sundog kid

Hey forum,

Being a forum guy with my 1st love (vw's), I had to join a toyota forum now that I own a Toy.

I have done a few projects, and have a 71 sqaureback (my 13th vw to date) on the go, and this truck will be my winter driver, as the winters here are easily some of the worst in the world.

The truck
1994 V6 4x4 ext cab, bought from original owner, who always had all the work done at toyota dealerships. 300km's, 5spd, bone stock. no major rust on anything, but the tail gat was gonzo. new tranny, rebuilt transfer, new 31"s, and pretty damn clean.

I have to say, being a german car owner, my expectations are very high when I or someone I know, buys outside zee musha land.
This truck has won me over, and Ive only had it for a week, and have only driven it a handful of times (parked in the shop gettin the tlc treatment)

I have many questions, and hopefully will run into some experienced owners.

I already did quite alot of homework and reading up on the v6, the body, the issues, the pro's, the cons.

Pictures soon!

phildelfino

Welcome to Yotatech.

sundog kid

Thanx for the welcome!
Well, here's my first questions already.

Wheres the backup/reverse light switch? I cant seem to find it anywhere in my haynes manual (trying to get a chilton tonight). Is it normally the switch that goes? my backup lights will flicker on once and awhile, thats it.

Also, whats the best website to buy aftermarket parts from? I cant seem to find a good site. looked at autopartsway, and of course jcwhitney.

wayneNjenni

First off, welcome, I'm new too, and have found this to be an excellent forum community.

Also, Kudos on the VW's, my 2nd car was a 67 Bus that almost killed me, but it was cool nonetheless.

As for aftermarket parts, it's mostly touch and go with these. There aren't many things for our gen, but there is enough. I'll post some of the links when I have more time.

My wife and I both love ours, and have many plans for it! We look forward to swapping ideas with you and everyone else here.

GO TOYOTA!!!

DC Hoerunner

first welcom to YT
second its Sie Mutti land ... ich sprecha deutch kleine haha yea my german isn't the greatest but can speak enough to get by

and third check what kinda sites you looking for or what kinda parts do you want from the sites

sundog kid

yes, I am still a die hard vw guy, always will be. But this is my new toy, and it might just win me over to second place in my heart. We'll see!

Well, I know I might get some nay-sayers on this, but im looking for low priced parts, as opposed to stealership pricing.

few things I will be buying right away:
fuel filter

tailgate (have mesh up right now)
used heated seats
very small upgrade to suspension
exterior trim
a pair of headlight lenses-that take H4's
possibly oem chrome bumpers
rear glass- one piece, non slider (seems to be non existant)
head rest for driver side - grey vinyl

And probably some other stuff. Are there any good used parts sites?

sundog kid

Ya, I love my vw's, but Im letting my toy slip into second place quite quickly!

Im looking for price point parts. I know some may flame on me for not buying high quality, but this truck was originally supposed to be a winter vehicle, notthing more.
I am now thinking of repainting it and transplanting a diesel next year. we'll see.

some things I need:

fuel filter
ext trim
head rest - grey vinyl
head light upgrade-drop in H4 lenses
minor/light upgrade for suspension
misc oem parts

wheres the best site to go to for used parts?

Keith B.

Welcome to YT. As has been stated, the there is no one seller/site that is clearly best for aftermarket. 4Wheelparts has a lot of stuff, but their website is majorly scr**ed. On the phone they're very good, but online you can't tell what items they have, or if it is in stock!. One of the nice things about the Toyota trucks is that they are the most aftermarket-supported of the import trucks. For actual Toyota parts(in most cases highly recommended), there are several toyota dealers who operate discount web sales; the one I'm familiar with is 1sttoyotaparts.com, but there are others. Mucho savings over most local dealers. Also, as soon as you can, try to obtain the FSM and the Owners Manual for your year truck from Toyota Publications or a local dealer. The FSM will be in 2 parts: Motor, and Chassis/Body. This will be a more accurate way to track down 'Where the backup light switch is'-type questions than the Haynes or the Chilton. FSM may also be available on-line. Search YT. -KB-

sundog kid

Thanx for the reply. I do have the original owners manual, as the original owner kept everything, including the original 1st aid kit he got fomr the dealership.

aviator

Welcome to the family.
We have FSMs for these trucks linked online here. For some electrical things you may have to refer to the 4runner FSM but it makes no matter the vehicles are virtually identical.
Most body parts are available aftermarket through any bodyshop supplier.

