1982 Toyota Longbed Two-Phase Project
The owner of this yellow Toyota pickup built it for fun and then restored it to a factory finish.
Our newest featured build from the forum is a unique one in the fact that this 1982 Toyota Longbed was kind of rebuilt twice. Owner and forum member 82YOTA14 originally set out to build a fun driver on- and off-road, but after a few years, the same truck underwent a second build as the OP restored it to like-new condition inside and out.
The result of the first step of the project was a cool classic off-road toy and the result of the second phase is a stunning show truck that can handle the roughest off-road conditions.
The Introduction
When the OP first introduced us to his 1982 Toyota Longbed project, he shared some pictures in its original state while providing us with some basic details:
I recently bought a 1982 Toyota Longbed as a project. This is a picture of it the day I got it. The entire bed was rusted through and the tailgate wouldn’t even open. The guy I bought it from sprayed black spray paint everywhere he saw rust. The interior of the truck is in pretty good shape and it came with stuff already done to it. It has Detroit Lockers front and rear with an auxiliary gas tank. It also has 4.88’s.
The Beginning of the Build
At first, the OP worked to clean up his 1982 Toyota, acquiring a new bed and painting it yellow to match the rest of the truck, along with shining up the cab and painting some of the black trim pieces such as the grille and the headlight bezels.
Once he had the truck looking good enough, the OP took to beefing up the ’82 Toyota for improving off-roading abilities. This included a front and rear suspension swap, and while he had the front axle out, he rebuilt the gears and painted it up to look a little nicer under the front bumper. He also added some interesting racing-style seats, at which point, the truck was ready for some fun in the snow – a good first test for the upgraded suspension.
The next step of the off-road build was to cut the fenders to make room for the new off-road bumpers, complete with a front-mounted winch. At that point, it was time for some off-road testing with some friends and after flexing the suspension in the mud a bit, the OP also bought new, more aggressive tires.
A New Engine
After spending some time enjoying the 1982 Toyota Longbed in that state, the OP decided that he wants more power, so he removed the 22R in favor of a 3RZ out of a 2002 model. Before putting the newer engine in, he removed the emission components and added a header, increasing the output and the exhaust note of the new mill.
The new engine went in and while rewiring the engine bay for the new powerplant, the OP pulled the dash out and did some wiring work in the cab as well. Once the wiring issues were all squared away, the ’82 was back on the road and the trails with all-new levels of power.
Unfortunately, while storming through the woods and enjoying the 1982 Toyota Longbed without with the late-model engine, the OP broke the frame. That set off a chain of events that led to a full frame-off restoration of the truck.
