I have way to many projects going on but none of them are automotive so I have a bad habit of surfing craigslist. I found this one a couple miles from my house and went and looked at it briefly tonight.

Kids dad was 2nd owner and bought it in 2001 or so. Body is really quite straight but paint is oxydized, might could be buffed out. Has 251k on it when the transmisison went out. Sometime last year they swapped the engine and it appears to be a 2.4liter instead of the 2.7 it was built with. There is a Cam sensor just zip tied out of the way and a few things jimmy rigged but it started right up even after sitting for some time. He had the original transmission in the bed. The "new" junkyard transmission looked to be completely installed but there was a terrible noise coming from the flywheel area and he said it "won't go anywhere in any gear" and acted ignorant of why. I'm pretty positive the flywheel is not bolted to the torque converter. What I'm not sure of is whether they may have somehow got a transmission that mated to the 2.4 but the flywheel / torque converter bolts wouldn't line up somehow. He said his uncle bought it from the junk yard and put it in for him and now they aren't on speaking terms but he tried to sell it as if the current transmission was bad and thus why it wouldn't drive. Not sure if he is totally ignorant or if there is good reason for why it isn't bolted up right.

Thoughts?

Anyway, if anybody needs a good body or wants a cheap truck and needs a project I've not seen a straight Taco so cheap ever.

 

If you can get it for $800, go for it. Otherwise, nope your way out of that deal.