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81 trekker

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Old 01-04-2014, 06:02 PM
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Well I finally found one. I was inAfghanistan when I came across this and had to have it. So after jumping through many hoops and getting it shipped to Washington state I finally had my dream truck. Well a few months later I went home to Texas and packed up the wife kid and dogs and drove back to my home state of Washington. I bought a house with a shop and started the slow tear down of the trekker. I was told it was in good shape and a runner. Well the dealer lied which I was already counting on lol. So far I have swapped the tranny and stripped most of the interior out. Found lots of rust and fun projects ahead of me. This will be a learning as I go kind of thing so if you guys have any ideas I would like to hear them. Plans are a mild dd/ wheeler. Got a lift kit and bought some Goodyear mtrs well that's it for now till I get time to work on it more. Will update when I can.

Last edited by Cornered Chicken; 02-19-2014 at 10:27 AM.
Old 01-04-2014, 06:24 PM
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Wheres the pics??

Look forward to the build!
Old 01-04-2014, 06:36 PM
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Always good to hear of another PNW Trekker. WInnebago did a poor job on the cab to bed/top seal and the floor tends to be the victim as a result rustwise. Sorry the seller was a loser.

upload your pics to a free hosting service like photo bucket.

Thanks for your service
Old 01-04-2014, 09:54 PM
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Sounds like a sweet project, can't wait to see the pics!
Old 01-04-2014, 09:56 PM
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Yea, pics pics pics
Old 02-18-2014, 10:30 AM
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Well I got some stuff done. Life has just been in the way for me to get too busy on the trekker. The pics (that I hope you can see) are old from before last weekend. Got my lift in, stripped the interior, and got most of the passenger side floor pans done. I will take current pics today and try to post them.
Attached Thumbnails 81 trekker-image-2941645508.jpg   81 trekker-image-3547898611.jpg   81 trekker-image-2148038439.jpg   81 trekker-image-4166507365.jpg  

Last edited by Cornered Chicken; 02-18-2014 at 10:32 AM.
Old 02-18-2014, 11:07 AM
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Well these are the updated pics. Lifted 3 in, bought some new Goodyear mts and can't wait to put them on. Right now gotta get the rest of the floor pans fixed and then get the tranny the rest of the put in. It had a messed up 5 speed with missing gears so I took one out of an 83 and put it in the trekker. So as of now got to fix trans xmember and drive lines. The new tranny was longer. Anyway this is some updated pics I will post more as I go and fix and find new projects.
Attached Thumbnails 81 trekker-image-2672121390.jpg   81 trekker-image-1507995775.jpg   81 trekker-image-2872986505.jpg   81 trekker-image-1896823941.jpg   81 trekker-image-2211536318.jpg  

81 trekker-image-2290226865.jpg  
Old 02-18-2014, 04:59 PM
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so what are your plans ?


.
Old 02-18-2014, 06:19 PM
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Well I would like to make it a nice dd/weekend trail rig but I don't want to go too extreme. But first I want it to be nice and reliable. Plan to keep the 22r I just gave it a tune up and soon gears and tires.when I finally finish the floor pans I will paint and do some interior. I was thinking indoor/ outdoor carpet? Anyone have ideas. Also question to my fellow Trekkies any ideas for a rear seat. Mine is gone for the most part.
Old 02-18-2014, 07:03 PM
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Looks like it's going to be a cool build. I just picked up an 83 sr5 for my kids and they decided to have me paint it a yellow color similar to yours. Good luck and I'll keep up with ur build
Old 02-19-2014, 12:55 AM
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Cool gotta love the first gens. They have to be my all time favorite rig.
Old 02-19-2014, 02:43 AM
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looks like a pretty good start ya got. looks like its in pretty decent shape. keep up the good work.
Old 02-19-2014, 10:06 AM
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Thank you, it's in decent shape. The frame is solid and the fiberglass is not too bad. The worst rust is floor boards and bottom of the front fenders.
Old 02-19-2014, 11:21 AM
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Check the rocker behind the lower rear mounting points of the front fenders - its a typical rust issue spot on these trucks since the cowl vents behind the hood drain down to that area. I shaved those vents on mine and made a smoothie cowl (Slacker did too) so it is one less problem for the future. Scope out my build thread if you need ideas or inspiration. I had rust issues in most of the typical places and have documented the repairs. I ended up completely replacing my floorpan along with the rear of the rocker panels and body mounts. I'm nearly to the point to do a final sandblast on the body and shoot some epoxy sealer, but the cold and wet east coast weather has kept me down a bit. For flooring, I plan on shooting the interior floors with bed liner in lieu of carpet or some other covering. I want to be able to get it wet and dirty without worrying about future rust issues. If it gets muddy, I'll be able to spray it out with the hose. Good luck with your truck and welcome to the club!
Old 02-19-2014, 11:50 AM
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Cool thank you for info. I will check out your build, I can always use a place to gather ideas/ inspiration.
Old 02-22-2014, 01:30 AM
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Well got some plexiglass today and had some hinges I got from slacker awhile back and if all goes well I will have a rear hatch done by Sunday. I will post some pics when I get it done. Anyway this is the updates so far. Can't wait till it gets on the road again. I bought it in august and have put less then 20 miles on it. So hopefully soon the trekker will be road worthy again. I still have some transmission stuff to finish and floorboard rust to tend to. Then roll bar, carpet and other odds and ins then she's on the road. More pics to come as I get stuff done.
Old 02-22-2014, 01:57 AM
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Originally Posted by Cornered Chicken
Well got some plexiglass today and had some hinges I got from slacker awhile back and if all goes well I will have a rear hatch done by Sunday. I will post some pics when I get it done. Anyway this is the updates so far. Can't wait till it gets on the road again. I bought it in august and have put less then 20 miles on it. So hopefully soon the trekker will be road worthy again. I still have some transmission stuff to finish and floorboard rust to tend to. Then roll bar, carpet and other odds and ins then she's on the road. More pics to come as I get stuff done.
the plexiglass will not hold up to frameless outside nature of the trekker hatch. it will more that likely start to crack on you after only a few opening and closings. You are better off using something like lexan or Makrolan.

Tap Plastics in portland is a good source. the 1/4" 18" (or 19") x 50" piece necessary for the rear hatch would run about $110

edit: see if you can find a Suzuki Samurai back seat (tracker seats are too wide), they fit in the rear seat tray nicely. I need to reupholster mine some day

the center mount for the seat lines up nicely with the center rear seat belt hole

there is one for sale on craigslist:
http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/pts/4340063377.html
$40 is a smoking deal

Last edited by dropzone; 02-22-2014 at 02:11 AM.
Old 02-22-2014, 07:40 AM
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Ah well that's a bummer on the plexiglass. I will give that place in Portland a call. And thanks for the info on the rear seat. I am very excited about that. It solves a huge question I had. Thanks again for the info and advice any is appreciated and helpful.
Old 02-22-2014, 05:59 PM
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I found out the hard way on the plexiglass, it didn't last long at all.
I was half way tempted to go look at the seat but i have some material i plan on making a new cover for my existing seat
I looked on ebay, seats in great condition are going for $200.
Old 04-17-2014, 10:54 AM
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Well after lots of time and learning I finally got to drive my trekker this weekend. So far I put the lift, new floor pans, w56 tranny swap and new drive line in and boy was it fun to have it on the road for a bit. I only drove it about 1/2 mile and went back home because I still need seat belts and other odds and in to make it legal. I will have pics this weekend of the progress.


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