Crusty $300 pickup into ratty backroads toy. Got it last year worked on it a bit, now I have my own bay in the shop its time to get serious about making this into a sports truck.


So far.
Drivetrain: New rotors drums and bearings. axle and trans seals, carrier bearing and oem clutch kit. Jeep "sawblade" steelies

Engine: egr, a/c, air pump, cat delete, weber 32/36 on modified intake. pacesetter long tube header. 2" side exit exhaust with 18" thrush glasspack, msd coil and wires, new oem ignitor, timing advanced.

Exterior: New fender, headlight surround and corner lamp. new lenses for all lights awaiting installation.

This summer (hopefully)
New heater core
Modified or Belltech rear leafs?
Sway-a-way 84+ t bars
Sway bars?
Spindles or cranked bars?
poly bushings
rebuilt steering box
new steering components
84+ suspension and brake upgrade
Supra lsd/disk rear end or carrier and brakes?
performance shocks
panhard rod
new motor and trans mounts
Schneider or comp ~280* cam
22r valves and seats?
gasket match top end
rebuilt/curved dizzy
140-150hp?

Considering 22R lower end or adapting Previa supercharger to carbed suck through setup on rebuilt 20R lower end
180-200hp? prob need a bigger carb too.


Need any information on aftermarket/adapted suspension upgrades and thoughts on how to make it go/stop/turn.

Pics:



California emissions package, not even once.

unknown mileage, comp checked out

This is trbl, just trbl

that's better

as it is now. Need to hook up pcv correctly, intake adapter broke(oops)

Now that it's running good I did a lil work on the exterior and interior before it got too cold for driveway work.

New fender and front corner lamp.

Pulled the dash to remove a/c components, replace the heater core and re-do the woodgrain stickers with bamboo veneer. Also pulled lower door cards because they were ruined

found this on a parts rig someone was selling for scrap. $10 for this, oem pedal covers and the steering center cap I was missing.

 

Got it towed to the shop. Got to get it thawed out and cleaned up then its time for steering parts and maybe a new steering box if it doesn't tighten up with an adjustment. Steering is sloppy and makes it super scary on ice. Got some new studded tires for the 14's and a few other misc parts. Clutch master cylinder is leaking now too.

 

Check all steering components. My buddy had one years ago and the steering was stupid loose, we had to replace the pitman arm. Bushings under there were ****

 

Thanks for the tip, I just got done looking it over, most the play seems to be in the steering box input. But I am going to replace most of the wear items for good measure.

 

looks good.... looks tons better under the hood too... lol

 

as for your suspension... you can start off with converting all your front end components to a 88+ front end. i did this with Hoshposh's 79 (see 79 V@) build.

you will need a complete 88+ front component setup. once you get these parts you'll be able to run the later spindles, drop arms, ball joints, sway bars etc...

get yourself some energy suspension poly bushings for the front to start. this tightens everything back up. replace any and all worn components. you can replace most of your tie rod ends with heim joint or spherical rod ends and this will REALLY make your steering more precise, sharper. you will want to get some bigger torsion bars. if you can find a set off a dually truck out there snag em! these are usually 25mm thick torsions and sway bars. this improves your handling and suspension preload characteristics.. now... this is an option but you should get some power steering up in this truck to try and get more precise, stronger control on your steering. once you have done this you can move onto the back...

you will wanna get this notched up in order to get low and have plenty of clearance. you can drop this with some drop leafs from belltech if you can find em, or order a custom set of leafs made to drop you however low you need to be... you can add blocks to get you the rest of the way. now, order up some poly bushings for back here too. next, you will want a couple of things to settle the back end down and get a more precise reaction back here... sway bar will be a good start. next you will likely wanna get some sort of panhard bar to control your side to side motion. the longer, the flatter, the better. a traction bar is not necessary but will help keep the rear end from wrapping up under power...

these thigs will take care of your handling points for the most part. this is how i would go about it.... there are more ways to go about it like coilovers and 4 links but its also an expensive route.... its your choice...

 

Okay, Let me ask you a few questions:

1. How do you want to go fast? Top speed, stoplight to stoplight, in the twisties?
2. What are you willing to sacrifice to get there? Ride quality, payload, fuel efficiency?
3. How much can you afford? It all costs.

