Refurbishing the Visors

Refurbishing the rear panels took some time between the cleaning, drying, priming, drying, painting. To fill the time, I've been slowly taking smaller things out of the truck that need a little touching up: The door runners, seat belts, rear seats hardware, etc.

The first things I've finished are the front visors.

This was an easy update. The visors were both in fantastic condition. No cuts or tears and the visors' spinning hardware where they connect to the ceiling both worked fine. However, they were dirty, and I wanted to take proper measures to ward off rust... which they never would have, but it gave me an excuse to do some painting.

Removing the Visors

Removing the visors is easy: two screws. I also took down the ceiling clip the visors clip into when stationary. 

After removing the visors from the car, I unscrewed the screws on the visor to remove the rotating hardware. 

Then, using a coarse brill brush and dishwasher soap, I gave the visors a good scrub. I was careful to keep water away from entry points to the inside of the visors, so the water wouldn't get in and ruin the inside sponging or rust the inside metal parts since there is no way to open the visors up. This basically meant keeping the visors' top edges dry as I cleaned them. I used a wet wipe and some Cotton Tips to clean the area around the entry holes.

Painted Screws

After washing the visors, I gave the screws a short bath in my homemade rust remover (lemon juice + baking soda) then scrubbed the bolts with a steel brush before washing them off.

I  used my handy, patented, screw painting device (a card board box edge) to hold the screws up so I could paint them all around and underneath the heads without having to touch the wet paint on the screws. I first gave the screws a coat of Rust-oleum metal primer and topped them off with Rust-oleum Painter's Touch glossy grey paint.

Visor hardware prepped for painting

Most of the oxidization was on the visor hardware, so I sanded the metal arms with a light grade sandpaper (220) and then taped the crap out of them to protect from overspray. Taping the holes for the arms was tricky because you don't want any spray getting on the plastic guard, but you also want to get far enough into the hole that a passenger can't see where the paint didn't reach. Use small pieces of tape and a pair of tweezers to place and press the tape into the crevice.  I also taped the lower half of the arms (which I didn't sand because I didn't want to remove the factory rust preventative covering). There's no need to paint this part of the arm anyway since it's not visible, and I thought the paint might rub off inside the visor as it is turned back and forth and eventually gunk up the inside.

After the taping, the hardware, I gave the arms a coat of Rustoleum metal primer, waited 24 hours, and then applied the Painter's Touch glossy grey.

Reassembly was an easy 4 screws, and I was done... mostly.

After getting the visors back up in the car, I noticed how ugly the round plastic bit on the visor that connected into the clip looked. It didn't match. So I pulled the visors back down and went to work on them again.

Like the visor hardware, I taped the crap out of the visor to protect it from overspray. Because of the awkward shape and location of the round cylinder, I first taped directly to the visor. I tore the tape into thinner, smaller strips to get around the corners and up next to the cylinder. I even pulled the plastic cylinder to each side, one at a time, and taped the cross bar so when the cylinder was centered, the tape was a little underneath the cylinder ends.

Taping the visor clip cylinder

After carefully getting all round the clip cylinder, I taped off the entire visor.

I gave the cylinder a coat of Rustoleum primer for plastic, but it didn't try right, the paint pooling and blotching in some areas. I cleaned the paint off, gave the cylinders a slight sanding with light gauge sand paper (the 220 again), and then reapplied the primer. Second time around went much better. After waiting the obligatory 24 hours for drying, two coats of the Glossy Grey went on, and finally, I was finished. 

Refurbishing the Rear Inside Panels

Before and After

Yellowed and Water Stained Back Panels

I'm not sure why I chose the inside rear panels to begin the refurbishing work, but I had just pulled the top off, so they were easily accessible, and they stood out like a smoker's stained finger. The plastic was not only sun faded and water stained but also yellowed.

Looking back, the task was far more tedious than I originally thought it would be, but this is partly due to my own obsessiveness. I wanted the panels to be perfect, so I took my time. I not only primed and painted the panels, but I also sanded and painted all of the fasteners and screws. But in the end, it was worth it. My panels look brand new.


If you're planning on refurbishing the panels, I also suggest that you be patient and allot a chunk of time to do the project. The majority of time is spent in waiting for the paint to dry, and more importantly, to bond with the plastic.I waited 24hrs between coats, including primer.

