This my first post on this forum. I bought a Toyota pickup about a month ago and started doing my research. It seems like this is the best place for info on Toyotas, so last week I joined up. As I have started digging in, it seems like my "to do list" is growing. The cab corners were starting to rust and the passenger fender was shot as well as the bed. But as I started to tear into it I've found rotten spots in the frame. So far I've begun to patch them with 3/16th steel plate. Up next will be new cab corners and a fender, then a paint job. I have already bought a flatbed to put on it when I have finished the frame and body work. After that I have to track down a coolant leak and power steering leak. Once the truck is good to go I'll begin upgrading the suspension, tires, and exhaust.

 

As you can see in the pictures, the rotten spots were in the driver side "dog leg" and passenger side "hump" the driver side is done and hopefully tomorrow after work I can finish the passenger side. Then I'll move on to using a wire wheel and rustoleum rusty metal primer. I also have ace rust stopper to go over the primer.

 

I like the extra cabs. They all have some work to do them to get them back up to shape. There is plenty of information on here to help you get over some hurdles. Welcome to Yotatech.

 

I hope my frame repairs hold! I've never welded anything so critical to a structure before. I knew this one would be quite a bit of work but I love how it looks. And I got what I thought was a good fair price at 1700 bucks.

 

I got the passenger side welding done. I left a hole that I cleaned out on the back side of the shock mount as hopefully a drain for water and dirt to come out before it travels down the frame. I also didn't really know what to do with the proportioning valve so I drilled a hole for the bolt in a piece of plate and welded it on. Now I'll take a wire brush wheel and knock off everything that's loose before I spray rust primer on it.

 

I was able to paint the frame this week. I wire brushed it with my angle grinder in all the easy to reach places and I used a small hand held brush in tight places. Then I wiped it down with a rag and soapy water. I sprayed rustoleum rusty metal primer and let that dry. Then I used ace rust stop enamel to go over the primer. I used it in my harbor freight paint gun with about a third oder less mineral spirits. It went on thin and I was able to quickly put 2 light coats on. There's some overspray on the gas tank, shocks, and springs. But it was an even trade for how easy and quick it went on.

 

I think it's safe to say that my power steering pump had a leak. Hopefully tomorrow I can get it disassembled, cleaned, resealed, and put back together. I also received my new fender in the mail. It came from amazon and was under the brand name Evan Fischer. It was 78 bucks shipped plus I had some amazon points laying around so I got it for 50 bucks to my door. It looks correct but I'll need to check fitment. If nothing else I can "persuade" it with a mallet until it fits.

 

I was able to get the power steering pump cleaned up and used a gates seal kit on it. It seems to work fine, hopefully it will hold fluid. I was also able to get the back head plate off and cleaned up and put the new gasket on it. That was a miserable job that I hope to never have to do again. I threw a before picture in to show how the back of the engine is always soaked in coolant. Next I did a test fit of my new fender. Everything looks like it is good to go.

 

It looks like my luck ran out. Not only did my power steering rebuild fail to fix the problem, it appears to have ruined my power steering pump completely. But on the bright side, I can't see any coolant in the puddle. I'll have to buy a remanufactured pump off rock auto.

 

I picked up a rebuilt power steering pump from napa. I could have gotten it cheaper from Rockauto but after paying shipping and return shipping for the core, it would be a wash. I also got my cab corners in from Canada. The only place I could find to buy them was a place called wolf steel. The fit isn't perfect, I've had to do some bending to get them to match up. And for some reason they are about 4 inches too long. I think I'll fix it by cutting them and bending some into the door jamb. Hopefully I can get the power steering pump on this weekend and get the cab corners on.

 

I got my power steering pump installed and it finally holds fluid! Now I've started work on the cab corners. I cut out about an inch or so inside of where the new corners go. It was pretty rusty inside there. There is a support brace that runs inside of the cab corners and mine was rusted out on both sides. I decided to just cut out the affected area and paint over it. I took a wire brush and knocked off all the loose scale and dirt then hit it with rustoleum rusty metal primer. I also painted the inside of the new cab corners. Here in an hour or so I'll apply some epoxy and screw it down to dry. I went with Ever coat Maxim because the applicator was 20 bucks and it can be used as a caulk gun, so I'm not wasting money on something I'll never use. The work time is 15 minutes so I've got everything prepared and ready to go.

 

I got the epoxy on and the panels screwed down. I'm afraid I made a mess with it though. Tomorrow I'll pull the screws out and see if it held. And I'll also have to begin bondoing the screw holes and the seems.

 

I've spent my free time for about a week stripping paint off my cab. I've been using the spongy stripping wheels for my drill and angle grinder. They do a good job, but it certainly doesn't just fall off like the manufacturers claim. I've got the passenger side, back, and top done. Now all I need to do is the driver side, hood, and cowl. I ordered all my paints from summit racing, I'm going to be using epoxy primer and gloss white single stage urethane. Plus all the goodies to go along with it, like reducer, hardener, and wax remover.

 

Got my paint in the mail today! Hopefully I'll have the prep work done and ready for primer on Thursday. This paint removal is getting old.

 

I began shooting primer today. It went on well but after I got done I noticed that it began to run almost every where. I am going to have to spend a week sanding it down smooth. I turned down the mix ratio of air to paint on my spray gun, and I widened the pattern so hopefully the next coat will go on much better.

 

I ran into a little bad luck. My cab corners came loose in a few places so I had to pry them off. I was left with no choice but to tack weld them on. I don't think it will come out looking as good, but it was my only other option. I think they came loose because the epoxy was not spread out wide enough and it wasn't clamped in enough places.

 

I put on another coat of epoxy primer then hit it with 400 grit sandpaper. After I wiped it down I shot my first two coats of paint. After it dries I will wet sand it with 600 grit paper. Then recoat. I am going to wait till the truck is done so I can back it out of the garage for painting the fenders.

 

Looks like you've got a lot accomplished. Trial and error are you best friend when you start a project like this. It will come together nice in the end. I'm amidst doing some fame work myself..tons of fun..keep it up brother. Let me know if you need any info. If I've for it your welcome to it

 

On your 92 with the 33x12.5 tires, what all did you have to do to clear them? I'm looking at a 1.5 inch ball joint spacer and old man emu springs and torsion bars then I want to go with 33x10.5 but I don't know if they will clear.

 

You can run them with no lift. Just some trimming and hammering on the interior of the fender only. But I used bj spacers and torsion bars to get 3 in the front and did 3ninch blocks in the back. I do not.like the blocks or the bj spacers. I have like 2 inches of travel in the front...rides like a dump truck..looks good though