alright guys, I am considered a newbie when it comes to mechanics and definitely my 1983 sr5. I bought this truck about a year ago and have been slowly restoring it. cosmetically it was horrible, but with a lot of money and effort I now have it in good shape. I will post pictures of the build process from start to "finish" soon. we currently have it street legal. The truck has some issues that need to be dealt with. one of my concerns is the suspension. It is a very rough rider. I put rancho series 5000 shocks all around on it and it didn't seem to help. there are quite a few upgrades I would like to make but I am not sure which ones are best suited for me. So I guess with that I am looking for a reliable pick up to drive around. I want it to have off road capabilities, but I want it comfortable. I guess what I am saying is HELP ME PLEASE! I don't know where to go from here.

 

Awesome Ryan, cant wait to see and read about this build.

This community is amazing, wishing you best of luck.

 

Thanks man. It has been alot of fun. I can't wait till its running smooth

 

Ok. I got my truck back I will post pictures soon. currently I have alot of decisions to make about this truck and I need som help. my best friend just gave me an EFI vortec v6. So I have been contemplating installing it in the truck. I called northwest offroad and they told me the conversion is about 2500.00 plus I have to get a newer tranny and transfer case. So that is a lot of money. the other option is to rebuild the 22r that I currently have. I am leaning toward the conversion but I dont think I can swing it on my budget. currently my next project its as follows

rebuild the front and rear axles
replace back leaf springs with chevy springs
tachometer went out on me
steering wheel is squecky
build a flat bed for the truck


As well I am thinking about putting on a high steer kit. I am not sure what the advantage is but it seems everyone agrees with it.

Can anyone helpo me with the route I should go. My main expectation for this truck is to be a reliable driver. yes I will be taking it offroad in the texas hill country, but I need it to be a reliable driver.

Thanks in advance

 

my vote is run the 22R until it wont, then worry about the swap. You should have lots of time to think about it until then!

 

The amount of things you can do with a 22R is astronomical. Alot of folks in Cali use them for killer sand-rails. Just google: "22R engine" and browse the images.

I was going to do a 3.4L V6 swap in my pickup but decided against it considering my 22R will probably be running long after my 2 year old son inherits it when he can drive.

 

As far as ride comfort goes: The whole truck weighs about as much as a wet bag of sand. You're going to feel the road. I'm about to put some Bilstein 5100 shocks in mine. I'll let you know how they ride.

 

Does the 22r run smooth or is it on its last leg. IMO iF the swaps out of budget right now run the 4 banger till you have everything for the v6 swap. Then when your good and ready swap it over. That way you minimize your down time and get more seat time. You might even find your happy with the power of the 22r. Mine has gotten me to everywhere I've wanted to go so far.

 

And awesome looking truck by te way are you planning on keeping it the greenish color?

 

Like the wheels, lose the shocks, Rancho rs 5000 do not ride smooth.

 

Well. It's official. The motor went out the other day when I was climbing on the back of my ranch. I guess I have to make a decision now. With the current condition it's in I am scared that once I go to rebuild it. I will find more and more wrong. Thus a money pit. So now I guess I have to decide on whether to swap or buy a new 22r. This is tough. I think buying a new 22r would be cheaper than swapping. Plus that would avoid alot of headache. I'm just not sure what I'm going to do at this point. Fortunately I do not depend on this truck.

 

Had to go with blue! Paint was free and i do like the color

 

We did the bed. But it just didnt come out right and i really wanted to put a flatbed on it so i think i am going to take it off. Built the new front bumper. This ought to deal with all the suicidal deer we have in the hill country. Oh. And new HID head light.

 

3rz swap if you wanted to stay lightweight four cylinder, marlin crawler has pages of info.
Paint is looking good.

 

What's wrong with the bed?? Looks to be in decent shape to me

 

Bed looks HORRIBLE!! Ya aught sell it... to me! LOL