Needed Supplies

Supplies:
Here's what I used:

• Flat head & Phillips head screwdrivers
• Steel Wire brush
• Brillow Brush
• Spray Paint
• 1 can of grey primer for plastic
• 1 can of grey paint for plastic
• 1 can of flat black for plastic
• 1 can of black gloss for metal

• Lemon Juice
• Baking Soda
• Glass jar

Removal:

First I removed the panel doors from panels. Then, using a flat head screwdriver, I pushed it between the panel and the truck and gently pried the plastic fasteners loose. The key is to work gently as the plastic is 20 plus years old and can be brittle. Removing the fasteners is pretty straight forward. I had to loosen some of the fasteners to the middle panel in order to slide the rear panel loose, but the process is pretty straight forward. The wires for the light on the driver's side panel are easily disconnected.

Removing Metal Tabs

After I removed the panels, I also removed the metal tabs that give the bottom of the panels support.








I marked the location of the tabs on the back of the panel for ease when reassembling.

Rear Light Fixture

I also removed the light and hardware from the driver's side panel and unscrewed the knobs that lock the panel doors.

Finally, I rubber-banded plastic bags around the rear speakers to protect them from dirt or rain now that they were fully exposed.

Prepping:

I used the Brillo scrub pad pictured above and dish detergent and scrubbed the panels and plastic fasteners violently to remove the dirt and oil residue from years of driving without the top on. I washed and scrubbed each panel twice to make sure no dirt or oil residue was left behind to ensure the paint bonded to the plastic.

Homemade Rust Removal

The inside light fixture screws and the panel door hardware were in descent shape, but small oxidized spots were forming on them; the metal tabs on the bottom of the panel doors had already rusted some. I thought I might as well go ahead and refurbish all the metal parts to ward off future rusting.

To remove the old paint and rust, I used a home rust remover formula: lemon juice and baking soda. I mixed the two in a glass jar forming a wet paste (a little more watery than toothpaste) then threw in the hardware, mixed it well, and let it sit overnight. The paste removed much of the rust, but I also scrubbed each piece with a wire brush to remove particles and leftover paint. This was one of the more tedious aspects of the job, one that could easily be skipped to save time if the screws and nuts are in good condition.

Painting:

Painted Metal Hardware

I painted all the metal parts with rust resistant black gloss spray paint and set aside to let dry. This included the metal tabs at the base of the panels, the deck lamp hardware, and the screws and latches for the panel doors.

Panel Door Latch

Un-Primed vs. Primed

I began painting the plastic pieces with a layer of plastic primer and let them dry for 24hrs. I had a hard time choosing whether I wanted to paint with Dark Grey Gloss or Regular Grey paint. I added a layer of primer to the back of a portion of one panel and tested out the colors. It didn't do me any good. The Glossy dark grey was attractive, but the scratches and defects in the panels were more obvious than with the normal grey paint. I thought the glossy might be too much "bling" for the old truck, so I went with the standard grey.

Panel Buttons Ready for Painting

Using the perforated edge of a pizza box, I rigged a little holder to paint the plastic fasteners that hold the panels in place. The configuration of the cardboard holder allowed me to paint the underside of the buttons as well as the top without soaking my fingers in paint. The V shape of the design also set up nicely as the paint dried. I poked a nail through the cardboard on the far end and put the turn dial for the panels' trap doors on it for painting as well.


After the first coat of paint, I noticed some parts of the panel looked 'glossy' and other parts a little flat. Not sure why. Maybe they needed a second coat of primer, but since I had already given them a coat of paint, I decided just to give them a second coat, waiting a day between.

Deck Lamp:

Deck lamp: taped, primed, and painted

I spent far more time on the deck lamp than a normal person would or should. I painted the screws and nuts with rust resistant black paint, and I taped off and painted the metal plate of the switch on the backside of the light (lower right pic), both to prevent rusting. After taping, priming, and painting the lamp deck, I then taped off the entire light except the switch, sanded and primed it, and then finished it off with a nice coat of flat black paint (upper right pic). The switch turned out fantastic looking brand new. It was a bit of a tedious process, but the end results were well worth it. The only problem is that when I removed the lamp from the panel, the plastic light cover basically crumbled to pieces because it was so sun worn. I'm still on the hunt for a new light cover...



The Rust-Oleum paint can says that full adhesion to plastic takes 5-7 days, so I waited a full week before I reinstalled the panels. After painting the rear side panels, I knew they were looking good, but the full affect of how well they turned out didn't hit until I had put them back in the struck. The panels look amazing. The transformation is stunning.

