Badfish740's Low Buck Woods Rig Build-1991 Regular Cab Pickup
02-20-2012, 05:38 PM
#1
Badfish740's Low Buck Woods Rig Build-1991 Regular Cab Pickup
I'm finally getting around to building up my 1991 Pickup. I've had this truck for a few years and have used it as a spare vehicle. It used to be my uncle's-he passed away four years ago and my aunt gave it to me. Lots of good memories in this truck-I learned to drive stick in it (and it still has the same clutch 
) and we had a lot of good times together. It's got some rust, 160K miles, and some dents and dings, but it's a good solid truck that should make a good firewood hauler, hunting rig, and four wheeler. Here's what it looked like shortly after I got it:
I took it out to some state game land that had some skidder trails along a power line ROW and it really surprised me despite the open diffs and bologna skin tires. Regardless, short term plans are just enough lift (and some cutting and pounding) to clear 35s-long term plans are 4.88s, a rear locker, and maybe a flatbed with removable stake sides. The first order of business was jacking up the rear end to measure for ZUK springs:
With the rear axle at full droop it is 12 1/4" from the base of snubber to the bottom of the frame rail. Since I want to be able to clear 35s I think going with a 14" spring is my best bet. I'm hoping that the 14" spring plus trimming and pounding will do it. Also, in order to step up my hauling capacity I'm going with a 250lb rate at ZUK's recommendation.
After pulling out countless sheetmetal screws and plastic tabs holding the fender covers, side skirts, and front skid plate on:
It was time to pull out that indispensable tool for the most delicate of body work:
Ahhhh...that's better:
Up front I'm definitely going with 4Crawler BJ spacers, a minor T-bar crank, and a 1" 4Crawler body lift. I'm hoping that can get me to 35s along with pinch weld pounding and some trimming. First I need to deal with this:
More to come...
) and we had a lot of good times together. It's got some rust, 160K miles, and some dents and dings, but it's a good solid truck that should make a good firewood hauler, hunting rig, and four wheeler. Here's what it looked like shortly after I got it:I took it out to some state game land that had some skidder trails along a power line ROW and it really surprised me despite the open diffs and bologna skin tires. Regardless, short term plans are just enough lift (and some cutting and pounding) to clear 35s-long term plans are 4.88s, a rear locker, and maybe a flatbed with removable stake sides. The first order of business was jacking up the rear end to measure for ZUK springs:
With the rear axle at full droop it is 12 1/4" from the base of snubber to the bottom of the frame rail. Since I want to be able to clear 35s I think going with a 14" spring is my best bet. I'm hoping that the 14" spring plus trimming and pounding will do it. Also, in order to step up my hauling capacity I'm going with a 250lb rate at ZUK's recommendation.
After pulling out countless sheetmetal screws and plastic tabs holding the fender covers, side skirts, and front skid plate on:
It was time to pull out that indispensable tool for the most delicate of body work:
Ahhhh...that's better:
Up front I'm definitely going with 4Crawler BJ spacers, a minor T-bar crank, and a 1" 4Crawler body lift. I'm hoping that can get me to 35s along with pinch weld pounding and some trimming. First I need to deal with this:
More to come...
03-16-2012, 05:24 AM
#2
Finally some progress! Yesterday I scored some cheap 16x8 Tundra steelies-my buddy picked them up for me and is bringing them over today:
Some might think they're ugly, but I'm not one for chrome or alloy wheels-I like black and I think the old stamped steel swiss cheese wheels keep with the "low buck" look
They're going to look great with these 285/75/16 Guard Dogs:
https://www.treadwright.com/popup.as...arge/55_1_.jpg
They will require some tweaking to make them fit-I'm hoping to get away with just grinding the control arms a little, but I might need spacers. Also on deck is the new exhaust which came this week:
The original exhaust was from downpipe to tailpipe and patched in a million places. The last straw was when the O2 bung blew out. I ordered the full Bosal replacement system from Parts Geek-$275 shipped to my door, fully flanged, and honestly, better looking than the stock exhaust. The bends are smoother, the steel is heavier, and the flanges are thicker. It should last a while. I've been soaking the manifold studs for the past couple days in penetrating oil so hopefully by Saturday they'll come off easy. I'll be ordering the ZUK springs and doing that mod the same time as the rear brake service.
