1981 toyota pickup DLX Project
11-07-2013, 01:10 PM
#1
1981 toyota pickup DLX Project
I've wanted to do this for awhile as I've enjoyed reading all of your build and have found great motivation and inspiration from kawazx6's, slackers and yotantn's thread. Here is my frame-off restoration and modification of my 1981 toyota pickup dlx short bed 4 speed with 141 000km certified. I've always wanted a truck like this since a friend of mine had 2 around 4 years ago and wouldn't let anyone drive it, wouldn't go above 2000rpms and cried when it got a but dirty, this truck will get used and abused!
First a bit of history, it was bought by a man in 1981 and then sold in 1983 to the father of the women I bought it from. It was used only in the summer for hunting and as a chalet truck in a small town of northern quebec most of its life, it was parked outside during the winter. It had a small ''restoration'' done in 1997 where the frame was badly repaired with checkered plate, the floors were rebuilt with newspaper and fiberglass, a 3rd gen bed was installed and other bad work done to it...after that it had a plow added to the front and it was used in the winters only to plow a big parking lot next to the . I bought it 28th of semptember for 1000$. Around here these are very rare, especially the street legal ones. I drove it the way it was for about 2 months while slowly working on it, then when I started renting a new garage in august I decided to completely rebuild it for half street driving, and half trail riding, with a wood and steel bed. Parts I bought at the begining were 3'' lift used from srpings (skyjacker I believe), trail gear shackles 1.5'' longer (3/4'' lift) with greasable bolts, polyurethane bushings & bumpstops,, front housing rebuild kit, swift gti seats, slotted discs with ceramic brake pads.
My first attempt at floor repair to make it more drivable at first, this will be done again one I get to the body part (last part).
front axle before disassembly.
Rear axle
guage cluster with the needle stuck at 1500 rpms.
leaking, oil consuming, blow-by nightmare 22R with new clutch installed by p/o.
I started disassembling my front axle for cleaning
Some of my goodies
these need a good cleaning
My original frame was too badly rusted and repaired to do anything with it, and I new it when I bought it. after a year of searching and finding nothing I came across with frame about 2 hours away from me, this is as good as it gets around here for a clean frame!
it had been repaired before and the rear section was badly welded, the shock towers were also misaligned, but for 325$ I got:
1983 short bed frame
1983 p/s steering box & pump
another fuel tank (a bit rusty, good as a repairable spare)
5'' rear leafs (sold)
2 front fenders in good shape with 4wd toyota badge (mine had 1 broken)
with my ˟˟˟˟ty 70A arc welder I started building a front diff guard. If I had to do it again it would be different but oh well, live and learn.
Then I picked up this nice SR5 sliding window (mine was just a piece of plywood).
And then the real frame work began, I got myself a lincoln 225 ac arc welder with a 50' extension for 75$, a bit old and ugly but it works like a charm. I bought aircarft paint stripper to strip the paint from the frame, which didn't really work well as it only took off the top layer and not the zinc primer...So a grinder and a wire brush were my main tools, it took about 20 hours to have the frame down to bear metal, then I started cutting out the rust.
After that I got my frame out of the garage for a good pressure washer cleaning inside and outside. I lit a little fire inside the frame to dry it out before applying 2 coats of gravel guard inside with 1 coat of tremclad paint.
A nice present from my girlfriend, her old toolbox, a nice upgrade from my old small crappy one.
Then I started cutting templates and repairing the frame. I also added reinforcement to place where I have seen other frames break or crack. I am not a very good welder or fabricator but still an acceptable and strong job.
After goind through 2 low quality grinders I got myself a makita one and a sawzall for 45$ at a pawn shop, works like a dream!
Then a friend of mine and me started mocking up the front suspension to properly place my shock towers, which I raised by 1'' for more travel. After calculations and measurements I seem to have a 2,5'' real lift, which is great for what I wanted.
I didn't like the rear section of the frame since the shackle mounts were very rusty and at the wrong place for my other set of leafs, the frame was bobbed and the crossmember was badly welded. Off it goes.
I went to get some metal:
2x3'', 2'' flat bar and 1'' angle bar.
Then I built a new rear section.
To get a break from the frame I started building my rear leaf pack from 4 other packs, it has 5 old and soft leafs plus 1 add-a-leaf. We'll see how this goes and if I don't like it I will get a new set.
