Body Swap on a pair of 87 4runners

[KrazyKarl]

Hi. I just picked up a pair of 87 4runners. One of them was the built up, rolled 4runner that I got from SLC97SR5 and which ricsrx was kind enough to drop off. The other one is a fairly strait, albeit fairly rusted bone stock SR5 with a two tone black/od green rattle can paint job. I'm taking some vacation days this Thursday and Friday and renting a forklift with the hope of getting a body swap done so I can have a working 4runner to drive off and get registered the following Monday.



After studying the two trucks and reading up as much as I could, Here the check list I've put together of what I need to do to complete the body swap:

1 Remove air intake crossover tube
2 Remove Radiator Hose
3 Remove Radiator
4 Remove Battery
5 Remove belts and unbolt AC and tie out of the way by the battery location
6 Disconnect Power steering lines from pump and steering box
7 Remove heater hoses at block
8 Disconnect throttle cable
9 Disconnect main engine harness from ECU and pull through firewall
10 Disconnect other misc engine wiring and grounds
11 Disconnect misc vacuum lines going to brake booster, charcoal canister, and cruise control
12 Disconnect wiring at alternator at the fender and starter
13 Disconnect wiring at alternator at the starter
14 Disconnect front brake lines at frame
15 Disconnect hydraulic line at clutch slave cylinder
16 Remove steering shaft at steering box
17 Disconnect speedometer cable at tranny
18 Disconnect 4WD and reverse light wiring to tranny
19 Disconnect fuel pump
20 Disconnect evap and return fuel lines at the tank
21 Disconnect e-brake cable at bell-crank
22 Disconnect brake lines at proportioning valve
23 Disconnect brake lines at front right junction (near starter)
24 Disconnect fuel filler tube
25 Check for any attachment of brake, clutch, e-brake, and fuel lines under body
26 Remove shift boots
27 Unbolt body and lift
28 disconnect attachment of brake, clutch, e-brake, and fuel lines under body
29 un clip harness going to the fuel tank
30 Unclip turn indicators on front bumper
31 Unhook wiring for elockers
32 Swap bodies
33 Hook everything back together and cross fingers that it runs

Let me know if you see anything major I might be overlooking

Thanks!

 

[Bart]

Sounds like an ambitious weekend. Good luck.

 

[B2-Bomber]

When I swap/remove bodies,I just unbolt/support the brake master without removing so many lines. And transfer the master with the frame

 

[Gravy]

I'll be there all day Friday. Should be fun.

 

[Kevin B.]

You guys want a hand? I've never done a body swap, I'd love to help.

 

[ricsrx]

I will tell you after doing 4 or 5 swaps (and 50 in my head while trying to sleep), you will be surprised how easy it is!

 

[idahoyj]

I will tell you after doing 4 or 5 swaps (and 50 in my head while trying to sleep), you will be surprised how easy it is!

The projects in my head always go easier!

 

[Gravy]

You guys want a hand? I've never done a body swap, I'd love to help.

Ya come on over. I'll PM you the address.

 

[Gravy]

We unbolt ed almost everything yesterday. Forklift shows up at noon or 1.

 

[KrazyKarl]

We got both swapped today and we got pretty much everything hooked back up. There is one orphaned white connector by the gas tank that I believe is for the park break light and a few things need to be adjusted and tightened down, but the 4runner fired up and ran. Tomorrow I'm going to bleed the breaks and clutch, change all the fluids and replaced a cracked exhaust manifold. I rented a fork lift for 4 hours today to help lift the body off. It was the way to go!


p.s. I'm having a rough time uploading pictures, not sure whey they are so small or flipped on their side. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough

 

[Gravy]

We must be getting good at Yotas because these went together pretty well.

 

[B2-Bomber]

Rented a forklift to lift a few hundred pounds?

 

[Gravy]

The black one is a complete body with complete interior, doors, glass and roll bar, and weighs significantly more than "a few hundred pounds."

A stock 87 4runner weighs in around 3600lbs. You can safely assume the body is easily 1/3 or more of the total weight. Subtract a few hundred pounds for radiator and hard top puts the body alone closer to 1100lbs.

Assume we could somehow guarantee perfect weight distribution and each full size man could lift 183lbs that would take 6 men (at the very least) to lift the body almost 50" high (the top of the motor on the lifted truck is over 46") and 2 additional men to roll the chassis out from under it all between 1pm and 7pm in 96*F heat. Logistical nightmare.
I gutted my old 85' and got the body (with almost no interior, doors, tailgate, fenders, roll bar, or glass) onto a flat bed trailer with an engine hoist, a come-along and 4 guys and it was horrible.

