[800MJ]

LOTS OF PIX
My brother, Erick561, just picked up this 1st gen. its a 79 cab with (1)or(2)88k on it running with an 87 22r, stage 2 cam and webber carbs, an 85 frame, and an 83 bed. decently tight truck. he paid way to much for it.. but.. you cant fix it if you dont have it right? those may be famous last words, but there is no way around these parts we could find another one in 1/2 as good in shape.

Ive been a web wheeler since i joined, reading everthing that intrested me and learning more than i ever thought possible, but I don't even have a 4x4 to do anything with! my brother saw a foreign imported toyota diesel retired from a military base on ebay and has been hooked on yotas since. now im finally in!

it looks like it has about a 2" body lift which is coming straight out before it gets back on the road. it has longer shackles and aals. axles are geared 488 with 32 tsls. this first pic was taken before it sat for 11 months, so picture it a little more rusty and not so shiny. you will see.
Plans; in order of most important:
-backhalf of frame is.. well.. what do you think... its gonna be a doozie
-new bigger radiator
-clean everything
-fix the heat
-take out stupid bolt together autozone cage in cab
-bed... what to do..
-ditch the little aals so the susp flexes
-rears up front, junkyard rears

 

[800MJ]

we just got the truck yesterday so tonight was the first night going at it. figure first things first.. how much rust? i didnt have any tools with me yet. i asked my aunt if she had a hammer. i known i seen some shitty one laying around. :granny voice on: O dear, i believe i do. i think its down cellar :granny voice off: she pointed me into the direction of this goldmine. i figure this is all the tools we'll need for the rebuild

 

[drsmash]

THose Carbs are for the street,especially with no aircleaners at all. If you want to stay carbed then i suggest going to a single carb manifold and stock or weber downdraft carb.I have a whole weber set up for that truck.

 

[800MJ]

we knew the bed had plenty of bondo cuz plenty it was peeling already. i grab the mighty 1/2oz. hammer and start swinggin away at the bondo. i donno if this thing is salvagable with just welding in new metal and bondo. in the bed each corner over the wheelwell is rusted through pretty good. the right rear isnt really mounted well to the frame, and has plenty of play. my brother erick really wanted to keep the bed, and so did i. we both ride dirtbikes and race so a bed is the best route. but no dumb flatbed or wood bed. the top rail is still in really good shape, and the flares are rubber, so were thinking to make new skins. they wont be curvy like the old bends. more squared off, but we could still have the same look. any ideas? sorry about the one fuzzy pic, i was still messing with the camera settings. but does that gap between the cab and bed look right?

 

[800MJ]

yeah the carbs cant stay the way they are. there were some little rubber caps with like a 1/4" circle of foam that caps them off.. i wouldnt even run it like that on the street. is there a way or a part that can join all 4 intakes together and run a single real filter? or do we need to get a whole new setup with different carbs and manifold? and do i need a different manifold to make the heat work? the seller said something about that, i have no clue how its soposed to work

 

[drsmash]

YEs you need the stock manifold,weberdowndraft carb or stock carb,linkage pieces,hoses. I have a whole set up that can get you from where you are to where you need to be. Ironically I am building a street hotrod toyota car and have been searching around for that setup you have there. MMMM trade ya.

 

[800MJ]

the next issue is the frame. its what justifies starting its own thread for. the PO was wheeling in a field and the right rear spring hanger pulled some frame off with it. the whole section that runs along the gastank is shottt. i pulled some of the plastic plugs out of the frame and stuck my fingers in there. i was half expecting to get tetanus, rabies, bit by some creature, or even worse, aids. all i feel are akorns and mice nests. how am i even gonna get that crap out? there are other various spots where the frame is rusted through. mostly on the inner walls than the outer. i grabbed my cumberland farms hammer and started hitting the frame. i was expecting a "ting" when i struck it but was getting more of a deadblow sound. when the frame is insulated with akorns, rust chips, and mice nests i guess thats what you should expect. other areas the hammer went right through. its not as bad as some ive seen around pirate, but still sketchy. i could just grind out to solid metal and throw a patch over it and weld, but i dont know how permanent a fix that is. other option is to build a new rear section of frame like in Arys "38's no lift" thread. im acctualy kinda syked about that aproach. we could still source a rear section of frame to weld on, but i believe that would be more of a bitch and cost more than making new frame rails. were still not sure

 

[800MJ]

for drsmash:

 

[snook]

nice, dude that intake is sweet

 

[Erick561]

The heat doesn't work in this truck. The PO bought it in the summer time and didn't even test to see if it worked. he tried to get the heat to work several times, but didn't go about it the right way. the intake to the heater core has to be properly routed. Thats where we'll start.

Right now, the radiator leaks, and it is a 2 core. I heard there were some 3 core 22RE rad's in yotas during a certain time period?

tomorrow we're goin to buy some tools to get this job started :-D The plan is to tear this POS bed off and scrap it. The tailgate is salvageable.

This frame scares me because i was able to squeeze some of it in under the driver side cab, and the sides crumbled in my hand! Further investigation with the tinker toy hammer led me to believe that I shouldn't even be moving this truck until it is welded or chopped and rebuilt. The frame was from an '85.

