The Old Wood Hauler: 1983 Toyota 4WD Build/Restoration

[Derek24]

How's the tree? You hate it?

There's something wrong with me...I sold it about three months ago haha! It just sat around. I never really drove it, also I someone offered me $1500 over what I paid so I took it. Next truck will be a tundra, then I'm keeping both forever!

I love that truck.

I'll trade you.

I don't know what to say coming from you lol! How about we trade, you swap an LS400 engine in mine and I'll let you drive it for a week! Deal!

Glad this thread was brought back up! Lol

I was on my way home from work in the ole '81 and was thinking, "I need another one of these first gens that is completely stock and unmolested, just like Derek24's." I hope on ExPo when I get home and... BAM! I've been looking, but I'm nearly convinced that my '81 is one of the cleanest in the southeast.. I know of two other that are close to being as clean, one is actually a little cleaner and they would never sell them.


I think its a sign from the good Lord one for wheeling, one for sunday cruising.. (Though I've had my eye on a clean 60 that an "acquaintance" has & it may become my stock sunday cruiser)

The good lord is always there haha! I hear you, there are a couple around me very stock and clean and no one will sell them. I do not blame them as it would would take a lot to sell mine, both of them actually. I was telling me father in law, who is a chevy man, that these little Toyotas are investments, he quietly agreed lol! Thanks for the kind words.

That thing looks like Swiss cheese. Oh wait no it doesn't. So much for that theory. I still love your truck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you! Ain't nothing better than Swiss cheese on a freshly BBQ burger!

 

[drobb]

Wait! What??? You sold the tree? Damn.....The forest is get'n thin around here

 

[huntsonora]

There's something wrong with me...I sold it about three months ago haha! It just sat around. I never really drove it, also I someone offered me $1500 over what I paid so I took it. Next truck will be a tundra, then I'm keeping both forever!

Yeah right

 

[seanpistol]

Yeah right

^

 

[Doc_]

Resurrecting this thread somewhat, but this is a thread I've frequently visited and lurked on until I've finally gotten my act together and made an account.
I love this truck! The personal history is really cool, and I like that you're building it in a way that's sensible and practical without compromising too much of the truck's original gear.

I'm working on an '83 of my own, they're really great, honest little trucks, and it's so encouraging to see that there are other folks out there that get the same sense of affection for them.

 

[Derek24]

Resurrecting this thread somewhat, but this is a thread I've frequently visited and lurked on until I've finally gotten my act together and made an account.
I love this truck! The personal history is really cool, and I like that you're building it in a way that's sensible and practical without compromising too much of the truck's original gear.

I'm working on an '83 of my own, they're really great, honest little trucks, and it's so encouraging to see that there are other folks out there that get the same sense of affection for them.

Thanks for the words! All my buddies want me to put 35s on this little thing, but for me it would not buy me anything but more problems. Recently I installed a real trailer hitch off my 84 and a bumper I found in the bushes. I never really like the tube bumper and it wiggled all around with a trailer hooked to it. So now the hitch bolts to the frame and the bumper is strong who ever built it. One day in was out riding my motorcycle and found a dirt road, at the end of the road was this bumper. I went back with my truck and it lined up with my frame perfectly. I sanded it down and reprinted it. Very solid and a lot more useful than the tube bumper.

Oh and I see you're in Calistoga. Beautiful place. I live right up the hill from you on Mark west. I'm in Calistoga every week, love eating BBQ at busters! I'll keep an eye out for another 83, I always wave at other older yotas!

 

[Derek24]

And big news. I've been researching an engine swap for the past year and I'm dead set on the 3rz 2.7L from a tacoma. There's a guy BigMike on marlin crawler forum that's done five or so swaps and documents all of them very well, as well as many other folks that have done the swap. The benefits are outstanding, and the swap is pretty straight forward. With the miles on my 22r I should gain about 80hp, better mpgs, reliability, and able to get out of my own way. I'm on the hunt for a 3rz!

