TomThumb

What a great thread. I am glad to hear its under its own power again. I had similar issues with my last rig.

Daily driver, had some rust issues (Livin in eastern Canada is killer on these trucks.) so I dropped like a grand into it for paint and repairs. Rolled it into a ditch avoiding a head on collision with a tool in a Dodge dully.

Repaired again only the loose the motor to rod knock. Decided the body was too far gone to rebuild the motor.

3 months saving with out a set of wheels End result was a 93 ext cab from Manitoba(No salt on the roads up there.)

Man I love my Yota

scooper

I used the stock vent housing. It originally had two vent register in it, with a little divider that's about 1" wide. I took a dremel and cut out the divider first, then sanded it and then cleaned it with denatured alcohol. Next I got some of that "gravel" looking paint from wal-mart and sprayed it on there to give it a nice "rocky" texture. I will go over that gravel paint with some Semi Gloss rustoleum and it will then be black, but with a nice texture feel and look to it. I think it gives it a rugged look.

The radio will fit perfectly in there, you will not have to do any other trimming. You will have about 1/4" - 1/2" of open space on both sides of the radio, because the opening is a little wider than a factor single din head unit. You can split it in half or slide the radio to one side or the other. I plan to put some little LED type lights in the opening on each side and tie them into my door switch so that they come on and go off when you open or shut the door. This will be a neat place to add lights that will light up the floor area as well, when you open the doors and it will get rid of that dead space.

If you guys want, I can take more pictures of the opening for you and show you how I have mine mounted. I don't mind at all.

83

Thanks! Might as well post photos..

scooper

Will do bud. I have to replace the alternator today or tomorrow and I'll take some for ya. I sat in the yard, talking to a few buddies on the CB and the battery went dead pretty fast, I took the truck to autozone and had it tested while running and the regulator has gone out on the alternator.

83

Great, thanks. Seems pretty clear what you did, but photos are always nice!

slacker

iTrader: (1)

looking good man ...

scooper

Thanks guys, I have been busy with trying to clean and fix/replace little stuff and need to get back onto the prime/prep for paint part. I got the front drive shaft back in today and it really feels like my old reliable truck again. I didn't have time to get to the alternator today, it will most likely have to wait unitl payday anyways.

I was checking my timing and valve lash again today, just the way I am, I like to check, re-check, and then check it again.. unfortunately while I was doing this, the threads on the distributor bolt stripped out of the head, and I was barely tightening it. Now I have to drill and tap new threads in it before I drive it again, with the distributor being as loose as it is, On the way home tonight It kept retarding itself and causing spark knock. I took it easy on the way home.

I also got the picture of the vent/radio mount for you guys, but I left the dang camera in the garage. I'll have to post them for you guys tomorrow. My apologies for that.

It sprinkled rain for about 5 minutes earlier, I took the yota out and romped it one good time. I spun tires all the way out of 3rd gear. Then I pulled back into the garage and checked everything for leaks etc.. no problems. This hybrid just love to rev.

I need to find me a 20r intake breather for the carb until I can get my weber 32/36. The only sound you hear from the engine bay is the sucking sound of the carb taking in some air. It's been years since I have owned a car where the engine ran quieter than the exhaust, and that is stock exhaust. It tricked me several times when coming to a stop or a red light into thinking it had died, but it didn't. It just idles and purrs that smoothly now.

My next big purchase will be the weber. I'm not 100% sure I have the vaccum lines right on the 20r carb, it runs and all but.. I dont like them not being where they were supposed to be, even if there are only 3 vaccum lines hooked up.

After that, I'm heading to WabFab for some front and rear bumpers, then i'll start saving up for the lockers and ring and pinion. Still undecided on the setup im going with tho. Then prolly a 4-5" lift and 35's.

83

Very cool.

I HATE when bolt holes strip!

I'd love to see what that hybrid is like, compared to my engine. Definitely sounds a bit different.

crazykooter

Ya I want to drive one as well. I am thinking bout fixing my old motor and making it a hybrid. I can get a 20r head and manifold for 120 bucks so it might be worth it.

scooper

I was skeptical at first of building the hybrid after talking to the guys at LC engineering and at Engnbuilder.com. I got the same reply from both, that there was no power difference. The hybrid build merely lets the engines torque band kick in sooner due to the larger valves in the 20r head. It will feel a lot stronger, and it does seem that way to me as well. The engine seems to rev higher and it helps turn the bigger tires quicker since the torque kicks in sooner. That and the Engnbuilders "Crawler" cam, I am very impressed at the difference int he engines. Im sure it will really shine once I get that weber carb on there and the air/fuel ratio mixed just right.

The only downside I had to doing this build, is that I had much higher plans when I started, but due to losing my job halfway through the build, I did not get to finish building it up the way I wanted.

I'd love to have the funding to do a complete build up the way I had it planned and with the parts I had hoped to get. It would really be a beast then.

If this engine craps out on me down the road or something major happens to the drive train, I will be putting in a chevy vortec 4.3L engine. I know that engine like the back of my hand and have build a lot of them.

scooper

Little bit of an update for you guys.

A while back I put the worn driveshaft out of my brothers 83 in mine until I could find on at the local parts houses, or afford to rebuild this one. I'm glad i did, because we found a new spot and went to try it out and I would have been stuck bigger than all get out, if I had not had 4WD. Unfortunately the driveshaft from his 83 was shot and it sounded like someone was under my truck beating the floorboard with a hammer the entire time.

