The life of my '93

Discussion in '1989-1995 Build-Up/Project Threads' started by Clay, May 16, 2018.

  1. Clay

    Clay Member

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    I won't bore you my personal life other than to say I love small trucks. Especially foreign. Just something about a mini truck that I can't resist. It kills me that we don't get anymore imported into the US.

    --

    So, I bought this truck a couple years ago. It was wrecked, but the owner relocated from the west coast and it was nearly rust free; a real rarity in my area. I paid way too much for it wrecked - and i had a lot of work to do.

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    I'm sorry, but that cap was a bad idea.

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    Oops.

    So this dude lived a couple hours from me and I didn't want to rent a trailer and/or pester a friend to help haul it. So with a little bit of hillbilly engineering with a ratchet strap and a pole we managed to get the core support pulled out enough to replace the radiator and I drove it home with that lovely busted lip look. Someone could probably claim it's patina and would have asked double.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
  2. Clay

    Clay Member

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    Now. There is one thing you should know about me. If I have a big project in front of me I am going to work on everything but the part I hate the most, which is body work. A smart person would have pulled the engine and immediately got into the body. I'm not that person.

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    Gotta love early 90's emissions.

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    looking a little greasy there, kid.

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    seriously. K&N? The P.O. was(still is?) a nice guy, but between this oil filter and the amsoil sticker on the bumper you gotta wonder.

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    I dunno, maybe less on $ on the oil filter and a little on a valve cover gasket. - the one benefit to this, besides the hours it took me to scrub this pig clean, is that the underside of the truck was so oily it would have never rusted. Though, I kind of have to say that 22-re sticker looks like a well-earned badge. It's true what they say about these engines... they are amazingly durable. The last one i owned I drove with a spun bearing for 3+ yrs before an ill-advised oil-top off killed it. It's late. maybe that's a story for another night.
     
  3. Clay

    Clay Member

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    lots of scrubbing
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    and more degreasing and some acid etching
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    and some paint. btw, I used an engine paint kit from por15. seems to be a good kit.
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    also cleaned up the pistons a bit. The compression was really good on this engine, so i didn't tear block down completely.
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    did i mention how much cleaning that had to be done? it would have been smarter to have a shop wash the block and head for me. but i'm not that person. onto the head
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  4. Clay

    Clay Member

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    After loads more cleaning, i lapped the valves. and tested the head with some rubbing alcohol. I have no idea how useful this "trick" really is, but it's so fast and simple that it I did it anyway.
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    --
    Going to jump forward a bit here. rebuilding heads is kind of boring. squish some springs, oil some things, and just like that you're done. I'm also going to skip the sandblasting of the valve cover. plus the filing/sanding i did to clean up the casting marks. Also skip the powder-coating process i did on it, but that's only because i forgot to take photos of that. -shrugs-
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    ^so perty

    and for just that added flair: I powder-coated the oil dipstick tube to match the valve cover. *it's the little things*
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    I dunno. i guess i got lazy or wrapped up on the project that i forgot to take photos. i'll have to fast-forward through all the prep and powdercoating of the oil pan and show you this. I am aware I used way too much rtv. at least it was on the outer edge. I shouldn't have any big globs on the inside. shouldn't. Yea, i'm going with that.
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    ^shiny
     
    Last edited: May 17, 2018
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  5. BatryOpratedBoy

    BatryOpratedBoy Enthusiast

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    That's a good looking block man! Any upgrades while you have it open?
     
  6. Clay

    Clay Member

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    No I wish I had. I've been pondering going back into it for a mild cam. I think I can do that without tearing too deep into it.
     
  7. Clay

    Clay Member

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    So I stopped on the engine for a bit and dug into the body work finally. The front clip was my focus.

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    smashy

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    so much drilling. always use a spot-weld bit, ppl. ;)

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    good bye stock and hello mediocre aftermarket.

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    lots of fit testing and a lot of measuring for square. The FSM makes a world of difference here btw. Several pages on body alignment that was great.

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    A trick I picked up along the way. Use seamsealer as a inner fender well coating. just smear it on. I got a sponge moist and pressed it against the layer of seam sealer to create a convincing texture. once this is repainted, it's barely noticeable as a being replaced.
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    Last edited: May 18, 2018
  8. Clay

    Clay Member

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    This is why I bought a wrecked truck. A frame that nice in Ohio is as good as it gets.

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    that's the original exhaust too. insane. I wish I lived in an area without salt. (look at that weld. geez).

    I did lots of sanding, lots of wire wheel, and lots more sanding on the frame. then lots of washing, degreasing, acid treated the frame. then brushed on por15. I happen to think por15 is a great product if you put in the prep. It's like 80% prep and 20% paint. if you aren't willing to do the prep, don't waste your time or money. seriously. the rust will be back in a couple months if you skimp out on prep.

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    The truck didn't come with a front sway bar (the PO was very serious about keeping the one he put on) so I used that as an excuse to not only get an aftermarket bar for the front, I got one for the rear as well. Both from belltech. Which i would recommend to anyone who wants to cut down on side-side flex. I welded a couple pieces of L-angle in the rear instead of using the supplied clamps though.
     
