My 1987 Toyota 4x4 Van

[patrolman]

Pics

 

[4Rescue]

I've seen one of those Vans embarass the HELL out of some far more "BUILT" rigs out in the TIllimook State Forrest... THey are so cool. Nice rig man.

Cheers

Dave

 

[patrolman]

Mine wasn't necessarily built for that, but THANKS! Living in Denver, and going skiing in the mountains, a 4x4 that seats more than my Toyota truck was a necessity. Really just a daily driver that isn't afraid to go into snow or offroad.

 

[patrolman]

First snow of the season today! 4x4 and a set of 4 studded snows worked great on the snow packed and icy roads! I was even impressed with how well it did in 2wd. The engine sits far enough back that there is a fair amount of weight on the rear wheels, offering decent traction. This is a keeper!

 

[expeditionist]

I love these vans. I have come close to purchasing one a couple different times. Anyways Patrolman, you mentioned:

So the brake job was a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE. I ordered the pads from O'Reilly. They never came in. I ordered them on Amazon. Wrong parts twice in the right box. Other local places didn't even carry them.

Over the years I have sparked up conversations with owners of these vans. One guy proudly told me that he was 'still on the ORIGINAL brake pads at 170K miles!' Once you get the brakes dialed I don't think you will have to worry about that for a while. And BTW, just curious if you checked the Toyota dealership? It seems like they could maybe get OEM pads. Congrats and good luck on the new project. Look forward to watching the progress. Cheers :sombrero:

 

[patrolman]

I ended up getting pads from a good reputable guy who knows his vans. So far 700 miles and no real issues that weren't expected. Hasn't left me stranded yet. Really turning out to like this thing, but I still won't part with my 1st gen 4Runner.

 

[1stgenoverland]

I've seen one of those Vans embarass the HELL out of some far more "BUILT" rigs

I used to have one of these vans...It had the automatic tranny and push button 4x4...No 4 lo but because it had the auto tranny in it, Toyota put in a lower gear set in the diffs...Essentially it gave it lo range by using the torque slip in the transmission. It sure surprised some friends of mine with toyota pickups. It would go almost anywhere the trucks would go unless the water was more then a foot deep or if the trail required significant ground clearance. All in all...Absolutely surprized me all the time...Just when you thought you knew its capabilities, You would find out about some other hidden talent it had. Never Got stuck and even pulled a few of my buddies out with it...All though that was because of their offroading capabilities...LOL...Its not what you drive that gets you places its your ability to drive...Of course a good vehicle helps.

Mods you should think about right away are....Raising the height of the air intake pipe...Its right in front of the drivers side front tire. I never did it to mine but did have a few Ideas...One was raising it to just below the wipers and putting an air intake ducting up there too...The other most important mod is reinforcing your battery tray....It tends to drag up on things and get bent back.. Tighten up those front torsion bars to get about an inch extra height in the front and do a lift in the back too....Find some good tires and Bobs your uncle....Such a sweet van...Keep up the mods....

 

[patrolman]

So tonight was repalacing radiator/heater hoses, not by choice. On my way to get a CV axle for my wifes Subaru, the van started spewing coolant. The primary heater hose sprung a good leak. Got her car wrapped up and then had to take care of the van. It took longer to replace 3 hoses than it did to replace a CV axle! Steps include removing the passenger seat, removing the entire shifter box/cables, removing the panel under the passenger seat. Then you can access 4 hoses. I replaced 3 of the 4. Might as well do what I can while I had it torn apart. Just one more thing to check off the list and won't have to access anything in that area for years to come...

 

[patrolman]

Mods you should think about right away are....Raising the height of the air intake pipe...Its right in front of the drivers side front tire. I never did it to mine but did have a few Ideas...One was raising it to just below the wipers and putting an air intake ducting up there too...The other most important mod is reinforcing your battery tray....It tends to drag up on things and get bent back.. Tighten up those front torsion bars to get about an inch extra height in the front and do a lift in the back too....Find some good tires and Bobs your uncle....Such a sweet van...Keep up the mods....

I plan on a torsion crank and an inch or two in the rear springs. Mine is a 4.30 gears, the auto is 4.88 I think. With the t-case, it does pretty well, but I wouldn't mind putting in a set of t-case gears is possible for something a bit lower. Also considering a rear locker. It will likely get some heavier bumpers too. Only going to see light off-road use for trail cleanup days. The Scout or 4Runner will see the heavier use.

 

[Ric]

thats a different but very cool rig, got any pix of the interior ?

 

[patrolman]

I need to get some taken. It is a disaster after the work I did last night, since the front seats have to basically come out. I also removed the 3rd row seat and stored it away to have more carrying capacity. No plans on carrying 7 people anytime soon.

 

[dsw4x4]

Hey patrolman look what I found on cl
http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/2223782128.html

 

[patrolman]

Drooling over that one! If it is a manual transmission, that is a steal. Even as an automatic, not a bad deal. It certainly won't last long!

 

[patrolman]

Yep, that didn't last long. Already gone! I also missed out on a low mileage Datsun 240z for $4,000 that was only listed for a day. Those deals go fast!

 

[patrolman]

The van got its first off-road trip since I bought it last October. Went and did a trail clean day with a local club I am part of. Person behind me snapped a couple photos. Everyone was impressed with how it did, particularly with no lift and just slightly over-sized tires.