1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5
1986 Toyota 4Runner SR5
Engine - 2.2L Petrol
Transmission - Manual
Suspension - Stock
Tyres - BFGoodrich KO3s 31x9.5 R15
Equipped For - Weekend Adventures & Surf Missions
I’ve always been into old 80s Toyotas, having owned more than I can count, including a couple of old AE85/86s, an old Crown, an old 80s pop-top Hiace I travelled around Australia in and more recently a couple of old Hiaces that we renovated to rent out.
The 4WD scene always eluded (& intimidated) me, but when we settled in the Gold Coast and I had to retire my first van from rust, I thought a 4WD would be perfect for weekend trips and seeing areas I couldn’t get to before in my 2WD vans.
Of course, it had to be Toyota and I started trawling marketplace looking at 4Runners, 60 series and those little 2-door land cruisers and eventually found this one up in Gladstone!
I was definitely hesitant about buying something where we couldn't get a proper pre-purchase inspection done, but the owner seemed really genuine and gave me a good video tour and was open about what needed to be fixed. It all felt “right”, so I trusted my gut and sent $17,000, give or take, to a stranger on the internet!
A few weeks later it arrived and we were stoked on the condition, we gave it a full driveway service and changed all the fluids, had to troubleshoot why the brakes weren’t working (part of which included upgrading the booster and master to a larger later models versions… which ended up not being the issue!), fill up the window washer bottle and that was basically it for the roadworthy!
Since then, I’ve switched from points to an electronic distributor for better reliability, added an engine guard alarm, and built out some super lightweight rear drawers with a fridge for the back out of T-slot aluminium that can be extended/contracted to still use the rear seats.
We STILL haven’t taken the roof off, but come summer expect some top-off cruising!
I don’t really have any further plans for it besides perhaps touching up the paint and tackling some rust prevention before bits get worse, just using it for what it was built for, some light off-road adventures (soft-roading), as we have a new, larger old Toyota we are turning into our lap of Australia rig! Can head on over to our YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@FromTheRoadWithLove) for that, and also for a few more episodes on the 4Runner.
Words + Photos by Ollie Fenwick Ross