Some might think they're ugly, but I'm not one for chrome or alloy wheels-I like black and I think the old stamped steel swiss cheese wheels keep with the "low buck" look
They're going to look great with these 285/75/16 Guard Dogs:https://www.treadwright.com/popup.as...arge/55_1_.jpg
They will require some tweaking to make them fit-I'm hoping to get away with just grinding the control arms a little, but I might need spacers. Also on deck is the new exhaust which came this week:
The original exhaust was from downpipe to tailpipe and patched in a million places. The last straw was when the O2 bung blew out. I ordered the full Bosal replacement system from Parts Geek-$275 shipped to my door, fully flanged, and honestly, better looking than the stock exhaust. The bends are smoother, the steel is heavier, and the flanges are thicker. It should last a while. I've been soaking the manifold studs for the past couple days in penetrating oil so hopefully by Saturday they'll come off easy. I'll be ordering the ZUK springs and doing that mod the same time as the rear brake service.
Last edited by Badfish740; 03-16-2012 at 05:25 AM.
03-16-2012, 05:45 AM
#3
looking good!
just fyi on the exhaust- the cats come in 2 different sizes: 12.5" and 17". mine was 17" and i had to get an extension pipe made
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/...8/CIMG6863.jpg
just fyi on the exhaust- the cats come in 2 different sizes: 12.5" and 17". mine was 17" and i had to get an extension pipe made
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/...8/CIMG6863.jpg
03-16-2012, 06:35 AM
#4
looking good!
just fyi on the exhaust- the cats come in 2 different sizes: 12.5" and 17". mine was 17" and i had to get an extension pipe made
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/...8/CIMG6863.jpg
just fyi on the exhaust- the cats come in 2 different sizes: 12.5" and 17". mine was 17" and i had to get an extension pipe made
http://i1179.photobucket.com/albums/...8/CIMG6863.jpg
03-16-2012, 01:23 PM
#5
I think I'm about to be the first Yotatecher to put 14" 200lb ZUK springs on a pickup. I just ordered them from Southwest Speed and they should be here Thursday. Props to them BTW-I had trouble ordering on Ebay (Ebay was saying they were not available when in reality they were) so I sent them a message. I got a call not even 10 minutes later from someone there and they resolved the problem. The 200lb springs probably seem like way overkill, but I burn about 5 cords of firewood a year which I find, cut, haul, and split myself. I used to use my F-350 for firewood duty but that had to be sold in order to get an SUV for my wife and the kids.
I PM'ed with ZUK about it and he recommended the 200lb springs-now I just need the shocks to keep them under control. I'm going to try these Gabriels-I found the PN in an old post about BJ spacers and cheap longer travel shocks. The Gabriels are OE for Chevy 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and vans so not only should they give longer travel, but they're probably a better match for heavier springs. Even still, I realize it's going to be a rougher ride, but since this is not a DD it doesn't worry me too much. I'll post a full report here about the amount of lift, the ride, etc...
I PM'ed with ZUK about it and he recommended the 200lb springs-now I just need the shocks to keep them under control. I'm going to try these Gabriels-I found the PN in an old post about BJ spacers and cheap longer travel shocks. The Gabriels are OE for Chevy 3/4 and 1 ton trucks and vans so not only should they give longer travel, but they're probably a better match for heavier springs. Even still, I realize it's going to be a rougher ride, but since this is not a DD it doesn't worry me too much. I'll post a full report here about the amount of lift, the ride, etc...
03-17-2012, 06:14 AM
#7
I think they are cool. Somewhere there is a wheel thread and one guy goes shows off his full set of spare tire rims. IF we all like the same thing, boring. And, thumbs up on the exhaust. There really is no need to hear the roar of 116hp.
