$1,500 "Trophy" Truck!

[Hltoppr]

As ya'll know, I usually commute on the motorcycles...however, I have found it convenient to have a 4WD for the winters here in Flagstaff....

Plus, I'd like to tow a pop up trailer to the Expo Trophy to live in comfort for a few days....


After a short search, and a heads up from fellow ExPo/IH8MUD member MoGas.....

A 1986 Toyota Regular Cab, 4WD pickup has been procured..

Original owner! He bought it here in Flagstaff in 1986!
203K....sitting for a year...started up right away! Trans and clutch are about 10K from new, give or take!

22R motor, needs a distributer o-ring! ($4.64 at the local dealer.)
Runs great!

$1,500....:wings:

Just dropped $500 on a new set of tires (Pathfinder ATs) for the winter, an oil change and lube, and will service the diffs/trans/Tfer case and she'll be good to go to the Trophy!

Pics to follow shortly!

-H- :gunt:

 

[Willman]

Sounds very cool!

What your plans with the new rig?



I would like a 85' 4runner in good cond. down the road in a few years for a project truck.

 

[Hltoppr]

Plans....

Looks like I'll drive it for the winter and trade it for the start of my Expedition trailer (M416).....plus...student loans are PAID OFF in June, 2008! So I'll likely purchase a new Expedition Rig then for future trips!

-H-

 

[kcowyo]

...student loans are PAID OFF in June, 2008!

Next to the birth of my children, making my final student loan payment was the proudest and happiest day of my life.

Congrats on the "new" truck. So where is this pop-up camper coming from?

 

[SOAZ]

As ya'll know, I usually commute on the motorcycles...however, I have found it convenient to have a 4WD for the winters here in Flagstaff....

Plus, I'd like to tow a pop up trailer to the Expo Trophy to live in comfort for a few days....


After a short search, and a heads up from fellow ExPo/IH8MUD member MoGas.....

A 1986 Toyota Regular Cab, 4WD pickup has been procured..

Original owner! He bought it here in Flagstaff in 1986!
203K....sitting for a year...started up right away! Trans and clutch are about 10K from new, give or take!

22R motor, needs a distributer o-ring! ($4.64 at the local dealer.)
Runs great!

$1,500....:wings:

Just dropped $500 on a new set of tires (Pathfinder ATs) for the winter, an oil change and lube, and will service the diffs/trans/Tfer case and she'll be good to go to the Trophy!

Pics to follow shortly!

-H- :gunt:

Great truck. Not the same, but similar is this 1990 yota 4x4. I was impressed with is capabilities on 28" tires last saturday. It actually got me thinking about getting one!
Have fun with it!

 

[Hltoppr]

The pop up trailer is being borrowed from a buddy....Ever since having a roof top tent, I've become a wus....I like some comfort if I'm not on the bike!

The toyota trucks are great little rigs...there's a reason you see these things in all sorts of 3rd world applications! They never die!

-H-

 

[MoGas]

I'm pretty sure they have the "plug-n-play" wiring harness @ Pep Squids for ~30 bucks. What size ball does the trailer have? I have a 2" and I think a 1 7/8 around too if you need to borrow one.

 

[ZooJunkie]

Drool. I really miss my 85 Yota PU.

 

[MoGas]

Hoppy brand P/N 43315

Over at PB for 45.99 +tax. They have 2 in stock.

 

[Hltoppr]

She's already got a 4pin on her! Just gotta see what the trailer has!

-H-

 

[Grim Reaper]

If you can't document the miles on the timing chain then I strongly recommend you pull the valve cover and look for wear and broken guides and think about changing it.

http://www.engnbldr.com/toyota_ala_carte.htm

has a metal backed timing chain guide. A big problem is when the chain stretches it starts slapping the guides and breaks them. The parts get stuck on the oil pump pickup and in some instances the chain will hit the timing cover and wear a hole though at the area the water pump is.

Other then that...RUN THE HELL OUT OF IT!

 

[Hltoppr]

Thanks for the heads up! I'll take a look....

-H-

 

[Photog]

Steve, from Sonoran Steel Fab

Great truck. Not the same, but similar is this 1990 yota 4x4. I was impressed with is capabilities on 28" tires last saturday. It actually got me thinking about getting one!
Have fun with it!

That is Steve's truck, from Sonoran Steel Fab. I understand Steve is an even better driver, than he is a fabricator. None of his rigs look overly built; but he is able to drive them through some really rough areas. He built that truck as the "office work truck", and only put 28" tires on it, to prove the trails don't require 35" meats, and all the adjustments that go along with the big tires.

He also has a Toyota 4Runner, that he put a straight axle in; but it is set up for spring-under-axle, to keep the CG down. I hear he took it through the Hammers.

I was skeptical; but you are the second person to mention the difficult places he has taken that little truck.

The little trucks are a good platform to start with, and only need a few things to make them bomb-proof.


Check out Steve's website.
http://www.sonoransteel.com/

 

[DaveInDenver]

If you can't document the miles on the timing chain then I strongly recommend you pull the valve cover and look for wear and broken guides and think about changing it.

http://www.engnbldr.com/toyota_ala_carte.htm

has a metal backed timing chain guide. A big problem is when the chain stretches it starts slapping the guides and breaks them. The parts get stuck on the oil pump pickup and in some instances the chain will hit the timing cover and wear a hole though at the area the water pump is.

Other then that...RUN THE HELL OUT OF IT!

Good advice on checking the timing chain. But FWIW, I found that the metal back guide is unnecessary and is really just a false sense of security. My $0.02 is to use Toyota nylon guides. My original guides went 140K miles without incident (i.e., never failed) and I replaced them with metal guides. Those went 45K miles before the driver's side broke. With a plastic guide the parts shatter, fall to the pan and the chain makes a big racket. When a metal one breaks, it's violent and I was only going 20MPH when it happened! The broken piece wrapped around the crank timing gear and actually deformed to the teeth. Personally I think the problem is aftermarket plastic guides are junk, most people get a lot of miles from the OEM guides. Since the chain needs to be replaced about every 100K~125K miles, the stock guides are perfectly sufficient and much quieter.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=62565&postcount=21

 

[DaveInDenver]

I would like a 85' 4runner in good cond. down the road in a few years for a project truck.

Start looking and when you find one, BUY IT! The 1985 4Runner is the Holy Grail of mini trucks. Solid axle, removal top, 22R-E. It's the one everyone wants and they're not getting any more common. Personally I think getting a nice '86-'89 is a much better value, much better. The difference is IFS and you can get the 3.0L V6 if you want it, but you have such a larger selection and there are some very nice ones for good prices. The reasonably priced ones are not all beat to heck with a million miles, too.