After that I started brushing and cleaning my front axle parts
And the rear axle also, while removing all the crusts I noticed 2 holes in the housing from rust, I couldn't beleive it!! 1 hour of work for nothing..
A nice book that a friend gave me, he found it in the garbage of the toyota dealership he works at, someone must have said "we don't need this anymore''... I do!
I came across a good deal, a 20R head with original oil cap for 30$ and a nice original front grill. The guy I bought it from had this laying in his basement since 1983 from his dad's truck, his dad had one brand new in 1980 and then got it modified by the italians in downtown montreal in the early 80's with weber carbs and custom cams. I guess he didn't use this head because of the broken valvespring I found while taking it apart.
I think this is the EGR valve, not sure, it is completely blocked with dirt.
A special "tool" I made to remove the valve keepers so I could fully disassembled the head, it consists of a 21mm socket with a small magnet at the bottom I took from one of those cheap mecanics lamp. You put it against the retainer and use a hammer to give it a punch and the keepers come out and are caught by the magnet. You can see the keepers inside.
broken valvespring, what could have caused this ??
the ports are rusty and full of dirt, this calls for a nice port job once I get the oversized (22r) valves put in.
Before:
After:
I used my varsol tub, 2 bottles of toyota brake cleaner (that I get cheap from a friend) and 1 can of oven cleaner (works great but can etch aluminum if left on too long).
Then I went shopping again, I got a clean body mount, two special bolts and a 1984 rear housing.
After that I disassembled and painted all my leafs and assembled them again with the greasable bolts, new bushings and all.
I started painting some other parts too
Another friend of mine came to the garage to help install the body mounts
This is the original fuel tank wich was in better shape than the 4 others I had, exept for the metal screw in the bottom and another small hole on the side wich I fixed.
After completely wire wheeling the rear housing I built a rear diff guardm this is how I should have done the front I think.
I took appart, cleaned and re-assembled my front locks, I took the best parts out of 6 samurai locks and my two original locks to build a good clean set
For now imageshack.us is dead so I will continue later on
First a bit of history, it was bought by a man in 1981 and then sold in 1983 to the father of the women I bought it from. It was used only in the summer for hunting and as a chalet truck in a small town of northern quebec most of its life, it was parked outside during the winter. It had a small ''restoration'' done in 1997 where the frame was badly repaired with checkered plate, the floors were rebuilt with newspaper and fiberglass, a 3rd gen bed was installed and other bad work done to it...after that it had a plow added to the front and it was used in the winters only to plow a big parking lot next to the . I bought it 28th of semptember for 1000$. Around here these are very rare, especially the street legal ones. I drove it the way it was for about 2 months while slowly working on it, then when I started renting a new garage in august I decided to completely rebuild it for half street driving, and half trail riding, with a wood and steel bed. Parts I bought at the begining were 3'' lift used from srpings (skyjacker I believe), trail gear shackles 1.5'' longer (3/4'' lift) with greasable bolts, polyurethane bushings & bumpstops,, front housing rebuild kit, swift gti seats, slotted discs with ceramic brake pads.
My first attempt at floor repair to make it more drivable at first, this will be done again one I get to the body part (last part).
front axle before disassembly.
Rear axle
guage cluster with the needle stuck at 1500 rpms.
leaking, oil consuming, blow-by nightmare 22R with new clutch installed by p/o.
I started disassembling my front axle for cleaning
Some of my goodies
these need a good cleaning
My original frame was too badly rusted and repaired to do anything with it, and I new it when I bought it. after a year of searching and finding nothing I came across with frame about 2 hours away from me, this is as good as it gets around here for a clean frame!
it had been repaired before and the rear section was badly welded, the shock towers were also misaligned, but for 325$ I got:
1983 short bed frame
1983 p/s steering box & pump
another fuel tank (a bit rusty, good as a repairable spare)
5'' rear leafs (sold)
2 front fenders in good shape with 4wd toyota badge (mine had 1 broken)
with my ˟˟˟˟ty 70A arc welder I started building a front diff guard. If I had to do it again it would be different but oh well, live and learn.
Then I picked up this nice SR5 sliding window (mine was just a piece of plywood).
