Hello all.

I am planning on buying a 1980 to early 90's Toyota truck. I need some help in decision making.
Should I get a Straight axel?
Should I get a V6?
Short or Long?
Single or King cab?
I am new to the Toyota stuff. I will explain first what I am looking for in a Toyota truck and what I plan to do with it.

It will mostly be for driving on roads but I will want to be able to take it off road at any given moment.
I live in CA so I want to be able to drive it at Highway speeds up steep grades. I want to be able to drive it to surrounding states and even to the Midwest. I might be relocating to the Oklahoma area which and eventually will be driving in the snow, ice, Mud, rock, sand ETC.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

V6 or R22?
So I'm thinking I need the V6 for the extra highway speeds??

Straight axel?
I want to be able to hang with the big dogs and I don’t care if it rides rough.

Long bed?
I like the extra room

King cab?
I like the extra room in the cab too

 

Are you set on a truck that old? A Tacoma with a 3.4L V6 would serve your purposes a lot better IMHO. While Toyotas are certainly as reliable as they come, driving a 20 yr old vehicle has its issues.

I really like the extended cab - it gives you a place to keep stuff out of the weather and locked up, and accessible while you're driving. Also a couple more clicks on the seat adjustment.

Solid front axle only makes a difference when you get beyond "I care what the body looks like". The IFS is WAY more capable than the web-wheelers will give it credit for - especially when comparing to a stock solid axle rig. If you really NEED a SFA, you may as well get a newer IFS truck and swap it, as you will do almost the same amount of work getting the original SFA truck to work right (reweld the sprng hangers farther forward, change over the steering, new leaf springs, shock hoops, etc)

 

i agree i think you would like the power and reliability of the newer tacoma.

I went with a 84 with the strait axle because up here in alaska even the paved roads feel like washboard and i see dirt every other day, and not much of highway speeds. I will tell you now a 22r is a great motor but fast up grades is not why it is great, the motor hates big grades!! And my truck barely gets to 65-70 let alone fast and i have driven in california and you will want more pep than my truck. you could go older and do an engine swap for a 3.4 or a 4.3 but then reliability comes into play. or go with a newer tacoma and SAS it but that will cost you money, but for as much as it sounds you hit dirt a taco with a slight lift and 33's would get you most places!

 

correction its not R22 its 22r which is a carbureted 4 cyl. the 22re is fuel injected 4cyl. the e is for efi. sounds like you want a newer truck with the v6. the 22r/re's are great motors but EXTREMELY underpowered. my preference is to just deal with it cause its such a good motor. the trucks had sfa (straight front axle) up until 85 which was the last year it was produced. 85 was also the only year of efi (electronic fuel injction) and sfa so if your serious about the sfa i would get an 85 with efi. if you want speed up grades and that youmight want to go with an 88 or newer with the v6 or 3vze. you can still do good off road without a sfa if you have a rear locker. as for the long bed/xtra cab thing you will have to decide which you want more. hope this helps let me know if you got any questions

 

Thanks Guys

Great info.
I like the older ones becouse of their body style and they are cheaper.
4 runners are always cheaper but I like having a truck bed. Easier to throw the mountain bike or dog in it.

Is the reliabilty of a 22r much better than its V6 counterpart?
I drove an 86 4x4 4runner with a 22r once and that thing would barley climb up a meduim grade highway (CA156). Had 5 full size people inside. Im sure it would have been much better on the trail.

 

The 3.0L v6 you're looking at is the 3VZE or 3.slow. 4Cylinder power with v8 fuel economy. In the grand scheme of all motors, it's pretty good. There are a TON of them out there with 200k+ miles. They DO have headgasket issues (which the 22R/RE has also).

If you can't swing the price of a Tacoma, MY personal next choice would be an 86-87 Turbo Extended cab with a manual transmission.

 

So there isnt much difference in power but a noticble difference in MPG Between the 22r and 3EVZ? If that’s the case then I can probably live with a 22r or re

Whats a good way to tell if the 22r or the 3EVZ Motors that Im looking at have any mechanical issues wrong with them? Is their any buying tips on this Forum? Or scams to watch out for.

 

Well I wouldnt say that. My 3vze is pumping out ALOT more power then the 22r and 22re. Even stock the 3vze has over 25hp on the 22re, and about the same in torque.

Take the truck to a mechanic for a once over. Some shops offer a service like this..

 

Wow that's on old thread you've unearthed!

 

The 22rs have plenty of power with an exhaust and a weber carb I had a single cab wwhich i prefer for off road because of shorter wheel base and it did 70-80 no problem I had to make a 5 hour trip one way every weekend and it ran strong. I like the 22REs as well they're a good motor and run strong. No powerhouse but you won't have a problem driving down the highway and will outlast the v6. This is just all my opinion though I'm not treading on anyone else's toes I'm just using my experiences. The straight axle is the way to go I'd say as well.

 

uh...wut?

At least their searching!!