The front end of my 4Runner was slightly damaged when I bought this truck.  The front bumper was pushed up a little, the cross bar in front of the a/c condenser was bent in, there was about an inch gap between the top two bolt holes for the radiator and the cross member, and the bottom clips on the front grill were no where near the holes on the cross member.  I have friend that has a big tree in his back yard and a chain hoist.  We are going to use these to pull the front end back straight.

After pulling off the front bumper, the grill, and the lights, it was easier to see the damage.  I will be doing an a/c repair while I am here.   I inserted a 1 inch thick solid steel pole down beside the radiator and looped a chain around the top and bottom, attached this chain to the hoist and pulled the front member straight.  Now the top two holes for the radiator bolts sit flush against the member. 

I used just the chain and hook from the hoist to pull the bottom bar away from the condenser, moving the hook around as needed.  I also used a pulley puller to realign the grill clip holes by putting the screw part through a link of chain and then a hole in the cross member and threading the puller assembly onto the end inside the engine bay.  Pulling a little here and there, everything came back straight. 

I then used a set of body hammers and stakes to put all the edges back smooth.  All the exposed parts, except for the very top of the cross member that runs along in front of the radiator, were painted semi-gloss back.  I also repainted the black parts of the grill and the metal part that runs along under the bumper.  The grill and lights went back on and all the clips now work, and the bumper just had to be bolted back on.  I guess the way it was pushed up was only caused by slack in the mounting bolt holes.

1- The only thing of note was that I had to have patience and a good eye for how fast to pull and when to quit.

2- I had to pull the front end a little past straight.  When the tension was let off the chain hoist, everything sprang back some.

1- None

Hmm, the payoff...  Having a/c that works very well on hot and muggy days.  I think it speaks for itself. 

The system is still R12 which is much more expensive.

I thought about upgrading to R134A (briefly), but I have found it to not be as cold.  Plus I have been told that the R134A is more corrosive and the seals fail quicker.