1985 Toyota 4Runner SR5! Stock CA truck w/Hard & Soft Top & xtra Rims! 22RE&SFA

Description

Greetings & apologies for the many of you following the auction that ended earlier this evening. It's been quite a chore to put all of this together, and the weather outside in Nashville has not been too helpful for picture taking. That said, here's what I've put together:

Ownership History/Provenance

In early 2012 I was on the hunt for a one owner & unmolested 4runner from somewhere rust does not plague older vehicles. After a few patient months of endless searching, this baby popped up. I flew to California, bought it, and then drove it to Nashville where I have been taking great care of it ever since.

Albeit I’m something technically like the 4th or 5th owner- for all intents and purposes, I’m this vehicle’s 2nd owner.

When I flew out to Cali and purchased this vehicle in early 2012, I bought it from a guy who had (at that time) recently bought it from its predominant owner (the dude who had it from the mid eighties till late 2011, that is to say). Basically since it was new it had one sole proprietor, until it was purchased by the classic car collector of whom I purchased it from shortly thereafter, because (as it was explained to me) his wife explained to him that he had one car too many and she needed a garage space for her car.

In the garage next to 2 beautiful stock early 60’s sting rays, this 4runner was safely stored (do also know the longterm owner before this guy kept the truck garaged as well). The dude I bought the truck from included the extra set of rims which he acquired from the longterm owner, of whom had acquired the rims from a friend who turned a 4runner into a rock crawler (and thereafter gave his friend an extra set of matching rims upon “retiring” the crawler). Do know that this particular truck up for auction has not been used off roads, unless you consider my suburban back yard off roading! 4wd works like a charm; both the transfer case and 5 speed manual transmission shift super smoothly.

Misc.

* Includes a working alarm system that was installed at the dealership when this truck was new.

* Includes original cassette player, which I removed when I installed a Kenwood detachable face CD player and polk audio speakers in the rear that are powered by an amp (which sounds great). I built custom mounts using mdf board in such a way that the amp and speakers are hidden, and could be removed so that the vehicle could be returned to its stock condition (aka no holes were drilled; I’ve been diligent in keeping this vehicle in the shape I found it in).

I purchased the tan soft topper in mid 2012, and it still does its job as if it was new (its been used about half the year each year since I bought it, and stored safely the rest of the time). There is one small crack about an inch long in the “rear window” plastic window, which I taped with a small piece of white duct tape to prevent water coming in. It could use a scrubbing, other than that its got plenty of life left in it. I paid nearly a grand for it and its included in this auction.

The rear window is in phenomenal shape, and worked the last time I swapped out the soft & hard top. I'm pretty sure its a matter of a simple wire harness connection, but will not know until I know; I’ve got time Monday to troubleshoot just after I brush up on testing electrical issues; I’ll keep ya’s posted.

Since I’ve owned the truck, I replaced (with OEM parts) the water pump, thermostat, and starter.

This truck is not museum quality! But its damn close.

Definitely not museum quality, but certainly close enough that it’s ready to be restored to such a state should you be so inclined.

*** If you want something that looks like it belongs in a museum when you’re driving it around (but not necessarily when looking at it under a microscope) do read on because this vehicle is probably for you ***

** Starts like a champ and drives great on the highway & I would not hesitate to drive this anywhere.

** Includes original window sticker & manual, and a handful of other items I'll post to photobucket tomorrow.

** Original purchaser had the receiver hitch bumper option installed, and includes a working wire harness for various types of harnesses (will add a pic of this to photo bucket album tomorrow). I think the brand is Smittybuilt; its a recognizable name brand (I’m not at home while writing this, so I’ll have to add that info to description tomorrow).

Barring the collective issues that could use attention, this vehicle is a winner and I absolutely hate to have to sell it! The only reason I’m selling it is because some opportunities have arisen that necessitate turning liquid assets into liquid (AKA it’s hard to justify having a second luxury weekend vehicle around these days).

A few things that this Yota’s next owner will probably want to address sooner than later (which I’ve intended to do myself but have not had the time/$ to do). Keep in mind I'm trying to cover any & all bases; please don’t let any of this scare you off! Every time I drive this truck people approach me about it and admire the shape that it’s in, because it's pretty awesome...

** Replace all window seals with a kit and arrest the light surface rust that’s starting to show around the windshield (see pics). I’ve looked into these kits a while back and they can be found for as cheap as 125.00 or so.

** You’ll probably want to rebuild the seals in the front axle; there’s a small leak evident. That said- do know this tiny fluid loss has not worsened since it developed. The winning bidder needs to know that this should be addressed at some point, and that the front axle fluid should be checked often so you don’t create bigger problems! This project is not terribly expensive for an inept DIYer; I myself felt a bit overwhelmed to take this on, given the tool & work space restraints. All of that said: I’ve kept the axle fluids topped off religiously, and kept tabs on the tiny drip that the axle occasionally offers the driveway. I also haven’t been driving it much since I noticed the leak.

