Hi all,

So I am new to the forum, and as a new member i apologize for being the douche that contributes nothing and asks everything.

Anywhoo, I stumbled across a 1987 toyota truck today, and immediately fell in love. Ive always wanted one of these. Some info about it: 160,000 miles on it when it threw a rod and blasted holes in both sides of the engine block (you can see strait through it). hasn't run since february. so the engine is shot. however, the seller is quite the motorhead. he has (claimed to have) replaced most of the major components under the hood (minus transmission), new brakes/rotors, 4x4 works, and the body is rust free. he said quite optimistically that if you drop a new engine in, the thing will be good to go.

the interior is pretty awful. the seats have springs coming out of them. the dash is cracked in multiple places. theres a gap between the transmission and floorboard in which you can see the ground. but he claims the only electrical component that doesnt work is the horn.

now.... following that terrible explanation of the truck.... i have never thought about doing this before. i am in no way a motorhead. none-the-less I've always wanted to do something like this. I have the money and should have the time. I'm not planning on forging my own way.... i have access to a auto hobby shop and already have contacts that would help with the engine.

now, the nitty gritty. he is selling it for $800. I think this is quite reasonable. my plan would be to either buy a medium-mileage engine ($1000?) and swap it, or a heavy-mileage engine ($600) and rebuild it. I'd like to get it running, then decide whether to sell it or put more $$$ into it.

I will attempt (and likely fail) to post pictures of the thing. But please, all you crusty forum veterans out there... help me out here. any comments on the price, engine, etc. would be appreciated

 

If its not a "rust bucket" then I would go for it if you like it and have the time to give her the TLC she really needs.

One red flag I saw in the original post mentioning about how the previous owner had claimed to have replaced everything under the hood... well... maybe that's what happened to the engine.

But alas we can only speculate.

Price seems pretty reasonable considering the state of the truck... you might can guilt trip him and haggle down some by mentioning the cost of the engine and the various cosmetic issues.... but 800$ seems reasonable.

There are lots of sources to get a 22r engine. Toyota made so many.. they are very easy to find... more or less preference on what your willing to spend on the engine...

 

buy it..its worth the 800 in parts alone.

 

i agree!!

 

I guess it all depends on just what you want to do.

I think the price is to high for a truck with a hole through the block case in point last two I bought I paid less then that for running vehicles I drove home.

Hard to say if the parts that were said to be replaced were and with what brand parts.

It will be a labor of love I wish you good luck any vehicle I ever bought with the notion to resell I was lucky if I only lost a few hundred dollars in the end.

 

I agree with wyoming. If this is your first Yota, you are going to have a lot of trouble telling whether things are working the way they should be, once you get the new engine in there. You're going to be at least $2500 - $3000 into it by the time you get it running. I would think that your time and money would be much better spent on a truck that actually runs.

If you want to swap in an engine, go find a truck with 230,000 miles on it. Now buy a used motor with a bunch of miles, rebuild it, swap it into the truck, and sell the old, running motor. You could even rebuild the second motor, though you will not get your money out of it.

 

thanks for all the feedback. starting to have second thoughts. kind of feel like im in over my head.

my biggest hold up isnt the $$$. whats a few grand, right??? hehe. the project idea appeals to me. the hold up is the engine stuff. ive searched these forums and others for more info on how difficult an engine swap would be but had little luck. i know there are awesome resources out there, but i would need some coaching (face-to-face) to feel comfortable. if i had someone here who looked at the engine today and said you need this this and this, id throw down the plastic and make magic happen.

 

Id buy that truck. Haul it home. Clean it up. Flip it for 1500 in a heartbeat without touching the motor. Part it out for more.
Fix it and have a lifetime truck.

Buy the truck. We will walk you through a motor install.

 

Well just where are you perhaps someone is close at hand..

I have to agree in person help is so much better.

Yes well it might very well be worth that much for parts if one has a demand and need for these parts .

New to Toyota`s find a truck that you can drive then if you want buy a project one.

I really wish sometimes that someone would have talked me out of dragging and driving these trucks home.

 

I don't think it's that good of a deal to be honest.