The way we did it was painless.
A forklift allowed two guys to swap two bodies in 1 day, with 0 post body swap chiropractic visits. I'd say money very well spent

KrazyKarl will update the thread when he gets more progress on it.

 

[B2-Bomber]

Dude, it's well less than 1,000lbs. More than 100lbs. It's a "few hundred". The curb weight of one of those is 2500 with top. Minus engine, tranny,t-case, axles, fuel tank, top, tires, frame, suspension etc.

I've swapped heavier bodies, with far less than a forklift In the backyard by myself. In an afternoon. Including lifting the body off/on the trailer. And that's not some super light, few -hundred -pound 4runner, with no top like those. And that was my first ever.

For me, the hassle of renting, and returning the forklift wouldn't be worth the time. But the convenience I'm sure was nice.

 

[skippy]

Dude, it's well less than 1,000lbs. More than 100lbs. It's a "few hundred". The curb weight of one of those is 2500 with top. Minus engine, tranny,t-case, axles, fuel tank, top, tires, frame, suspension etc.

I've swapped heavier bodies, with far less than a forklift In the backyard by myself. In an afternoon. Including lifting the body off/on the trailer. And that's not some super light, few -hundred -pound 4runner, with no top like those. And that was my first ever.

For me, the hassle of renting, and returning the forklift wouldn't be worth the time. But the convenience I'm sure was nice.

Hey Dude, Nobody cares.....

Sincerely, Everybody on this forum




Nice job Stratton, Work smarter not harder

 

[Gravy]

Thanks UT410, I think Karl's plan is fiberglass rear quarters, but I'll let him chime in, I'm just helping out a friend.

 

[KrazyKarl]

Yea, My plan is to do a fiberglass patch for now, and down the road once everything is in tip top mechanical shape, I'm going to either replace them with junk yard panels, or do full fiberglass. That is ways down the road though.

I've run into a snag this weekend. I had a crack in the exhaust manifold and down pipe, so I swapped in the manifold and down pipe from the other truck and it was also cracked... I'm looking at headers right now. Anyone know if the trail gear header is the way to do, or if some of the cheaper ones do the trick? Also, I think top furthest back stud is stripped out on my head. Is there any type of fix that doesn't involve pulling the head and driling out and helicoiling it?

On a good note, I did take it out for spin around the block, and other that huffing exhaust fumes for a few minutes, It seems to ride really well.

 

[Gravy]

We could use one of those 90* adapters on the drill so we don't have to pull the head.

 

[Kevin B.]

Yea, My plan is to do a fiberglass patch for now, and down the road once everything is in tip top mechanical shape, I'm going to either replace them with junk yard panels, or do full fiberglass. That is ways down the road though.

I've run into a snag this weekend. I had a crack in the exhaust manifold and down pipe, so I swapped in the manifold and down pipe from the other truck and it was also cracked... I'm looking at headers right now. Anyone know if the trail gear header is the way to do, or if some of the cheaper ones do the trick? Also, I think top furthest back stud is stripped out on my head. Is there any type of fix that doesn't involve pulling the head and driling out and helicoiling it?

On a good note, I did take it out for spin around the block, and other that huffing exhaust fumes for a few minutes, It seems to ride really well.

I don't know about the TrailGear header specifically, I had a Thorley header on my last 22RE and it definitely made a difference but not enough that I'd pay full price for one. Cheaper ones like Pacemaker tend to rust out pretty quick.

I have the helicoil kit for that stud, let me know if you want to borrow it. I used a right angle adapter from Lowes to helicoil one stripped stud, but that was on the front. I had trouble getting at another stripped stud on the rear without taking out all the heater hose and brake booster/MC, so I used some kind of hi temp JB Weld-type stuff to lock that bastard in place. It held until I pulled the motor out, about a year, might still be holding. The right way is to coil it though.

 

[KrazyKarl]

yea, part of me wants to do the JB weld fix but I think I"ll probably do the helicoils. I have one that is all the way stripped and a second that I could feel the threads pulling out on, so I think I'm better off just fixing them both. Everything was taken apart just a few weeks ago, so I think it will come off easy, might as well do a permanent fix with the coil. I'm a machinist, so I would feel a little silly avoiding tapping a hole since I've done it literally 1000 times.

I ended up going with a pacemaker header just so I don't blow my budget. If it rusts out down the line, I'll upgrade to something nicer. I really like the LC enginnering one. It looked pretty slick, make in a year or two. Right not I just want to get this thing running!