 

[Racer-X]

And big news. I've been researching an engine swap for the past year and I'm dead set on the 3rz 2.7L from a tacoma. There's a guy BigMike on marlin crawler forum that's done five or so swaps and documents all of them very well, as well as many other folks that have done the swap. The benefits are outstanding, and the swap is pretty straight forward. With the miles on my 22r I should gain about 80hp, better mpgs, reliability, and able to get out of my own way. I'm on the hunt for a 3rz!

great idea

a bit more power for not much less mpg

 

[seanpistol]

And with all that power you need 35s on that little guy! Haha

 

[Dwill817]

Easiest way to do a 3rz is to swap in the Tacoma dash.. my buddy just did one on his truck and it would have been a NIGHTMARE without swapping the dash (gauge cluster, etc)

 

[jsnow]

If you go the 3RZ route I would suggest talking to the guys at Toy Only Swaps in OR. They can make life pretty easy for you if you do the swap.

 

[Derek24]

And with all that power you need 35s on that little guy! Haha

Oh man, I'm sure I'll break down one day and do that, but how fun would it be on 31s now?

Easiest way to do a 3rz is to swap in the Tacoma dash.. my buddy just did one on his truck and it would have been a NIGHTMARE without swapping the dash (gauge cluster, etc)

Yeah been reading a lot about dash swaps, of I can get away without doing that's what I would prefer. Don't care about having a tac, just as long as the speedo works that's fine. But my goal is to find a donor truck and swap as much stuff over, as I've read that's the easiest way. Does your buddy have a build thread anywhere? Thanks for the advice!

If you go the 3RZ route I would suggest talking to the guys at Toy Only Swaps in OR. They can make life pretty easy for you if you do the swap.

Alright cool thanks! I have three good yota shops around me that I will talk to, yotaman in Santa Rosa, yotaluma in Petaluma, and a landcruiser shop in Sonoma. All highly knowledgable. I'll give oregon a call too thanks again for the info.


Really the hardest part seems to be getting it referred and documented swap and pass smog. Everyone here in CA that's done the swap has trouble getting the state to think with their brains and see that the emissions are cut in half with the 3rz which you would think that's all they should care about and not the looks of the exhaust! If states could breed, CA should be looked in a cage and not allowed to do so!

 

[Doc_]

Thanks for the words! All my buddies want me to put 35s on this little thing, but for me it would not buy me anything but more problems. Recently I installed a real trailer hitch off my 84 and a bumper I found in the bushes. I never really like the tube bumper and it wiggled all around with a trailer hooked to it. So now the hitch bolts to the frame and the bumper is strong who ever built it. One day in was out riding my motorcycle and found a dirt road, at the end of the road was this bumper. I went back with my truck and it lined up with my frame perfectly. I sanded it down and reprinted it. Very solid and a lot more useful than the tube bumper.

Oh and I see you're in Calistoga. Beautiful place. I live right up the hill from you on Mark west. I'm in Calistoga every week, love eating BBQ at busters! I'll keep an eye out for another 83, I always wave at other older yotas!

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View attachment 283451

Way late reply, sorry about that!
Nice score on the bumper find!

It's really pretty up by Mark West! I'm just up near the Petrified Forest/Mark West Springs junction, it's wonderful country to explore.
Buster's rocks. I love that their hot sauce actually means "hot".
I'll keep an eye out on MWSR whenever I'm headed up to Pepperwood, my 83's on blocks for the time-being, but I'm shooting for an August revival.

 

[Derek24]

no real new on the old truck. have to look at the front hubs as the passenger side makes some noise and will not engage 4wd. other than that it runs great still. my clutch is about toast and I have a new one in the barn ready to be installed. I'm waiting for it to dry out a bit here, been getting hammered with rain which is really nice change. it amazes me that I'm still on the original clutch!

other big new I picked up a 98 Tacoma 4wd. it's a SR5 with a V6 bone stock, bought from an 80 year old man in Yountville that replaced it with a 2016 inferno red Tacoma fully loaded. he said his new truck cost him twice his first house in Napa, crazy! anyways the guy took great care of it and owned it since 2000. it's got 200k on the clock but runs like a dream. automatic shift so smooth I can't feel it. you'd never know it had this milage on it, but for this engine and truck it just broke in. I got a GREAT deal, $3500. I love it so far, nice to have a little more room being 6'4". once my tax money comes in, OME lift, tires , wheels will be on order!

 

[ZMagic97]

Great looking trucks! Can't wait to see more. I like your mild mods to keep them somewhat original but a little bit more useful!