i'm new to the board, i don't own a toyota truck yet but i found a '84 extended cab, 4x4 solid axle, with 153k miles on it for $1,000 and wanted to know what you guys had to say 'bout it.

the good: the body on the truck is straight, no major dents or rust. the interior is in decent condition, can't complain for a 22 yr old truck. it has some older style forged wheels with some 31x10.5's. it also has a decent cd player and some nice speakers.

the bad: broken windshield wiper switch, no tailgate (has a bully net tho), broken drivers side window, drivers side power window motor and/or regulater broken (the guy couldn't get the window up and broke it trying [loser]), theres a few other little things like the horn doesn't work, cracked windshield, cracked dash, etc. but like i said above i can't really complain since its a 22yr old truck.

the guy who i am buying it from tells me the timing chain and the oil pump need to be changed. there is a small knocking sound, but it sounds like valves maybe. i got my automotive stethoscope (spelling) and listened around and there's a little noise coming from the back of the motor in the valvetrain around cyl #4. the oil pressure gauge moves from 1/4 the way down at idle to 1/2 way above 2,000rpms....so does that mean the oil pump is weak and going out or is it doing its job? i'm mainly concerned if the pump is bad because i don't want to starve my engine of oil and spin a bearing.

oh and there is some hesitation when i drive it similar to darth brian's problem: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f115/enigne-hesistation-22r-78178/, its bad when its cold and once it warms up its not as bad, but it still hesitates some.

so what do you guys think? is $1,000 a good deal? does it sound like the knocking would be valve train or maybe timing chain? does it sound like the oil pump is going out? what ever the cituation i just need the truck to run from now until may when i go work in alaska. when i get back i'll probably pull the motor and rebuild it...maybe even put a weber carb and header or something. well let me know what you guys think, thanks casey.

 

well, for comparison, i bought my '84 4runner with 225k for $1500, and it needed a timing chain (drivers side guide was in the pan) and clutch, so $1000 is not that bad of a deal in my opinion, the timing chain and oil pump is not that hard to do, there are a few write ups floating around, and if you can do the chain you can certainly adjust the valves

 

if your going to rebuild the engine its probably a good buy. im still trying to track down that hesistaion problem im having. as for the other stuff. a windshild might not be too bad im not sure ive never replaced a windshield before. if you in so cal i know a place that i call toyota 4x4 heaven. junkyard full of toyotas. the guys there are nice and can hook you up. i have a driver side window from my donor doors soon to be half doors once the rain is gone. i'll sell it to you if you get the truck. its a manual window setup so you can convert or just use the window and buy a motor elsewhere. dash is normal like you said for this old of a truck. mine is all messed up too. as for the horn. 15 dollars tops. its probably a worn down connection between the steering column and the steering wheel. there is a shaft connected to a spring that rubs on a disc that goes around the steering wheel. thus allowing the current to go to the buttons on the wheel w/o tangling up wires. the spring part is probably worn out. happened on my rig and replaced it pretty easily. if you have the cash to fix it all it might be cheaper then buying a... i want to say full rig. but you know what i mean. good deal if you have the money

 

yea i have the cash to buy the truck and i'll for sures have the money ready to build the motor when i get back. i just quit working at a machine shop so i'll just have my old boss do the machine work and i'll build the rest. i'm thinking i can get the motor built for under $600 (parts and labor), then i might buy one of those weber carbs for like $300 or what ever they run. other than that, i just need to change all the gear fluids maybe check the brake pads/shoes and make sure they're good...oh and fix that window and its all set.

i did just notice the the climate controls aren't working, i'm sure i can find another working unit from a junk yard...anybody know how much one of those should run?

oh, by the way i'm in albuquerque, New Mexico. a little far from SoCal, but there's all kinds of little mexican chop shops around that i could find parts from...hopefully!

thanks guys

 

if you get it do you want my window glass? or are you going to try and snatch one from one of your little mexican chop shops. i love those places

 

i'm not sure, i just quit my job at the machine shop to work at my best friends dad's body shop, so i should be able to find one but if i can't i'll possibly pick that one up from you. how much do you want for the window?

 

i dont know. probably like 25 bucks or something. or make an offer there just sitting in my garage and i'll probably sell them to a junk yard or post something in classifieds once i start building my half doors.(i'll call up some junkyards and find what they're going for and chop off a little bit) do you want just the glass or the whole manual mechanism thing?