Hello YotaTech! New here, because I wanted to crowd source some more informed opinions than my own on a potential buy. I've always like the old Toyota Pickups, just never had a good opportunity to own one. I grew up in New England, where most trucks over a decade old, let alone *three decades,* have started to return to the Earth in the form of iron oxide.

I'm now living in Oregon, where there's no salt on the roads for half the year, and weather is beautiful year round. There's this weird Toyota pickup down the road from me. It's been there for a while, but very recently, a price ($500) was drawn into the green mold collecting on the cab. As you can see, it's pretty effin' weird, in fact, it's even weirder than you may be able to see. Aside from the obvious, the "Custom Cab" extended body with a pop-up roof (I've never seen before), it also has a "Turbo EFI" badge on it, which I've gathered means it's a factory 22RTE (or 22RE-T?) powered truck too, AND it's got a 5-speed manual (and four wheel drive, obviously). I'm no expert on these trucks, but that's gotta be a rare (and to me, attractive) combination of features.

I'm yet to talk to the owner. All I know from talking to a neighbor is that it has run recently, apparently it needs to be jumpstarted, but it does move under its own power. Beyond that, and what can be seen, I know nothing about the truck. I tried to take a selection of (crappy) pictures; I was in a bit of a rush but tried to get pics of some the important things. Thankfully, the frame seems pretty darn clean, running gear looks alright, and aside from a layer of mildew and some dried/cracked 30-year old rubber, the body seems (mostly) straight.

What do you think: is this a cool/rare pickup with a lot of potential, or a money trap waiting to happen? At $500, lord only knows what might be wrong with it that I don't know about; on the other hand, for $500, it would owe me so little that I'm not too worried about it, even if it needs some big work. I'm also kind of hankering for a project, and I've always liked these trucks, so I'm not opposed to working on it. This is where I hope someone with more experience fixing these trucks could inform me on the potential worst-case scenarios for this particularly odd vehicle.

Thank you all for your time, and I appreciate any advice you might have for a potential buyer!

 

What are you wanting to use truck for? Too long for a trail rig.

The 3rd picture looks like that is where frames were combined, I'd expect to see some sort of plating to re-enforce area.

 

If you don't buy it, I will.

For $500? Yes. Worst case: Put in another motor and transmission and have less than $2000 into the whole thing.

 

Every project needs both: time and money. Is it rare? YES! If it's actually a turbo and running the mtor alone is worth more than $500. BUT, yes there is a but... How much do you plan on investing into it and what are your plans for it?

 

Hey, thanks for the quick replies!

muddpig and YotaRick, I'd use it mostly for a daily driver/grocery getter and occasional camper/light-offroader (but not a trail hog). I was thinking it'd be a helluva lot more economical to drive to work and around town than my Duramax-powered 3/4-ton GMC, while also being something I wouldn't mind driving out to the coast for some beachcombing. I wouldn't be building it into a trail-devouring machine though; the worst I'd probably throw at it is Oregon's annual tradition, the Gambler 500!
Also, if I bought this, I'd have some extra money tucked away for it. I will probably throw my '07 Miata on the market soon too, to free up more assets in case it *did* need some money to really make it a decent daily.
As far as the frame is concerned, like I said before, it *looks* pretty straight to me, and I've seen some nasty ladder frames back in New England. I have no idea about frame "connections" or anything though, I figured this must have been a factory job; are you implying that this was some independent shop that did this after the fact? I'm genuinely curious, like I said, I know little about these trucks.

irab88, my thoughts too. Even though I don't know a lot about these trucks, I know that they are EVERYWHERE around here, parts are plentiful, they've got a great reputation for reliability (so long as they haven't rusted to hell), and they always seem to be in demand, regardless of condition. That's gotta be worth the $500, right?

 

If I had to throw out a number though, in terms of the max i'd be comfortable throwing at it out of the gate? I suppose if it's indeed a good candidate for the work, I'd be willing to throw another $2.5K on top of the $500 to make it a serviceable daily driver. It seems like they're in enough demand, and people like them enough that they're willing to pay a fair amount for one in good knick, and I'd probably keep the thing for a few years to get some use out of it before I'd turn it over.

