I want to build my own Toyota 83 pick up, hoping to find a truck I can bring back to life. My question is, what details should I look for in the truck and signs to know it won't be a good build? Like corrosion.

 

What are your skill levels? Check the frame real well for rot. Being as old as an 83 there are going to be numerous issues that will come up. Depending on your skill set and location of where you get your truck from is going to determine a lot. Your location is also going to determine how easily parts are to get. If you are in the northeast, good luck finding parts. Other places in the country are not so bad.

Just from what I know as to how old these trucks are and what previous owners have done to them, I would really consider what you are wanting to do. Biggest suggestion I could say is to watch out for rust on the frame but that is only the begining.

 

Rust is your biggest concern, but it all depends on the location and severity.

On the body you want to check out:

• Behind the rockers
• Behind the lower rear of the fenders (where the fenders bolt to the cab)
• The floorpan at the cab corners where the cab bolts to the frame
• Inside the cowl behind the hood
• Around the battery tray
• Around the windshield gasket
• Along the bed skirt seems
• Along the bed floor seams

On the frame you want to check out:

• Leaf spring hangers
• The frame rails where they start to narrow at the front leaf spring shackle
• Shock mounts
• Fuel tank (need to remove the fuel tank skid guard)

These things can be fixed if it isn't too far gone. You basically want to look at all the places where water can seep in and/or pool up to cause corrosion. On the cab, the cowl vents are the biggest design flaw. They drain water that enters through the vents down through the cowl, behind the fenders and out down by where the rocker panels meet the fenders. When I restored my '83 I eliminated this potential issue by shaving the cowl vents - looks good too.



If you have time, scope out my restoration thread (below). I documented everything and pretty much covered all of the typical rust problems and repairs.


https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f197...ration-264229/