And then the real frame work began, I got myself a lincoln 225 ac arc welder with a 50' extension for 75$, a bit old and ugly but it works like a charm. I bought aircarft paint stripper to strip the paint from the frame, which didn't really work well as it only took off the top layer and not the zinc primer...So a grinder and a wire brush were my main tools, it took about 20 hours to have the frame down to bear metal, then I started cutting out the rust.
After that I got my frame out of the garage for a good pressure washer cleaning inside and outside. I lit a little fire inside the frame to dry it out before applying 2 coats of gravel guard inside with 1 coat of tremclad paint.
A nice present from my girlfriend, her old toolbox, a nice upgrade from my old small crappy one.
Then I started cutting templates and repairing the frame. I also added reinforcement to place where I have seen other frames break or crack. I am not a very good welder or fabricator but still an acceptable and strong job.
After goind through 2 low quality grinders I got myself a makita one and a sawzall for 45$ at a pawn shop, works like a dream!
Then a friend of mine and me started mocking up the front suspension to properly place my shock towers, which I raised by 1'' for more travel. After calculations and measurements I seem to have a 2,5'' real lift, which is great for what I wanted.
I didn't like the rear section of the frame since the shackle mounts were very rusty and at the wrong place for my other set of leafs, the frame was bobbed and the crossmember was badly welded. Off it goes.
I went to get some metal:
2x3'', 2'' flat bar and 1'' angle bar.
Then I built a new rear section.
To get a break from the frame I started building my rear leaf pack from 4 other packs, it has 5 old and soft leafs plus 1 add-a-leaf. We'll see how this goes and if I don't like it I will get a new set.
After that I started brushing and cleaning my front axle parts
And the rear axle also, while removing all the crusts I noticed 2 holes in the housing from rust, I couldn't beleive it!! 1 hour of work for nothing..
A nice book that a friend gave me, he found it in the garbage of the toyota dealership he works at, someone must have said "we don't need this anymore''... I do!
I came across a good deal, a 20R head with original oil cap for 30$ and a nice original front grill. The guy I bought it from had this laying in his basement since 1983 from his dad's truck, his dad had one brand new in 1980 and then got it modified by the italians in downtown montreal in the early 80's with weber carbs and custom cams. I guess he didn't use this head because of the broken valvespring I found while taking it apart.
I think this is the EGR valve, not sure, it is completely blocked with dirt.
A special "tool" I made to remove the valve keepers so I could fully disassembled the head, it consists of a 21mm socket with a small magnet at the bottom I took from one of those cheap mecanics lamp. You put it against the retainer and use a hammer to give it a punch and the keepers come out and are caught by the magnet. You can see the keepers inside.
broken valvespring, what could have caused this ??
the ports are rusty and full of dirt, this calls for a nice port job once I get the oversized (22r) valves put in.
Before:
After:
I used my varsol tub, 2 bottles of toyota brake cleaner (that I get cheap from a friend) and 1 can of oven cleaner (works great but can etch aluminum if left on too long).
Then I went shopping again, I got a clean body mount, two special bolts and a 1984 rear housing.
After that I disassembled and painted all my leafs and assembled them again with the greasable bolts, new bushings and all.
I started painting some other parts too
Another friend of mine came to the garage to help install the body mounts
This is the original fuel tank wich was in better shape than the 4 others I had, exept for the metal screw in the bottom and another small hole on the side wich I fixed.
After completely wire wheeling the rear housing I built a rear diff guardm this is how I should have done the front I think.
I took appart, cleaned and re-assembled my front locks, I took the best parts out of 6 samurai locks and my two original locks to build a good clean set
For now imageshack.us is dead so I will continue later on
Last edited by gillesdetrail; 12-12-2015 at 05:56 PM.
11-07-2013, 05:48 PM
#2
What us hiding underneath this wet and soggy toyota genuine box?
An e-locker!! It was given to me by my friend working at toyota, the bearings need replacing and the motor assembly is missing, plus it has 3.73 gears so it needs a complete overhaul but it's a good start, that project is gonna be next winter though.
Finished stripping and repairing both holes on the fuel tank, one with welding the other one with epoxy since the welds went right through the metal.
Got the prep & ready from por-15 that I ordered and my shackle mounts from trail gear.
Started cleaning the frame with industrial degreaser, then applied prep & ready and washed it off before the por15 treatment.
Finally a moment that I have waited for a long time...PAINT!!
Since por-15 is UV ray sensitive I added 2 additional coats of krylon gloss black once it was dry to the touch with a slight drag. Should protect it I hope.