Today i went to get the driveshaft fixed finally, I had been so busy with tinkering and fixing little things lately. I ended up getting a like new front shaft for 200.oo, cut, balanced, new U-joints and all. We went and tested her out and it was nice to put it 4WD and not hear a sound. It worked flawlessly and had no vibrations or anything. I'm very happy to have a reliable 4x4 back and going again.

I have not done much work to the interior yet, other than stripping misc parts and pieces, like the visors, headliner, etc.. They were so moldy it was not even worth trying to clean them up.

I had a leaky radiator and got a used one from the local junk yard for 75.00 and cleaned, serviced, painted and installed it. It's so nice not to have to put water in it 2x a day. I still check it every morning along with the oil tho.

I had a cracked power steering hose leaking and I fixed it.

Found a complete radiator overflow jug and windshield washer cannister at the junkyard that' slike new, along with the hoses and all. Got it for 20.00, with the washer motor working perfectly.

I snatched a pedal cover for my clutch pedal off a 4runner at the junkyard along with the oil pressure harness boot/wire adapater as well. Still can't get the gauge to show any pressure, but i know it's good. Just been keeping an eye on the oil and checking color of it. it's still very clear.. for oil. No shavings in it. Got that stuff for free

When i first got the truck it had alot of mold/mildew on it from whre it had been sitting for so many years.. i tried pressure washing and everything to get it off and nothing would work.. I picked up a bottle of Bleach White and gave it a shot.. i figured WTH my truck is already white... It works like a charm.. But it's going to take a TON of elbow grease.

When i cut the truck off it would diesel.. i kept going over and over my timing and could not find the cure for the bug it had. It was very annoying to have people looking at me and pointed when i got out and the truck still ran.. Then It finally hit me.. i forgot to take the anti diesel valve out of the 22r and put it back on the 20r when I did the build and now it cuts off and stays off.. Thank god.

Went and checked my valve lash again last night and got side tracked while on the last set of arms.. had to help my brother replace his plug wires on his 94 taco 3.0 and when i finally got back to mine i buttoned it all back up and cranked it for a test drive.. thank god I only ran it for a moment.. any longer and the two lock down nuts on the last set of valves i forgot to tighten would have come out and shredded my head to pieces... Fixed that.. i only took 1/2 the blame.. the other half is my little brothers for distracting me while i was thinking.. not a good thing to do to use southern boys.

I have been trying to clean up everything up under the hood lately, zip tie, loom, old wire connectors.. etc.. it's slow but steady process..

All in all, the truck is running like a sewing machine. It has GREAT power and can climb like a MOFO for having stock 4spd and gearing and 32" MT's. I have no problem pegging the speedo at nearly 90 mph going down the highway and it's doing great on gas. After tinkering with the carb for a few day I finally got it just right.. still going to buy a weber 32/36 when the money is there and a set of Thorley headers and full 2.5" exhaust with a magnaflow muffler.

I noticed a small water leak from the bottom radiator hose on my way home when i stopped for a soda. so that is what I have planned for tomorrow. Should be a simple fix.

83

Wow! Lot's of progress! Sounds like you're getting it all figured out. I had probably every coolant hose leak at some point. I was really surprised at how tight those hose clamps need to be to completely seal. "Snug" is not nearly tight enough. I got very very sick of seeing a new little coolant puddle under my truck every couple weeks for months.

Do you have the right sending unit for the oil gauge? The idiot light sending unit will not work, and in fact it may fry the gauge if you hook it up.

scooper

I probably don't. The 22r block one was capped with a plug where the unit went and I took the 2 off the 20r motor and put them in the holy holes they fit on the right side (passenger side) of the motor. Got a few pics of it dirty, I took it out and really had some fun at the clay pit today, it's been raining. The are with the cell phone but they should be decent, i'll post them in a sec.

scooper

Door section before Bleach white:


Door section after bleach white:


That's before scrubbing and even pressure washing.. the bleach white
ripped right through that junk and mold like it was nothing when nothing
else would. I'm sold on it for life. Just make sure to wash it off with water
real good, it says not to even spray it on paint.

And here's some pics after I got back from the clay pits:












Engine bay:

yotaboy82

no aircleaner? huh and i was scared to run mine down the drivway without one

scooper

I have an air cleaner, i had it off checking the filter

scooper

Nothing major done lately. I got a used dune buggy frame from an old friend of mine who has been wanting me to build one and come play with them for at least 9 years now. So.. i have been welding and grinding and reinforcing on it for the past week or so. My brother got rid of his 94 yota, I told him to never ask me for my help again. This is the 5th vehicle in the past year that I have spent countless hours working on and fixing things and he turns around and trades it or sells if for next to nothing. Never offering to even pay me. I said I would help him one more time when he never offered to pay me for spending a whole weekend rebuilding the entire front axle on his 83 he had and traded that truck for for a chevy luv, after he put a 4" lift on it and new tires. GRRR..

Anyways, yeah, nothing new.. put some Yukon gear stickers on it and took out the CB and CD players and am working on a custom dash piece that they will both fit in, thus removing the ash tray.

83

Looking good. I was pretty scared when I first saw that photo with no aircleaner, too!

Family can be fun, eh?

I'm really excited for summer. My truck was up & running late last summer, but not really reliable, so I couldn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked to. This summer I'm really going to have fun with it. Hopefully get some half doors going, too.

ozziesironmanoffroad

hey, SICK truck dude. whered u get that 'lift it up' sticker? that would look B.A. on mine.

scooper

We have a HUGE outdoor flea market near here that I go to every once in a while. There is a guy there that will make decals/logo's for pretty cheap.