Finished Product! rear panel, driver's side

Transmission Oil Change

If you're looking for steps to change your w56 transmission gear oil, skip the first 5 paragraphs... Otherwise, keep reading and learn from my own suffering.

The transmission on my '85 4runner is in a bit of trouble. When the clutch isn't depressed, it makes a chuckity chuckity noise. Most likely the Throw Out Bearing is going bad. But the Transmission has also been whirring while driving around. I tried to check the transmission fluid level, and it seemed low. But this is the problem with the W56 manual transmissions: there's no good way to test the gear oil level other than to unscrew the fill plug and stick a finger in the hole and see if you can feel anything. So I do. It doesn't feel like I can feel anything, but there is some oil on my finger... I'm not sure if this is because there is enough fluid or just because it's impossible to get the little finger in the fill hole without getting some fluid on it. I'm an amateur, so who knows. I decide it couldn't hurt to buy some gear oil and just top it off. This is where a serious lack of planning turned my transmission fluid experience into a nightmare.

First, I go to Pep Boys to buy just a quart of gear oil, but once inside the auto shop, I'm overwhelmed with the amount of choice in gear oils. Should I go synthetic? I try to do a quick internet search on my phone, but I don't really get all that much except that the Toyota specs for the W56 transmission is API GL4-5 75W-90 gear oil. So I buy a quart and an extender tubes that screws onto the lid of the quart bottle for easy pouring. I head home and then decide to do a bit of research to see if I should use synthetic or not and if there are any recommendations for additives (cause I also think there is a small leak).

I didn't find much in my research other than to use Red Line MT90 oil, which I didn't because it is too expensive, and I didn't have the time to wait for the online order to arrive. I also realized how dumb it was to buy just a quart of gear oil. Being a new car to me, I had no idea when the last time the transmission fluid was changed, if ever. Why not just drain and fill the transmission with new oil? So I headed back to Pep Boys, exchanged the quart of gear oil for a 4qt jug and purchased a 12qt oil catcher (which I later realized was a stupid choice because the most fluid anywhere in the truck is the engine oil, and that's only 5qts; so I took the 12qt oil catch back and exchanged it for the 6qt = trip #3).

Ready to change the oil, I pull out my wrench set and drop under the truck only to find that I don't have the right size socket. The largest socket I have is 19mm. So I run to Sears (I'm a Craftsman guy) and purchase a 22mm socket (trip #4); when I get back home, I jump under the truck and find the 22mm doesn't fit. I feel like a total idiot at this point. I return to Sears and exchange the 22mm for a 24mm (trip #5). Go home, jump under the truck and find that I only have a 3/4" socket wrench and the 24mm I just purchased is a 1/2". I go back to Sears (trip #6) to see if they sell a 24mm with a 3/4" socket, or a 3/4" - 1/2" converter. They don't. I ponder the purchase of a 1/2" socket wrench, but with the purchase of the gear oil, transmission fluid additive, the oil bucket, the pour spout, and the 24mm socket, the transmission fluid change is running close to $60. Auto shops do a transmission fluid change for around $50...

So, I send an email out to my coworkers and wait until Monday before I get my hands on the proper socket wrench.

Transmission Oil Change Tools

Now I have all the tools, and I'm ready. If you're doing a transmission fluid/gear oil change on your own, here's what you need:

• Gear Oil: 4 quarts (API GL 4; 75W-90)
• 24mm & 17mm wrench 
• Oil drain bucket 
• Hand held pump (or pour spout). 
• Clothes you can throw away afterwards 

Draining Steps:

1. First, drive the truck for 7-10 miles to get the transmission gear oil hot, so it will drain properly.
2. Park the truck on a level surface. Engage emergency break.
3. Place oil drain bucket underneath the drain plug. 
4. Remove fill plug (17mm socket/wrench). 
5. Remove the drain plug (24mm socket/wrench)
6. Allow gear oil to drain. 



fill hole w56 manual transmission

7. Inspect the drain plug for metal debris and clean it. The drain plug is a magnet which allows it to collect metallic particles and slivers to help prevent damage from metal chunks getting in the gears as the transmission naturally wears down. Larger chunks of metal are indicative of internal damage.

The oil that dropped out of my transmission was nasty. Black smudge. The magnetic drain plug had quite a bit of debris and one pea sized chunk of metal which means more repairs in the future. But I'm glad I opted for the complete drain and fill over the single quart spot fill I had first contemplated.