And that is where I am as of 2 days ago, really happy to be where I am now, I can't wait to start assembling things and have a rolling chassis! I'll keep this thread updated frequently as I spend 8-12 hours a week on it. If you have any suggestion or question don't hesitate, thanks for looking.
An e-locker!! It was given to me by my friend working at toyota, the bearings need replacing and the motor assembly is missing, plus it has 3.73 gears so it needs a complete overhaul but it's a good start, that project is gonna be next winter though.
Finished stripping and repairing both holes on the fuel tank, one with welding the other one with epoxy since the welds went right through the metal.
Got the prep & ready from por-15 that I ordered and my shackle mounts from trail gear.
Started cleaning the frame with industrial degreaser, then applied prep & ready and washed it off before the por15 treatment.
Finally a moment that I have waited for a long time...PAINT!!
Since por-15 is UV ray sensitive I added 2 additional coats of krylon gloss black once it was dry to the touch with a slight drag. Should protect it I hope.
And that is where I am as of 2 days ago, really happy to be where I am now, I can't wait to start assembling things and have a rolling chassis! I'll keep this thread updated frequently as I spend 8-12 hours a week on it. If you have any suggestion or question don't hesitate, thanks for looking.
11-08-2013, 01:21 PM
#5
thanks guys! Yes I love por-15 too, I used about 400ml to do all that you see! Tonight I installed the gas tank and the front springs, but then I realised my trail gear bushing kit is either incomplete or it doesn't have all the bushings I need, so I need to order 4 new bushings. I also need U-bolts which I will get some time next week as well so that I can mount the diffs. Next on the list is to weld fron and rear diffs, I still don't know if I will do it myself or if I will have someone do it.
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11-11-2013, 06:29 PM
#10
Thanks!
For the leaf spring hanger bolts I used the greasable bolts (had to enlarge the hole on the support). Tonight I prepared other parts for por15, then I took appart one of my differential for welding.
I cleaned the diff real good using varsol, oven cleaner and brake cleaner, then I heat it up for a good 10 mins with a small torch, and started doing my lincoln locker myself with 6011 rod, really not hard to do, it just takes time, welding 5-10 secs at a time and waiting a few minutes between each pass. Unfortunately no pictures yet since the phone was dead but soon to come.
For the leaf spring hanger bolts I used the greasable bolts (had to enlarge the hole on the support). Tonight I prepared other parts for por15, then I took appart one of my differential for welding.
I cleaned the diff real good using varsol, oven cleaner and brake cleaner, then I heat it up for a good 10 mins with a small torch, and started doing my lincoln locker myself with 6011 rod, really not hard to do, it just takes time, welding 5-10 secs at a time and waiting a few minutes between each pass. Unfortunately no pictures yet since the phone was dead but soon to come.
11-11-2013, 07:21 PM
#11
Registered User
Get inside that frame with this stuff. Several youtube videos of people doing it as well.
http://www.eastwood.com/internal-fra...nozzle-qt.html
http://www.eastwood.com/internal-fra...nozzle-qt.html
11-12-2013, 10:29 AM
#12
That looks like a great product, I will probably go ahead and order that soon to do the inside of the frame, I just hope the shipping is not outrageous.
Edit 41.43$ for two cans shipped at my door...nice!
Edit 41.43$ for two cans shipped at my door...nice!
Last edited by gillesdetrail; 11-12-2013 at 10:31 AM.
11-12-2013, 10:32 AM
#13
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I used that stuff...and it worked well....just don't spray it until you are done all welding on the frame.... cause it creates nasty fumes when you are welding on metal treated with it... potentially deadly is my guess.
11-14-2013, 05:52 PM
#14
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Super Gilles je suis aussi en train de me taper la resto d'un 1982 .
Aujourd'hui j'ai justement fait l'achat d'un cab a Shawi a 3h00 de chez nous .Il était beaucoup plus saint . J'ai aussi trouvé une boite originale (magannée) mais avez les panneaux d'origine .
Bonne chance dans cette longue étape et si tu as besoin de pièces des fois que je peux t'aider fait moi signe.
Now in English ....lol
I said that i was building a 1982 and i live near him.
I have some parts left and let him know that.
Like he said they are realy i mean REALY rare in Québec .