Trending Topics
03-17-2012, 06:37 AM
#8
YotaTech Milestone-Two Millionth Post
I bought black rims waaaaaaay back in about 1993. still wearing them today actually. I have 3 sets of rims and tires for my truck with one set being the original tires and rims that came on it.
if possible, I would love to find a FREE set of FJ black steelies for myself or my wife's 2006 4runner.
anyways....I assume this is your build thread.....slow and steady and you will get there. my quote I borrowed was that of "how do you eat an elephant? 1 bite at a time."
if possible, I would love to find a FREE set of FJ black steelies for myself or my wife's 2006 4runner.
anyways....I assume this is your build thread.....slow and steady and you will get there. my quote I borrowed was that of "how do you eat an elephant? 1 bite at a time."
03-19-2012, 06:28 AM
#9
Me too-for all those who love them as much as we do, FYI:
My Tundra steel wheels idea has become a bit of a project, but I think I'm on my way to a solution. First of all I'm a little ticked at myself for not questioning the guy I bought them from a little more. He advertised them as 16x8s which I accepted at face value, but when my buddy brought them to me (he lives near the guy-I'm two hours away) I noticed they were clearly stamped "16x7" on the side. Oh well-from what I've seen a lot of folks are running 285/75/16s on 7" wheels without a problem, but I'm guessing that I will see some extra sidewall bulge, further necessitating the need for spacers, but as you'll see, I'm going to need them anyway. The exact backspacing on these is 4.75", which is likely going to be WAY too much for the tires I want to run.
The next hurdle was the fact that the hub bore on the Tundra steelies is ever so slightly smaller than the older trucks. I don't have a decent set of inside or outside calipers so I can't say exactly how much, but it's about 1/16", maybe slightly more. I think it's also exacerbated by the very pronounced rolled in lip on the wheels:
Again though, the difference in diameter is very slight, so I decided to go to work with a carbide burr on my Dremel:
I worked on this wheel for about 15 minutes-not really sure how much material I removed, but going in a circular motion seemed to keep it pretty even. I tested the rear hub first, which seems to be ever so slightly larger than the front hub, though it sticks out much less. The wheel would not totally seat onto the brake drum, but it was close. This of course won't be an issue because I'm going to run 1" billet aluminum spacers in order to achieve 3.75" backspacing anyway. The front hubs stick out a lot more, but as you'll see, the 1" spacers should take care of this as well. I test fit the wheel on the front hub and got it on this far:
The reason that the wheel won't quite seat on the front hub is an almost imperceptible ridge on the hub itself-I'm pointing to it with the tip of the screwdriver because otherwise it's hard to find even after blasting the crud away with brake cleaner:
However, this shouldn't be an issue, because upon measuring the hub, you can see the ridge will be recessed inside the 1" spacer and the wheel itself will only need to slip over the edge of the aluminum housing of the locking hub. In short, my "cheap" Tundra steelies ($100 for the set) are now going to cost me an extra $119.00, but that's still less than I would have paid for a set of four American Racing or Cragar Soft 8s or D Windows. I had considered going with Jegs Baja 8s which are basically copies of the Soft 8s, but they don't come in 3.75" backspacing with a Toyota bolt pattern anyway. Although it won't be too bad since the scrap catalytic converter I pulled off of the truck to install the new exhaust is currently sitting on EBay for $92.00
We'll see what happens once the spacers get here-stay tuned...
My Tundra steel wheels idea has become a bit of a project, but I think I'm on my way to a solution. First of all I'm a little ticked at myself for not questioning the guy I bought them from a little more. He advertised them as 16x8s which I accepted at face value, but when my buddy brought them to me (he lives near the guy-I'm two hours away) I noticed they were clearly stamped "16x7" on the side. Oh well-from what I've seen a lot of folks are running 285/75/16s on 7" wheels without a problem, but I'm guessing that I will see some extra sidewall bulge, further necessitating the need for spacers, but as you'll see, I'm going to need them anyway. The exact backspacing on these is 4.75", which is likely going to be WAY too much for the tires I want to run.
