'94 Toyota Pickup build

[Nikkshepherd]

Here's the plan. I'm going to build my dream rig for as cheap as possible. I plan to do this by using mostly second hand purchased items from sites like Craigslist, Offer up, yota-tech classifieds, etc. I like the expensive stuff, I just cant bring myself to pay full price for anything. I don't even go into a store unless they offer a military discount. I love being out on the road and want a capable vehicle to take me just about anywhere, so here it goes.

The truck:

Shes a 1994 Toyota Pickup V6 auto trans with 200,000 miles. I purchased the truck for $6,000 from a lady named Judy in Vancouver Washington. Judy was the second owner and had the truck for 17 years. In the sale I received hundreds of service records. She kept track of every nut and bolt that was touched on the truck, every oil change, every tire rotation, and all maintenance/repair for 17 years. She even had the original owners contact information. (have yet to call). Truck is in almost mint condition with a straight body and frame and no rust in sight. Since most of these old Toyota's are picked up by teenagers and rednecks who wheel them to death, I didn't mind paying what I did for it. (also talked her down a grand)

I chose the tuck primarily because of its versatility. If i want to haul big or tall items, I can pull the canopy off and do it. If i want to do a wildernest or RTT with storage underneath, I can. If i want to do a slide in camper for extended trips (2018 South America), I can do that too. I also chose it because of its reliability and capability. Obviously Toyota makes a great vehicle, enough said. My inspiration for this build comes from both overlandnomad and desktoglory (instagram). Their builds are so rad and I look to build my '94 in a similar fashion.


Parts I've acquired so far.


-ARB bumper

MSRP: $1066.00 (ARB)
Can be had for: $910.00 (4wheelparts)
I paid: $400 after several days of back and forth with the seller.


Bumper was in decent shape. It had been modified to fit an 88 pickup so there was some welding, lots of grinding, and painting that had to be done. I did purchase the turn signals new (in the mail). When i reached out to ARB for a replacement badge, they did not hesitate to send me one same day free of charge! great guys, great company, great bumper!:bowdown:

-Lightforce 240mm blitz halogen lamps

MSRP: $989.00 (lightforce)
Can be had for:$459.99 (amazon)
I paid: $50

Picked these lights up on Offer up. Found them by typing Lightforce in the search box. Not only did i get the Light force lamps, I also got a visionx xtreme square led light ($150-$200 new) and 3 Hella Luminex round led lamps (Roughly $100 each new) included in the deal. All in all, about $1000 in lighting for $50 :Wow1: Covers were beat to hell so i refinished them with a headlight restoration kit and painted them with a yellow stained glass paint. Want the logo back so ill be on the look out for a new set of covers.


-ProComp 15x8 steelies

MSRP: $55 per wheel
Can be had for: $48 per wheel
I paid: $25 per wheel

Found the wheels on craigslist for $100. Wheels are in great shape. Seller just upped his wheels to 17" after a few months.


Parts I've purchased new:

-Replacement grille
-ARB signals
-Wiring harness for Lightforce lights
-Trasharoo (from last vehicle)
-side mirrors
-PCV valve kit
-Valve cover gaskets
-Intake gasket kit
-filters, oil, bulbs, etc.


Parts I'll be looking for:

-Ball joint spacer kit
-Dif drop kit
-Blistin 5100 shocks all around
-Wildernest camper shell (the hardest thing to find on the list, was going to fly to Denver for one, but the owner sold it right as i was going to purchase the ticket)
-Slide in pop up camper (<1000 lbs)
-OME HD Leaf springs (hoping someones buys them and thinks they are too stiff)
-Rear greasable shackles
-33" BFG KO2 tires (will be a pretty penny to regear but worth it to restore power in the already lacking 3vze.
-HD ujoints
-Lightforce amber blitz covers
-Thule or Yakima rack system
-Rotopax/trax/hilift and other BUZZbrand accessories
-A locker or 2
-Solar setup with deep cycle battery

The build will go as fast as i can find parts for the truck. So stay tuned if this kind of stuff interests you at all. Hope to see my fellow PNW'ers out on the trail soon!:safari-rig:

 

[Nikkshepherd]

Truck sounds great, but none of your attachments/photos are showing up.

Is there a trick to get them to work? Third party hosting maybe? I was up all night trying to make them work using the in post picture function, but they still show up as links and not pictures.

