2nd Gen Toyota 4Runner Seat Back Lever (1990-1995)

2nd Gen – Toyota 4Runner Seat Back Lever Handle (1990-1995)

(I also think this fits the 2nd Gen Toyota Tacoma Extended Cab seats as well)

WHY THIS MODEL?

I lost my passenger side seat back lever handle so I decided to scan the driver side, flip it and print my own.  This is the resulting model. 

TRACKING DOWN THE RIGHT COLOR

The most difficult part was finding a filament color to match what Toyota calls “oak” in the 1995 4Runner brochure.  After buying dozens of potential colors from Amazon, and returning them all (thanks Amazon!), I decided to go the paint route.  Well, that was a challenge too, as there are limited options of paint to match the oak interior plastic color, unless of course, I wanted to pay north of $30 for a 6oz spray can of custom color – and even then if I ordered it and it wasn’t a match, I couldn’t return it because it was a custom color.

Then, fortune was upon me and I found a spray can of Glidden Master Finish All Surface Satin spray paint in a color called “Chocolate Pretzel”.  It is a 99% match!  I recommend going the spray paint route for a 99% match because finding filament to match is impossible, IMHO.  (That would be good idea for filament makers – make filament colors that match popular vehicle interior colors – maybe there is a maker doing that, but I haven’t found them yet.)

VARIATIONS

I’ve included a model plate that has the basic scanned lever handles with no fuzzy skin.  With a little sanding you’ll come away with a beautifully smooth finish ready for painting.  But I wasn’t satisfied with just a smooth finish, I wanted to replicate the intricate leather-like texture of the original handle.  I’ve also included in the model a plate that has a very *slight* fuzzy skin applied.  When knocking down the tips of the fuzzy skin with some very light sanding with 300+ grit sandpaper, the result is close to the leathery-skinned look of the OEM handle. Give it a try – you may like it!

THE MODEL & PRINTING TIPS

The 3D scanned model includes a driver’s side, a passenger side lever, screw cover plugs (optional) and a simple cone to help with spray painting the levers.

You can use PLA or PETG – either work well.  This is a model where using some leftover filament of any color is a great idea. It’s best to print the seat lever handles at a 45-degree angle with modest support.  The print profile is already set up for this orientation including the proper support elements.   This accomplishes several things:

• It avoids supports inside the handle, which is very difficult to remove
• It allows the internal parts to be very cleanly printed
• It adds some strength to the handle due to the bias of the layer lines

Print with layer lines of 0.15mm – 0.12mm, your choice.  I find 0.15mm is more than adequate.

PAINTING & FINISHING TIPS

Carefully remove the exterior support structures and sand the handle with 180-220 grit sandpaper. This will knock off any support connection points and filament blobs.  If you notice a few minor imperfections, you can choose to reprint the handle or just fill-in the imperfection with automotive scratch and chip finish filler – I use THIS FILLER to do any pre-paint patch work with wonderful results.

Once the handle is sanded to expectations, place the lever’s screw hole on the tip point of the painting cone and apply 3-5 light coats of spray paint – don’t worry of the first coat covers the color of the filament – it’s best to go light vs heavy on the first few coats.  I found that the satin finish of the paint I chose was a tad shiny, so I applied a few coats of clear matte spray paint (not acrylic) to take off some of the shine and add some protection to the paint color itself.

Good Luck and post your final prints!

Thanks for looking at my model and good luck on your prints.  Be sure to post a photo of your awesome completed prints to share with others!