Draining the fluid is the easy part. It's filling the tranny back up that makes the job worth the $50 auto shop charge. The fill plug hole is impossible to get to which makes pouring the gear oil in almost impossible. I did a bit of research online and saw 3 choices to add the oil:

1) rig a hose that you can drop from the engine compartment, basically following the exhaust pipe down to the fill hole. Two problems: rigging the hose requires another trip to a store, and the muffler pipe is hot making maneuvering around it a sure burn.

Option 2) Fill from the top: unscrew the center console in the truck and pour the gear oil in where the shifters normally are. But any mistake and you now have gear oil in the truck.

3) Use a hand pump. Probably the best option with the least amount of work.

However, I opted for option 4) remove front tire and stick pour spout hose through the space between the body and the frame. (I thought I was pretty clever in figuring this method out.)

pour spout between frame and body

So, I screw the drain plug back on, take the front driver's side tire off, fix the pour spot to the additive, slide the pour spout nozzle between the frame and body, crawl under the truck, put the nozzle into the fill hole, and begin to pour. The additive bottle drains without a hitch, and I get smug in my ephemeral success.

Next, I pop the pour spot onto the 4qt jug and maneuver all the parts into place. I begin pouring and all is well, at first. But then the gear oil stops traveling through the pour spout. The 4qt jug is a bit too big, so it doesn't fit into the wheel well as nicely as the small additive bottle did. So, I put a little pressure on the 4qt jug, squeezing it up against the inside wheel well. Again, things go well at first, but after a minute, the oil doesn't seem to be traveling very quickly if at all through the pour spout. So I give the jug a good Herculean push; the pour spout ejects from the jug lid and a gear oil showers me underneath the truck. I'm covered in the carcinogenic stuff. Hair, face, mouth, shirt. I work myself out from underneath the truck and stand there, hunched over while the excess oil drips off my face. Out of control. My wife is nearby, so she hands me a dirty old shirt. I wipe the oil off me best I can, cursing under my breath.

With my wife's help, I eventually get the stupid transmission filled. Once finished, I get inside and shower for at least a half hour. I wash my hair 3 times with dishwasher soap as well as shampoo and scrub my body thoroughly with a brush. It doesn't matter, I can't get the smell off me. My mouth lost a layer of skin, and my throat, a day later still burns a bit.

But what an experience! I got to spend longer than I should have under my truck, and I got a great story out of it. Plus, the lesson is learned. I will use a hand pump in the future, or stick to the smaller quart bottles so there is room in the wheel well for gravity to work for me, not against.

As for the transmission: I noticed an immediate difference. It shifts much smoother and doesn't whir as loud.

Got your own transmission fluid change story or suggestions to improve the process? Share it in the comments.

history

In '94, my twin brother, Ryan, and I pooled our high school graduation money together and purchased a 1985 Toyota 4runner. I can't remember why we originally chose to go with a 4runner, but we did a bit of research and looked for months before we found the truck we wanted.

She was beautiful; the old toyota tan paint with brown and gold stripes racing down the sides, chrome bumpers and running boards. The interior was also Desert Storm themed: tan and brown. And a 2" suspension lift picked up the back end so the rear didn't sag (the curse of most 1st generation 4runners). Looking back, there was so little I knew about the Toyota truck then. Later, I realized that my brother and I had stumbled upon the pinnacle of Toyota manufacturing: the 22RE engine with the straight front axle.

For over a year, Ryan and I lovingly abused the truck. We found a mud pit not too far from our high school in Arvada, CO, and would spend our lunch periods bouncing through the sludge and then laughing our heads off as we slung mud on passing cars as we returned to school along 58th and Ward Rd. In the winter, we'd find snow covered fields and try to get stuck. Tie a sled to the bumper and fly through our neighborhood. That summer, we experienced for the first time the siren-song of the 4runner: the removable top. We coasted through the city of Denver, the wind knotting our hair, U2 blasting on the stereo, and the envy glances of our friends. Drive-in movies became an entirely new experience, and driving to our favorite campsites and fishing holes became more enjoyable than the actual camping or fishing. The truck was the embodiment of youth, of care free summers, and the wild heart roaring in every man.

Years passed, my brother got married, I bought his half of the truck, and I entered on my own Toyota journey. I became best friends with 5 guys, and coincidentally, providently perhaps, we all owned Toyota trucks. The world of 4wheeling was finally introduced to me, and once arrived, there was no going back.

to be continued...