I'm also a real sucker for punishment and a big romantic around vehicles, so if it tugged on my heartstrings, the purse could probably open up further...

That being said, if this thing's so broken it's gonna take over $5k to make roadworthy? Then nah, definitely not.

 

These were produced by an aftermarket, I want to say Winnebago but I don't really remember who did the custom cab stretch. So it's semi legit but I don't have any information on the failure rate or quirks.

The 22-ret is pretty much a money pit, you are going to have to love it for what it is and not what you expect it could be (its far from a turbo charged LS/V8). The factory turbo is unobtainable, there are on occasion recasting ones from Asia that run in the 800-1000 for the exhaust side (impeller) housing. More readily available is the LT1(diesel) or celica (CT26) turbos which will need some fabrication to get into place. Off the shelf you can get the LCE stuff (a Garrett turbo) but it's going to cost your whole budget right from the start.

I don't know what these weight compared to the 4runner, at least it is manual Shift, my turbo 4runner with the a340 auto gets 16-18mpg and wants the high octane. So you might have issues with "fuel saving money" also.

All that said, hell yeah buy it give it the attention it deserves. (You didn't really expect a bunch of Toyota enthusiast to tell you not to did you?)

Wyoming will be along shortly to tell you it is worth scrap weight prices..

 

I think for most of us, its not really about dollars. We just love our old Toyotas. For what I have in it, as well as most of the others on this forum, we could drive something newer. I have something newer and still love driving this old pickup. You will either love it or hate it and I cant tell you which it will be, but I would buy it in a minute............

 

 

Wow, okay, thank you Co! That's the kind of information in regards to the turbo that is very good to know. I knew it wouldn't be a turbo LS hahaha. I *was* hoping the turbo would be something relatively common, however...I suppose that would be a make or break detail. If something's obviously wrong with the turbo, then it'll probably be a no-go.

I'm also not terribly surprised in regards to the economy. I knew it probably wouldn't be *much* better, but I'll confess that I thought/hoped it'd at least break 20! I probably shouldn't hold out hope, granted, it doesn't have a very high mark to overcome in comparison to the Duramax (in the city I'm lucky to break 13 mpg...and at diesel prices)

All that said...$500 is still tempting if it runs. And no, I suppose I didn't expect too much dissent

 

You can get turbos for it from various sources, but an exact match drop in one will be pricey compared to most of the others (still cheaper than the dealer price either way). The factory turbo is the CT20, it was used on a few Toyotas of this era, very similar to the CT26 (Celica supra).

Mine is the diesel version(from speedyracer), its meant to be on the right-hand side (iirc, also upside down, it sits on the exhaust) where the 22ret is left mount (hangs from manifold) it has a different slope that puts it closer to the fender than original. (Requires a new exhaust, also relocating the waste gate actuator to account for the "re-clocking") Speedy racer has a bit of the normal " modern" quality control, some good, some great, and others were obviously checked by someone with thier phone glued to thier hand.

What you can not get is the factory exhaust manifold, which forces you to fab a manifold or purchase from LCE. There used to be a CNC one from steedspeed you can find for sale (new/used) on occasion.

Anyways. The Toyota manifold is prone to cracking where the runners join. The CT20 is prone to cracking between the waste gate and impeller.

Finding either of those on a 500$ asking.price isn't really going to give you a bargaining point, but something to be aware of.
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Thank you again, Co, this is really useful information.

If you don't mind me picking your brain a little further, I'd like to imagine a couple scenarios (and please excuse my naiivety, I was always a naturally aspirated guy until the Duramax, and I don't know if that counts haha):
1. I've been doing a bit of research, I understand the CT-26 was on the Celica (as you mentioned) as well as 7MGTE-Supras - I assume it's safe to say then that it is probably more readily available and cheap than a replacement CT20 housing. If the turbo housing is cracked, but the exhaust manifold is fine, how complex is the adaptation, compared to the diesel version you are running (I ask because the diesel turbo sounded like a more expensive and time consuming conversion, correct me if I'm wrong)? Is the CT-26 compatible with the factory exhaust manifold, or did I misunderstand you and that is also something that would need to be fabbed or bought aftermarket?

