arkane

Wassup everybody. I recently acquired my dad's '88 pickup (v6/4wd/5sp) with 220k miles. It was his commuter and daily driver and it's never been off-road. LOL...I don't even think my dad's ever put it in 4wd (manual hubs). It's in good condition overall but quite behind on maintenance. I plan on doing a lot of the basic stuff myself but plan on bringing it to Protrux for more involved service.

I was saving to buy a more recent used Tacoma but since my dad pretty much let me have his truck I figured I could put some cash into fixin'er up. Originally I planned on going all out with a TC long travel but first I want to make sure the engine would last me a good 50-60k miles. I called Toyota, gave my VIN and asked about any service campaigns for my truck but no head gasket recall or anything. Lurking around for the past few weeks I've learned the 3VZE isn't exactly the most favored engine but I think it's decent for what I need it for. I realized I should hold off on the long travel, instead do a basic suspension lift for now, and work on making sure the engine will last a while.

I needed new tires anyways so I got some new black steelies (15x8 Rockcrawler Series 97 w/ 4.5" backspacing) with 33x10.5 BFG ATs. I've read there's a good chance of rubbing on my stock set up so I'm going to wait until the suspension is installed.

This is what I plan on doing:
- 1.5" ball joint spacers
- Downey full spring pack for rear (2" or 3" lift??)
- ProComp ES3000 or Bilstein (model recommendations?) shocks on all corners
- Don't touch torsion bars (never been cranked. or should i upgrade them? any recommendations?)
- 4.88 Yukon gears (front and rear)
- i should throw a locker in there (ARB air) but that'll have to wait..

Anyways, back to the engine. I plan on replacing the plugs, wires, cap, rotor, air filter, fuel filter, PCV valve & grommet, transfer case & transmission fluid (diff fluids will be changed during regear), front wheel bearings & axle seals, rotors, calipers, brake pads/shoes, ss brake lines, marlin shifter seat/socket.

I'm pretty sure the headgasket has never been replaced and who knows how long ago the timing belt & water pump were replaced. So the question is... should I go all the way and have the headgasket, knock sensor, knock sensor wire, timing belt, water pump, and thermostat replaced?? OR just do my basic maintenance and wait till the engine dies then get a rebuilt Orient or Jasper reman?? I thought about the 3.4L swap but sticking with the 3VZE is good enough and way cheaper.

Phew... ok that's all I can think of now. Any advice would be great!

zoefire

Although the 3.0 is slow it is reliable. you cant go wrong with any of the service you are going to do. you will definately want to replace the timing belt. as for as the head gasket goes if it isnt broke why fix it. i ran into a similar situation with my newly acquired 1991 pickup v6. it hasnt been changed and im not going to do it. it runs fine. if you are going to change the gears that will be a good time to put in a locker. you can go with a lockright cause its cheap. i didnt think it was bad on road. it just takes a little getting used to. from what i have read people around here like the bilsteins over most other shocks. i would double check those brakes though you might not need to change them. they las a long time.

jriebe

SAS swap would be good...

Sounds like you are gonna do some good basic maintenance to the truck...just make sure you watch the temp on the motor and take care of it. There are a large number of "virtual" 3.0 owners that will tell you what a pile of crap it is, don't believe them. Take care of your gear and it will take care of you.

Oh yeah... IMHO ARB stands for "Already Broken", just get a lockright and slap it in, cheaper and less trouble.

Enjoy,

Jon

P.s. if you are looking into an SAS swap, I am doing one on a 1981 2wd. Putting in a 3.0/r150f/gear tcase, rears up front on 35's

link http://picasaweb.google.com/jwriebe/81ToyotaProject


ahhh. now I am done promoting my own project...

Later

arkane

thanks for the replies!

ok i'll get the timing belt and water pump replaced as well. hopefully the headgasket won't fail any time soon.

selectable lockers are nice but yeah i think i can live w/ a lunchbox locker for now. i've also read good feeback on the aussie locker.

any model/size recommendations for the bilsteins?

the brakes deffinitely need replacing. shaking steering wheel when braking and a nice squel getting louder and more frequent. i don't think they've ever been replaced.

down the line i think i'm going to go long travel instead of SAS. good luck with your swap though. looking cool.

MMA_Alex

probably not worth sinking the money into new brakelines unless theyre really rusted out. I would look into the timing belt. if it hasnt been changed its definately in need of it.

I'm also looking at getting a locker this summer, and im thinking lockright. Ive heard better things out of aussie, but they're also backordered, and if you look at the other thread on aussie vs lockright thats going on right now i believe they only offer the aussie locker for the 4cyls.

shaking steering wheel while breaking could be a result of a number of things other than brakes (alignment being the most obvious). Its easy enough to check the brakes though so you might as well while looking everything else over.