* AC is in the vehicle and works, but not too well as it needs a conversion kit in order to accommodate the newer type of refrigerant. I’ve never bothered to address this as I’ve always used the hard top in the summertime. The heater works like a champ.

** Both sets of tires have some life left, albeit both sets show some wear (I’ll be adding pics to the photo bucket link tomorrow of the tires). The extra set of tires with SR5 chrome rims are “RADIAL SXT ALL TERRAIN” sized 31x10.50R15LT. The tires & chrome SR5 rims original to this truck have a set of P235/70R15 BIG O LEGACY TOUR PLUS tires. Auction also includes an extra set of rotors that might need to be machined, but are definitely useable (will add pic to photobucket tomorrow).

** One of the neater attributes of this truck which help me decide this was the one- the Californian who owned this for decades always took it to the dealership to get it worked on, which means it was always serviced by a Yota Master Tech. I know these trucks/motors well from living in Montana for a decade, and know how to do quite a few things myself. I also know my limitations, which is why the things that need addressing eventually are well discussed in this description. That is to say: if I didn’t do it, it’s because time/tools/know-how prevented me from tackling any respective project (i.e. someone who really knows whats up should rebuild the front axle, and take apart the steering column to change the ignition switch).

** The motor does not leak a drop of oil, but it does go through about 1 quart of oil total per 3K oil change. This has been an unflinching fact since I purchased the vehicle 5 years ago. Don’t let this or the mileage scare you- this truck still gets 24 MPG on the freeway so long as you drive under 70MPH. The window sticker from the original manual (which is included in this auction) reads 24 MPG highway :) The timing chain was replaced

** Driver’s side power window works great; the passenger side window works only from the driver’s side switch. The majority of interior lights work (inc. all of the overhead ones). One of the small lights in the back is not working, as well as in the passenger side door. They are so negligible to me that I never even bothered to change the bulb or troubleshoot the issue.

** Auction includes an uninstalled new ignition switch and wiring harness. In late 2015 when I was trouble shooting the problem that ultimately ended up being just the starter itself, I preemptively bought new OEM parts on Ebay in anticipation of needing to replace the entirety of the starting system (as necessary) during the limited window of time I had to fix the problem. As the problem was the starter, that’s all I replaced. I’m throwing in the switch and harness in the auction as well. It would probably be wise to install the switch as the existing one ignition switch usually triggers the “key in the ignition” buzzer when the door is open even though the keys are not in the ignition (not all the time, as if you turn the key just right the ignition will not trigger that response). This latter issue has been going as long as I've owned the vehicle and hasn't bothered me enough to want to take apart the steering column.

** The thermostat gauge in the gauge cluster has an intermittent grounding issue that is often occurring in the first generation SR5 gauge cluster. Hit a bump and it works, hit another bump and it goes to the exact middle of the gauge (which means its not actually doing its job). I tried every troubleshooting technique aside from a hard wired in-line gauge… Upon realizing I could not troubleshoot the temp gauge wiring issue (which I suspect might be somewhere in the gauge cluster itself) rather than adding an aftermarket temp gauge) I decided to replace all the parts that could possibly contribute to a loss of the cooling system’s ability to do it’s job. Thereafter I’ve driven this vehicle with hyper awareness of whether or not the temp gauge was actually working. I replaced the hoses, water pump, thermostat, and flushed the radiator; so far so good! Do also know the radiator was replaced with an OEM Toyota radiator just prior to my purchase and is still in phenomenal shape.

** The Yota battery was recently replaced with the only suitable replacement battery I could find at my local walmart. It will do the job for many years to come, but do know its not an original Yota replacement!

** The interior is pretty swell all in all, except for the drivers seat which could use some TLC. In the rear, the brown carpet has some staining from what is probably oil of some sort. This is from the original owner. Still, all in all- friends and pretty girls alike have always commented on how nice the original interior is :)

** The leather around the gear shifters is separating from the plastic a little in a couple spots, but not visually noticeable unless you lift it up (and why would you?). The leather/pleather of the middle arm rest has one small separation from use- it was like this when I bought it and it has not gotten worse. Original brown carpet mats included, and all are in great shape (the driver’s side one has a wear spot from where the heel rests…). Seats fold down as they should. The passenger seat slides forward and then bends down; the driver’s seat slides forward, but does not bend forward (like you would to let someone in the rear).

** The exterior has a few dings here and there, which I’ve tried to capture with photos. The rain has really put a damper on trying to sell this truck- I prefer natural light and the carport where this has been stored & covered is not amiable to photography. It started to rain just as I opened the hood to take those pics (what you’re seeing is rain drops in that pic, not oil!!!).

Thanks for looking & don’t hesitate to ask any questions!

I’ll be adding more photos to a photobucket site that you can find by searching for jared brennan 1985 4runner :)