Headlight upgrade - The Bosch kit from Canadian Tire is the easiest to get though the store may have to order it in not everyone carries it stock these days.
other then that the Hella conversion units are the two best choices available.
both have a euro spec dispersion pattern that is superior to the dot spec we get here [no one will hassle you don't worry about that].

Fuel filter - the OEM one is a major PITA to work with even if it is a better design. The fuel lines will [most likely] have corroded so be prepared to replace them as well they will fall apart as soon as you try to remove the filter. A GM filter is an easily adapted modification and is cheaper and easier to change out as well and you can get them everywhere should the need arise.

as for used parts the best place is right here several of our members have/work for Toyota truck salvagers check the classified sections.

sundog kid

Yeah, I noticed the canadian tire upgrade for the headlights, and ill be all over that.

If this truck serves me well over the winter, I will be stripping it down, and painting the entire truck,as I have access to a pro booth, and a very experienced AB guy.

The rust isnt that bad though, so here's hoping the mechanical side holds up.

What Ive done so far

-new bearing and seals for pass rear axle
-new head lights
-signal bulbs
-new front valance, rock guarded
-new windshield, with rubber trim this week
-new-to-me PIAA fogs on bumper, replacing broken ones
-removed all wheel well trim
-air filter
-painted rims
-new cd deck

sundog kid

Does the rear glass of a single cab fit the ext cab trucks? I cant seem to find a rear 1 piece non slider at all.........

aviator

Pretty sure the glass is all the same.
I'm sure the truck will serve you well... just make sure you have good rubber and don't drive like a meathead.

sundog kid

Nah, I drive my cars like a meathead, the trucks justto get me around in the bad stuff.

Matt16

My parents and friends drive VW's. You're going to love the Toyota. No random electrical quirks, cheap plastic parts breaking in the interior, mostly even-sized bolts (8, 10, 12, 14mm bolts), no silly clips securing things together.

sundog kid

Well Ill say this right off the get go-

part for part on this truck has been more expensive than any vw Ive owned (minus my 1 of 90 Scirocco.)

Plus almost any part volkswagen has made for watercooled, I can get within a week, if not same day at the dealership (they carry AMAZING inventory)

This truck has another few go's at it to make me a fan, but its not winning in the part department.

we'll see how this week looks!

sundog kid

Well got some more work done on the truck today, fixed the spare tire winch, and even took the time to give a cheap DIY of how to release it (if someone didnt figure it out already)

rock gaurded the very rusty hub caps, to go with my newly painted wheels.
(pix are really bad, and truck is really dusty)

Old rim condition


Newish gun metal grey painted rim


blasted and sprayed caps


Front end, without the new valance (PIAA lights still not tightened up, hence the angle)


Side shot


Freely working spare tire winch - just like new!


bought new lug nuts, and installing an upper ball joint, shocks all around, axle, valance, stereo, alarm, heated leather seats, and some other odds and ends in the next week or so.
Woot.

aviator

Yeah the parts are a little pricey but most of them that you've changed so far you'll probably never have to look at again for another 250-300K. It all balances out in the end.
Yours is probably the only truck with a working spare tire lift in the whole province, those things seem to seize just looking at them lol... I'd recommend lubing and exercising it a least once a season to keep it working. You might also want to get a piece of wire clothes line and rig a safety strap around the crossmember and through the wheel/around the tire and bolt or padlock it together. The wire broke on mine and the wheel fell out somewhere along the side of the highway one day. It was there one day and then about a week later I saw it was gone... I hope nobody got hurt... consequently I have no spare now. I do carry a patch kit and a tank of nitrogen though lol...

is that the nose of a VW1600 in the pic?

sundog kid

Yeah, I am putting a grease nipple on my winch, thats connected via a line, so its easy to get to. I will never have a frozen winch line again!

That cars my type 3, 71' VW Squareback, getting a ground up resto rod, on air, etc etc.

I just scored a set of passat heated leather seats for the truck too, so Ill be sporting those pictures right away.

abecedarian

From a former owner of a 78 Transporter 2.0L [with factory A/C], 78 & 81 Scirocco's [best body for those, in my opinion] and 85 Quantum Turbo Diesel [decent car but it kept snapping torque converter bolts]...
A belated Welcome!!!!

Did you ever find that reverse switch? It's on the right side of the transmission, IIRC.