kyle_22r

i found a '80 pickup today in the local want ads for $1500 obo.

went to check it out, guy that owns it is a younger guy, he's pretty much put the truck together himself, and has wheeled it quite a bit. he swapped out the old 20R with a 22R with a weber and header setup, and a 5 speed tranny

the truck has air shocks on the back, and a 2" suspension lift. it also has 33" tires that are going to need to be replaced. the body is in decent shape, only a couple minor dents. it has a roll bar, BIG front bull bar(it sticks out a good foot and a half and has winch mount provisions). it doesn't leak any oil, but the exhaust is a bit smoky looking, but i think it could be a combination of the cold weather and lack of a catalytic converter. this truck's engine sounds good, and he says it only has about 3k miles since it was rebuilt(he rebuilt it before it was swapped in)

the few issues i have with this truck are with the clutch and the e-brake. the guy that owns it says he adjusted the clutch to grab very quickly and have little play in it(seriously, it has about 2 or 3 inches of travel between completely disengage and engage. it took me about 3 tries before i could start without stalling ). he says i could adjust it with a couple of wrenches to my liking, anybody know about this? the emergency brake is disconnected, how major of a procedure would it be to re-connect?

all in all, i think it may be a good buy. the owner says he'd be willing to go lower, because of the price of new tires, and the fact that he has several other cars. i'm thinking about offering 1250$ cash to him, and negotiating if necessary

any opinions on this?

jx94148

If it runs and has some body left $1500 is a fair price. Look through your local want ads and compare it to the other turds you can buy for $1500. The 1980 truck will look pretty good compared to what else is out there at that price.

Victor

I replaced the e-brake cable on mine when it snapped. Hopefully that is what is wrong with that truck. Not a huge undertaking but you'll be laying on the driver's side floor so it isn't a no-brainer either. Find out exactly what is wrong with the e-brake. Perhaps he never used it and some part froze and now won't budge.

You didn't mention the color of the smoke. If it is blue it is burning oil. White and sweet smelling and it has a blown head gasket. More than likely it needs some carb adjustments since it may be running rich.

The only adjustment on the clutch on my truck is to the pedal free-play. I consider that a safety consideration and would have him adjust it for you before you take posession of the truck. Sounds like you found a good deal.

kyle_22r

i think the truck was probably running rich...the smoke wasn't anything like a huge cloud around it, just some at the tailpipe

the owner said he disconnected the emergency brake because he didn't like it it's not exactly a necessary thing for me, but it comes in handy sometimes

and this is the lowest price i've found on a 4x4 in 6 months. the last thing i found were 2 beat up '85s. one had completely rusted out fenderwells(i could flex them with my fingers, it was like they were plastic) and a tailgate off a later truck, and the other one looked like it had a bit of front end damage from the picture...but it sold as soon as the ad came out

hopefully, i'll get another look at this one today it may be just what i was looking for, and YES it's ugly, but in a cool kinda way

Victor

I find it hard to believe someone would disconnect an e-brake because they didn't use it. If you don't use it then it isn't in the way.

Del

Yea that's kinda odd. You could always put it in gear when you park though, but I don't know how good that is for the clutch.

toyota parts dude

iTrader: (2)

he probably unhooked the ebrake cable becuse the levers at the backing plate are siezed up or they are sticking on and don't return rite. they are the 1st thing to go wrong with the e-brake on the older toyota's. crawl under the truck and pull on the lever where the e-brake cable hooks to the axle it should move a inch or so and reutrn back to agianst the backing plate. i've never seen a truck with the cable itself seized up. only 3 out of the 12 4x4 trucks i got for parts are those levers any good all corroded won't budge. the 1990 i got for parts they won't even budge.

kyle_22r

ok, i went back out there and drove it a bit more. i asked about the parking brake again, and the guy told me the reason he took it out was when he re-did the exhaust, and just never put it back again

the hubs work fine, 4wd works, but i noticed a problem: the brakes are kinda crappy. they take a ways to stop and seem pretty spongy. talked to a friend, and said it probably needs a new master cylinder, and the system should be bled, which wouldn't be too costly and he could help me with it

if it's still there monday, i'm gonna probably buy it though...i've never driven anything with such a ballsy feeling 22R in it. it idles quiet just like anything, but as soon as you touch that gas pedal it takes off, and it's LOUD