Max-4_Yota's: 4WD 82' Toyota Pickup Build

Nice.

I'm planning to get off my ass one of these days and learn to weld. It will happen...eventually...

 

Very nice! You ever decide if you are coming this weekend?

 

I have been searching the nets looking for 3rd gen pick ups to get ideas and came across this thread from 2012-2014... I was surprised to see that it is the truck I picked up from Michael within this past month, 4 years later from the last post on this thread.

8 years ago when I was 22, I would have started a thread on a new project in a heartbeat, but being a homeowner and spending more of my money on investments/retirement then I do on hobbies, it is has become harder to do things that are not directly related to making more money or the house and family. None the less, It has almost been a decade since Michael started this project and the damn truck is still on the road, doing what Toyota's do best, survive... and I feel obligated to continue the thread some what since I feel a lot of purpose built vehicles don't make it this long (and I hope you are okay with that Michael).

One thing that is easily seen before even finding this thread is the work put into this truck and the diligent maintenance. Even though it looks a bit rougher than the 2014 posts, it was definitely done correctly.


Also, worth mentioning, Michael installed a '00 3RZ motor. I am sure he has done a bit more after 2014 that was not posted.



Now with the truck living in NC, first thing is the ability to pass inspection which is up in early 2019. Ordered and installed some 1st gen runner mirrors and installed the All-pro tcase brake (which is stupid $$ for what it actually is, but is also amazing and oddly worth it). Also went through and did all fluids, with no issues. Tcase seal is leaking quite a bit, but after reading this thread, seems like this truck use to leak just about everything back in the beginning, so I am happy with one leak to fix.

Will be installing front turn signals and figuring out the horn situation which shouldn't be too bad. Pretty much all the little easy stuff.

as of 2018...

 

Glad to see someone will enjoy this pickup. I have had a lot of fun with Mike over the years. (I own the 1st gen 4runner)

 

Very cool! That runner you built is my dream toyota. I wasn't sure if there was anyone still using the site that was around this truck at the time. I know a lot of my friends got out of wheeling years ago and figured it was probably a pretty common cycle, especially the last post being in 2014. There are a few that are doing overlanding/exploring which is something I would be interested in... would be fun going across state lines for camping etc.


The goal for cadilac is primarily bringing her back up to par for overlanding use. I have been driving it 11 miles everyday to work, pin pointing little gremlins here and there to fix, and just over all getting use to the truck. I have been getting a lot of front end wobble due to no dampener. I almost pulled the trigger on a hydraulic assist which was close to $700 in new parts, but then my "adulting" brain kicked back in and decided to try a dampener/O.D. clamp for $70 which will suffice just fine for on-road use for the time being. This will give me time to build (or purchased used) my own hydraulic set up and porting the existing box.

Goals to be completed by end of 2019.

1. Maintenance, replace, rebuild, repack, possibly sand and repaint drivetrain components, etc...
2. Soft top canopy for rear bed and half door snap windows
3. Bed slider system (what I originally wanted to do with my 4runner)
4. 3 link front and 3 link rear (will need coil spring option help/input) Already have all links, some mounts, and limiting straps.
5. Hydraulic assist
6. Possibly some sort of manual locker in the rear (worried about tire wear)



Currently have U-joints and new tcase mount on their way...

 

You can do hydro assist for a little cheaper than a complete kit. You can get a ram from surpluscenter.com, build your own mounts, and then get a pump kit with fluid cooler. That’s what I did and came out a bit cheaper.

But still, best thing to do is figure out the cause, worn TRE’s, bushings etc.

 

Sent the softopper out to get shortened 8" at a local upholstery shop due to the bobbed bed. I will also have to shorten the aluminum frame for the canvas top.

Goal for this weekend is to replace the u joints in the driveshaft, drill and tap the OD clamp for the steering dampener, and hopefully get the new trail gear case mount put into place due to the older one being torn.

Also would like to get rid of the rear Yukon locker. Its burning up these tires way too quickly, I am almost wondering if the rear end of the truck is too light to disengage the locker properly at times. Most lockers I have had experience with click when cornering, and I have not heard this one make any type of noise going around a corner (although it doesn't seem to be fighting as if it is locked). It does the usual bang in, bang out occasionally with the first two gears. I'd say the rear tires chirp about 50% of the time from a dead start, and occasionally I can hear the rubber slipping around corners as if it has not disengaged. None the less, whether its working properly or not, I can see fairly dramatic tire wear from just putting on 600 miles. And I am super easy on it, clutching during corners when I can, driving like an old grandpa.... So, I am currently looking into ARB options and will probably sell the Yukon. If it saves the tires a bit and becomes more enjoyable to drive, it would be worth it to me.

Also ramping up for the front and rear links. Having trouble finding this year truck with links... at least on a build thread.

