What seemed like a somewhat easy engine rebuild has now become a frame up restore. This '91 Extracab was given to me, after the PO ran it without oil. They managed to blow 2 rods in the process. While waiting to get the money together to get a replacement block, I decided to look into taking care of some rust issues on the frame. As a result, I've found the following problems (apparently the PO didn't take very good care of this truck):

1. Blown engine, heads appear fine so far
2. Upper control arm shafts are very rusty. The driver side looks like it could snap like a pretzel.
3. Inner CV boot is in 2 pieces.
4. Front suspension is pretty rusted, looks like original shocks are on it, the top of all the shocks are rotted through.
5. Rear cab mounts are rusted, and will probably need new ones welded on.
6. Normal Rear sag.
7. Rust rot on the underside of the rocker panels, pretty much the entire length of the cab.
8. Driver floor rusted from standing water under the carpet.
9. Lower fender mount on the driver side is gone.

That's all I can think of now, I'm sure I'll probably uncover more.
I'm hoping to make this an ongoing project thread for myself, and will update it as often as I can.

Currently, the engine, tranny and driveshafts are off. The body mounts are loosened/removed with 2x4s holding up the driver side. I'll probably be pulling the truck out of the garage for the winter, so I can pull my car back in. I don't have anywhere to put the body, so it'll probably stay together until it gets warm again.

The plan in short is to remove the entire body and recondition the frame, suspension and underbody. Then will come the engine rebuild and about a dozen things in between. Before anyone suggests it, I'm not going SAS. That's a little too complicated and costly for me. I'm also not doing an engine swap, well at least not now. This is a project, and as such will be done as often as I have the time and money to do it.

Any thoughts or suggestions from those who have travelled before me are very welcome.

A picture when I picked it up

 

I took a break from this project, cause I was getting frustrated with the weather. The truck is now back in the garage, and pretty much stripped down.

Now come more issues and concerns. First of all, the driver side of this truck appears to have seen more wet weather than the passenger side. As shown in the pictures below, there is a nice crack and a hole in the firewall, on the outside of the wheel well. The entire underside of the rocker panel needs replaced. Lastly, the frame and upper control arms have quite a bit of rust.

Everything seems like it can be repaired, except, I am by no means a welder. I am about to make a purchase at Eastwood for a frame restoration kit. I have vacation coming up in 2 weeks and was going to get to work on the frame. If anyone thinks different, please chime in. Any insights are welcome.

 

Thanks for all of your replies and input so far. I'll be on vacation starting 1/25. The frame will start to be restored then.

More pics, body off the frame:

 

cool to see someone giving one of these trucks the love it should have!

awesome! keep the pics coming, Id love to see them!

 

I got the frame rolled out, and in the other bay while the wife is away for the week. I was able to sandblast just about half of it. It appears I'll have to cut the torsion bar bolts off, they don't want to come loose. I should have up to the front suspension blasted and hopefully repainted by the end of the week.

 

Sounds like the perfect time to SAS that thing

Frame off is the way to do...

 

wow, awesome work. while your at it, even though you said your no welder, got friends who can help reinforce the frame while you have the chance? mainly steering, and maybe the rear end of the frame??

por15 or some other rust preventing paint would be a good idea when your done w/ it.

keep the pics coming man, must be a fun project to work on

 

Not sure what reinforcement would be necessary, this is my first truck build.

I've already got Eastwood products sitting here to be put on after the blasting (Rust Encapsulator and Chassis Black).

I just stopped by the yard where I am getting a new 3.0. Saw a 95 Limited Runner. If things go right, I might have a 3.4 to swap in as well (w00t).

 

Like Nike used to say: Just do it!

Don't even bother with the 3.0 if you have a chance to 3.4 with the body off. Trust me, you'll be waaaaaaaaay ahead of the game.

 

Well, I just read that it's best to get a 3.4 from a manual if I have a manual, and I'm pretty sure this was an automatic. Did Toyota really put a different crank in based on the tranny?

 

Some more pics. I think this truck needed shocks. What do you think:



Everything is off the front end, except the control arms. You'd think there would be enough leverage on the back wheels to just pick that front end up like a wheelbarrow, but no:

 

shocks are the least of your worries. the 3.4 would be sweet. goood luck on that score.

 

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I've made some progress this weekend.

I finally got the frame coated in Eastwood's Rust Encapsulator and Chassis Black. It looks great. Now I have to do the same to the rest of the suspension components (front diff, rear axle, springs). It's finally starting to look like it's going to be worth while.

Rust Encapsulator








Chassis Black

 

Good job. Hope you don't burn out. Hope the wife is understanding. I suggest you find another cab. One picked over at the bone yard. If you had the option, one from a dry climate would be ideal. Rust sucks and the time you will put into fixing that rotten cab will be no more than finding a replacement and bringing it home. I have cut my share of rust out and patched. Its tough.

MY $0.02

 

Awesome! I wish my frame looked like that, I love seeing people remove rust!!

 

This project is actually my relaxation from work, so I won't burn myself out. I'd love to find a real cheap cab, but here in PA a rust free one is kinda hard to find in a yard (let alone finding a truck in the first place). I'll be patching up the cab as best as I can. I'll be getting a replacement rocker to weld in, and then probably sandwich the crack with a couple of flat pieces. I've already been through removing the cab, so replacing it later down the road won't be that bad. I'm pretty much set on putting a 3.4l in from a rolled 4Runner I found. I'm hoping to put it in with the body off. It's much easier working aroud the chassis without a big hunk of sheet metal all around it.

The frame inspired me to blast both upper control arms, the crossmember and the gas tank skid plate today.

More to come...

 

What part of PA are you from?

And I know what you mean, finding a truck is hard, finding one rust free is next to impossible (esp. if you're in northern PA), and finding an Xtra cab, forget about it... At least in scrap yards, there's a lot of trucks on the road down this way, but most have cancer. thats why I bought my truck, its cleaner than most Toyota Pickups I have ever laid eyes on haha.

I still am really inspired by your project, and I find this to be a project I may be doing here real soon.

keep us posted, please!

 

I'm down here in Dillsburg, but originally from up there in Danville. I was up there yesterday, and saw a pair of trucks right along 11/15 below Selinsgrove. One looked like parts for the other, but they were both standard cabs.

A friend of mine has a 94 22RE standard cab in great condition. I've borrowed it a few times to get firewood. But, nothing beats the legroom you get in the Xtra cab, especially if you're 6'1".

 

I know about the legroom, I'm 5'11" and to say the least, not the thinnest thing to walk this earth...

I will have to swing down 15 sometime this week and check them out. 3rd gens?

 

did you brush that paint on or spray it? looks great!