Hello fellow Toyota enthusiasts! I just picked up this '86 Toyota X-tra cab 4x4 a couple days ago. My first vehicle was a 84 Toyota 2wd pickup, and i've missed it dearly since I sold it many years ago. This truck is going to see alot of time on the deep sand of South Padre Island, TX. Plans include a mild lift, 33" swampers or boggers, beefier bumpers, and a winch. I would like to find an old school bed roll bar and top it off with KC lights. I think I got a great deal on this truck at 2k, the body is very solid and undercarriage is super clean. Truck runs and drives great, and I have already been having a great time on the beach! I'll post my progress as I go, and I look forward to learning by reading these build-up threads. A few pics, enjoy!

Ad pic from when I bought it...


Some pics I took of my brother's 4x4FJ and my truck parked on the island, about to do some surf fishing.

 

I looked up the gear codes, my truck is a G292, so 8" ring gear and 4.10 gears. The truck also currently has 30x9.5" tires on it, I didn't realize when I bought it that they were taller than stock. I have found no evidence of a lift kit on it. It's running better all the time too, thanks to info found on this site.

 

great deal for 2k!!! Nice truck, I would pick yours over your brothers any day of the week.

And never hurts now to look for a set of 4.88 gears to turn those 33's.

Easiest place to look is a 2nd gen 4Runner with an auto tranny.

You are aware that a lift, tires, gears, bumpers are going to be more then you paid for your rig? I bought my 4Runner for 3k, pretty sure I have put close to another 2 or 3 into it. I might have to go crunch some numbers. Welcome to the site!!

 

eh I've only put it a couple hundred bucks into mine...

 

Thanks Kiyobrown, and yes, I am aware that the purchase price of the truck was just a drop in the bucket. My figures come up with a little over 2k just for a basic lift and tires, and that's not including shocks or any extras. Here's the good news though, i'm single and have no kids...so I can spend what I want on my truck!

 

I haven't even seen a full size pic of your rig, but i'm gonna have to call bullsnit on that one.

 

So axles off a '95 4runner are second gen. right? and would bolt on and give me 4.88's. I found a set locally, i have to text for a price...

Edit: got price, two fiddy a piece. Hmm, thinking about it.

 

well, not the complete axle, just the differentials...........

Parking cable is different from the 2nd gen 4Runner and your pickup. But diffs are the same.

Front


Rear

 

I think i'm going to hold off on those axles then, unless he'll sell me just the diff's. I picked up a reciever hitch today, got it installed but I had to remove the rear bumper. The brackets were twisted and bent making fitting a problem, good excuse to get a real bumper...or bumpers.

 

I found a set of 15x10 wheels with used 32" Mickey Thompson ATX tires on craigslist...they were cheap, so I picked them up. It really looks better with the wider black wheels. I was concerned about how it would drive going to a 32" without re-gearing, but I can't even feel the difference, there's still plenty of power. Sorry for the fuzzy pics, i need a new camera...

 

man you have a nice truck!!! the new tires/rims look good to!!!

 

Thanks backgate. Things on the truck are moving along slowly, I am moving in a couple of weeks so funds and attention have been there. I did score a set of 2" body lift pucks on ebay for $1.00 though! The shipping was more than the pucks at 3 bucks, but I figured what the hey...my new tires are rubbing a little, and I want to tinker with the truck. I figure I can find some bolts the length I need, I have a few industrial hardware warehouses near me. I'll be short bumper brackets, but 'eh, who needs 'em. Well, the rear bumper is long gone anyway, but the front is stock and useless. So, let's see how ultra low budget this can stay.

 

I decided to try cranking the torsion bars in the front to help the rubbing at full lock. I got nearly 2" of lift and it cured my rubbing. The rear already sagged, so for a quick, maybe temporary solution, I installed a set of 3" lift blocks. The stance is great now, and it really added alot of ground clearance, which I actually used today to get me down a soft deeply rutted beach at high tide. I found I could go in way deeper sand than my friends in their full size trucks decked out with 37's and mega buck lifts. I had a blast today, thanks to my yota. I love these trucks.

 

sexy yota right there lol

 

i wish i had an xtra cab, but yotas round here are golden for some reason

 

wow man that looks good!!! you got a decent amount of lift for less than 50 bucks prolly. lol those 32's are gonna look tiny with the 2" body lift. oh and bumper brackets are easy to make for body lifts. 4crawler might have some for sale. again man the truck is looking great!!!

 

Absolutely gorgeous! You have my dream truck!! (assuming its a 5spd). Good luck with the build, i'm looking forward to seeing it completed.

 

Thanks guys, this is my dream truck too. It is a 5 speed, wouldn't have it any other way. Backgate, I was thinking the same thing about the body lift. I think it's perfect for the 32's like it is, so I may not use the body lift pucks. I really put it to the test Sunday, I was really hauling arse down the beach, and it's not exactly smooth. There are washouts that are like steep ditches that come out of nowhere, and jumping back and forth from smooth sand to powdered rutted sand jolts the truck around quite a bit too. The whole time I had no rubbing, and the rear lift blocks stayed put. Actually for what i'm doing, the stiffness of the cranked torsion bars is perfect. The suspension cycles great when running fast over rough terrain.

 

i hear ya man. you should keep the pucks and save em for when ya get some bigger tires. lol you should get some level pictures of your truck and your cv angles man.

 

Super clean truck!!! Those 32s really change the stance. I wouldn't be worried about re gearing too much, i just threw some 32s on mine and didn't notice much of a difference compared to the old 235/75/r15. It still has plenty of power for 5th.