 

[xkid]

Good start.

 

[Nikkshepherd]

Thanks for the tip eatSleepWoof. Finally got the pictures to work properly.

 

[TheCascadeKid]

Welcome and great looking pickup!

 

[Crenshaw]

My friends here in Salida are selling their Wildernest. I think she's asking $1500 and it's in great condition. Contact me if you want any more details.

Make sure you check out the Old's Cool thread if you haven't already. It seems right up your alley and is plum full of cheap dirtbags. My truck is exactly what you're going for.

 

[Nikkshepherd]

My friends here in Salida are selling their Wildernest. I think she's asking $1500 and it's in great condition. Contact me if you want any more details.

Make sure you check out the Old's Cool thread if you haven't already. It seems right up your alley and is plum full of cheap dirtbags. My truck is exactly what you're going for.

Oh I've most definitely checked out old scool.Great thread and rad truck. I'd love some more info on the wildernest.

 

[Nikkshepherd]

UPDATE

Wiring harness for the Lightforce lights came in yesterday. I got this specific harness from Ebay for a whopping $13. I went with this harness because it came with an OEM looking switch that would fit into an existing opening on my dash. Wiring is a good gauge, and has an inline fuse and relay.

Reallly love the way it turned out. Looks like it came that way from factory!

Headlights only

Headlights and Lightforce

There not as bright as i hoped. I'm sure this is due in part to the painted covers. Maybe i'll do the HID conversion at some point.

More to come soon.. Found a set of ball joint spacers for $30 and may of sourced a Wildernest thanks to Crenshaw

 

[xlcaferacer]

I love that you are building your truck on the cheap and using used parts in the process! Mine is built the same way and has taken me to a lot of good places. I have a build thread (and a few others) pertaining to the same era truck if you are interested but I don't know how to post the links to them. So click on my signature and check out the started threads section. I have posted unbiased reviews on what I have done to the truck and on a budget. My truck is an '89 but with a 4cylinder. I use my truck as both my daily driver and a trail rig and I have been surprised with where it has reliably taken me up to this point without breaking anything.
Just a few thoughts for you as your build progresses:
-No diff drop needed if you are using ballpoint spacers if you are running genuine Toyota CV axles. On that note; If you need to replace a front CV axle buy one built out of genuine Toyota parts from a reputable place like CVJ axles out of Denver. You will be happy you spent a little extra $$. Made that mistake, won't do it again.
-you can re-gear your axles on the cheap with factory 4:88 gears. They came as an option in 4runners from our era. But; due to how it is manufactured, the rear factory 4:88's will not work with any aftermarket locker offered. However, the front will. Give jimsgotparts.com a shout if this is something you are interested in. I got my front 4:88 diff from him for less than $300 shipped a few years back.
-Old Man Emu springs are a great bang for the buck even buying new. Less than $300 for either the medium or heavy version. The only difference between the two is one leaf spring.
If you have any questions along the way and want and opinion, shoot me a PM and I will be glad to let you know if what I have learned. BTW: your truck is off to a good start and what you have planned should work really well.

 

[Nikkshepherd]

I love that you are building your truck on the cheap and using used parts in the process! Mine is built the same way and has taken me to a lot of good places. I have a build thread (and a few others) pertaining to the same era truck if you are interested but I don't know how to post the links to them. So click on my signature and check out the started threads section. I have posted unbiased reviews on what I have done to the truck and on a budget. My truck is an '89 but with a 4cylinder. I use my truck as both my daily driver and a trail rig and I have been surprised with where it has reliably taken me up to this point without breaking anything.
Just a few thoughts for you as your build progresses:
-No diff drop needed if you are using ballpoint spacers if you are running genuine Toyota CV axles. On that note; If you need to replace a front CV axle buy one built out of genuine Toyota parts from a reputable place like CVJ axles out of Denver. You will be happy you spent a little extra $$. Made that mistake, won't do it again.
-you can re-gear your axles on the cheap with factory 4:88 gears. They came as an option in 4runners from our era. But; due to how it is manufactured, the rear factory 4:88's will not work with any aftermarket locker offered. However, the front will. Give jimsgotparts.com a shout if this is something you are interested in. I got my front 4:88 diff from him for less than $300 shipped a few years back.
-Old Man Emu springs are a great bang for the buck even buying new. Less than $300 for either the medium or heavy version. The only difference between the two is one leaf spring.
If you have any questions along the way and want and opinion, shoot me a PM and I will be glad to let you know if what I have learned. BTW: your truck is off to a good start and what you have planned should work really well.