I recently purchased a 91, 216k miles with a running engine and a medium interior.. $1400. I then joined this forum, asked a lot of questions and by the time I was done getting the heads out for rebuild I decided to rebuild the whole engine. Just got a call today the engine is ready.. $1500. By the time i'm done with installing the engine i would have spent $3600 (including purchase price).. and another few months that would come to $4200. But, I will be getting a truck with remanufactured engine, nearly all components under the hood will be new, and interior will be good.

Just thought to give you my quick story for comparison. It is a lot of fun though, and always everything ends up being more work than it looks. lol

 

The biggest thing you need to weigh is if the frame and body of this truck are worth the asking price. It's a second generation pickup (my fav), but is that the style you want?
There are lots of resources on the net for changing your engine and it's always a learning process, but if you want to learn how to do this yourself then go for it. As for the engine..you already stated your choices, do lots of research and find the best fit for you!

 

this sounds very familiar to what i just did. i bought a 87 off a buddy for 500, with a "spun bearing". the body is perfect and 100% rust free with fresh paint and frame is the cleanest ive seen on a older yota. he also claimed the same this about drop a motor in and go. i have been around wrenching for a while so i wasnt worried about the work, everything is tiny and pretty simple and cheap on these things. i found a freshly rebuilt 22r on craigslist and got him down to 300. spent alot of time cleaning everything up and painting the frame, all that good stuff to make it look good. ive got maybe a couple hundred dollars in odds and ends to get it running and driving like it should. so for under 1000 dollars and a few hours workin on it after work for a few weeks and i now have a sweet little yota to save gas and wheel and not worry about. i dont mind all the complements a get and seeing their jaws drop when i say i have 1000 bucks in it either. basicly what im saying is, if you have the money go for it. this would be a great vehicle to learn on also

 

hey all,

really appreciate the help. im already impressed by the feedback of the forum(ers? maggots? what do ya call yourselves?) dont know if i should move this thread since the decision was made but whatever.

took the plunge last night and bought her. put in on a trailer and dragged it back to my house. slept like crap cause i kept thinking about what i wanted to do. woke up this morning. pulled the bench seats out, ripped up the flooring, and started giving her some TLC.

learned the hard way that pictures of junkyard trucks are as they appear when they initially show up. its kind of funny when you have to do a double take because the truck is down to a frame and chassis. and i definitely noticed a trend at the junkyards. chevy, jeep, ford, gm, chevy, POS..... in the 2 junkyards i went to there was a 84-89 pickup and 84-89 4runner at each.

im starting to plan the cabin a bit. ive already noticed im almost ignoring under the hood because im much more comfortable dealing with the non-mechanical stuff and the satisfaction is much more immediate fixing the interior. while i figure out the engine stuff, my list of to-do's is growing:
- herculiner the floorboards
- find a seat (with center console)
- find blue dash passenger side/carpet (not as huge as dashmat) to cover dash cracks
- find a shift boot (mine's ripped)
- find the metal ring that surrounds the tranny stick / transfer case stick and where the shift boot attaches

pictures to come

 

question.... when i pulled the floor up today, a large amount of the insulation/padding underneath the mats is stuck to the body. i tried using a wirebrush but it wasnt doing to great of a job. any recommendations? a strong degreaser or something?

 

4x4flatbed,

very cool. i hope i will be as fortunate as you! i dont think a $1000 fix is in my future, but id be happy with it running for $2000!

 

I have used every thing from a air gasket scraper to air hammer with a very wide flat chisel to remove the under coating .

I have tried spray on gasket remover .

I think the air hammer with wide chisel was the best.

 

dry ice, a hammer and a chisel. Its a tar like sound deadening maternal that was glued to the floor at the factory.

 

glad to see you got it, keep us updated on progress. its cool to watch builds like this

 

I know it is tough to find 22r but I just bought one from Engine World in Houston. I strongly recommend bestjapaneseengines.com and alltoyotaengines.com

 

hey all,

its been a long time since an update. its too late to write a small novel on everthing ive done but im in the engine breakdown right now and need your help. can someone tell me what these two things are below the intake manifold alongside the block? i cant seem to figure them out. id appreciate the help. other pic is of the exterior. the red beams after a paint restoration kit. couldnt be happier with how it turned out