i found an 84 toyota extended cab with a broken timing chain for $1500. talked the guy down to $1200. looked it over and it was an old man's truck that he got in a package deal along with a chevy blazer. its evident that its an old man's truck cuz of the gold rims, gold trimming, and gold flare trims

the bad: timing chain is gone, truck is bone stock, paint is peeling on the hood and faded on rest of the body, tailgate is rusted and just about gone, master clutch cyl is completely empty, windshield is cracked and needs replaced, windshield trim needs replaced, interior is a bit dirty, interior plastic moldings around the cab are brittle and breaking in pieces.

the good: doesnt show much sign of wheeling, body is very straight, undercharrage is very clean!!!!!!!! old man's truck, everything looks good, complete. comes with tray behind the seats. buckets(want to swap to split bench). and others that i cant think of.

what im thinkin is, pick up the truck for $1200... swap the following from my current truck to the new truck: suspension, tool box, tires, bumpers, lights, cb, seats, etc. puck stock suspension on current truck and dump it for a cheap price.



how hard would it be to swap the suspension over? since tailgate is rusted out, is that a warning sign that the bed is a goner? was plannin on rebuilding the engine as well, so what problems would a broken timing chain cause?

and lastly, do you guys think its worth the price, and all the work done? feedback would be good before tues as thats when i go pick it up so i have time to back out if necessary. and no im not telling you what or where it is.

 

price seems good i would just make it into a truck to wheel

 

sounds good to me. i'd keep one truck as a dd and wheel the other!

 

When I was looking 3-4 months ago for my trail truck i was running across trucks like that...seem like a good deal. Of course overall mileage on vehicle etc comes into play in my opinion...84-88 are notorious for rust just above the wheel well and bed seams..
Post up some pictures if you can..
There is something to be said about doing conversions and stuff like that yourself...One reason I have got my '81, been too long with out a project.
let us know what you end up doing....Changing the suspension over, IMO opinion is not that bad. Just take it easy, make sure you have the proper tools--Jackstands etc..A buddy always is good to have around.

If the timing chain broke while it was running it could cause some serious problems with the head from what I understand. My '84 had a nice noise that developed while in Alaska, thought I had sucked a valve...Dropped the oil pan, and found chunks of timing chain in there..But my truck would still run, some fine mechanic had left the chunks of the old chain in there...Ended up paying for a full rebuild...

 

wish i could keep both, not feastible or practical for me. so dd/weekend warrior is what the extended cab will be.

will check the bed closer in the areas mentioned, thanks for the tip.

any more feedback?