Cyrus9586

Back in 2013 I made a mistake. I bought this 1989 Toyota 4x4 for 1000$. The owner wanted 1500 but I got him to take 1000$ on payments which I promptly paid off and now owned my first truck. I did some research and had the local car dealer in town offer me 2200$ for it if i ever wanted to sell it when I was on a test drive. So I took the chance and bought it. This truck is Cursed plain and simple. Every repair I make leads to something else breaking. I fix the battery mount that rotted away and the parking break line seizes. I fix that and a tire goes flat. I fix that and the firewall starts to leak. Before I can even fix that the heater stopped working. Before I can worry about those the seat adjuster stopped releasing. I fixed that and another tire goes out. I replaced that and a brake caliper froze. I had that fixed and a third tire hits a nail. I replace that and the Clutch Slave cylinder seized up and needed to be replaced. I fix that and another caliper locked up. You can see why I call this my Crazy Train. This is my first Toyota and I love it with all my heart. But I honestly need to know if I'm screwed or if I should just try to get what I can out of it and run like hell. I found out I was lied to when I bought it. The owner said they had a "Little" accident off roading and you can see in the pics the thing crunched in one fender (I removed the dents I could and had to drill out the bolts to get it off so I could remount the brackets so the door would quit leaking which lead to me using aluminum rivets to put the fender back on) which lead to the battery getting flung into a belt which sprayed acid everywhere (or at least im guessing since the corrosion is in a spray pattern everywhere) There was a second ignition and a broken key hiding under the glove compartment and the key doesnt work on the door locks so im guessing someone broke the old key and replaced the ignition but didnt rekey the locks as I have no key for them.

Specs I know:
4WD, Lifted, Stylized rims, v6, 188k miles on it. Sweat, Blood, and tears.
Things I know that need repair you cant really see in the pics:
Both doors have to be replaced. There is enough rot damage that half the doors are touch and disintegrate. The passenger door window tracking is destroyed anyways so both doors need replacing. The hood needs to be replaced as parts are paper thin. The radiator is missing half its fins so that should be replaced (they mentioned it overheated while hauling but couldn't figure out why.) Body and paint and hell just about everything.

I love this truck but I can't really afford to replace everything on it all at once. I know I over paid now but I don't know if I should stay the course and keep fixing this cursed truck or bail and try to get at least my money back on it.





















Sorry for the night pics im just at my wits end and my fiance who has been really helpful and supportive has finally noticed that this thing is cursed as well. Like I said I do make enough that over the course of the next year I COULD get all the work done. But if its not going to be worth it in the end I don't want to since I need a vehicle to get back and forth to work reliably with. The Crazy Train has lost my trust after having to walk 15 miles to work twice in the same week.

Thank you all for reading and any advice etc would be greatly appreciated. Also if this is in the wrong section I apologize its just a rig ive been repairing for 2 years so I wasn't sure if it counted or not.

Gamble_STi

Well, the best thing i could tell you is, your truck might be in better shape then mine. the only real thing i could give you advice on, is if your mechanically capable, fix it. whole 10 yards like i am. if your not mechanically capable, i would drop it as fast as you can and dont look back. just by seeing the pictures, i can tell its been neglected, and really needs a mechanic owner if its going to stay on the road. after you get all the bugs worked out though (may take you a few months and 1500$, you'll have a good running reliable truck. but you have to fix the neglect of the previous owner first. ill be happy to offer you as much advice as i can, but pretty much what im doing to mine, is taking everything apart... and putting it back together the right way haha. theres plenty of info on here to help you get her going. but its not going to be quick, or easy.

Cyrus9586

On a scale from 1-10 on ability im a good solid 5. I was raised around cars etc my whole life and I went to Job Corps for auto body paint and repair. Granted I only went long enough to master bondo and that was about it. Same scale for tools. Im a 2. I have just enough to mcguyver my way through repairs but taking out the engine etc won't be an option. I can't drop the tranny to rebuild it etc. All repairs are going to have to have a good miracle to get done right. And yea she was neglected badly. The old owner let her sit for 18 months with the passenger window down. Someone had even tried to steal the starter but when we tightened those bolts and she jumped to life. I swear it was like an abused dog jumping into your lap and begging for love. I had to get her and do what I could. I have plans for her I just need the help when I ask and this seemed like the right place.

Gamble_STi

Mechanical ability is key. A lot of good techs will tell you, "you would be surprised what you could do with a Jack, a few cinderblocks, a crescent wrench and a hammer". I'll be glad to help whenever I can man. What I can say first is, get her roadworthy, And start by spending 15$ at the car wash and tire clean and pressure wash everything. A clean engine, is a happy engine.