  9. Clay

    Clay Member

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    And then on to the part I loath. I fucking hate body work. I hate sanding. I hate sanding too much and adding more filler. I hate sanding too much again and adding more again. I had a few friends that were awesome and guided me through the proper steps, but i still hate it. This is my basic understand in case you are curious:

    Bondo only ever goes over bare metal! no exception.
    Sand that bad-boy(body panel) down with 40 grit. It will feel out like you're using a rock, but you want it rough. You CANNOT have any rust either. (I didn't tell you this, but if you put some muratic acid on a rag and wipe down the metal you can remove a decent amount of flash-rust in case you get any. Make sure you wash it super well after).
    Wash anything you are plan to paint/bondo really well. prep-all products are great. Also, don't let it air dry, especially under the warm sun. a hot panel+slow dry is a great way to get flash rust.
    Apply bondo in layers. nothing more than 1/8" thick. (sand between every layer) Honestly, if you have to go thicker, you should have beat the dent out better. I'm sorry if that seems like a dick thing to say, but it's true. If you put 1/2" thick bondo on something: you're the devil. bondo is not for filling holes either. Get an All-Metal filler if you can't weld a patch in. only on small holes and for god-sake: don't use filler for rust holes you prick.
    The rust converters are a waste of time if want the paint to last. Just sand it out.
    Spray some guide coat (just a thin coat to see your sanding marks). From here on out, if you sand, use guide coat first. (it makes an unbelievable difference). and sand with 80 grit using the biggest block the curves in the panel allow. Apply more bondo to level out your previous layer and feather in the edges more.
    At this point you can go two ways. Sand (did you remember guide coat?) with 120 and apply some glaze putty. sand that down with 180. or you can sand with 120 and apply a quality primer. I'm a big fan of the 2-part epoxy primers. You can get this in a spray can. It's called like 2k epoxy primer. USE A PROPERLY RATED FACE MASK WITH TWO-PART PAINTS! don't be an idiot.
    glaze putty can be used over primer, but you'll want to primer over it again when you are done sanding.
    So now spray everything with some primer. I personally skip sanding after this and I make sure to spray a filler primer (better known as a surfacer) ((SEM makes a decent rattle-can version)) same day. I hate dupli-color's filler. You want to spray the surfacer during the overcoat window of the primer. usually within a few hours or one day. Now sand some more. (don't forget the guide coat). Some will say go with 220+more surfacer, 320+more surfacer, 400. I always wetsand at 220 and finer. You can sometimes skip directly to 320 or even 400, but you'll end up using more paper and sanding for longer. It's sort of a trade off you have to decide on as you work. My suggestion is 220 because if you have any areas you need to touch up with glaze putty, you'll be able to get to that faster. make sure to sand those spots back down with 120 before applying the putty. then primer over that. Then work your way back up to 400 grit. At this point you stop using guide coat. Ready to apply a color coat? if you are using a metallic, sand again with 600 though. And just as a comment here. if you do metallic you can't wet sand out a defect before clear. you'll have to reapply the metallic. so don't use metallic unless you really want it. metallics also take an even hand and even spray to apply. I paid someone do to my base/color(stock metallix)/clear - all the way to buff, so unless you really want the steps for that, i'm not going to bother typing it out.

    --

    Alright, so either you skipped over that or you're annoyed over the lecture. The truth in painting, especially if you are new to it, is that it takes a lot of work. you need to be willing to back-track and fix spots. What you don't get right by the surfacer will be in the final paint. You decide what quality of job you want. Which is a point i make because I didn't bother trying for show quality on this project. For me personally: if I go for perfect i won't use the truck. And I want to use this truck, so I go for my version of good enough so I'm not upset if i chip/scratch it.

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    1st round

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    oh look, I sanded too much.

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    good-bye antenna. (i swear there is bare steel under what i sanded down to)

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    I hate aftermarket panels just as much as body work. blending panels in with body filler is annoying and bad practice. *slaps my wrist*

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    primeeeeeer

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    this spot took lots of love and cursing to finish.

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    glaze putty. primer. phew, i'm already over this.

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    more primer and more sanding.

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    OMG, off to my paint guy. I can't believe i made it. I would like to thank my finger-tips for their sacrifice.

    Doggo
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2018
  10. BatryOpratedBoy

    BatryOpratedBoy Enthusiast

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    I laugh at the thought of you hating body work only because you KNOW so much about it. You always see friends trying to take on a project not realize how far they have to go for the desired results and they won't listen to any advice. Banging job though it makes me want to work on my truck (but I won't haha.)
     
  11. The Count

    The Count Newbie

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    Nice work, I look forward to seeing the results especially as it’s very similar to my truck :)
     
  12. Hands_On_Henry

    Hands_On_Henry Member

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  13. Clay

    Clay Member

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    thanks. though i wouldn't count my comments as the best knowledge. I'm just an enthusiast.

    thanks

    thanks
     
  14. Clay

    Clay Member

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    I forgot a photo last post. I didn't see any point in painting the inside of the bed in stock color since I was planning on re-using the plastic liner. So here's a photo of that.

