1st Gen 4Runner 80’s Hawk Feasibility

[okienomads]

We love our 1st generation 4Runner but we don’t love living in a roof top tent. We travel 9-12 months out of the year and need something comfortable. The idea has been tossed around to use an old FWC (think 80’s Hawk) in place of the stock topper. We already have OME springs and want to regear anyways. If we do this we will likely upgrade to 265/75/16 10ply tires. We are also planning on needing to narrow the base a bit to fit.

What else are we missing and will it work?

 

[cwdtmmrs]

You mean a 1984-89 22R-22RE? You would be better off by far if you found a pickup, but would still be way under powered. A FWC Ranger II or Eagle is a bolt in.

 

[rando]

A Hawk is for a full size, short bed truck - way too wide for a 4Runner. The smaller campers could work, but it would require some measuring.

I had an 1988 4runner for a number of years and it was a great vehicle. However the rear suspension struggled to carry the truck without anything in it, so suspension work would be a must. Obviously you would need to remove the roll bar and tail gate, and then you would have the issue of how to seal the cab up. While the 22RE was a super reliable engine and does OK with an unloaded 4Runner, it is going to struggle immensely with all the extra weight.

Anyway, I am sure you could make it work, but it seems like completely the wrong tool for the job. You would do much better to start with a 1st gen Tacoma with the 5VZ-FE which gets you almost twice the power, and no issues with sealing the cab etc.

 

[ntsqd]

Even our '88 with the 3.0L gets short on power on occasion. In the group of guys that I go with on what my wife calls "Guy trips" I'm still the lowest powered truck, even after gaining 1/2 again more power with the 3.0 over the previous 22R. However I still, barely, get the best mpg's. 2 weeks ago I had it loaded for a solo week in the rough and coming home over Towne Pass in DV shut me down to 30-35 mph. That grade is a good test of power and cooling. With the added weight and aero resistance of a pop-top I'm sure that the runner-up '05 Tahoe would have beat my mpg's and I'd be back to 22R speeds on steep climbs. This in a truck geared 4.56 and rolling on 31-10.50's.

If you like the first gen 4rnnr's I'd suggest looking for a 2nd gen 4x4 Xcab pickup with the 3.0L in it. Try really hard to get it as a manual, my auto sucks up noticeable power at times. We went the other direction because we needed a tow'd that could seat more than one other person, but like you I like this model range of truck. It just fits me well.

 

[klahanie]

Had a '86 until 1991. Remember it as a great truck so I'm not surprised you love yours.

But also that was never designed to carry such bulk and that It would be a lot of work on an 30+ yo old vehicle. This, you'll already know.

Agree, almost anything is possible. If doing, I'd look at removing all the existing truck body behind the B pillar to loose a bit of weight and make fitment easier. And maybe strip out some camper appliances/interior to lighten. Would want to measure for spare tire placement also - think the Hawks have always been 84" long. Would be an extra chore to shorten the camper.

I'll be a unique project. Good luck with it !

 

[cwdtmmrs]

I don't think the 3.slow is really that much better. I agree with Rando about the 5VZ-FE Tacoma.

All of that said, I have a 1986 22RTE turbo truck with a 1,000 lb camper and am happy with it most of the time. I put a lot of time and $$$ into it though. I am lucky to get 15 mpg. A head wind will drop me to 12 mpg.

 

[ntsqd]

I hear that a lot about the 3.0L, but I'm not finding it to be true. By 22R stds it is not slow in the least although I'm never going to keep up with the 5.0 Rustang powered Early Broncos in our group, and I'm getting better mileage out of it than I did with the 22R. It nips at 20 mpg whether I'm in 4 hi or 2 hi and only drops into the low teens when in 4lo and mid-teens with a serious headwind at highway speeds.

That said, I'd want a 3.4 at the least to push a pop-top around with.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

That is good. I got 19-20 mpg with my 22RTE and no camper. A little rocket without the camper.

 

[WyoIDI]

I've thought about that option quite a bit with my '88. Yeah it'd be slow but who cares it was never a fast vehicle to begin with. I also thought about one of those flip top campers could be a cool option if you could get it bolted on there. Either way I'd be excited to see you try something. good luck

 

[Zoomad]

Besides the weight and aero issues with the camper added to a truck with a 4 banger there's an issue of what to use for the camper. If you go with a conventional FWC, you'll have to close off the cab behind the front seats.

The other idea, would be to repurpose a FWC camper built for a Blazer/Bronco/Scout. The big difference is those units are built with no lower floorpack and attach to the truck the same way as the factory top went on. Bolts over the bedsides and the cab section. The issue here would be availability (they are much rarer than the standard FWC campers). The next issue would be to deal with the measurements. Just off the top of my head a first gen 4 runner is much narrower than a K5 Blazer or Full-Size Bronco.

Getting back to the power issue if you ever were able to get the camper of your choice on it. If it's slow now with the 22re, it's going to get worse. I've got a 5.3 LS truck engine in my K5 and it' was insanely peppy prior to the camper. Post camper install and mileage has dropped radically (no surprise there), but the power in the mountains climbing grades and also pushing a headwind.