Next, look everything through thoughly and make a list of everything it needs. Then prioritize. Obviously you need to run good first, then suspension and brakes. So it's driveable. The ebrake will need love too, but if it doesn't run there's no point to a parking brake right?

Also I can tell you, to keep it cheap, you can find about 90% of what you need on eBay. Most of it comes with a warranty, and if you see something that you need that's questionable, feel free to message me and I'll let you know if it's junk. Over the years I've become an eBay master. Unfortunatly through trial and error.

Cyrus9586

Thank you. And I will be taking advantage of that.
So far it does run. Boy does she run. Through all of it you can tell she wants to get on the road. Every time she will start no matter what. I can tell you from the last time I drove her the suspension is 50/50 its not great but it works. The brakes will stop the truck (a little too well as it won't let me drive right now) and no screaming or anything. When I had a brake cailper seized before I had it in 4wd and it drug that tire all the way up a hill (step father thought it would break free if he tried) It didnt but was cool to see it had that much power. The suspension well you can tell when you start hitting bumps and you wouldn't want to be on that road for too much longer but otherwise seems fine. And save for the parking break the brakes function what appears to be normally save for the one current wheel that wont turn. Honestly I can't say 100% its a seized caliper. It could be anything. But the passenger side rear wheel turns just the driver side doesn't.

Gamble_STi

It should be drum brakes in the rear. I would lean more towards a siezed parking brake. Climb under the back and Take a look. If the arm on the top of the drum is out, your parking brake is siezed. Hammer the thing back in, and it should free up. Then take BOTH sides apart, and clean and lube them with some good brake lube. Do the same to the fronts. My journey started with a siezed caliper As well. I was able to free it for no money with a little skill, lube everything and reinstall it. I saved the money on a new caliper, and it still works just as it should.

Cyrus9586

I know what I'm doing tomorrow. Also Im looking at parts on Ebay now. I live on the Southern Oregon coast (hence all the problems with corrosion) and calling around just for a fender the best I could do was a scrap yard had one for 95$ and I just glanced and found one for under 50$. I never thought of Ebay cause well used auto parts on Ebay never sat well with me. But after you said most of them have warranties I had to look.

Gamble_STi

I bought both my new fenders off eBay for under 100$. brand new. My New tailgate was 107 Shipped.

I'm Not saying they are oem quality parts, I did some modifying to prevent future rust on the fenders and the tailgate. I'd rather a few 10$ cans of undercoat and some silicone now than dealing with it later. I also replaced both My rockers, and you could check out my build if you need some budget ideas for rust repair. I'm in the northeast, so we are in the same boat with rust.

Glad I could help man.

Gamble_STi

Also, you had better take a hammer and start tapping on the frame, because if yours is like mine, it needs love as well. I bought a scratch And dent 70 amp stick welder from harbor freight for 50$ and taught myself how to stick weld so I could repair it. Mine is bad... I'll be posting pics when I get the bed off, but needless to say if I hooked chains with someone, they would not just remove my bumper, but also take with them the frame and everything attached to it from the cab back.

Cyrus9586

I had a mechanic look at it about a year ago and he said everything was okay it just needed to be driven. But I will look closer at the frame tomorrow as well. Last thing I need is to be going 55 and have the frame give out.

Jrheingans

iTrader: (2)

I would have sold it for $2200 to that car lot! Around here in Arkansas the 3.0 v6 goes for dirt cheap. You can find a 4x4 pickup or 4Runner in nice shape for a little more than you paid but that thing looks like it's almost so rough that it won't be worth your time. I'm not trying to hate on your truck but I had one that was cursed also. I bought it for $900 and thought I got a steal of deal until I had $2000 in parts into it and it still wasn't up to par so I sold it and just barely broke even.

Cyrus9586

@Jrheingans I know how you feel and trust me I took no offense to that statement. Here where I live these trucks are gold. Everyone wants a 4x4 they can take on the dunes or off roading or mudding or even cliff climbing. When I bought it I had about 3 offers for close to 2000$ and I should have doubled my money and walked away. The scrap yards are almost always out of parts for these types of trucks and this one needs a good load of body parts.

@Gamble_STi The parking brake was only slightly engaged. You were right. I knocked it loose and she rolled forward when I got in. After that it was just a matter of rocking her out of the mud holes it had made over the winter. I took some clearer pics on things I need to do. I have a mechanic friend im going to trade a load of scrap metal for to give the brakes a cleaning/lube job and then I just have to start on the rest. My next post will have all the pics of things that need some tweaking etc as well as clearer pics of the damage that I need to replace on things like the hood and doors.

Gamble_STi

Glad to hear I could help man! Can't wait for the pics!

Cyrus9586

Okay so the pics are of okay quality and should get the point across.

