jbarrett

Greetings from the Great White North! I'm new to the forums here, and I've just started a new Toyota adventure.

To give you a quick background on me, I've owned many Toyota vehicles:

1986 SR5 Truck 4x4 Xtra Cab 22RE!
1997 Tacoma 4x4 Xtra Cab V6
1998 Sienna LE V6
2007 Tundra SR5 Double Cab V8/5.7
2009 Camry Hybrid

I have a full shop at my disposal including 2 post lift, welders, torch, air tools, compressor ... basically a full service shop at my disposal.

Now... for my new build...

I found a rusted out 1988 SR5 Xtra Cab 4x4 3.Slow AT for $150. The frame and box are completely rotten, but the cab int/ext are fairly decent, and the engine runs like a song. The AT seems is good health as well. The diffs are running 4.10s (odd for an V6/AT which usually ran 4.30s).

I have a frame and cab sitting around for a 1990 SR5 Xtra Cab 4x4 3.Slow STD. The engine and tranny are gone. The rockers and cab corners are destroyed. The box is dented to heck and showing some rust through. The diffs are rocking 4.56's (yay!!) optional for most years of this truck. The best part? The frame is super minty for this vintage!

The 1988 wheelbase is 103" and the 1990 wheelbase is 122" (longer cab and longer rear leaf springs).

I am attempting to mate the 1988 cab, engine, and tranny with the 1990 frame and differentials.

I was going to take photos today, but forgot my camera. I'll try to remember to take it to the shop tommorow.

So far -

I've stripped the rotten front fenders, box, front bumper, and various odds'n'ends from the 1988 and prepping it for the swap. I've left it to the point where I can still run the engine and move it around when need arises.

Torched all the box/cab bolts off and lifted the box of the 1990 frame. Everything to lift the cab off the 1990 as well. Only reason why I didn't do it today is that the bucket controls on our skid steel broke, which we used to remove the box. Need to weld a few pieces tommorow and we'll have the cab off.

I need to cut the rear cab mounts off the frame and move them forward, this is due to the difference in the wheelbase. Then, I'll be stripping the frame, rust proofing, sealing, and coating it prior to the swap. I'll take a bit of time to deal with any other issues on the rolling chassis at this time. So easy to deal with this stuff when it's this bare.

After that, it's time to mount the drive train, then plop the 88 cab down on top. Bolt everthing down, weld new corners on to the cab, fix any other rusty areas on the cab, and then finish it with a nice paint job...

The box you ask? Well, because of the shorter cab on the longer frame, neither box is going to work (or in salvageable condition) so I'm going to manufacture my own. Potentially looking at my own variant on the Joe Chacon design with a roof rack. I don't rock crawl or do heavy off-roading (only time that I go off-road is when I'm hunting).

Any tips, advice or suggestions? Am I missing anything???

jbarrett

Here's the unit that I bought for $150 + $60 for towing. Sorry about the quality of the first two photos, these were what the seller had sent me prior to me seeing the truck in person. He was originally asking $500.00 for it. 103" Wheelbase.






The reason for the frame swap.....

jbarrett

The donor vehicle.... a 1990 Xtra Cab.... 122" wheelbase....









The 1990 frame stripped of the cab and box...

jbarrett

The 1990 frame cleaned up...



The 1988 getting prepped for the cab to be lifted and the frame / drivetrain slid out from underneath...



The 3.0/AT/Exhaust removed in one unit...



Fixed the ADD ---- set to the locked position. I'll be using the manual hubs from the '88 vs the live hubs from the '90.



The '88 cab sitting on the back of the '90 frame ... moving the rear cab mounts forward to accommodate the older/shorter cab, fixing the ADD, and giving the frame one last cleaning prior sealing/painting the frame. I've also removed all ABS equipment (the 90 had everything except for the all important ECU).

jbarrett

$150 Truck (1988)
$100 Truck (1990)
$150 DS/PS Cab Corners
$ 60 Towing
$ 45 Wiper Stalk(Relay), Steering Pad, Console
$ 60 Chassis Cleaning/Painting Supplies
$ 45 Valve Cover Gaskets & PCV Valve
---------------------------------------------
$610 Running Total

I'll need to spring for some new fenders and body mounts right away, that'll put me out another $280 max. By the time I'm done, I'll have probably put $1300 into it and have a sweet ride for hunting and hauling.

Stay tuned...

mxdubbs

Hmmm. Nice progress, but you could of bought a whole truck for that. I bought my toyota for 750 and It was in really good condition beside the marijuana I found under the seat and in the door handle,The little rust here are there and the nice "FU BILLY" carved into the paint. lol

jbarrett

Hey MX, sounds like you're from around these parts.

Yes and no.

I found an 82 with a rotten frame, the guy wants $750. Next to that, I did find one for $1300 ... but the guy never called me or emailed me back. It looked like it was going to cost me some cash to put it on the road as well.

So, yes, I might have found one for that much, but it still would have needed a lot of work. My brother in law found once in a lifetime cream puff for nearly nothing. Just needed a little TLC and a brake cylinder.

Unfortunately, our roads are horrible on these trucks.

I'll be keeping my eyes open for another as my next project, I just need to get this one on the road for hunting and hauling (maybe make a little $$ using it as a work truck). I already have my eyes on a perfectly good frame with the front ifs / diffs in one piece.