My point is know where you want to get to before you start. Everything you change causes unintended consequences, some good, some not. All hot rodding is a trade off, I have been in this sort of thing since my first car (1967 chevelle in 1980) and I have asked the same question as yours at least a hundred times. Experience has taught me to know where I am headed, and what I am willing to sacrifice to get there. It is an ageless triangle: You can have it quickly, cheaply, correctly, pick any two.

 

Driver ripped the mirror off, no biggie.

Nothing new here, so far so good.

@SDyota: Thanks for the info, does it have to be 88+? I have an 85 parts rig. Can I put the 88+ brakes on the 85 spindles?
Also notching, can I just tack box steel to the top of the rails, trim the frame then stitch it up and box it in?
@wtsane: Low Buck, want to flatten out the cornering, add LSD, improve the looks and a bit more power. I know its not a racecar but I enjoy extracting the potential of the little guy.

280° .450 lift single pattern cam good for the setup I have now?

 

Okay, good goals all. I am going to go on a bit about some pretty basic things, as I don't know what you know, and I am not a Toyota heavy, by any means, so these are more concepts than anything.

A pickup truck, any pickup truck, is a compromise to achieve a goal. Most vehicles are, there are no 3/4 ton 12 passenger Prius/Bugatti hybrids that get 75mpg.

There are two basic componants of speed, pushing the moist air possible through an engine, and getting the resultant power to the ground. Handling is a different thing entirely.

The good, the mini truck (toyota, nissan, mazda, et. al) are a really good platform for tinkering, simple, RWD layout, and lots of room to work, and bolt stuff on.

The bad, weight distrabution is fairly bad, center of gravity is high for the wheelbase, and aerodynamically it is a picnic table.

My advice would be to start wih the rear end. This will provide bolt on accelleration (or mileage) depending on the way you go. Look at the code on the plate located in your engine bay, there should be an F and a three digit code, this will tell you your rear end gearing. Mine is a 4.10, which is great for pulling, and jackrabbit starts, but crap on the highway (high RPMs). Ihave just purchased a 3.42 rear end (Iam old now, Iwant quiet). Look at my build thread for highway RPM's at 70 MPH for various rear ends.

Once you have decided the range of your rear end that you want (and I do not recommend LSD, not worth what you are going to pay for it, and more difficult to find parts if you change your mind), look at making your engine breathe better (meaning more in and out). There are lots of people with lots of theories on the BESTway to accomplish this. With me, it is porting and polishing and matching the porting to the exhaust. This is time consuming, but results in a significant improvement over stock flow, and flow equals horsepower. Cams and stuff are fine, but if the air is going into vorticies right after it leaves the chamber, a lot of those gains are wasted.

Handeling:Iam about to speak heresy to the low down crowd. I apologize to them all, and state that this is only one point of view. There are more than one, and they are not less valid than mine, or more so. Your truck is a front engine, rear drive, rear leaf springed vehicle, much as were cars back in the late 40's, with concurrent handeling characteristics. I think the trick is to make the truck handle well without sacrificing ride quality (you may want to road trip sometime), or payload (you may move sometime). To me, this says keep the stock ride height. Rear sway bars, u bushing for the front sway bar, and stiff shocks can all be had cheaply, and if you arent satisfied you can always go more radical later. Remember, it is much easier to cut, then to uncut a vehicle.

Just my thoughts.

 

I have a daily driver this is purely a toy that only hauls my dirtbike, brush, garbage, tools and occasionally furniture. Load capacity isn't a high priority but I would still like to be able to put more than groceries in the bed. It has 4.1 or lower gearingits humming along at 55 with 185/75/14s I think its about right I'm going to increase tire diameter slightly when I get new summer treads for the 15s, the speedo is about 5mph fast and a little rpm drop wont hurt it. I know the formulas for power and traction I just don't know how people are doing it on these RNs. I am looking for tricks like 1st gen Supra axle goods , suspension and brake upgrades (c&c sway and t-bars, 88+4wd 4 pistons on 2wd disks, 69 camaro front shocks for lowered trucks, 22/20 hybrids, 22r valvetrain on 20r head etc.) that I have gleaned from iteration members threads and researching RN related performance mods.

 

Looked up axle code, F292 4.10 open carrier.

 

Exactly what I have (pending 3.42 arrival) This is going to limit "fast" as in top speed. This is going to make it quicker on the stoplights, but you are also going to be shifting like mad to take advantage of the power band. It is also going to be buzzy on the highway.

I live in Florida, so hills aren't an issue (I live at the top of the second highest peak in Florida at 38 feet), so I don't need a grunt gear. What I have are miles and miles and miles of highway, so my focus is a little different than yours. I dont mind quick, I am working towards quick myself, but I also want a fully usable truck with retained Toyota reliability.

There are two problems with super modding (which I have done in my gloriously misspent youth)

1.) You need to keep very good written track of what you bolt in, because one day something is going to break. This can also present problems at parts buying time.

2.) Guys get bored. Almost nobody (note the qualifier) has the same car they had at 16 when they are 40. Most of us buy, sell, tinker, abandon, wreck, or find a new one to tinker on. I am not saying it is right, I am saying it happens. When the time comes to sell the truck, which it will, the buyer, if he is over twenty five, will not be excited about the crazy mad super mods you have made, because he is either going to doubt your engineering skills in doing so, or doubt his own in maintaining it. This isn't you, it is human nature.

Does this mean bone stock is the way, the only way? Oh he** no! It does mean (and this is my own particular soapbox, learned by dint of much failure) that you should (advice) know where you want to end up before you start, and know how what you are doing is impacting the essential nature of the vehicle. Trust me, the way the universe works, the moment (and this is just an example) you cut your frame, bag the suspension, and paint the bed, you are going to fall madly in love with a piano collector, who has just found the most perfect piano ever, which is only a thousand miles away, and you have a truck "don't you baby?".

In the end, these are light duty trucks. They are very very good light duty trucks, but the things which make them wring the twisties and drift, come at a penalty. I lobby for a more restrained approach, one which does not advertise speed or sacrifice payload. A stout, well breathing engine, gearing chosen to the 80% of your driving, and what makes you happy, that is what works for me.

You are in Alaska, a completely different environment than I. I deal with boiling heat and rain 10 months a year. I deal with long flat drives, and the occasional hurricane evacuation. I am not you, and in the end, you have to be happy with the product you produce. I am working toward 180-200 hp, highway friendly gearing, dual fuel tanks (range) and a completely invisible presence (a bone stock looking truck). I am working toward the best handling possible within that model, with as much attention paid to stopping as going. Best of luck in your efforts.

 

Fixed my pcv and finally got another pipe plug, no more ugly tstv poking out hooked to nothing. only vacuum lines are brake booster and distributor advance. ditched the evap system and vented the tank to atmosphere, take that Al Gore. Also noticed my fast idle cam was loose, pulled the choke stove assy. to access it and noticed the plug was missing to the choke pull-off diaphragm and the limiting screw had run all the way in, rendering it useless. Adjusted it and got everything working again but I can feel vacuum at the limiting screws orifice. Time to contact Weber tech support and see if I can get just the plug, or tap it for a pipe plug.

Sounds awesome wtsane, that's about the power level I want if I can get more traction, mine spins the inside tire like mad cornering so more power as it stands isn't doing much. I know I wont get my money back if and when I decide to sell it. I'm 31 years old, and an ASE certified tech that works in a local shop that builds trucks. I have built quite a few different rigs, this will probably be kept for a while as no one would pay what I would take, and I like the thing, it's the antithesis of the lifted brodozer crowd here. I know where I want to be, I'm just a little unsure of the measures I'm gonna take to get there. We'll cross those bridges when we come to them.

 

Adjusted the steering box, put the new steering damper thats been laying around on. Ordered new balljoints ad tierod ends found a running RN33 for 400 bucks but it had nothing I needed.

 

Not much news on the truck, had a baby and got a new house though!

Worked on the front end and mounted the Jeep wheels. Has a little rub at full lock but nothing serious.

 

If you're still wanting to improve the handling going to a 1 ton front bar with matching 1 ton torsion bars and a 89-95 4runner rear bar will make for a nice balance. Too stiff of a rear bar will make the inside tire unload in a hard corner. My 89 still has an open diff and it rarely spins the inside enough to notice on the track.

 

Congrats on the kid and house!

 

@ white trash: I am looking for those but old yota 2wds are hens teeth here in interior Alaska.

@1Uz yoda: Thanks! Also I like that truck! Swap is looking well executed. Is that a early model with a facelift?