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    --

    while the truck was away, I built myself a radiator shroud using a fan I had laying around. to be honest I regret using that fan as it's out of balance. Been wanting to replace it, but I have been too cheap.

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    I didn't have a single sheet of metal large enough, so I made it in two halves.
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    I think i may have cheated and used a sheet metal brake at a buddy's garage on this.

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    had to make some clearance notches around the inlet and exit.

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    and just like magic it's been powder-coated.

    Here's a sneak peak of it in the engine bay.
    [​IMG]


    Just an edit about fan controllers. I wanted a PWN controller as it's supposed to be a good way to control the power. However, I bought a Derale branded controller and it was junk. After two attempts I got a Flex-a-lite controller. It worked right out the box and it seems to be great quality. https://www.summitracing.com/parts/FLX-33054 Since i'm not using one of their recommended fans I don't get the PWM I was looking for though.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2018
  15. Clay

    Clay Member

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    IT'S BACK FROM PAINT!! seriously, this was one of the best moments from this build. Also incredibly nerve wracking. didn't want to scratch it trying to shuffle around in my tiny garage.

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  16. Clay

    Clay Member

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    I would highly recommend this next item to anyone. I wanted a normal headlight housing (not sealed). I'm not particularly sold on LED headlights. especially the offerings circa 2 years ago when I did this project. This Rampage 5089927 Halogen Conversion Headlight Kit was great. The quality is outstanding. https://www.amazon.com/Rampage-Products-5089927-Conversion-Headlight/dp/B001OMPJHM

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    dunno why, but that color red ^ is super sexy to me. Maybe i'll paint a project that color one day

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    The light projects out onto the road very well and the high-beam direction makes perfect sense. Really, this is the best aftermarket headlight housing I've ever used. It's solid glass.

    --
    Another note on lighting. While I didn't want LED for a headlight I wanted it everywhere else. I used OPT7 for most the LED lights on recommendation of a close friend and was disappointed. Their idea of amber is close to the original bulb light. like 2500-3000 warm light. Doesn't work in clear lenses for turn signals IMO. Their customer service was quick to respond to my complaint. even sent me a new set of bulbs to test with. but had the same problem. Over a short time most of their lights stopped working and I've had to replace them. The "nova-plasma" back-up lights seem to be great though. Super bright.

    I've been using Pilot as replacements(this brand's selection is better in stores than amazon btw). Been happy with them and their version of amber is good for clear lenses. quality seems to be a lot better. If you aren't happy with Pilot, Phillips is good. Phillips has a DE3157 that fits well(enough) into the interior light socket. (pro tip: LED lights are polarity specific. so check that they light up before screwing things back together). get what you pay for on LED lights. final note: don't waste your time with LED load resisters. Just get an LED flasher relay. Less work; some even have adjustable timing.
     
    Last edited: May 21, 2018
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  17. KERTWOOD

    KERTWOOD Enthusiast

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    Clean work... Reminds me of how I get down as I'm super OCD. I wish my build thread just didn't disappear from this forum a year or so ago without excuse but it is what it is. I usually keep comments to myself but I'm looking forward to what you have in store.
     
  18. Clay

    Clay Member

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    thanks dude.
     
  19. Clay

    Clay Member

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    so much cleaning.
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    My block off plate.
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    look at this dirty fucker:
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    This was a big moment too. All ready to go back in.
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    *snaps fingers.* that was easy ;)
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    Alright. I spent a bunch of time trying to find worthwhile guides on removing as much as the crappy vacuum nest as I could. There was a lot of info online, but it still took time to sort through. Here is a diagram of what I did.
    The red is what i removed. The Blue i kept. The black i added back in for AC, so if you don't have AC don't bother.
    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: May 27, 2018
  20. Clay

    Clay Member

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    I bought a pace-setter header and honesty it was a pos. from what i read, LCE has the best header option and maybe that would be a better option if you are thinking about getting a header.

    I had to modify this to make it work. Had to cut out an sensor bung on the #2 cyl which was protruding into the pipe itself, which would mean #2 was mostly blocked. Also had to bang a dent into one spot for clearance. the rounded flange piece at the end didn't come with the right size bolts and it was very tight squeeze to fit that part into the truck. Also: it leaks and I have to re-tighten it every 1k miles. (I plan to redo this). I painted it using VHT high temp paint, which was also a COMPLETE waste of money and time. Even with baking it in my powder-coating oven prior to installing it, the paint lasted all of like an hour or driving. Garbage. :brickknock:.
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    ^I did weld the EGR holes shut instead of using block-off plates though.


    I quickly threw together the rest of my exhaust. I'm using a walker exhaust (54681) that it's intended for a 99-02
    4runner. It claims to be stainless steel, but it's not! I bought it from summit racing and they said they would replace it if every develops a hole, so I just kept it. I used that muffler because i wanted to run 2-1/4" tubing. That's just a cheap high-flow resonator. I don't have a cat anymore.
    [​IMG]



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    Last edited: May 27, 2018
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