The next hurdle was the fact that the hub bore on the Tundra steelies is ever so slightly smaller than the older trucks. I don't have a decent set of inside or outside calipers so I can't say exactly how much, but it's about 1/16", maybe slightly more. I think it's also exacerbated by the very pronounced rolled in lip on the wheels:
Again though, the difference in diameter is very slight, so I decided to go to work with a carbide burr on my Dremel:
I worked on this wheel for about 15 minutes-not really sure how much material I removed, but going in a circular motion seemed to keep it pretty even. I tested the rear hub first, which seems to be ever so slightly larger than the front hub, though it sticks out much less. The wheel would not totally seat onto the brake drum, but it was close. This of course won't be an issue because I'm going to run 1" billet aluminum spacers in order to achieve 3.75" backspacing anyway. The front hubs stick out a lot more, but as you'll see, the 1" spacers should take care of this as well. I test fit the wheel on the front hub and got it on this far:
The reason that the wheel won't quite seat on the front hub is an almost imperceptible ridge on the hub itself-I'm pointing to it with the tip of the screwdriver because otherwise it's hard to find even after blasting the crud away with brake cleaner:
However, this shouldn't be an issue, because upon measuring the hub, you can see the ridge will be recessed inside the 1" spacer and the wheel itself will only need to slip over the edge of the aluminum housing of the locking hub. In short, my "cheap" Tundra steelies ($100 for the set) are now going to cost me an extra $119.00, but that's still less than I would have paid for a set of four American Racing or Cragar Soft 8s or D Windows. I had considered going with Jegs Baja 8s which are basically copies of the Soft 8s, but they don't come in 3.75" backspacing with a Toyota bolt pattern anyway. Although it won't be too bad since the scrap catalytic converter I pulled off of the truck to install the new exhaust is currently sitting on EBay for $92.00
We'll see what happens once the spacers get here-stay tuned...
Last edited by Badfish740; 03-19-2012 at 06:34 AM.
03-21-2012, 06:40 AM
#10
Nothing really that new to report unfortunately, but I'm bored so I'm posting something I finally pulled the trigger on 265/75/16 (32x10.5) Treadwright Guard Dogs. I downsized a bit from my original goal of 35s, which was caused by a number of factors: Number one was cost (this is a low buck build after all...)-I got 4 Guard Dogs from TW for $555 shipped to my door and I was able to only buy four because I have two tires off of my old F-350 which are the same size that I can use for a spare once I find another wheel. Five 35s would have been over $700 shipped so that decision was easy. Second was the fact that here in NJ even though they did away with safety inspection, from what I've read on some local forums, the towns have asked their police forces to step up ticketing for things like tires sticking out beyond the fenders, etc... No way I'm dropping $400 on fender flares for a budget build 
Finally, I just realized that for what I'm doing 32s are probably going to be plenty. I did a mild torsion bar crank yesterday for the hell of it and got 14.5" from fender lip to the top of the wheel (15") arc. That in turn gave me about 11" of clearance at the front crossmember with 28" bologna skins-I should get a full 13" with 32s-not bad 
Finally, I decided that I'm definitely welding the rear. This truck is not a DD and will maybe see 8,000 miles a year and that's probably a stretch. That's not to say that it won't see pavement-this is NJ after all, but I really don't think that the tire wear will be that big of a deal. It's funny-just watching some Youtube videos of local Jeep guys hitting some of the spots around here helped me realize that going with a fully locked rearend would help me more than anything else. The videos are all the same-guys with a lot of lift and a lot of tire charging up a rutted hillside or through a muddy wash at 35-40 MPH with tons of wheelspin, one tire fire raging until they get stuck mid way and back out or get yanked. I have a buddy who's a welder by trade who is going to make up a 1/4" plate to sit inside the spiders that he'll weld too. He knows his stuff as far as prepping, pre-heating, etc...because he got his training in the Air Force welding on high precision and sensitive equipment. Plus he has access to MIG/TIG, etc...so no messy stick welding. That being said I'm going to get a good junkyard 3rd to have him weld. That way he can do, we can clean it really well, and just swap this one in. If for some reason I decide I hate it (pretty sure I won't, but...) I can just put my old one back in.
