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Might be a stretch calling this a "build" it's more of a repair / restoration and I'm hoping the resourceful community here can give me some feedback.
I picked up my 1991 on Saturday and spent the weekend assessing it and making some minor repairs. I started a little blog and I'll post the content in this thread as well. The pics and videos will mostly be on the blogger site because they're in the google ecosystem so no uploading is neccessary. Hoping for some pointers from the community here.
This is my first entry:
Through my work I recently acquired a 1991 Toyota 4x4 pickup. It's a Xtracab with the 3.0L V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. It was built in Japan (some of these trucks were built in Fremont California) The owner had bought it new 25 years ago and only drove it 178000 Kms. It was never driven off road. It was immaculately maintained and came with all the documentation. Serviced at the same shop since new, it had every single recommended maintenance performed right up to the point where I bought it. All fluids and filters changed as required, recent muffler replacement, new brakes, new tires, timing belt, cam cover gaskets, battery, windshield, and much more. Mechanically the truck is immaculate. It starts and runs smoothly with no noise, no smoke. The transmission and clutch work superbly and the transfer case clicks into 4WD with minimal effort and no noise. The interior is almost perfect but for a small tear on the side of the driver's bucket seat.
Cosmetically, the truck has some issues. The body is mostly rust-free... the cab, doors, floor, hood and bed are in great shape. The front fenders have some bad areas around the wheel arch and the bed sides are rotted with rust. The truck had a camper installed at one point, and holes were screwed into the bed rails to mount iron bars. They weren't properly treated and this is where the corrosion originated. Had it not been for that camper the truck would be almost perfect, but for the Cardinal Red paint, which is oxidized and faded. The chrome back bumper is rotten.
My initial plan for the truck was to recondition it a bit, drive it a little while and flip it for a modest profit... but... the more time I spend with this truck the more I like it and I'm running the risk of becoming attached.....
What I've done so far:
-oil and filter change (not fun... idiotic oil filter location on the 3.0 V6)
-cleaned up and painted rusty screw heads and brackets (battery strap, overflow tank holder)
-strip and paint steel wheels (1 down 3 to go)
-remove crappy hood deflector
What I plan to do:
-strip and repaint the front skid plate. maybe the fuel tank plate too.
-replace the centre caps (the originals are corroded beyond repair)
-undercoat rusty frame parts and paint rusty suspension parts
-replace back bumper
-remove camper brackets and wires
-detail under hood and interior
What I might do if it makes $ense:
-replace fenders
-replace bed sides
-paint job
I would need to pay someone to weld the box sides on but I could do the rest myself. The paint will be far from perfect but I see this as a nice daily driver, not a show truck.
Well I'm committed now.... things are beginning to snowball but I'm trying to stick to a budget. Ordered jobber bedsides from Rockauto.com and new Toyota OEM fenders. (I work at a Toyota dealership) I've got 2 of the wheels done.... They look great from 10 feet away. I found a used generic bumper for cheap that I plan to paint with the same finish as the wheels. I stripped down the skid plate and hit it with some flat black rust paint.
I pulled a fender off today and was pleased to see that the body is in great shape underneath. I'll paint the hood and fenders and box off the truck and do the whole cab and roof. The paint looks great inside the door jambs and under the hood.... Still shiny and no rust.
Popped the drums off and everything looks good. I'm seeing evidence everywhere of it being well maintained by an expert mechanic. I plan to sandblast them and hit them with some high heat paint.
Im waiting on quotes to cut off the old bed sides and weld the new ones on.
I bought this thing as an investment but I think I want to keep it. I've kinda become attached. The wife wants me to keep it too.
Now finished 3 of 4 wheels and working on the 4th... getting faster and better as I go. The last one will be the best one. HA!
I've ordered a bunch of assorted screws and clips and nuts and bolts and brackets to replace broken or corroded originals. All told about $100 worth.
The new fenders and box sides are in my garage waiting to be installed. I've got a bunch of stuff I want to do but I have to figure out how to prioritize.... so I'm gonna focus on getting it painted and back on the road. Once I'm finished the wheels I'll take off the other fender and and hood and cowl remove the bed. The old bumper back needs to come off and it looks like the big aftermarket class 4 hitch was welded to the frame so I'll probably have to cut that off. Once the bed is off I can clean up the frame a little bit and hit it with some undercoat.
Then I can begin to prep for painting. I plan to paint the hood and fenders and cowl and bed off the truck for a more even finish. This will allow me to paint the back of the cab too. I think I'll paint it with the doors shut as the doorjams are in excellent shape and the original paint there still has some lustre.
Other little details I want to fix like blasting and painting the drums can be put off.
Haven't had a lot of time for this project but i did get the bed off yesterday. In doing so I noticed that I have a broken leaf on one side. The rear suspension is all pretty badly rusted so I'm tempted to just replace all of it. Anyone know a good source for a kit?
09-06-2016, 02:48 PM
