Hey there! I've been lurking on here for a long time, researching different model years, suspension, motor options and everything else that can be done to these trucks. Finally pulled the trigger on one I thought was right for me.
Its a 1988 Pickup 4WD, the main reason I bought this truck over other candidate was the frame... It looked as solid as my 2017 Tacoma! I'm sure it was recently replaced, everything else I looked at was rotted like crazy. One was even cracked and the owner swore it was "ok"...
It has 268k miles, a bit higher than I wanted but it came with an extremely detailed service records book and many things look new. Plus I'm not afraid of pulling the 22re and rebuilding it.

The truck also came with Trail Gear bumpers, a 9000lbs winch, a Softtoper and 33s. Everything I would have done myself!


Anyway my plan for now is to get this truck to first pass MD state safety inspection, to do this it will need the following:
- Sway bar + links, I have the sway bar but since its lifted and the diff is dropped, I need to find sway bar spacers...
- Clean up engine bay electrical.
- Leaf springs need clamps to hold in the smallest leaf.. helper?
- bleed the brakes - according to the inspector that failed it the pedal went to the ground on him... haven't been able to replicate it but we'll see. Maybe load sensing proportioning valve needs adjustment since its lifted ?
- Fender flares to cover the wide tires
- Fender liners
- Fix the exhaust... The Y pipe has a crack and a small hole in the tail pipe. I might just weld for now till I decide on an aftermarket option.


Things I would like to fix that aren't required for inspection:
- Front tires are rubbing a bit at full lock when hitting a bump. Maybe see if I can get more lift from the torsion bars before I look into cutting. Its already sitting on ball joint spacers. It also has a crazy rake that doesn't look too good.
- Maybe look for a clean bed, mine is rusted on the side.
- Get the CB to work.


Annnnd way down the road, a SAS

Any way here are some pictures, I plan to document the build here.



As you can see, the rake is terrible...^^








This is the last Toyota I built before getting a tacoma... Didn't drive the Tacoma enough and got rid of it.

 

I finally got everything squared away and the truck passed MD State safety inspection a week ago.

I cleaned up some of the wiring under the hood.

Added fender liners which are a huge PIA during the winter.



Put clamps on the loose bottom leaf springs.

Used another set of wheels and tires a buddy had because I didn't like any of the fender flare options that weren't $$$

Replaced the Y-pipe. Had to have a shop do it, the old one grenaded at the crack a mile away from my local exhaust shop so I drove it straight there. He broke my o2 sensor... that was annoying and $112 later it was quiet again.

 

I drove the truck from DC to Baltimore, about an hour long drive, minimal traffic.
As I was driving on the Highway between 50-65mph I noticed it would stutter/ hesitate. It only did it while under load, if I'm trying to climb a hill in 4th gear at like 2400 rpm or 5th in the 2k-3k range.
Only under load when the pedal is gently pushed. If I got on the throttle hard it would just accelerate with no issues. Deceleration is fine too, so is idle.

I figured it could be the fuel filter, but after looking at it, I saw that the previous owner had replaced it earlier this year.


So then I decided to look at the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, and coil.
The cap was done this year, the coil was done last year, and the wires are newish looking ngk.

I pulled the #1 spark plug to see it was fouled.

I'm not an expert but I'm assuming this is oil residue coming from the valve seals?


I plan on rebuilding this motor in the summer, and maybe on the fence about ordering one from 22RE Performance. The wait list is 42 weeks, kinda pricey but worth it given my motor has 268k miles.
How bad would it be to just replace the spark plugs and keep on trucking with basic maintenance?

Also, I'm seeing weird grey gunk under the oil cap. it doesn't look like the creamy blown head gasket liquid I've seen on other cars in the past. Are these early signs of a head gasket failure or just evaporated/ hot oil residue?


I put my finger print on it because I couldn't tell if it was liquid or just the cap.