Ben Fulcher

I just bought a 1988 4x4 with 22re and 5 speed 245,000 . According to the previous owner he just used it as a hunting truck. I know it needs a battery, and the vacuum hoses look to have seen their better days. I think the brake master cylinder has seen better days. Drove the truck home clutch felt good. Definitely needs an alignment. I will probably eyeball this since it will be in the deer woods a lot. The truck has no rust thanks to a rattle can rustoleum paint job. What do I need to do to make this truck last till my 2 year old can drive it. It will be my hunting truck and around the house project truck.

Here is my to do list help me reproritize if it needs to be.
New battery
Tune up that includes oil and spark plugs
Head lights and tail lights
Brake Master cylinder
Ignition cylinder and locks
Eye ball a wheel alignment
rattle can the bed to prevent rust
Some tidying up in general on this old truck.

RJR

Whether it will last another 14 years is hard to say, but here are some thoughts for your journey that direction.
Best thing you can do is drive it once/week far enough to get the engine and transmission thoroughly warmed up. That'll do a few of things
- Bake out the collected condensed moisture from the crankcase and gear boxes.
- Cause you to notice any problems that are creeping up
- Put enough miles on so you do oil changes regularly, keep the tires, brakes, and wheel bearings healthy, etc.
- Cause it to feel important. Toyota trucks have a strong work ethic and thrive on being useful:-)

Unless you know how to do a complete mothball of a vehicle, regular use is much better than sitting in a shed somewhere. I like to see at least 5K miles/year on a vehicle. When your son is old enough to appreciate it, use it to take him into the backcountry with you. Two is not too young to start some short trips like that.

The other thing on these vehicles is to deal with rust whenever you see it starting somewhere. If you live in a snow climate, wash the wheel wells and undersides regularly.

ewong

I'm learning this the expensive way right now.....
(sat in a shed for 7 or so years)

highonpottery

iTrader: (1)

Pretty much what was said above - drive it and just keep it going. If history is true, you'll be seeing 40 yr old Toyota pickups on the road just like all the FJ40s and Hilux trucks from the 60s.
I thought the exact same thing once I had my first kid, keep this thing around as an heirloom....now I'm realizing it might be better for me to save my inlaw's Tacoma for the boys instead...simply because it has airbags vs my older pickup.

Ben Fulcher

I can definitely keep my sons interest. He love to do stuff with dad. I have a motorcycle and he will ride around the neighborhood with me. You should see him stretched across the gas tank to hold the handle bars, but I digress. I know that driving it is the best thing I can do for it. I have turned a wrench in some form or another since I was about 15. I believe I could get a mothball running, but it wont sit that long. This will be my hunting truck/yardwork/I am a man and need a truck truck. The only benefit I get from it not being my DD is that I can dig a little deeper into parts that I am not as comfortable with and not be stressed about it being back together for work on Monday, which as a younger man has always been the case and is a royal pain in the ass.

I know I need to get in there and look at the timing chain guides some time in the future. The previous owner just redid CV axles. Are there any other things pressing that I need to be doing right away apart from PM type stuff?

RAD4Runner

Welcome to the forum.
Like above, PLUS fix something that was MOST LIKELY broken as it came out of the factory.
Use this guide to verify:


If problem is verified, here's the proven, clean and quick fix:

I8URSVT

iTrader: (1)

Frame rust would be my biggest concern. A strong running truck with a rust free body is no good with a rusted frame (ok ok rust free body is still great but would need frame swap). I would take the bed off and sand and apply por15 on the frame to keep it protected. Salt or not it will still rust. And once it starts it spreads like wildfire.

mwisham

I would recommend changing ALL the fluids, engine, trans, diffs, etc. Also, you can get a gallon of Rustoleum bed liner material from Wally World for about fifty bucks. I would go that route on the bed instead of rattle can paint. If you can get the oil pan off without too much trouble, I would take a look at the rod & main bearings. Definitely check and/ or replace the timing chain and guides. These trucks will last forever with proper routine maintenance.

GMC93

What does this fix?

RAD4Runner

1) Will fix the wrong wiring BY TOYOTA FROM THE FACTORY,
2) Will help extend the life of your ignition switch that because of the wrong wiring is subject to excessive current.