First up the grill doesnt line up with the body right. I think this is from the off road accident the old owner said they had.



Like I said the drivers side fender I had to drill out and rivet back into place so these pics will show that damage. Not sure howI am going to replace this fender and attach it.




The hood is next. This is what makes me think that a lot of the corrosion is from battery acid. The driver side of it is almost perfect and then the front and the passenger side... You'll see...





On this pic in the corner of the hood you can see two dots really close to each other...Those are holes that go right through. I tried to wire wheel the rust off and there was nothing but rust... Also it looks like they had cut a piece off the hood.


Clearer shot of the holes and missing metal of the hood.


What I think was the epicenter of the acid shower...


general shots under the hood of the engine. Again this thing wants to be on the road but just looks rough...








Again everything on the passenger side looks so much worse.


Now the radiator with its missing fins. This is about half way down through the grille.



I used marine sealant on the window to reattach the trim and stop it from leaking.



The door over the gas cap was warped I bent it somewhat back into shape. Also no lock and no idea what the black is.


Nother piece to replace...


The tail gate locked up on me once. WD40 and its never given me any issue since.


Bed is warped a bit..



Someone told me they might has bent this to stop it from rattling. I think it wasn't on purpose not sure.


Doors need to be replaced on both sides.






Passenger side door. Marine sealant and the cardboard from a case of cup of noodles. Best red neck fix I could do.


Holes above the back window. Thinking sanding and bondo should take care of those easily enough.



And front bumper damage.


I dont know how this got so mangled.


So for now since suspension seems to be okay im going to be the brakes redone and then start focusing on replacing things. The first thing I am going to do is look into cleaning up the engine compartment. It has the most damage from what I can tell and seems to be what needs the most love.

millball

Here in the desert southwest where I live, most people would not even consider something so rusty to be even worthy as a parts truck. The scrappers would have it, toot sweet.

You have more determination than I have. All the best luck to you!!

Cyrus9586

Again people around here want a 4x4 to take on the sand dunes or something. I have seen real bad rust buckets that they bought for 3k$ then turned into cliff climbers. Around here no one wants to part with their 4x4s so when they sell they sell high.

rustyangel

Speaking from the Rust Belt of New England, I'd say what you have is manageable (although many would call me a hopeless optimist for that). Get a Harbor Freight welder and start playing around. The worst you'll do is damage a body panel thats already close to junked - meaning anything you do is an improvement. Fix the brakes, replace the radiator, clean the engine compartment. If its running and driving, keep it and slowly fix it. Practice your welding on that corner of the hood - if you ruin it, get a new one. That front fascia (the mangled metal below the bumper) is unimportant, just take it off. Mine's been off the truck for 6 years now. A replacement is fairly cheap from Rock Auto, and is pretty flimsy to begin with. As long as you're willing to have a driver and not a looker, you should have a good time with this truck. BUT be prepared for things to break unexpectedly at first. Its been 7 years with mine and I'm still slowly fixing issues. I figure when I've finally fixed everything, only the VIN plate will be original.

Terrys87

iTrader: (1)

You are dealing with rust which where you live is probably the norm for you. Alot of the issues I see that you are going to need to repair was visible from the begining. The ones you dont see and know about just yet are there and just waiting for a chance to show up. I seen trucks the looked to be in great shape still need a ton of work put into them. Previous owners and age are taking their toll on them. If you can and willing to do the work and really like the truck I would say keep it but it will be a lonnng project, but if having the work done by someone else, you need to get rid of it and cut your loses.

Even one without the rust issues you have is going to be a project to get it back to where it should be. Just looking at your skill set and the truck and I was in your shoes I would sell it.

Cyrus9586

The only work i have done is stuff that requires the truck to be lifted and then I dont pay cash for anything but parts. I thank you for the advise and looking at some parts under neath it does look like they may fall apart at any time. Im not looking for a money pit but at the same time I do want to expand my skills as well as keep a vehicle that will be an every day driver for as long as possible. The frame appears to be solid. I checked as much as I could and it appeared sturdy. It just feels like everything else may go at any moment. Im going to have another mechanic in another town inspect it after I get a pay check or two under my belt and give me an honest opinion. If it will stay driveable for a year or more then I will keep it and just work on it. My job has the benefit of massive overtime (20-80 hours a check at 11$ an hour base wage) so its not like I can't afford to either fix it or get another vehicle its just which should I do is my only concern.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Know all the work this is going to take it will never be worth it to any one else

Kinda like me with $20,000 my 87 4Runner

If it was me I would hunt for another one of the same age in much better shape and use this one for parts.

I scrapped out trucks in better condition.

The fact it runs just shows how tough these trucks are.