91muddog

Im selling my ford explorer and looking into another toyota 4x4 before i move to washington.

The truck i have found is a 83 toyota pickup with a 4 inch pro comp lift and 33 inch bfg muds in prettyh good condition for 2thousand.

What are common problems with these older toyotas?

flashkl

Dude...if the truck were near me, I'd jump on it... what's the mileage? I'd check to see if the timing chain were ever done, make sure HG is okay using one of those autozone kits, check for excessive rust anywhere (under carpet in the back corners of the cab especially). Other than that, theres not much that can go wrong on them.

flashkl

And make sure the blinker fluid's not leaking. The muffler bearings on the old yotas seize a lot, so make sure you check them as well

^I dont understand this smily, but I like it alot

shaw_j

Rust. It's a killer... as I found with my 81
Floor - behind the seats at the body mounts.
Floor - check the entire floor
Frame - Get the current owner to give it a good what on the inside of the frame rails with a spike hammer, especially where the gas tank is

4banginRunner

cab floors (espically bodymount areas), door seal on cab, inner fenders at the firewall, back of the cab, beds are almost always cancer ridden, the 4spds are junk, early 5spds are better but still pretty weak, front axle seals, FRAME!

those are the main 1st gen things off the top of my head

91muddog

There is a small valve cover leak and birfield leak, mow my mind escapes me as to what a birfield is again?

Im going to go check it out sometime this week, it is a california truck so there should be little to no rust at all.

Since ill be moving up to washinton, what are the BEST ways to prevent rust on an older truck?

Also is there a newer 5spd transmission that would easily bolt up to a 83?

Thanks for all the help everyone!

shaw_j

The current owner is probably talking about the steering knuckles leaking. It's a pretty lengthy process of a first timer to replace all the gaskets.

You would need something like this (I'm also looking to do this):
http://www.trail-gear.com/knuckle-service.html

83

That'd be the front inner axle seals. I got intimidated and had a shop do it...if you will do it yourself it seems like an all day job, basically you completely disassemble the front axle/wheel bearings etc. If that truck is in good shape otherwise, i'd say it's worth it, or if you just really want a first gen (like me) then it's worth it if it's not all rusted out. Just keep in mind that if you do buy it and plan to have a shop do the inner axle seals, it can cost as much as $600. But, if the leak isn't bad, it's not a big deal. It's just when it starts leaking to the point where you're getting it on the brake pads and it's leaving a puddle on the ground.

I've heard it the other way around...those early 5 speeds were junk but the 4 speeds were good (aside from being a 4 speed). You can bolt a later model 5 speed up to the engine but it will require driveshaft-length mods and crossmember mods and some cutting in the floor of the cab, since the shifters are a little bit farther back.

My '83 doesn't have any rust problems, it has a little rust normal for it's age, but the engine, clutch and transmission were toast when I bought it. Aside from checking to see that it's not going to rust out from underneath you, check everything over real well mechanically. It's a 25 year old truck. Unless things have been rebuilt already, you really need to expect that it may be time for something major to be replaced.

To me, it's worth it because this was the truck I wanted.

algranger

2k is a great deal even if it does have a few leaks. i'm new to washington but its a lot better for rust than utah was, i wouldn't reccomend pressure washing anything underneath, the grease and oil that builds up helps protect. otherwise i donno i wouldnt think you got much to worry about. body rust is a big deal for some, i would mainly be looking for a clean floorboard and frame.
where ya goin in washington?
oh yeah and the valve cover leak takes less than an hour to replace. 6 bolts, pull it, slap a gasket and end plugs in, bolt it back up and yer done. so dont worry about that leak

hross14

My opinion is that is a good idea!!

Tofer

i've lived in OR, WA, and CA.... west coast = no rust.

an axle rebuild isnt that hard, check out 4crawlers website for a good write up. it took me about a day and half to do mine with several beer breaks in between.

904_runner

Its not that bad, i tore my axle down in like 2.5 hours and spent a while cleaning everything up. IT would be back together by now but i don't have a diff with the gearing i need.

4crawler's writeup is what i used, made it very easy.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

any luck selling that Ford Exploder yet? 1st Gen Toyota for any year Ford sounds like a wise move to me
except maybe a 67 Shelby GT 500 or a GT40