I finally pulled the trigger on 265/75/16 (32x10.5) Treadwright Guard Dogs. I downsized a bit from my original goal of 35s, which was caused by a number of factors: Number one was cost (this is a low buck build after all...)-I got 4 Guard Dogs from TW for $555 shipped to my door and I was able to only buy four because I have two tires off of my old F-350 which are the same size that I can use for a spare once I find another wheel. Five 35s would have been over $700 shipped so that decision was easy. Second was the fact that here in NJ even though they did away with safety inspection, from what I've read on some local forums, the towns have asked their police forces to step up ticketing for things like tires sticking out beyond the fenders, etc... No way I'm dropping $400 on fender flares for a budget build Finally, I just realized that for what I'm doing 32s are probably going to be plenty. I did a mild torsion bar crank yesterday for the hell of it and got 14.5" from fender lip to the top of the wheel (15") arc. That in turn gave me about 11" of clearance at the front crossmember with 28" bologna skins-I should get a full 13" with 32s-not bad Finally, I decided that I'm definitely welding the rear. This truck is not a DD and will maybe see 8,000 miles a year and that's probably a stretch. That's not to say that it won't see pavement-this is NJ after all, but I really don't think that the tire wear will be that big of a deal. It's funny-just watching some Youtube videos of local Jeep guys hitting some of the spots around here helped me realize that going with a fully locked rearend would help me more than anything else. The videos are all the same-guys with a lot of lift and a lot of tire charging up a rutted hillside or through a muddy wash at 35-40 MPH with tons of wheelspin, one tire fire raging until they get stuck mid way and back out or get yanked. I have a buddy who's a welder by trade who is going to make up a 1/4" plate to sit inside the spiders that he'll weld too. He knows his stuff as far as prepping, pre-heating, etc...because he got his training in the Air Force welding on high precision and sensitive equipment. Plus he has access to MIG/TIG, etc...so no messy stick welding. That being said I'm going to get a good junkyard 3rd to have him weld. That way he can do, we can clean it really well, and just swap this one in. If for some reason I decide I hate it (pretty sure I won't, but...) I can just put my old one back in.
03-21-2012, 06:56 AM
#12
03-21-2012, 07:32 AM
#13
Registered User
Nothin says cool like a spool!
03-21-2012, 04:10 PM
#14
03-23-2012, 09:45 AM
#16
Wheel spacers arrived today:
Time to check the fit:
That's the Tundra wheel I clearanced with the Dremel so it would just fit over the locking hub. It seems to seat nicely with the conical lug nuts. The 1" spacer should give enough room without sticking out beyond the hub either:
This makes for a total of 3.75" backspacing (4.75" wheel backspacing - 1" spacer)-so I should be totally fine with 265s-maybe even 285s? It will look nice once there's a tire there
Time to check the fit:
That's the Tundra wheel I clearanced with the Dremel so it would just fit over the locking hub. It seems to seat nicely with the conical lug nuts. The 1" spacer should give enough room without sticking out beyond the hub either:
This makes for a total of 3.75" backspacing (4.75" wheel backspacing - 1" spacer)-so I should be totally fine with 265s-maybe even 285s? It will look nice once there's a tire there
03-23-2012, 01:39 PM
#17
Registered User
glad someone else likes old factory steelies besides me. i run 4crawlers bj spacers, no tbar crank, 2in AAL, and 4crawler 2in BL and wheel 35s. did some fender cutting though, but if you cut the pinch weld or pund it flat youll clear
after cut fenders
before
after cut fenders
before
Last edited by yoder519; 03-23-2012 at 01:43 PM.
03-24-2012, 05:34 AM
#18
In other news Amazon screwed me on the shocks I ordered-I thought I was getting a great deal for some rear Chevy truck shocks that would have provided the extra travel needed for my ZUK mod, but I just got an e-mail from them saying that I can either cancel the order or wait until the new delivery date of between April 28th and May 5th!!! 
I'm planning to be on the trail in two weeks! Oh well, it just means I have to get my $33 back from them and buy them somewhere else for more...
