Rebuilding a 2021 4runner SR5 Premium

My wife decided she wanted a new vehicle and landed on a 4runner. We ended up getting a great deal on this Copart buy. Just got delivered last night and I'm starting to take apart the front end. I'm not a member of the 4runners forum so figured I'd start documenting it here. Might end up making an account over there...

Damage and auction pics:

 

Was this a total loss vehicle? Doesn’t seem like much damage for it to be totaled.

 

Nice!

 

Yeah it was. The frame looks straight and airbags weren't deployed.. Those were a couple of factors I was looking for. There is some suspension damage to both front wheels. Not sure how bad yet.. gotta them off.

I've never restored a wrecked vehicle before.. My FIL has and is going to be helping me but any advice is welcomed!

 

Disconnect battery before tampering, don't want to deploy airbags at any point during restoration work.

 

Good luck with the build..looks like a good project truck



And those are the goofiest looking running boards I’ve ever seen

 

I'm not the biggest fan of them. Already ran my shin into one today. Will let the wife decide if she wants to keep them or get another set.

 

Here's first look of the damage under the body panels. Not horrible I think.

Not sure if I should order the replacement panels painted or just in primer. I was looking at partify earlier and it would be $1200 in primer and painted would be $2000. I have to take it to a body shop for the door anyway.. might have them spray the whole front so everything matches.

Driver side:

Passenger side:

Fun find in the rear:

 

Might need an alignment after that front end work…

Definitely don’t order the panels pre painted. The red won’t match up as Toyota has several different variants to some red colors. Safest bet would be to paint front and right side at a minimum, if you’re picky.

 

What was your total purchase price vs what a non wrecked one goes for?

 

Great progress! Looks like you will likely need a new steering rack and maybe even a new front differential/axle. If so, maybe a good time for lower gears. I would replace all of the rims or at the very least check them for cracks with a non destructive dye penetrant test.

 

Great thread! We have been rebuilding Toyota trucks for years.

I'm in the middle of this rebuild.

 

Ooh a nightshade, nice!

 

That was a nice surprise when it showed up. I didn't even know that was an option package. I never heard of it.

I was surprised that it was a limited edition with a sunroof. It was a fun afternoon when I learned about the truck. I didn't know that when I bought it over the internet.

 

Yeah mine doesn’t have the sunroof but I love the package and the look. Mine is black, although I love a nightshade no matter what color! I even like the 2022+ nightshades and if money wasn’t a thing I’d have one of those as well.

 

I took the day and drove to California to pick up a set of TRD Pros for my truck!

@ZPhilip thanks for the advice. I think you are right.. even though they have the Barcelona red paint code I'm afraid of wasting the money and it not matching. And an alignment is on the list before it his the road forsure.

@2mchfun I have to look closer but I'm planning on just starting with the inner and out tie rods. I'm not sure what that test but I will look into it. Thanks!

@koditten nice Tundra! Do you do the body work yourself? I'm comfortable with everything with bolts but the bodywork is new to me. I'm sure I will have to pull and straighten the panels that hold the fenders. My father in law will help with that stuff thankfully.

 

A non destructive dye penetrant test is performed by cleaning the surface, spraying on on a penetrating dye that will seep into any cracks during about a 20 min wait. Then the dye is cleaned from the surface and a developer is sprayed on. When the developer dries any dye that seeped into a crack will wick into the surface of the developer revealing the crack. Pretty cool and affordable for non ferrous metals. You can probably find the process on youtube and buy a kit of the supplies from Amazon or Magnaflux direct, just search dye penetrant test kit if you wish to establish a cost. 1 set will do your 3 rims.

 

@az 3rdGen

I do some body work. To be honest, once things are painted all there is to do is hang parts.

I will paint on occasion, but I've found a guy that really knows his stuff. This MGM paint was a bitch to match. Expensive, too. Took my guy 3 tries to get the paint to match. At $180/ pint, I was getting tired of throwing away paint.