Wow, thanks for the info man. Ill be sure to check out your build for tips. I'm fairly certain that the axles are OEM original and are in great shape. diff drop just to be safe? The previous owner took amazing care of her. Ill definitely be re gearing, but hadn't considered the stock 4 runner option. Does it have to be an SR5 or will any model work? I honestly know little to nothing about differentials. I have a basic understanding of how they work but not how to swap or re-gear them. Was considering taking it to Olympic 4x4. They seem to be a pretty reputable shop in my area. How easy is it to swap out the diff? I suppose I could youtube it. I plan on doing the spacer / torsion bar lift and shackles in the real just to get some 33's under it before winter hits. Planning to spend a lot of time on the mountain this year. OEM springs are still in great shape, just need a little boost.

 

[TheCascadeKid]

These happened to come up in my daily craigslist searching today. The seller said they are the stock 4.88's with 147k on the vehicle they came out of. It I wasn't so torn on what gears to go with I probably would have pulled the trigger.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/pts/d/toyota-488-third-member/6319856958.html

 

[Nikkshepherd]

Thanks man, I saw these come up the other day. Would they be a good match for 33's? As i mentioned above in my response to xlcaferacer, I have no idea how to install either the front or rear. Is it a couple hours and a case of beer thing?

 

[TheCascadeKid]

The general rule of thumb is 4.88's for 33's and 5.29 for anything bigger. If comes down to a trade off between available power vs. higher revs and worse gas mileage. I put 33's on my 3.0 4Runner before doing the 3.4 swap and barely used 4th gear. 5th might as well not have been there. 4.88's is supposed to bring 33's back to stock gearing, but it was also lacking power in its original form. This would probably make me lean towards 5.29's. Plus it leaves the door open to 35's and a future SAS

Don't overlook xlcaferacer's comment regarding the ability to add an aftermarket locker to the third members with stock Toyota 4.88 gears. If one fails I also don't believe you're able to replace them with after market gears. Not 100% sure on that though.

This is a topic you'll find beat to death on the forums. Best option would be to find someone who has re-geared with a similar set up (tires, engine, transmission) and take it for a test drive.

 

[xlcaferacer]

That's a good deal, especially if you are fine without a locker for a few years. If you are running 4:10'gears right now these will make a huge difference with 33's. I say if you have the money, pick them up run them while you do a bunch of other stuff to your truck. When you know you want a locker in the rear start saving for a new rear diff and then resell the old one. And your front will already be regeared. In the meantime you will be able to run down the highway with some power.
The beauty with these is there is no gear set up needed, just pull out the ones that are in there and plop these in. Refill the oil and go drive. If you have tools and can drop a driveshaft or change a cv axle, you can pull your differentials. A floor jack defiantly helps with the front though. Get a shop manual and read through it. Google "92 Toyota pickup IFS 7.5 clamshell differential removal" or some variation of that.
I give myself a day for both. Since they have never been removed before and this is your first go round with it, I would say give it a full weekend if you are mechanically inclined.

 

[Nikkshepherd]

That's a good deal, especially if you are fine without a locker for a few years. If you are running 4:10'gears right now these will make a huge difference with 33's. I say if you have the money, pick them up run them while you do a bunch of other stuff to your truck. When you know you want a locker in the rear start saving for a new rear diff and then resell the old one. And your front will already be regeared. In the meantime you will be able to run down the highway with some power.
The beauty with these is there is no gear set up needed, just pull out the ones that are in there and plop these in. Refill the oil and go drive. If you have tools and can drop a driveshaft or change a cv axle, you can pull your differentials. A floor jack defiantly helps with the front though. Get a shop manual and read through it. Google "92 Toyota pickup IFS 7.5 clamshell differential removal" or some variation of that.
I give myself a day for both. Since they have never been removed before and this is your first go round with it, I would say give it a full weekend if you are mechanically inclined.

Got it man, thank you for the tips. Ill take a stab at it myself. Worst comes to worst, I can have some locals stop in for some beer and pointers!:beer::beer: