Up for auction is my 1980 Short Bed Toyota 4x4 pickup truck that has undergone a complete Body off/Frame off, Nut and Bolt Restoration. This restoration project has taken a lot of time and money but has resulted in a beautiful example of this first generation design.
The truck was totally disassembled and rebuilt using many new and OEM parts. My plan for this truck was to use it as a fun utility vehicle for my farm. Recently I drove it across my pasture to check out the 4 wheel drive and it performed great.
After that, I spent the next hour in my garage pulling the straw out of the springs of the truck and cleaning the underside and washing the body. It was then that I realized that this was never going to be a farm truck. Like many restorations this one went too far and the truck was too nice, at least for me, to load it with a bale of hay or a pile of tools.
So that you can appreciate just how nice this truck is, I have posted photos taken during it's restoration process.
The truck was completely disassembled so that nothing would be missed and the paint coverage would be total: The body was professionally stripped of all surface rust and prepared with Eastwood Rust Encapsulator, prepped and painted with six coats of PPG original paint code 857 (Toyota Medium Blue).
The frame was completely torn down, stripped, and sand blasted:
The truck was originally from San Diego and here's what it looked like during it's disassembly process:
As you can see it was a pretty solid truck to start with.
The Floor Pans were solid with no rust
The entire frame, sub-frame, and suspension parts were professionally stripped and powder coated gloss black
Looks so nice you hate to cover it with a body.
The suspension was replaced with a new complete full Old Man EMU (OME) 2 inch suspension with DAKAR medium duty springs with all new pins, brackets, hangers, and polyurethane bushings. These are very expensive and highly desirable.
New Old Man EMU (OME) shocks and steering damper were added.
All brake and fuel line brackets were electro stripped, repainted and reinstalled with new stainless steel bolts
Brake lines and fuel lines were flushed and repainted. Fluid was changed in the rear axle.
Front axles were completely rebuilt with new seals, drive bearings and gaskets. Axles were coated in MILSPEC paint identical to the powder coating by the same powder coater.
Rather than use the original 4-speed transmission, a 1983 Toyota 4x4 SR5 pickup donated its L52 5 speed transmission. This really improves its highway drivability cruising easily at 70 mph. The transmission works great. It has a new OEM throw-out bearing, bearing fork, rubber fork book, clutch master cylinder, clutch slave cylinder, and slave cylinder hose.
The 20R motor was rebuilt 10k miles ago and runs great. The addition of the new Weber 32/36 carburetor has greatly improved its performance and reliability.
Here's a look at the Weber 32/36 carb.
Here's a shot of the motor and transmission assembled and back on the frame.
The G52 transmission boots were replaced, new Marlin Crawler seals, boots and shifter seat and the transfer case got new fluid.
Here's a look at the frame with the drive train in and suspension completed
For the motor, new hoses, belts, rotor, cap, spark pulugs, wires, gaskets and seals were added. The original valve cover was powder coated red.
The mechanical fuel pump was replaced with a new electric fuel pump, regulator and filter. Webers love electric fuel pumps.
New Starter
New Alternator
New Voltage Regulator
New Accelerator Cable
New Radiator and hoses
New Headlights
New Headlight doors
New Trail-Gear Rock Ripper Header
All engine bay wiring stripped, encapsulated in conduit and taped using OEM Toyota wire binder clips.
Completely new brakes front and back: stainless steel extended lines front and rear, Summit racing proportioning valve replaces old mechanical valve with proper Swaglock fittings, new front disks, pads, calipers and OEM short hard lines. New rear cylinders, springs, shoes and parts. Rear drums turned.
New Emergency Brake Cable
Fuel tank was stripped and painted
New fuel tank filler and vent hoses
New Windshield and rubber seal
New rear window rubber seal with original sliding window
Powder coated spare tire wheel and crank mechanism
Brand new 31x10.5x15 spare tire
Here's an idea of how far you can go in restoring one of these vehicles: Take the tailgate latch and chain and the front tow hook and have them...
Chrome plated!
The interior of the truck was obviously gutted and totally redone.
The dash remains uncut. The CD player shown is a "dummy" unit which is only a head piece held in place with double sided tape. It's up to you where you want to go with a sound system: stock or custom. The original SR5 Gear Shift Knob is in great condition.
The reupholstered bench seat looks great and the blue vinyl trim is a close match with the dash pad.
The seat is protected by a custom made seat cover.
The cover is made by: Marathon Seat Covers and is the SuperHides edition. These cost $250 and are an exact fit.
These covers look so good that the blue vinyl and velour may never see the light of day again.
The door panels look great...really retro, reminiscent of the simple Landcruisers of the past. There are no speakers under the speaker grills. It's up to you to decide where you want to go regarding the sound system. I'm am not a sound guy and am content to just listen to the sound of the 4cylinder 20R.
One of my most difficult decisions regarding this truck was what to do with the bed. The blue painted bed looked great but I figured that if my plan for the farm utility vehicle played out the paint would need protection. Since you can no longer buy the plastic bedliners in this size, I decided to have it Rhino-lined. I think it looks great.
Here's how it looked prior to the Rhino lining.
Here's the bed during the restoration process:
Underside of bed after sealing:
I added new tiedown brackets to protect the bed hooks: I figured that if you did use the bed hooks you could run the risk of scratching the paint so these adjustible brackets would work well. The CB antenna is removable if you decide you do not want it. I do have the cable for it but have held off installing it in case the new owner was not interested in CB radios. It does come with the truck though.
The Kolbalt Toolbox comes with the truck and can be removed if you perfer the old school look.
The fuel tank rock shield was powdercoated.
The muffler and exhaust shields were professionally coated with CERAMIC powder coating.
New vinyl rear bed graphics: "TOYOTA" and "4 WHEEL DRIVE"
Powder coated Smittybuilt rear tube bumper with new Smittybuilt caps (small dent in bumper prior to powder coating)
Front Bumper sand blasted and powder coated.
Four Brand New Goodyear Duratrac 31x10.5x15 tires. Wheels are Toyota original SR5 chrome wheels with rechromed center caps.
I have two sets of rear fender flares: One set has been Plasti-dipped black and the other matches the medium blue. You get both so it's your choice. I like the black the best!
Tire jack and tools included:
The odometers reads: 22838 which is really 222838 but from what you've seen we really need to start the clock over. The truck has covered about 100 miles since the restoration has been completed.
For those of you who like a list here goes:
Body:
- Every bolt was replaced with new stainless steel hardware
- Structural bolts were replaced with new zinc plated hardware, i.e. Body Mount bolts.
- Less than 20 proprietary (OEM) bolts were restored to original condition and reused.
- New windshield and rubber seals
- New rear window rubber seals
- New OEM toyota window seals, door seals, lock gaskets, side mirrors, exterior door handles & gaskets, side marker lights and seals, gas cap, new body seals and gaskets, windshield washer arms.
- New aftermarket headlight doors and grill.
- All original Toyota emblems were reused (front emblem was Plasti-dipped black which can be removed if you like original look)
- New Headlights
- Front bumper sand blasted and powder coated
- Vent window frames sand blasted and powder coated
- Paint has a few small chips and scratches mostly related to contact during reassembly or kids in the garage.
Interior:
- Every bolt was replaced with new stainless steel or original OEM bolts were reused when condition warranted it.
- New OEM Toyota dash pad, steering column covers, inside door handles, inside door pulls (FJ40 style), inside door locks, headliner, sunvisors, sunvisor clips, passenger grab handle, transfer case shift information label (on glove box).
- SR5 Steering wheel
- SR5 Gear Shift Knob
- Aftermarket ARB plastic door panels.
- Marathon Seat Cover (custom made).
- New heavy pile carpet
- All gauges, speedometer and lights function as designed
- New accelerator cable
- New speedometer cable
- Heater box rebuilt with new foam, lubricated and reinstalled for tight airflow and good sealing.
Engine:
- Rebuilt 20R engine with 11,000 miles
- High Compression 20R engine from a Toyota RV with double row timing chain giving you great power and reliability.
- New aftermarket radiator
- New Weber 32/36 K746 Carburetor kit
- LC Engineering EGR block plate, EGR crossover plate, Intake manifold block kit
- New hoses, belts, rotor, cap, spark plugs, wires, gaskets and seals
- Block stripped and painted
- New battery
- New starter
- New alternator
- New engine mounts
- New transmission mounts
- New Toyota OEM heater valve
- New windshield washer tubing
- Cowl cover powder coated and secured with stainless screws
- Wagner aftermarket cat-back exhaust with new hangers
Positives/Negatives/Impressions
Though the truck has been extensively rebuilt and looks fantastic it is still a 34 year old vehicle.
The truck comes with no radio or speakers but you do get the "dummy" head unit. I've bid on a few radios on ebay but always seem to get out bid. The GPS is not included. I used it to check the speedometer and found that the 31 x 10.5 x 15 tires shows the speed to be off by 5mph at 65 mph. (60mph on the speedo is really 65 mph). At lower speeds, the speedometer is only off by 2 mph. Not a malfunction just a fact of life when you increase tire size.
The truck has no A/C and no power steering. If you are used to creature comforts like cruise control and power windows, it's best you look elsewhere.
The brakes are outstanding. Probably the best I've ever experienced on this vintage truck. The engine starts right up and sounds great. I bought one of these new in 1980 and this truck honestly feels like a new vehicle. I'm sure that the totally new suspension is the reason for that feeling.
The paint does have a few scratches and chips but would have to look hard to find them. The bug shield was bought in 1980 for my first 4x4 and used for about 40k miles before I hung it in the garage where it has stayed. I put it on this truck and it brought back many memories. If you want it included it is yours.
There is only one metal window visor shade on the truck and it is located on the driver's side. I have scanned ebay for a long time looking for one for the passenger side but have been unable to locate one.
The 20R engine starts right up and does not burn any oil. The 5 speed transmission is a great upgrade.
The truck comes with no warranty and is sold as is.
The truck is located near Greenville, SC. I've owned many speciality cars over years but I don't think I have ever owned a vehicle that has received so much attention on the road.
I perfer electronic bank funds transfer if you are the lucky winner. If you pay with a cashier's check the truck will not be released until check clears the bank. I can assist with coordinating with your shipper if you choose to have it transported or pick you up at the airport if you fly in.
Best Wishes and happy bidding.
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