I really enjoy working on srs systems. Replacing airbags and air bags sensors and ECUs is not bad, but a bit expensive.

I usually take 2 years to completely rebuild a vehicle. It's fun to me.

 

Was it totaled on the title? Many insurance companies will not insure a vehicle deemed as totaled. I went through this issue not too long ago when my oldest daughters car got hit and totaled.

 

Sorry for the delay!! From what I understand, we get it branded "restored salvaged" and then shouldn't be a problem. My FIL has more experience with that..

 

Took a bit of a break.. Summer here in Phoenix is not friendly for working on vehicles outside. But we still have been making progress!

Completed the mechanical fixes on the front end. Ended up replacing the anti-sway bar, end links, inner/outer tie rods on passenger side, and the passenger UCA.

A lot of part gathering too... Here is our spare room. Using an Air mattress to hold the new door and bummer. LOL Ended up using Partify for the bummer, fenders, and fender flares. So far, everything is matching nearly perfect. And got the door off of ebay.


Having the hardest time finding a replacement wheel for this one.. its a 17x9 in gloss black. I only need one. If we can't find a replacement, we will end up buying a whole new set.


Also, we ditched the side steps. looks way taller now. I think we will leave it like this to start with. Hope you like it better now @dittothat lol

 

I'm getting thru my punch list as well. I hope to get it inspected next week.

Turning the salvage title into a rebuilt title takes some work.

We don't have "Totalled" titles. I'm sure it was just an oversight of your description. No biggie.

Once a vehicle has been deemed "rebuilt" by a certified mechanic, you can get the vehicle insured. Just be aware that it will never be insured to the point of total replacement. You can insure it for future accident repairs that do not require complete replacement of the vehicle. I agree with this completely.

I could just imagine people buying and repairing salvage titled vehicles, then purposely wrecking them, knowing that the replacement vehicle will have a clear title.

Will keep an eye out for one of those wheels.

 

Thanks man.. so I dug up the title. Currently branded as Salvage. I didn't even really pay attention on what it was branded as.

 

Looks mean! I love it

 

Progress Update: Got a used passenger door from another 4runner. Same color code but it will need to be blended. Also- got the driver side fender on and the Partify color match is dead on! A little bad news is that the passenger side fender had damage when unboxed but the upside is they were quick to replace it. Very easy to work with them.

New passenger door:

New driver fender:

Also, I replaced the driver UCA since I had a new one already.. but the angles are still off from the passenger side (assuming the passenger side is all good now). Thinking the knuckle may be bent. That will be the next thing to be ordered. Driver side knuckle.

Driver side:

Passenger side:

 

I’d agree with a bent knuckle as the sway bar end link angle looks off compared to passenger side.

A new LCA ain’t a bad idea either.

 

Got work done over the weekend while its cool here in Phoenix.

First we replaced the passenger knuckle, dust shield, and hard brake line that was crushed. The knuckle was pretty twisted up and that was definitely screwing with getting the steering straight. We got the front wheels lined up and pointing pretty straight but the drive tie rod had to be brought pretty far in and the passenger side is far out. Like further than it was when we started. Father-in-law thinks it's related to the steering rack and pinion shifting or breaking internally. Really hoping we don't have to replace that. So for now, we will leave it and see how an alignment goes. I'll get some pictures of the tie rods next time I am underneath it.

Then we also got a lot of the fender mount point straightened out. Most of gaps are perfect but the passenger side fender needs to be adjusted more(next time). Bumper is partially on for mockup. My wife got amber DRL Morimoto headlights and 4banger fog lights on sale a couple of months back so we got those installed and wired up. They look good but can't get a picture of them on yet.. After we got the headlights on, small hiccup and broke the steering wheel clock spring so battery is out until that is replaced.

 

What an emotional read! Watching and hoping for the best! and glad those running boards are gone

 

@Florida AF Thanks! hoping to have it mostly done and inspected mid November. Then we can start moving it to the alignment shop then the body shop for the dents and scratches.

 

Very exciting timeline! I hope you hit it!