B+T has been
RETIRED

The Story: 
With the recent addition of my wife, a dog, and future rug rats, the need for extra seating was at a premium. My friend and fellow wheeler Karl Bellve knew a co worker who had a 1987 Turbo 4Runner sitting in his barn with a blown head gasket that he was willing to part with for $1200. Everything was there but it needed engine work. The other comlaint that I had about it is that turbo 4Runners only came in one flavor, AUTOMATIC. So, after some debate, I decided that this was going to be my salvation, 4 seats here I come!!! I went up to see the Runner in Mass and found that it indeed was in good shape. The interior was grey cloth and in excellent shape, there was minimal rust around the wheelwells and the tailgate was in excelent condition. The PO had replaced the front fenders but the drivers side had a big dent in it, no biggie. but the coolest thing was that it was a turbo!!!. 

I came back a week later and trailered it home. I initially just wanted to get it running, registered, and inspected. Into the garage it went to get a new headgasket. I made the mistake of just replacing the headgasket and not machining the head. Two months later the gasket went again, but it was now registered. Then things got interesting. 

It was time for me to renew my insurance on all three cars, the '01 RAV, the Runner, and the pickup. Because of my not so stellar driving record, the quotes that I received were outrageous. This was the last stand and I had to decided what to do. The final decision was to dismantle poor B+T and use her parts on the 4Runner. And so the process begins....

Solid Axle Swap up front
Rear axle swap out back
5 Speed Conversion
22RE Conversion
5" lift up front
4" lift out back
2" Body Lift
2" Engine and Tranny/transfer lift

Last updated: 02/05/01
Web Page Designed and Maintained by: Michael Fox
Problems/feedback? email: michael.fox@yale.edu