Ole Red, Retro Wagon 95 (SoCar)

Here’s the start ...
Dealer images
178,000, plus, miles
Months of 24 years old
Built 4/95

Bought from a dealer in Clinton, SC-3/21/19





Edit- those sawblade hubcaps didn’t make it out of the dealer lot still on the truck. I’m not a hubcap fan in general, hating those in particular.

Passenger side - where the body damage is-
Slightly bent front of right fender (under headlight)
Gouged door (between handle & side badges)
Rear of bed folded up-note trim is hanging where metal should be meeting it- behind rear tire.

None of it is “bad,” but it’s still there.

 

First mods:
Hella lights -the original sealed- beams were crap. Once off, saw one had lost most of the silver backing, making it see-though.
While grill off, swapped out the Toyota oval for something formerly used on my xB-an old Toyota logo (1950s/60s)
& removed bug deflector.

 

That’s a clean looking truck for being a 95.5

 

Got a tan seat cover

Rigged up a cupholdet, to hold 30oz mugs & 20oz bottles, in the seat notch. (no image)

Changed the radio to one that worked, which also happened to add blutooth, hands-free.

Bought a bottle jack & jack tools (I had none).

 

Had 2 weeks and ...


Broke down getting on the interstate, went 1/2 mile from
ramp before it wouldn’t move any more.
I spent the 2.5 hour wait on the forum, where a dead fuel pump was suspected.
Not feeling comforable yet working inside a fuel tank, I had it towed to a local mechanic.
Turned out to be a dead distributor.
Back the next morning.

 

Future plans, at this point:
Get tires that I can’t “spin” & “tail slide” from a dead stop, starting in 2nd gear. To do that, I’ll need new rims- looking at 16s to get street performance tires.

Removal & replacement of airbag with aftermarket wheel. Having experienced a first gen airbag (& small scars from the inflation), It’s gone. I LIKE the depowered ones, but not the nutty strong ones.

Ole Red is manual steering, so I need to see what size steering wheel works best.
I’m going to start with a 14.75 wood & a 14” vinyl/leather (not sure which it is-looks/feels like leather, but suspect is a good vinyl) pair of wheels used on my Miata before I decided that I REALLY like 13” wheels on it.
Then, proceed with either 14” or 15” wheels, likely customized to some extent.
I would like to get a 2-spoke rim, but the one I like most is presently $160 on Ebay.
Horn will be moved to the dash & a hole plug will take it’s place- bearing either the T3q logo or the triangle T logo from the old Hilux trucks. I’ll make both, then decide which I prefer.


Doors:
That fabric has GOT to go. So, plan to make a set of cars in garnet, either painted of vinyl, using stock plastic pieces. Rest- stock.
I may also make a set in Scottish tartan, with tartan on the seat cover too- either Black Watch/Campbell or Gordon (basically, black watch with a yelllow stripe in the green)

Dash- ???
Still looking at old images to see what I like. Likely- paint or vinyl garnet area in front of passenger side (no airbag there)- design/shape based on old trucks (Toyota, Internationals, or the like)

 

Thanks.
I thought it was repainted a darker red (Engine bay is slightly lighter shade), but now think it may be original paint too.

Under the bed (taken to ask about spare tire- I have a lead on the tire & have rails, that need paint

 

Steering Wheel Idea, for Custom 2-spoke
Use this:


To make something similar to:


Or


To aim at an updated version of this (using basic Tacoma shell & shape intact)

 

I’d go to a “pick n pull” junk yard and look for a spare.

For the steering wheel, it might not be as custom, but any Toyota/Lexus wheel from the time period should work. I got one from a Toyota Matrix for my Taco. My favorite are some of the Lexus steering wheels, but they’re a little harder to find.

 

Before I spend more $$$
I’m gonna use what I have, to get the parameters of what I want.
I have these 2 now:
Black is 13.75
Wood is 14.5

That 2-spoke is 14.75
There is also a 15” version of the 13” one I run in the Miata (black leather/vinyl, silver spokes with 3 holes each.

The stock rim is 15”
I need to know if 14 works witout more effort (manual steering), or if I need to go to 15”

Update:
15 works much at slow speed than 14. At speed, they are the same. So, 14.75-15” in future!

 

Kit showed up today!
(Expected on this coming Monday)

Airbag gone
Kit on
Wood wheel on (bigger of 2)


More work to be done to “prettify” everythjng- the stock hole in the steering column clamshell is:
Huge
A REALLY odd shape.
So, I’m gonna need to make a plate to cover it.

There should be enough space to slide behind it:


It seems to not really affect steering, though smaller than the old stock one.
I also removed the airbag module, which lightened everything slightly, created a small stash spot, & made the light ... disappear entirely.

Next project:
Toyota horn blanks!

 

New front grill, finally one that ain’t broken in 3 places.
Yipee!

But ...
Found out the passenger fender & the mount for it behind the grill is all sorts of f-ed up.
I had to end up using a hammer & a crowbar (& rigging up new screw points in the fender square holes with stuff in my spare screws box)

Here goes (still needs the gap covers, which I seem to have misplaced):


(Note, the new emblem is an SC flag, made from Toyota truck logo elements- old & new)

 

Steering wheel update:


It’s a modifed version of this: