So I’m looking at several different trucks right now and I have found one that is in amazing shape except for the original owner had mounted a secondary gas tank cutting a hole through the passenger side bed. On the drivers side bed it looks like the original owner had drilled a hole through it to mount an antenna.
now those two area are rusted and in need of repair. How difficult would it be to repair these areas?

Also how hard would it be to find that missing plate on the inside of the tailgate?

 

That truck is in good shape, that damage looks easy to repair.
Disclaimer: I know nothing about trucks body work (I fact I know nothing about trucks, but I get a lot of help from YotaTech)

 

that’s what I was thinking also

 

Well, those holes are the kind of repair that leads to doing all the bodywork and paint on the bed, which leads to all the bodywork and paint on the cab.. if that’s in your plan then no big deal but if not, I would seek out some type of tasteful patch to rivet over the holes. Maybe something that says TRD or Yotatech on it. Good looking truck.

 

For a good auto body tech it should be a piece of cake. For a DYI, it may be a little challenging but doable. Fitting patch panels and welding them in can be done and not noticeable. Take your time if you plan on doing it yourself. Looks like a nice keeper.

 

It might be a good idea to let us know what you're looking for, and some idea of how much you're willing to spend. Both the trucks you've posted are, all things considered, in excellent shape. Unless you're buying yourself a showroom piece. If you're looking for pristine, and willing to pay for it, that's a whole different deal than someone looking for a nice clean 1st gen pickup. If you find something without either a hole cut in it, a trashed interior, needing significant mechanical work, minor body work or some combination of all those things which isn't selling for a "collector" price, you got unusually lucky! These are old trucks and they've all been through a lot.

If, on the other hand, you're just having a good time looking at photos and coming up with excuses to share them here, that's totally cool too. We love it.

Finding replacement parts is always a gamble. "Hard" is hard to define. You might open up craigslist the day after you buy it and find someone parting out a truck who has the part you're looking for. Someone may pull up alongside you and say "hey, nice truck, I've got one just like it in my backyard if you need any parts", or you may search for 3 years with no luck.

 

All of the decent trucks are far away from me. Everything I find local is a rusted heap. So I’m trying to have a plan to go look at least 3 trucks during a trip out west. I’m not a tire kicker. I’m looking to buy. I’d like to spend less that $7000 and then do some work to it after I enjoy it for a while

 

Cool. So you've got a reasonable amount of money to spend, which ought to buy you a truck in pretty nice, not showroom, condition if you take your time and be smart about it. I'm sure you mentioned your location vs where you're shopping in one of your previous posts, but I didn't realize this was also going to include a lot of travel.

The only problem with taking a decent truck, which will definitely have some superficial surface rust, and most likely some not-so-superficial rust to an area where all the trucks are "rusted heaps", is that unless you're very, very careful, that'll be the fate of your truck, too. I drove my 86 with some very small patches of bed rust along the seam to NY for the winter, from UT. By the time I got back to UT the next spring, the rust had at least doubled. But I'm sure that's something you've already considered.

 

you are correct and I have already been thinking about this. I will at least have to repair those bad areas and put a coat of primer on them until I have time to fix the truck how I want.

Ideally, I would do some repairs, prime it to prevent further rust then maybe in the summer or fall I could start getting the entire truck ready to paint. I don’t want show quality, but I do want to make it a mechanically sound and reliable vehicle while also stopping the spread of rust. I want it to be a daily driver.

I could get a deluxe or basic truck and put an SR5 cluster in it so I have a tach. Then later on if I come across a good deal on a 5sp I could pick it up and when I finally disassemble the truck for painting I could drop in the 5 sp. I don’t know about power steering, if the truck I end up getting doesn’t have it I could add it later.

My point is that I’m not going back factory original. I don’t want a rock crawler or mud machine either. I’d be happy with reliable pickup close to stock with maybe some tall skinny tires like 31x10.5-33x10.5

 

I just have to say this. While I really liked my '83 Deluxe, it wasn't my dream truck. The cab is tiny, and the original seats are most uncomfortable--for me. OTOH, it was relatively easy to work on, and was very dependable. But, I wouldn't go through the hassle of trying to fix one up again. When done, it's still a very old, noisy, uncomfortable truck with a very harsh ride. But if that's what you want?

These old Toyotas have been mostly neglected by their owners. They just drive them until the wheels fall off, or dump them when repair costs seem too high. Mine really looked good and was almost rust-free. Even original paint. Mechanically, it was a different story. The guy I bought it from was a real young dude who knew absolute nothing about working on cars/trucks. When stuff failed, he paid through the nose to get it fixed, or just left it alone. It needed tons of stuff that wasn't visible when I first bought it. Before I felt safe driving it, I had to spend over $1000 on steering, suspension & brakes, as I hate working on that stuff in the winter. Then came all the engine mods and interior refurb. At least most mechanical/drivetrain parts are affordable and relatively easy to work on. Bottom line though is that these trucks can be a real money pit. Don't start one if you can't afford to do the job.

At the age of 72, I've finally concluded that my working on old vehicles has come to an end. I doubt that I will ever buy another old vehicle with the idea of fixing it up. Just too much pain & effort involved for me, with a very poor R.O.I.

 

I agree, although Im still young and dumb enough to work on em, you do have to figure in a couple thousand dollars of unforeseeable repairs.
lots of people get a nice paint job but something abt lipstick and pigs....
on the other hand, these trucks will only increase in value so if you get a decent one now and dont wreck it, you cant really go that wrong down the road

 

Yeah everyone has to make their own decision. For a DD, I also am likely done fixing up old trucks. And I'm only 42! But I see a time when I'm older and have a garage and more spare income (maybe I'm dreaming), when I'll have an old 4x4 as a "just for fun" vehicle that I take my time fixing up, and don't need to rely on to get me to work.

My 83 was a labor of love, but it sure was a labor. For me, the cool factor of driving around in that old truck was worth the discomfort. Not because other people thought it was cool, though I won't deny I kind of liked that, but there's just something about an old truck, especially 70s and early 80s, that I just love the feel and look of. I drove that truck from MT down to Phoenix once, and down to southern Utah a couple times. It's not a great road trip vehicle, but it was fine. Comfort, in that small cab, is more a matter of your body size and shape than anything else. If you're over 6' or not skinny, it's going to be cramped.

Anyway, yeah, I hope it works out for you! Yes you can add an SR5 cluster, and power steering. You can also add nicer seats out of an early 90s Honda or Acura.

 

This truck won’t be my only vehicle, but I would like to be to drive it back and forth to work. On longer trips I would still use my car. However, having said that, I want it to be dependable enough to drive anywhere.