Hi everybody, long time member, first time Toyota owner! Growing up my dad had a 1984 4x4 pickup that he sold in 2004 to upgrade to a 1997 fzj80 Landcruiser. I loved the thing when I was younger and always wanted it back. I always really liked Toyota 4x4s after that, especially the 84-88 trucks. Here's a victory picture after he got it out of a mudhole, a little before my time, probably 1993. It is a 22r, 5 speed, 4x4 base model.



We would periodically see the truck around the area we lived and would often catch up with the new owner and chat about the truck. It was FAR from its former glory, but we kept seeing it around. Its amazing how long these things last, HAHA.



Once I got old enough I started asking the owner if he'd ever think about selling it at any point. I'd always get the same answer "Nah, I don't think I'd ever sell it. I love this thing!". In April 2024, I saw the truck while I was heading somewhere for work and figured I'd stop and chat, maybe try and buy the thing again. This time the owner had a particular interest in the vehicle I was driving and was able to make a trade with a 1988 Isuzu trooper that I had for a few years.



I definitely got the sore end of the deal, but I was able to talk him into an even trade, truck for truck. He was not certain at first at all, but after a few days of chatting back and forth on the phone, he said he'd like to trade.


My dad and I would always joke about the NEKBONE'S Speed-O-Meter decal on the dash, so I decided to affectionately name it, NEKBONE.

 

Great backstory! I'll be watching this one.

 

So was NEKBONES speed-o-meter a thing you could buy back in the day? I kinda want one…….anyhoo you got a Toyota with a cool story, that gives you the edge on the trade

 

I was so excited to get my hands on 'NEKBONE' that I didn't really look it over at all before trading my daily driver for it. I had taken a lap of a parking lot when I first negotiated the trade, which was interesting to say the least. So I drove it over to my Dad's, less than 5 min from my apt. On that drive I quickly decided that there was a lot to be done before daily driving this truck back and forth to work and all over for work as a building inspector. First and foremost was the battery sitting in the passenger footwell.



Moving the battery back into the engine compartment isn't that simple either.....



I was pretty much able to shove the inner fender back into place and started tacking everything back together. I figured that was as good of a place to start as any.

 

I’m so interested in the battery as your passenger…….very interesting indeed so I take it due to the fender damage it was moved. Oooofffff ya you got some work to do!!!

 

I rebuilt the front axle, which needed a trunnion bearing and reseal.



I have a set of IFS calipers ready to go for the 60 series vented rotors, but I didn't bother to do those yet.

 

While the front end was out I took out the insanely rough add a leafs and replaced them with some springs out of an s-10 blazer from Picknpull. These AAL's were terrible. I couldn't find a brand on them, but the rears were just about 3/4" thick.

 

Once I got the axles back under the truck I decided the best way forward to repair the cab floor and the frame was to remove the cab from the chassis. I do not have a lift in my dads garage, so we got creative.

 

been there !! I restored this one , time and patience .

 

Neat!!!! You’re not wasting any time!!! I’m just glad to see the battery situation has been deleted, that was pretty interesting. Good luck!!!

 

After getting the cab removed from the truck I had way better access to the floors and frame sections that needed rust repair.



Both the drivers and passengers side needed the front body mount replaced. The drivers side was not connected at all anymore. The frame had 4-5 spots that needed attention as well. The worst was definitely the forward gas tank crossmember. I decided it wasn't worth my time to rebuild it completely so I just repaired it well enough to support the gas tank and skid plate until I can cut a crossmember from a parts truck.

 

I was able to get in touch with someone local who parts out older Toyotas and was able to get a decent set of floor plans from an 86 single cab. I drilled out all of the spot welds and tried to replace the floors as "correctly" as possible.








In retrospect, I really should've pressure washed this thing before tearing into it.