 

Ran into some issues this weekend. Drove down to the parts store, hit a bump, and lost all dash and rear lights. Spent the weekend ripping the entire dash out and tracing each wire to figure out where the short was. While testing and blowing more fuses, I ended up losing low beams in the process. FINALLY found the short which was in the pass side fender running light. Thankfully, I also stumbled upon a thread that discussed how the low beam circuit in the column can eventually burn out and lose ground. After dissembling the column and doing some tests, I made a jumper to ground which brought back my low beams... Man, I hate electrical issues.... One positive thing is that the odometer is now working again and I have a much better idea of how the Taco wiring harness is mated and ran (along with everything else). Not only that, but everything is labeled which is awesome, a very professional job and could save me some headache in the future.


So, that's how I spent my weekend.


I did, however, get a chance this week to drill and tap my O.D. clamp to 5/8-11 for the single shear, and fabricate/weld some 1/4" mounts (double shear), and install the dampener. My plan was to build it in a way that would translate over to hydroassist down the road without having to redo the mounts. Also, I decided to mount it underneath the tierod to keep enough room above the axle for the 3 link this winter.

 

Turns out, this tank only holds about 12 usable gallons. Almost found that out the hard way when the truck started cutting out around corners. thankfully made it to a fuel station... for some reason I was thinking it was a 15 gallon tank.

On another important note..


There seems to be a potentially major issue going on with the truck. Getting a lot of loud grinding noises coming from down below when I begin to let off the pedal at higher speeds. There is possibly a minimal growl when the foot is on the gas, and same with the pedal completely let up... but when I lift off just enough to relieve any torque thru the drivetrain, it sounds like someone just pushed the button on a smoothie blender. The other more worrisome factor is that in just a week it has gotten MUCH louder than before. Trans? Tcase? Rear end?

I plan on taking oil samples of the case and trans tonight along with pull the rear drive shaft. I still need to get the joints replaced and the new case mount put on. If that doesnt fix the issue (which I don't believe it will), then I will put in the other 5.29 open third in and see if thats the problem. If still not fixed, then I am still down to case and trans..... How does one go about testing either to know for sure which one it is??

If it is the trans, I will go ahead and order a trans from marlin crawler and throw it in (because this is my daily I don't mind dropping a few $$ to ensure reliability for years to come). If its the case then I can attempt to rebuild as long as there is no significant damage.

 

Where in NC are you? I remember this truck from back when Michael had it. Pretty sweet machine.

 

About 30 min west of charlotte.

PS. Looking for a top shift tcase if anyone has one.

 

New U-joints and transfer case mount is in. Had to shim the cross member a bit more due to the tcase brake rubbing on the cab.

With the stiffer mount the cab vibrates a lot more now, but that was to be expected after reading similar reviews online. Its a bit annoying, but I will get use to it. With that said, I can definitely feel a difference just in response and acceleration. The transfer case is also no longer rubbing into the cross member.

Other than all of that, nothing has really changed much. Still have my usual vibrations which I thought was bad u joints and still have that horrible grinding noises at higher speeds. Next thing to do is swap out the third and see if any of that is related.

 

#poonjabbers4Life:

 

Swapped out to the open 5.29 third. Problem fixed.

Everything on the locker third looks fine to my eye, nothing unusual, but definitely made a difference removing it. Also handles so much better without that locker trying to lock up around corners and stop lights. I will be getting a selectable locker for sure down the road.

Still getting vibes which I believe are due to the driveshaft angle. The rear pinion is way off degree wise for a non CV driveshaft. So next up to bat is getting that set up properly.

Also picked up the soft top I had shortened 8". Had to redo the entire frame due to the length change. There was a bit of math involved and was a lot more in depth procedure I had planned on. Thankfully it all turned out perfect and works as it should.



Did get out for our first mock camp this past weekend to try out our winter gear for this seasons camping festivities. So a long with working on the truck, this month has been a lot of camp prep as well.

 

That softopper looks killer man, never seen anyone shorten one.

 

I started building the 60" slide out bed for the rear. These are two heavy duty slides that have a capacity of 250 lbs at max length. I built a 1" x1" aluminum square frame with 3/4" finished marine grade ply resting on top of it. 3 heavy duty airline tracks at 60" will mount through the wood and into the frame. Honestly, the longest process will probably be the staining and sealing of the wood. But so far so good....









Stained and sealing...

 

Started building my idea for the automated rear bed slider.

Uses a pulley block system and an old small 12v winch with 3/16th synthetic line.

The idea is, not because I am particularly lazy.. But, to have a slider system that will work on up/down grades with full weight. Even a slight grade in either direction will make a pulling a pushing a 200 lb loaded bed slider much more difficult. Also, it defeats the need to have a locking pin system.

If the 12v system does fail, the winch can be put into free spool mode and the slider system can go in and out manually.

 

Removed the rear end and welded up the RuffStuff back truss...

 

Also ordered a Tom Woods CV to get rid of these bad vibes.... Worth every penny. Thankfully, the rear perches were welded so that the pinion angle was shooting straight up at the tcase... Not so bueno with a regular joint shaft as you can see... but perfect for throwing in the new CV shaft.