Aujourd'hui j'ai justement fait l'achat d'un cab a Shawi a 3h00 de chez nous .Il était beaucoup plus saint . J'ai aussi trouvé une boite originale (magannée) mais avez les panneaux d'origine .
Bonne chance dans cette longue étape et si tu as besoin de pièces des fois que je peux t'aider fait moi signe.
Now in English ....lol
I said that i was building a 1982 and i live near him.
I have some parts left and let him know that.
Like he said they are realy i mean REALY rare in Québec .
11-14-2013, 07:04 PM
#15
Super Gilles je suis aussi en train de me taper la resto d'un 1982 .
Aujourd'hui j'ai justement fait l'achat d'un cab a Shawi a 3h00 de chez nous .Il était beaucoup plus saint . J'ai aussi trouvé une boite originale (magannée) mais avez les panneaux d'origine .
Bonne chance dans cette longue étape et si tu as besoin de pièces des fois que je peux t'aider fait moi signe.
.
Aujourd'hui j'ai justement fait l'achat d'un cab a Shawi a 3h00 de chez nous .Il était beaucoup plus saint . J'ai aussi trouvé une boite originale (magannée) mais avez les panneaux d'origine .
Bonne chance dans cette longue étape et si tu as besoin de pièces des fois que je peux t'aider fait moi signe.
.
Last edited by kawazx636; 11-15-2013 at 05:06 AM.
11-15-2013, 04:51 AM
#16
haha thanks Marc! I replied in PM!
A bit more time was spent in the garage yesterday, still welding the diffs and painting more parts, I'm really taking my time with the diffs, I will post pictures once it's all done. thanks for the comments guys.
A bit more time was spent in the garage yesterday, still welding the diffs and painting more parts, I'm really taking my time with the diffs, I will post pictures once it's all done. thanks for the comments guys.
Last edited by gillesdetrail; 11-15-2013 at 10:52 AM.
11-20-2013, 03:06 PM
#17
So I finished welding my front diff, went very well, I welded it with 6011 rod and took my time.
However I got a bad surprise when I took appart the rear diff, I didn't notice it when I removed it from the housing.
The pinion is hard to turn but there is no slack, that's really strange since is wasn't making any unusual sound for the little times I drove it. So now I am looking for one 3.90 third member or two 4.10 or more.
some more painted parts, I have since painted steering box, u-bolt plates, drag link, and a bit more.
And that's the way it was when I left last week, since then I have made a bit of progress, but I haven't taken pics yet! Next time!
However I got a bad surprise when I took appart the rear diff, I didn't notice it when I removed it from the housing.
The pinion is hard to turn but there is no slack, that's really strange since is wasn't making any unusual sound for the little times I drove it. So now I am looking for one 3.90 third member or two 4.10 or more.
some more painted parts, I have since painted steering box, u-bolt plates, drag link, and a bit more.
And that's the way it was when I left last week, since then I have made a bit of progress, but I haven't taken pics yet! Next time!
Last edited by gillesdetrail; 11-20-2013 at 03:08 PM.
11-23-2013, 10:03 AM
#18
So I got a good deal on two 4.10 thirds for 100$, will be picking them up tomorrow, will have to start the welding process again.
I also got 8 new u-bolts, washers and heavy-duty nuts and 6 more bushings that I was missing.
So I have cleaned, painted (por-15) and installed the steering box (power steering), drag link, knuckles and arms, set pre-loads on knuckles to the middle specs, installed u-bolts and bushings (still missing 4 greasable nuts to finish fully installing suspension). It may not seem like a lot but to me it's great progress, I'm really happy to see it come along like this.
Next up is welding the two new thirds, then completely assembling the front axle, in about 2 weeks the rear axle will be assembled with all new brake hardware and after that, it's the engine!! Can't wait to start on that!
I also got 8 new u-bolts, washers and heavy-duty nuts and 6 more bushings that I was missing.
So I have cleaned, painted (por-15) and installed the steering box (power steering), drag link, knuckles and arms, set pre-loads on knuckles to the middle specs, installed u-bolts and bushings (still missing 4 greasable nuts to finish fully installing suspension). It may not seem like a lot but to me it's great progress, I'm really happy to see it come along like this.
Next up is welding the two new thirds, then completely assembling the front axle, in about 2 weeks the rear axle will be assembled with all new brake hardware and after that, it's the engine!! Can't wait to start on that!
