I spent the afternoon rebuilding a carb on an 87 4x4. I rebuilt the carb, put it back on and fired it up. No problems. The carb was smooth. I did the once over on the motor and I noticed the valve cover gasket had a serious leak and the oil was running down the side of the motor. I replaced the gasket, and PVC valve and got under the truck to spray down the oil mess with D-greaser. To my suprise the truck had a solid axle.
What years did they do the solid axle??

 

85 was the last year of the Solid Axle. How did you aquire this truck?

 

yeah, but how does the engine run?

and as a side note, only OEM USA trucks lost the solid front axle. but it's possible an earlier truck was misregistered as an 87, or a previous owner changed it out.

 

lol, i wish that happened to me

 

I said the same thing! I did this work for a friend of mine (HE IS THE ORIGINAL OWNER) and after I saw the solid axle I asked him t show me the registration. Sure enough it said 87 Toyota.
The motor is in fair shape. I took me an hour to get it timed and the valves adjusted. I found a strange hose loose dangling around the bottom of the motor. I still cant figure out where it goes. I will take a pic of it and post it later. Maybe a Yotatecher can figure it out. I did convince my friend (the owner) to buy a header. I am going to put it in for him next week.
weird about the SA.

 

if everything's running fine, to the owner's liking, I wouldn't try to convince them of anything. A header is a potential complication.
so where's this strange hose?

 

The hose is for condensation.

I thought that too the first time I saw it, "What the heck is this hanging down here?"

 

@T-1000... kind of a bold statement without even seeing the hose, no?

 

Maybe.

But if there isn't fluid coming out of it, I bet that's what it is.

 

okay, point made.

 

possibly imported ????

 

I will post a pic of it today.

 

Looks to me like the charcoal canister air hose for condensation, but I am not sure. I am not too familiar with this Toyota year and set up. The hose is connected at the other end to the canister. I looked at the registration and it says 1987 Toyota.
Interesting truck! It has spent its whole life literally on the coast (500ft away.)

 

Jeez, that is weird. Not sure if it matters it has a SA though. Some people have 4wd and don't know how to use it. But its still cool it has one! lol

 

I dare guess this little truck has had its hubs locked maybe 2 times in 21 years and that was to get out of the driveway!
ahhahahhahah

 

That is a factory solid axle setup, torsion bar, torque rod and flat spring and all. I would check the VIN plate or sticker in the driver's side door jamb for the actual model year:
- http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ToyVIN.shtml

And check the frame model number on the passenger side front and see if that matches the information on the VIN plate. For example my '85 frame starts with RN60 and that matches the RN60 on the VIN plate. Might be yours had a newer model body swapped onto an older frame at some point in the past.

 

He bought it brand new off the lot from the dealer in 1987. He showed me the dealer bill of sale.
go figure.
Strange things go on in Humboldt county. Anyone who has ever been here will attest to that.
Now, about that hose... Where does that thing go or does it???

 

maybe the dealership ripped him off (car sales terms, not in terms of quality). It could very well have been an 84, or 85 that they changed to say was an 87 and sold at the price of an 87... just a thought...

 

LOL...thats why I drive a 2wd

About that hose...I can take a look at my truck...but I'm not sure if it will help any. lol

 

Or it may have been an older model year vehicle sitting on the lot that was sold 2 years later. Still new in the sense it was not previously owned or driven, just not the current model year.