03-28-2012, 12:40 PM
#19
Man this is frustrating-really got no work done on the Yota over the weekend or this week. I was laid up with a sinus infection and my parts have hit a standstill. Not only did Amazon drastically push back my rear shocks, but I just got off the phone with Treadwright and my tires aren't even going to ship until next week It sounds like they're really inundated with orders-I hope they are able to reinvest all that into hiring more people and buying more equipment to keep up.
I did do a few things-I haven't touched the rear brakes on this thing since I got it and was afraid of what was lurking under the drums. I finally got around to pulling them off a few days ago and got a pleasant surprise-they looked awesome! First off the drums actually pulled right off, no pounding or prying needed. The pads were nice and thick and the hardware wasn't all corroded and nasty. I sprayed it all down with brake cleaner, let it dry and popped the drums right back on. My uncle must have had them serviced shortly before he passed-thanks Uncle Frank! That will save me about $100 at least. I also pulled the spare tire down-lo and behold the winch actually worked! I had to use a crowbar to turn it though since the old jack/tools are long gone. I'm ditching the stock spare location for an in-bed spare-just gotta find some metal for the project. On a brighter note, my front shocks will be here today-UPS guy usually comes in the late afternoon so any minute now...
It sounds like they're really inundated with orders-I hope they are able to reinvest all that into hiring more people and buying more equipment to keep up. I did do a few things-I haven't touched the rear brakes on this thing since I got it and was afraid of what was lurking under the drums. I finally got around to pulling them off a few days ago and got a pleasant surprise-they looked awesome! First off the drums actually pulled right off, no pounding or prying needed. The pads were nice and thick and the hardware wasn't all corroded and nasty. I sprayed it all down with brake cleaner, let it dry and popped the drums right back on. My uncle must have had them serviced shortly before he passed-thanks Uncle Frank! That will save me about $100 at least. I also pulled the spare tire down-lo and behold the winch actually worked! I had to use a crowbar to turn it though since the old jack/tools are long gone. I'm ditching the stock spare location for an in-bed spare-just gotta find some metal for the project. On a brighter note, my front shocks will be here today-UPS guy usually comes in the late afternoon so any minute now...
03-29-2012, 04:27 PM
#20
What a difference a day makes! Treadwright called this morning and told me that my tires would ship today-not sure why they thought it was going to be a couple of days yesterday... I picked up the rear shocks (the ones I ended up cancelling from Amazon) at Auto Zone for about $60-I need to get new bushings for them though-more on that later. I was able to install the ZUK springs today:
One side done-one side stock:
Looks pretty decent from this angle:
To say it has a rake to it now would be an understatement:
With the stock tires and wheels on it I think I'd be a shoe-in for "Goofiest looking Yota," but we'll see what it looks like with the 16" wheels and the 32s soon enough. I have 17.5" from the top of the wheel to the fender lip in the rear and 14.5" from the top of the wheel to the fender lip in the front, but that's with a T-bar crank about about an inch. I might crank the t-bars another inch for now and relax them/do BJ spacers later. The Chevy 3/4 ton pickup shocks look like they'll be a good match but they need some work-they use a different style bushing than Toyota, but the Toyota bushings don't exactly fit the new eyes either, so I'll have to hunt around for something that works. I'll put up some pics once I find a solution.
One side done-one side stock:
Looks pretty decent from this angle:
To say it has a rake to it now would be an understatement:
With the stock tires and wheels on it I think I'd be a shoe-in for "Goofiest looking Yota," but we'll see what it looks like with the 16" wheels and the 32s soon enough. I have 17.5" from the top of the wheel to the fender lip in the rear and 14.5" from the top of the wheel to the fender lip in the front, but that's with a T-bar crank about about an inch. I might crank the t-bars another inch for now and relax them/do BJ spacers later. The Chevy 3/4 ton pickup shocks look like they'll be a good match but they need some work-they use a different style bushing than Toyota, but the Toyota bushings don't exactly fit the new eyes either, so I'll have to hunt around for something that works. I'll put up some pics once I find a solution.
