A couple months ago i picked up a 88 ext cab pickup with the 22re. ive got a daily driver so i was wanting something 4 wheel drive for when the snow comes in the winter and a play toy so what better truck than a toyota?? i got it for a good price and the frame has no rust other than a little surface rust in a couple spots and already has a 3" body lift. i thought i would post some pics and get you guys comments and opinions as i build it up. let me know what you think

here it is the day i brought it home

 

so the shocks on it were pretty old and wore out and the front 2 didnt even have any top bushings so they rattled like crazy so i installed procomp shocks all the way around. i also sanded down and bedlined the wheels and upgraded to some 33x12.50x15 general grabber at2's.

my makeshift work station


shocks, wheels and tires mounted



heres a good 'before' pic of the wheels

 

then i decided to clean up the interior. couldve made a baseball field with all the dirt that the po left in it. so after a couple hours vacuuming and cleaning and installing some leds, heres what the inside looks like now




ive since removed the rear bumper, modified the hitch so it doesnt sag with the body lift, tinted the rear windows and done the battery/intake swap, just have to get some more pics. also waiting on my stinger bumper to get here any day now

 

got around to gettin some pics of the battery/intake swap and my modified hitch




and my buddy/co worker weldin it on for me


yes i know my paint is shot, dont hate too bad

 

so the trucks in the shop gettin some part installed (unfortunately nothing cool, just some necessities) new rear brakes and fuel pump/filter. been a little while since i updated but i insulated my cab and it seemed to really make a difference in dampening the sound.


This isnt a finished pic, i had to finish after i got off work and was too dark but anyway you get the idea

 

i was browing thru CL out of boredom one day and come across these sr5 bucket seats for $50 so i jumped on them. I like the buckets way better and i now have the always-handy cupholders haha
out with the old...

in with the new!

 

I like it, I have an 88 excab also. I need to soundproof mine the way you did. Do you notice a difference in interior noise?

 

how do you like the automatic? my 4runner build has an auto and i havent ever dealt with anything but a 5spd

nice build by the way!

 

Nice truck and like what you have done so far. Looking good. I have a 85 extra cab that is going to be my winter project. Will be looking for ideas and seeing what you find. Keep up the great work.

 

Thanks for the compliments guys. The insulation seemed to deaden the sound pretty good I thought. It's reflectix from lowes hardware and for 15 bucks a roll it was worth a shot and so far seems to be working great.

The auto shifts great for me. I was lookin for a 5spd but with the condition and price being good I had to have it.

I'll keep the updates coming as I progress along.

 

decided i needed something to organize the space behind my seats so i built a shelf with wood and covered it with camo fabric to match the seat covers. im happy with the way it turned out. what yall think?

 

ordered a pair of front springs from a jeep tj off ebay to do the no-cut zuk mod. Ive heard people cutting between 12-14" and wasnt sure so i cut the springs down to 14", that way i could cut more if needed. im happy with the way it turned out, and if i measured correctly i have about a 1" rake. the ride is a little bit better too but anyway heres some pics

 

So this week I had my trans oil cooler go out on me and I've got a pretty good head gasket leak. I figure its time to go ahead and have the motor rebuilt instead of jus keeping replacing parts. Gotta save up some money first tho, hopefully by the first of the year I can have that done

Oh and also came across a rust free bed on craigslist. Checkin it out tmrw and can hopefully get that on the truck

 

while your in there get rid of the rad/trans oil cooler, get a 5 speed rad and a sperate tranny cooler, less chance of a milkshake

 

appreciate the advice. would any brand in particular be better than another? or just an oem replacement?

 

so i was able to get the 1st gen bed for 150 that was in great shape and even the tailgate didnt have rust. It took we a while to get the current bed off since its body lifted so i havent got the new one on yet. i think the body lift has been on there since new rusted as the bolts are and as difficult as they were to get out. had to cut a couple out.




also worked in a new AC control face plate for free. since mine had no color and was missing 2 knobs i was in need for one

 

Spent this morning gettin the new bed on. Everything lined up perfect an its nice to not have any more rust holes!!

 

I wasn't sure but with those pics I think it looks aweosome!
doesn't seem out of place at all! congrats!

 

yea i think it turned out pretty good, especially since the body lines matched up. jus wish it was a 4wd bed instead but hey cant complain too much.

next plans are a rebuild and paint (the expensive stuff.....) but ill probly still be doing little stuff to it while i save up

 

actually don't you think this one matches much better the squared shape of your 2nd gen?
I think the 4wd would look out of place because is more rounded and wider (talking about the wheel arches)

yeah! talking about working on a budget? haha I just painted my stock alloy wheels and $12 was all I needed hahaha can't justify spending money on sthetics when there are more important things to do to it