!

Don't worry to much about flex and all that jazz, just get yourself some lockers whether they be lockrights or ARB air lockers and you won't regret it!

If you want to see the difference a locker will do find out when 83 LUX (stocker with a rear ARB) and BUBS ( a more modified 4 Runner without a locker) are going for a drive and you will see the difference!

(sorry bubs)

pos, a little lift and suspension work is also helpful but doesnt need to be anything over the top, just enough to get the ol girl on to 33's


NICK

Yeah but thats something thats cheap and easy to do, and doesn't have as much effect as 2 lockers!

But yes it does still help to have a little more ground clearance!

Plus it looks TUFFER!

Just don't go any higher than a 50mm body lift!

Buy mine

Seriously i get 9 - 10 L per hundred non turbo diesel

suspension - if you want it to be nice riding get something like an OME kit - and a Air locker rear and you'll be set

Thanx for the reply dudes Pretty much reinforces what i'd already worked out. Some basic suspension work and a locker (or 2!) and then just enjoy the bloody thing. DIY maintenance a piece of cake or what? I've got some reasonable mech know how and can turn a spanner, can't be hard to get parts and all. Be nice to be able to buy a locker but, no one makes 'em for ferozas! Petro0l or diesel, which is better?
Anyone wanna buy a feroza??

diesel better fuel economy - less power

neither are real go fast engines - but get a 84 - 11/85 4 runner - solid front

Yeah, my mate had one of these 4-Runners for about a year, I reckon they're great guns. We took it offroad almost every weekend without ANY major problems whatsoever. Plus, if you get maggot somewhere, you can sleep in the back no wuckers at all by folding down the rear seat.

From what I saw underneath they are basically 86' hiluxs and go much the same. The difference obviously is a bit more weight especially over the rear (Which comes in handy sometimes). My mate's runner had the
suspension done at CHAOS4x4, and basically consisted of:
Drop front hangers, Extended front torque arm, Extended shackles F & R, Raised front shock hoops, Rancho 9015s all round and bootie fabbed standard leaves all on 33" BFG Muds. This thing used to flex pretty good (see pics).

About the engines, my mates runner had a 2.4L Turbo-Diesel motor with
an intercooler, and a 3" exhaust. It was allright offroad when in granny low, but on-road, my standard 2.4 Petrol hilux used to kill it, hands down.

Hope that helps ya.
Bart

A few more from a different angle...

you can get better flex than that with out to much trouble

The only Problem with the 4runners is the rear quarters are hard to keep in shape unless you bob them a little.

dave wrote:you can get better flex than that with out to much trouble

Yeah but it means more $$$ don't it?
What have you done to your suspension? It works well from the pics.

Those bobbed runners look cool.

Bart

All springs are second hand from a wrecker. Lux rears in front & mazdas in the rear cost $100, extended shackles, 14'' shocks & dropped spring hangers in the front.

Shocks $185ea total$ 740
Springs $100
Shackles $360
Dropped hangers $120
--------------
$1320


These are all retail prices and would be less than most lift kits
& definatly a shit load more travel.

Overall lift around 2-3in.

Those bobbed runners look cool.

It dose make a huge differance to the apperance & the new departure angle is awsume after having so much hanging out the back before

dave wrote:Shocks $185ea total$ 740
Springs $100
Shackles $360
Dropped hangers $120
--------------
$1320

That's pretty good hey. Who did your dropped front hangers?
Did you make the shackles yourself? and how many leaves have you
removed or swapped in your leaf setup? Sorry bout all the Q's but
I'm thinking about a very similar setup for my rig.
Definately going with the shackles and dropped front hangers for
starters, might even look at dropping the rear shackle mounts too.
Just gotta work out what leafs to use.

Bart

el barto
have a look at my pos when its done and ill give your a rundown of what i did, im currently doing all that atm
even with 2" dropped hangers and 2" shackles im getting heaps more flex out of my front

Ay Carumba!
Yeah that'd be cool. Need some ideas.
What sort of shackles did you use? Or did ya make em backyard stylez?

Barto

front hangers were made by dave camp
and the shackles are snake racing ones
also got rancho 99012s for the front with snake shock hoops and ive got a dropped J link

leaves just have to be played with to your own liking.

Big grave dig here

I'm going to trade up to something bigger, more practical and more legal than my zook shortly and was after a bit more info on the old 4runners I'll be looking for a petrol 2 door one and ifs doesn't bother me, I never get out to the rough stuff anymore

When did they go efi I know the 22r-e (i think) is a boat anchor but I'd prefer the injected anchor

What should I look out for when shopping around like rust, common problems etc

thanks all

The EFI came in 88 ( I think) and I`m brave enough to say that the old 3y or 4y is probably the option these days Cheap motor to replace,and can get them new for $1500
And for rust they rusted in the top part of the rear guard,Between the canapy and the body,Below the tail lights,And the worst part is in the corner of the firewall were leaves and shit get court in the winscreen wiper part and rusts through to dash and inner guard,and around the windscreen.

4sum4 wrote:The EFI came in 88 ( I think) and I`m brave enough to say that the old 3y or 4y is probably the option these days Cheap motor to replace,and can get them new for $1500
And for rust they rusted in the top part of the rear guard,Between the canapy and the body,Below the tail lights,And the worst part is in the corner of the firewall were leaves and shit get court in the winscreen wiper part and rusts through to dash and inner guard,and around the windscreen.

that's why I'm looking at a petrol one hey I figure the same. Diesels that age are getting on and $$$ to repair.... plus the cost of diesel now offsets the efficiency anyway

cheers

yer im looking for one as well

im looking for a leafy but i cant find any looking in the usual places the only place im not looking is card yards


and if i do find one its like $6k and thats a bit of a rip off if you ask me

but there are a few ifs ones around me area going cheap i may have a look

is the ifs front end any good or does it have the wheel travel of an excel

cheers
elliot

The IFS was disigned for comfort so not much wheel travel,and look for one that hasn`t been dusted out or lifted the common probs are Idler arm, tie rod ends and ball joints (mine didn`t have any grease nipples from factory) and they have veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery week diff centres

zukin4life wrote:is the ifs front end any good or does it have the wheel travel of an excel

A little bit more then an Excel (trust me on that, but don't tell my girlfriend ) But not much more, the following pic is mine, it's an 86' model and completely stock in the pic apart from wheels and tyres. That front wheel is off the ground.

I was after a Earlier model myself, but this thing was just far to cheap and in to good of condition to pass up. I will be doing a SAS to it, after taking into consideration the suspension set up i am doing, it will cost around the same to do a similiar setup to a solid axle model anyway (i can do the work myself, so the expensive labor part has been cut out)

heaps of flex

zukin4life wrote: is the ifs front end any good or does it have the wheel travel of an excel

Zukin if you're lookin for good offroad ability don't buy an ifs one It isn't a worry for me because I only get to a few beach trips and the odd winch challenge these days anyway. I spend more time onroad where ifs is good

Hold out for a live axle one.... or buy my zook

ide consider you zuk but i think i will fall very short of what you want for your zuk