hey today was the big day we hauled off 750# of crap, and finally ditched the wood/carpet out of the back. Got home and pressure washed off the bed now that the cab is done with the cleanup and all I could say was WOW.



then the kid and I found a convenient lamppost and hooked up a big ratcheting tiedown and I pulled the front bumper out a bit. it looks much better and now the grille fits.

be nice to replace these parts in time



all I have to do now is rub out the box and find a nice bedliner

 

I'd love to see a photo of this setup on stock steelies.

 

you should put a spray in bedliner in it

 

here is a link for used parts:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f114...rs-etc-221643/

also a local member Trekkerpaul: https://www.yotatech.com/members/16219.html
has parted out several 1st gen trucks, he might have what you need as far as a bumper

 

I still have alot of tread on my current tires so I'll be waiting awhile before I get the BFGs. I no longer have stock steel wheels either, I've had AR Outlaws for several years now.

BUT, when I do finally pull the trigger for some BFG ATs I'm thinkin about upsizing to 15" and mounting them on these:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CR...1237/?rtype=10

 

those are cool but I really wanna keep this particular truck as stock as possible

here's my old samurai. maybe this truck will lead me to a 4x4 again.

 

where was that last picture taken at?

 

HERE

 

busy day today. adjusted the valves, replaced the thermostat.
the valve cover gasket and end seals were hard like plastic with age
replaced those, now it's leaking - as is the thermostat. ah the joys of working on old, untouched engines.

it runs really nice now, smooth, pulls great. The insides of this engine are funky dirty. Has anyone had any negative experience with doing a seafoam flush before oil change?

yes I read all the blather about hot vs cold valve adjustment... I did 'em cold we'll see how it works out in the long run sometimes it seems like splitting hairs doesn't it?



down the road I think I want to investigate ditching all this crap for a nice, simple electric choke weber. The pollution controls on this california engine are crazy.



oh, and these are way better than wagners

 

What are they??

 

hella european spec H4 headlamps. they're verrrrrrrrrr nize.

 

seems like the sticker would be in the way...

 

lol the sticker is now gone

if you're still using crappy sealed beam headlights, these are a sound investment of $100. the difference is amazing

 

I'll do a search for them. They're a direct plug in?

 

yup. there's a DOT and a non DOT version. you want the non-DOT.
don't fall for anybody's crap about selling them with special bulbs bla bla...
they come with a 55/60 hella branded bulb too if the packaging is proper.





I highly recommend you try to find them locally. I got mine at Baxters here in Portland.
Try motorcycle shops.

 

well, drove it to work today... 25 miles each way. exchanged a 'hi' with a dude in a green 4runner on 99W in tigard -- had a yotatech sticker on the rear window.

the oil was leaking enough that I decided that I certainly didn't do the valve cover gasket properly, so I popped in and picked up another kit. this one [fel-pro] came with the 4 grommets whereas the Stone brand that came from autohausaz did not. however, the stone gasket was molded to shape with curves, whereas the fel-pro was like a big black rubber band.

so, I used the stone big gasket, the fel-pro grommets and end seals [seemed better quality/fit] and the stone pcv grommet and hurrah, no more leaks.

I put 1/2 can of seafoam in the crankcase, thoroughly sprayed out the carb, smoked it all clean around the block a couple of times and now she runs like new. I am stoked.

I was gonna do an oil change tonight... that filter is certainly buried under there. Maybe I'll leave that to the jiffylube guys. Pretty hard to screw up a toyota, no?

 

Jiffylube could screw up a crowbar in a sandbox. The filter easily accessed from the bottom...do it yourself, that way you KNOW it's done right.

You've made awesome progress on that sweet little yota, keep it up!!

 

Putting a little rtv on the half moon gaskets at either end of the valve cover also helps stop leaks. Especially at the back one. If you notice oil on the back of the engine, possibly even covering the top front of the transmission, that's likely what it is. You might be fine, though.

Nice work!

And thanks for the tip on those headlights. We'll see if anyone around here sells them..

 

yeah the top of my trans is COATED with oil from over the years. since I'm convinced the clutch is original, I'll be cleaning that off in time.

I hear ya on the oil change. I already have a case of delo 400 here and a filter... I'll just do it. Maybe later today. I gotta get that oil out of there now that I've run some seafoam thru it.

I'm also beginning to suffer [now that this engine is getting some new life and more spirited use] from what appears to be a typical leaky exhaust manifold.

Should I look at the flange first? It's a california version with the dual downpipe setup.

 

Can't quite picture that...I haven't seen many Cali models...but it's probably just a bad gasket. The manifold surface could be warped, but probably it just needs a new gasket. And with an unmolested truck like yours, the threads in the head probably aren't even stripped out!