So Im looking at this 83'. Its got some rust but what else can i expect. The cab is good with little to no rust. The box has the usual areas of rust around the seam. Interior is good. Runs very well. Engine is super clean. Drives well. only has 201 000 kilometers on it (im in canada). The owner wants aroun 1300. The frame looked pretty solid at all the weak points where I checked. Im not lookin to make money or anything on this I just need a solid little winter vehicle. I would love anyones thoughts or advice on this. Thanks!

http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...Toyota4x41.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...Toyota4x42.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...Toyota4x43.jpg
http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/j...Toyota4x44.jpg

 

pre 86 pickups are the way to go in my book, if you really get into it you dont have to save for an SAS like i have to.

i would say go for it, but (if its 4x4) also check the locking hubs and make sure 4hi and 4lo work. i have a few friends that neglected to look at this and got screwed.

all in all, 1300$ for a solid frame, solid axle, solid truck. id say definitely go for it.

 

If the frame is good and the floor does not look like this:

Driver's side rear of the cab, a lot worse than the rear passenger side:

Mine was like that due to a windshield leak and 3 layers of carpeting (compliments of who knows how many previous owners)

I would poke the frame with a screwdriver just to make sure..

'...
I would say that a truck with only 125K miles (200k Km's) for 1300 is a decent deal if it is mechanically sound. It is still a 25 year old truck. check out the front end, they like to leak around the front knuckles, the felt wipers go out. basically do a thorough inspection like you would on any used car purchase

 

if thats what your lookin' for as a driver ... then buy it !!

sounds like a fair price up here , for a workable/reasonable 79-83 ..

 

So i posted some pics if anyone is interested

 

Sounds like a decent price.
Make sure you check the inside frame rails too. Check behind the gas tank and look at all the cab body mounts to make sure that they aren't like ocdropzone's corners

 

Bummer for you BC'ers. Not to make you feel bad but my '83 has no rust on the body at all. I was lucky to find a truck that's spent its whole life in CO.

 

thats almost unheard of here. Everyone ive seen without rust has been heavily restored

 

They're great trucks, you've just got to know what you're getting yourself into. If you love old Toyota trucks, you'll love this one. But they can be a beast to drive around, aren't particularly comfy (unless you find some nice buckets to mod in), and it IS a 25 year old vehicle, so there are going to be some issues. I'm running into little stuff like wiring, carbon-plugged passages etc. Even though I've got a rebuilt engine and transmission and new clutch, there are still things that keep coming up.

I wouldn't trade my truck for anything, and if you're into these trucks, go for it, they're great, just realize that even though it's a Toyota, it's seriously old at this point, and lots of weird issues start coming up.

 

Where'd you add photos?

 

on my first post i added links to some pics. So i bought the truck. paid 1100 for it. Drove it home from victoria (3 hr. drive) and it handles and runs awesome. it needs a new exhaust pipe and possibly a throw bearing. Unfortunately the floor boards on the drivers side are not as solid as they could be ( some holes) but the frame passed the screw driver test. Overall Im pretty happy with it. Just a little paranoid that if I 4x4 it the frame will snap hah. Does anyone know of any good sites or companies to order replacement parts for these? Preferably canadian?

 

oh and also there is a good bit of sand and crap inside the frame and was just wondering what would be the best way to get it out.

 

Great find if you ask me. If the frame and floorboards and cab are good, you have a GREAT truck there. To get the dirt out use a pressure washer or and air hose, just make sure not to stick you face too close to any openings or you will sandblast your face. Wear eye protection.

 

That looks really nice. I'd say that with the amount of rust showing on the body, you shouldn't need to worry about the frame snapping in half. Definitely worth checking it over really close though, especially since there are some rust spots on the floorboards. How's the interior?
That's exactly what I paid for my truck, although it turned out my truck needed a LOT of work. Very little rust, though.

Just be careful. Your "solid little winter vehicle" may turn into a resto-job! It's just hard to let these things decompose if you really like them.

 

Yeah im really excited about this truck. Ive always had a thing for them. The interior is pretty good. one of the pieces of trim that goes alot the bottom of the passenger door has come off but i dont mind too much. The stereo is missing but everything else is there. Its got the original bucket seats with center console+ gages. The box is defenitely worn out but I was just happy that it had a box at all hah. The floor boards on the drivers side are defenitely the part that bothers me the most. Im gonna have to either cut it out and get someone to weld a new piece in or come up with some other way to keep water from coming in the cab. I checked the frame around all the rust prone spots. such as around the muffler. Couldnt get a screwdriver through it. The spring shackles/mounts look alright but im sure if anything was gonna go it would be those being as the weight of the entire vehicle rests on those tiny chunks of metal. I defenitely need to make sure that I dont go on a resto binge hah. As much as I would love to I really just bought it for winter. My dad however says he'd buy it off me when im done and then I could see it getting restored.

 

Cool. What I noticed about mine, and I'm sure this is how the cab rust starts: the big design flaw on these seems to be that for some reason they went with the gas pedal that attaches on that pivot to the floor of the cab. That means that there's a hole cut through the vinyl or carpet or whatever you've got, and so any snow/water/mud on your boot will go through the floor covering and right onto the metal floor of the cab. Mine has a little rust there and I need to remember to do something about it before it gets worse than just surface rust.

Maybe you really can pick up that new truck on here from Canada the guys talking about selling! That thing looks to be in really nice shape.