fdeeznutz

Let me start by saying this isn't my first Toyota truck. I owned a 92 4x4 that gave me zero problems over the 4 years I owned it. This truck on the other hand....

I bought this truck a few years ago as just a simple restore and sell project. As it turns out I forgot how much I loved my first truck and decided to fix this one up to my liking. As I started digging into to it I found that pretty much everything that could possibly be wrong with it was.

List of things wrong with it:

Front end was completely shot- Tie rods, ball-joints, a-arm bushings, shocks, pitman and idler arm all shot. It was missing one hub lock, missing passenger axle, missing front driveshaft. The truck was in a front end collision and it smashed everything on the front end. The frame a tweaked a little. The engine ran rough, and it wouldn't pass emissions. The interior was shot, broken A/C controls, carpet soaked in motor oil, wiring was a mess, the heater didn't work, the horn didn't work.

I finally started getting it sorted out, fixing the interior stuff buying the front end parts I needed, getting it to pass emissions. I got about 3k miles of relatively trouble-free driving and just started noticing the major engine problems.
The truck is showing signs of head gasket failure. It is pushing out about a gallon of coolant into the overflow tank every 20 miles or so. Had the coolant tested and it showed exhaust gases have made their way into the coolant system. To add insult to injury, it burns about a quart of oil every 200 miles.

I made a call to engnbldr a couple days ago and just received the engine rebuild kit today. I also ordered a head from Attarco to complete the low buck engine build. I'll post pictures as I start tearing into it this weekend. Wish me luck!

abecedarian

My apologies for the crowd. Many of us have been through things like this.

Good luck!

fdeeznutz

lol, no need for apologies. I've been reading alot here on the subject lately.

874runnersr5

its always like that, you fix one problem and another one arises.

fdeeznutz

Got to work on it today. Got everything pulled and got the block torn down. No real problems other than a broken chain guide down in the oil pan. Also the cylinder wall on the #2 piston has some light gouges from something. Off to the machine shop Monday to have it cleaned, decked, and bored.

It's out

Empty engine bay ready for an extreme cleaning.



Old head. Yuck!

New head

scuba

Ohhh, Purrty
Sorry to hear about the troubles man, One in a billion on that i guess...

fdeeznutz

Got word from the machine shop today. The damaged cylinder wall on #2 was too far gone. He said he was at 30 over and there was still a ridge you could feel with your finger. I guess it will need to be sleeved...add another $90 to the total. Oh well, I want this thing done right. The machine shop said they should have it done by the end of this week.
Some extra stuff I picked up today. Including the broken MM I had.

My shiny new valve cover sticker

91Toyota

Wait, you ordered your rebuild kit BEFORE you went to the machine shop? Sounds like me And, why did you get a new head, you could have used your old one...would have saved money

fdeeznutz

Yea, I ordered the kit with a 20 over bore and thought it would be about right. Ted at EB said I could just send them back if they were wrong. Turns out I was right on the money with the bore.
As for the head, it was only $250 with the cam. I just want everything to be 100% and hopefully not have to tear back into it for a bad valve seal or something dumb like that. Not to mention almost all of the valves looked like they were in bad shape.

91Toyota

Oh I see. I did the same thing, I got excited and ordered all the parts too soon. Good thing I only live 60 miles away, I rode my motorcycle to his store and exchanged the pistons!

fdeeznutz

Got the motor back last week but due to the holidays, I didn't have much free time to work on it. Started to put it together this weekend but I forgot to have the wrist pin bearings done at the machine shop.

We decided to start replacing the upper a arm bushings today while we waited for the machine shop. The place I ordered ST bushings from got me 79-83 2wd a arm bushings. I was pretty pissed to say the least. Anyway here are some pictures from today.

The new sexy block waiting for it's guts


IFS is getting worked over.


Get out of there you worn out 173k mile bushing!


I'll keep this thread updated as I start to build the motor.

874runnersr5

sweet man!

fdeeznutz

Thanks!

Well I got the right bushings after going back to the shop and complaining. They should go back in tomorrow and I'm going to try to get the motor back together and in the truck this weekend. I'll post up final pictures next week. On a side note, look what finally came in after a 3 month wait. Pro Comp Xtreme A/T's 31x10.5x15 Can't wait to get them mounted up!

fdeeznutz

Made some progress yesterday. The engine should be ready to drop in and start today!


Got the front end back together.

874runnersr5

looking good man!
while your at it, you should paint the vlave cover black to?

desconhecido

Just curious about the work on the block. How much did they machine off the top of the block? Did you have it decked just as a matter of course or was there a specific issue? And, how much did the machine shop hit you up for the work?

fdeeznutz

Thanks! I may still do that.

The machine shop took very little off the top. I didn't have a specific issue with it I just wanted to get a nice clean/flat top for the head to sit on. As far as the cost, they charged me $440 to clean/deck/hone the block, polish the crank, sleeve 1 cylinder, and press/hone the rod bearings.

Well after working Saturday and Sunday we got it up and running tonight. Just got done breaking in the new cam and checking for leaks. I was really surprised to find there were no leaks and it purrs like a kitten. No more stumbles or stinky exhaust smell. I just need to go back and re-adjust the valves, top off the fluids, and put the hood back on.

Total price for this build:
Engbldr re-build kit and front cover. $230
Attarco head. $270
Machine shop labor. $440
Aftermarket: New water pump, DS motor mount, Goodyear radiator hoses (3), Goodyear belts (3), 2 idler arm bearings, throw out bearing, PCV valve. $240
Dealership: Power steering return line, Heater core coolant hose, 4 Denso spark plugs, thermostat, 3 exhaust studs, 22re valve cover sticker
$150

Total cost $1330. Not bad if I do say so myself.

874runnersr5

woohoo, thats good news.
ah i really want to rebuild my 22re now

fdeeznutz

Do it! It's pretty easy with the right tools.

desconhecido

Thanks for the info. All sounds good and reasonable to me.