2. If either manifold and/or housing is in bad enough shape as to require replacement of both, is the price and time investment necessary to fix those comparable to/better/worse than just ripping off the turbo or replacing the entire powerplant with a naturally aspirated one?

Like I said, I might be willing to throw some good money and hours of work at it, maybe even more than I originally stated (as these things often end up). That said, if it's going to require so much that I might as well just look for an extended cab, N/A truck in better shape...well, it just makes the economics more tricky - not ruled out, necessarily, just more difficult.

 

Oh, and one other quick thing: If I get in contact with the owner and go look at it, what should I look/listen for while it's running? Once again, sorry, I know it's kinda stupid. If there was a crack in the exhaust manifold, I'd probably hear it. What about the turbo housing though? Will it be visible on the surface, or clearly audible, either at idle or under power?

 

Probably about the same. To fit a ct26, you have to hog out the manifold (gasket match) to match the shape. You likely saw that already. As well it mounts at a different angle so new exhaust section from turbo to cat. Vs the ct20 needing a new bracket for the waste gate, the same new exhaust section, and for good measure bore the waste gate bypass hole larger (I didn't do that last part, I just lift off the gas @15psi uh most of the time.)

I don't recall how different the two engine harnesses are. From one angle its all the same sensor wise, difference in the injectors and air meter. So the turbo ECU will run it, but it's going to expect its injectors and air meter, it will also over fuel using the turbo fuel maps.

To go NA ECU you will invite expense for vafm, injectors, and the ECU as well as possible repining of the harness connector.

 

Might hear it, might see it, might need a mirror and the covers off to inspect underside of the manifold.

Depending how bad the turbo is cracked it will billow oil smoke and/or just not build boost untill way late in the RPM range. It's not accessible for inspection, requires dropping the intermediate pipe and downpipes (oxygen sensor housing). You can pull the rubber elbow of the compressor side and check for shaft play (it shouldn't be noticeable) fore/aft and side to side.

 

Man, i'd buy that truck.
One bath with Comet would triple it's value.

 

BAD, abrasives not good for paint, worse for old thin paint!
.
Vinegar (and peroxide for wood or porous surfaces gives better penetration) also kills plants, bonus points also mold, mildew, and rust.

 

Well, unfortunate news everyone: I was deceived!

I called the guy this morning, 'cause after reading all this, I was pretty interested. Apparently, someone drew the price on it, but it wasn't the owner! He said he still plans to "fix it up it soon..." *sigh.*
I respect that of course, but considering I've barely seen it move over the past year and a half I lived in this neighborhood, my guess is it'll probably keep collecting more mold. C'est la vie.

Thank you all for the quick replies and contribution. Even though this interesting little number may be out of reach, I'm now really interested in the idea of selling my Miata to buy an old P/U or 4Runner...kinda hankering for something to work on, relatively simple and cheap to maintain, and that can carry around a load of tools, materials, and my dog (something I don't do with the convertible, haha).
This also seems like a really tight nit community, and I like that; I enjoy a good car culture almost as much as a good car.

If I do snag an old Toyota, you all will be among the first to know!

 

Not to dwell on it, but it tells you something that me calling him was the first time he learned about the price being drawn on his truck...about a week and a half after I first saw it, lol

 

There is a '92 pickup that is not far from my house that I keep trying to get the owner to sell to me. So far his price is ridiculous at $3k as it hasn't run for 5 years, and not driven for 10. I got him to let me come and check it out, but I couldn't get it to run, it would turn over and fire up if I sprayed some starting fluid into the intake but wouldn't ever get fuel. I offered him $2k which is still a lot but not a ridiculous price for the condition it is in. Every 3 months or so I call him and let him know I'm still interested if he will come down on his price.

So I would suggest doing the same, call him every few months you see it still sitting, and just maybe that day he'll want to get rid of it.