Hey guys,
I'm picking up my first Yota in the next couple of weeks. It's an 83, tan, 5-speed with a 6 1/2 foot Meyer Hydroturn. It needs a lot of work (the guy who owns it has used it to plow his driveway for 20 years and has never changed the oil, spark plugs, etc) but I'm going to make it a project. Anyways, I've got a question for you. This guy claims that this is a 1-ton truck. All the research I've done says that the only 1-tons were the 2wd duallys. He told me that the U.S. military had a contract with Toyota for a bunch of heavy-duty trucks, but the contract was canceled, and the trucks built with heavy duty suspension, etc were sold as regular pickups. Any validity to this claim? Thanks a lot.

 

I dont think so .. but not 100% positive (only 99%) .. I would ask for paperwork to back up his claims !

you are correct , 3/4 ton and 1 tons we're only in the 2WD configuration


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Thanks for the response. How many leaf springs does a stock 83 have in the front? This one has six, I think.

 

4 leaves are "stock"

but leaves are not hard to add !!


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Good call. Those were probably added for plowing. I feel dumb not having thought of that, haha.

 

no worries .. always best to ask , then asume


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pics pics pics!

 

the 1 tons were not just duallys, and i do believe they had 4wd 1 ton trucks too but they were very rare. my family use to own a 1 ton 2wd we took the engine and clutch out of it and put it in the plow truck we had at the time which was an 87 4runner. also with the 1 tons they had higher gearing then the other regular pickups for towing and such.

 

I've got some pics that the guy sent me, I'll put them up later today.

 

I know someone who has a 1986 1 ton, 2WD truck, it is not a dually. He custom ordered it from the dealer. Big springs in the rear, 4.30 gears, I don't know any more specifics, but I do know it has about 350k miles on it, with the original 22R and the head has never been off. He has changed the timing chain, and replaced the plastic guides w/ the steel ones. He tows a flat bed trailer, race car, and tools, sometimes approaching 9,000lbs., and travels on multi state trips.

 

Here are a few pics.

 

I've got some more, but I don't know how to upload a big picture. Can anyone tell me how to do that?

 

Search.
Set up a photobucket account and copy and paste thE [img] code (not the hyperlink) into your post. Hit preview post, if you see pics, you got it.

 

Alright guys, I'm picking up the truck tomorrow and get some good pictures uploaded soon.

 

 

By the way, the model number for this truck is RN38L-MDA. I was wondering if someone could tell be what that refers to?

 

...At least it looks boss...