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Well... My brother moved out of state and left his 88 sitting in mom's driveway. Apparently he's in love and isn't coming back, so I offered to buy the truck. He told me the clutch went out and needed to be replaced, and the blinkers don't work so it won't pass inspection, so he practically gave it to me. When I got there, I checked the clutch, and it was just out of fluid, so I bled off the slave and drove that bad boy home. Here's a pic of the little guy before I started working on it. I'll get a few more pics after it gets a bath. Overall the thing seems to be in good shape other than some cosmetic stuff (and some minor body work). I can't find any rust, and the motor has already had the upper redone. I'm planning to make this my daily driver (with the ability to do some weekend warrior fun). Anyway, I've been reading through post and learning what I can about these great little trucks and look forward to see how this goes.
Here's a list of what I've done (or have parts to do):
New window regulator, new window/door seals, new carpet kit and some misc int trim pieces, fabricating new door panels, front bumper side covers, new running light covers, troubleshoot and repair blinker problem. I'm planning to pull the rear bumper just because it's bent a little and I think the trucks look better without 'em. Been looking at brush guards and light bars, but those can be pretty pricey purchases, so I'm going to wait to see how I like driving the thing before I spend anymore money on "look cool" stuff.
I'd make sure all the legal stuff got done first. Like the turn signals, and replace that broken side marker. http://www.carparts.com/details/Toyo...8-1432-34.html You didn't mention if you live in a location with smog checks, but if you do, get that taken care of before you invest anything in door panels or bumpers.
Why? You probably have a gem there, but you will inevitably discover other issues as you work your way through the obvious things. You could even get somewhere where you find you can't, perhaps, pass smog. You don't want to invest a lot in "look good" stuff until that's behind you.
Good advice. I've already fixed the blinkers and replaced the side marker plastic. I'm in Tx, so I don't think they do emissions checks on anything older than 24 years (I believe that's right), but we will find out how that goes this afternoon. I'll post an update and some more pics soon.
08-09-2016, 09:46 AM