I bought this truck with the knowledge that the mechanic who put the 'rebuilt' 87 engine in knew how much mileage was on the engine so once we address the rust cancer this truck is suffering from, the engine will be next.

 

[NitroRClover]

The only thing I've learned from this thread is that I'm glad I don't live in the rust belt.

 

[Grim Reaper]

Damn dude you got your work cut out for you.


Uhhh here in GA that truck is forth about $1.50 per hundred pounds at the scrap yard. $150 for core engine after the motor being well polished by dirt after running no carbs. $50 for beater rims (thats what I paid for that exact same set and size). $200 for trans and case. Might be able to get a few bucks on Ebay for stuff like cluster and dash parts.

The tires are worth more then the rest of the truck.


I have bought 84 4Runner with NO RUST for $300 missing a transmission and it RAN. I bought a 75 K5 for a dollar and drove it home (it didn't have a floor).

There is no fixing that frame so you might as well start searching for one.

 

[800MJ]

The tires are worth more then the rest of the truck.

haha isnt that the story with 1/2 the trucks on this site? everything is fixable. next time i get over there the beds comming off and the gas tanks getting dropped so i can get a good look at the frame. whatever it is that we end up doing, itll be well done and clean.
as for suspension, we need to get rid of the aals. im thinking 63" chevys in the rear and ill have to figure something out for the front after i see where were sitting in the rear. that may be a little down the road though if i end up backhalfing it.
there wont be any bling in this build. pretty basic. if its good its staying on the truck. it might need some tranny work as well since its difficult to downshift sometimes and grinds when going into reverse. $3000 budget

 

[Grim Reaper]

haha isnt that the story with 1/2 the trucks on this site? everything is fixable. next time i get over there the beds comming off and the gas tanks getting dropped so i can get a good look at the frame. whatever it is that we end up doing, itll be well done and clean.
as for suspension, we need to get rid of the aals. im thinking 63" chevys in the rear and ill have to figure something out for the front after i see where were sitting in the rear. that may be a little down the road though if i end up backhalfing it.
there wont be any bling in this build. pretty basic. if its good its staying on the truck. it might need some tranny work as well since its difficult to downshift sometimes and grinds when going into reverse. $3000 budget

Yep anything can be fixed given enough money time and parts. Course in the long run buying something that is not so fawked up will save a lot of money time and parts.

Dude pull the axles and drive train scrap the rest. That frame is DONE and it is not safe. I gave that 4runner to a buddy because the frame kept cracking from internal rust on his 80 and it look a 1000% better then that mess.

You have the parts to convert this.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/447447651.html
Hell sell everything you can but the case, trans and axles and you could come get this and proably be near $3k before SAS.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/446727463.html Here you go. Swap your motor and you are on the road. till you do the SAS.

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/446055598.html

Want a classic...here you go. I saw a picture of it and it looked solid.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/445613481.html

Here is another SAS project.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/for/444495956.html

This guy is a little high on price but could be talked down and it has FI and AC. SAS with the parts you have and good to go.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/444495083.html

Hell turn key crawler for $2500 if you can tag it with the 4.3.
http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/444237490.html

That's less then 5 days I went back and every one of those will save you a years worth of hassle trying to put that rust bucket back together and most of those will keep you under that $3k budget.

Serious dude that thing is going to suck up a year worth of time and I bet you cant do it for your budget. Go rent a to tow dolly and make a road trip and start out with something a little better.

 

[Alex123456]

haha isnt that the story with 1/2 the trucks on this site? everything is fixable.

I agree. Don't look at it as things that need fixed, but opportunities to make things exactly like you want. :flipoff2:

You got a lot of work ahead of you.

 

[Erick561]

I want to keep this truck registered as a 79 hilux, so i guess i'll be doing a lot of searching for a solid donor truck.

 

[800MJ]

I agree. Don't look at it as things that need fixed, but opportunities to make things exactly like you want. :flipoff2:

yeah i share that same attitude. its true that this frame is bringing on the suck. we need to look into more of the frame. once the bed and gastank is off it i can really get a good look at everything. if the rot is extending before the cab... well.. then well have to grab another frame.
i can promis i wont find an 79-85 frame. probly an ifs. i was utterly suprised how many links reaper was able to come up with in one day. it would take months to get that many in new england. a sas for a 79 may be in order hahaha. im optimistic

 

[Alex123456]

i was utterly suprised how many links reaper was able to come up with in one day. it would take months to get that many in new england.

No kidding, there aren't that many Toyotas for sale in a year around here, much less any nice ones.

You for sure have your work cut out for you there, best of luck. It'll be worth it when you're done.

 

[Pat]

In years past I have had Extremely good luck with side draft webers and mikunis.. The are infinately tuneable. and can be made to run a angles really well, All that and still be extremely great low end carbs with the correct veturies and what not. They are not for a person who does not know how to work on things though and need to be kept in sync regularly.. And BY GOD yes get airfilters on there..

 

[800MJ]

new pics. banged on the rust some more. didn't get to take the bed off yet. chopping the frame right before the rear shackle mounts of the front leaf is the best bet.