85 toyota build

[lateralj]

Hello I just recently finished up my build, or rather got it to a drive-able point.

Never been wheeling, i just have a habbit of letting projects get carried away.

anyway heres pics of my build up hope to see you around :)



started out with an 85 toyota off craigslist.


Came with 38x15.5x15 tire, with 1.5" wheel spacers and longer shackles and a synthetic deck material bed that was attached with woodscrews to the frame. Other than that completely stock, gears, steering, engine, everything.




http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/start_zps298d9194.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/start2_zps7085fb8d.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/start3_zps5ee9b9fd.jpg


when i bought it, it ran rather poorly. Got it home, found a lot of vacum leaks and it only had ~70psi in each cylinder. Pulled off head turns out when previous owner rebuilt, used pistons for and 85+ 22r when it was and 84 22r block and head.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/engine_zps4c187707.jpg


rebuilt the top and bottom end of the motor with correct parts:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/engine2_zps4e5b1d41.jpg


cab floor had some rot in all the usual places, cut it out and burnt in some new sheet metal
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/cab2_zps40308659.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/cab_zpsefa59de3.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/cab3_zps68a619a4.jpg


then truck bed linered the cab
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/cab6_zps6cddb3fb.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/cab7_zpsc511ce00.jpg


moved to the back, pulled the "bed" off found more rot and just all around mess.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frame1_zps68ba8929.jpg

[lateralj]

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frame2_zps8257af8c.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frame3_zpsbe4e13d0.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frame5_zpsd14a0117.jpg


from here got the axles out and rebuilt
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frontaxle_zps5d1b5535.jpg


snagged some arb's with 5.29's off pirate
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frontaxle6_zpsc820b649.jpg


picked up a wider IFS truck rear end from yoda jims, did ifs hubs up front to match width:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/rearaxle_zpsd0d89dde.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frontaxle2_zps275f2fea.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frontaxle8_zpsbd21a5e3.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/frontaxle7_zps70915912.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/axlearmored_zps16199bd4.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/axlepaint_zps23bc3c89.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/rearaxle2_zpse25a9455.jpg

[lateralj]

then made new bed
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC00266.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC00282.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC00276.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC00289.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC002592.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/truck%20bed%20skeleton/DSC002482.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC002653.jpg
painted bed
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC002782.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC002762.jpg


moved to the front built a bumper also picked up some new fenders:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/DSC00312_zpsfd3340b1.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/DSC00318_zpsb251afe6.jpg


picked up a ramsey 9500UT winch from co4x4.org
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/DSC00321_zps36933882.jpg

[lateralj]

beadlocks from DIYBEADLOCKS.com
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/good.jpg
and finally painted the whole frame with por15 and picked up a 3/8 synth line from master pull:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/DSC00615_zps1b31bc72.jpg




and how she sits today:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/build/DSC00619_zps2ff28178.jpg


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00622_zps422e023d.jpg


still need to do a few things, spare tire carrier, plumb some auxilary air lines for tools/tires, need to do something about gas tank, relocating it caused it to hang to low. also build a cage.


about 50 other misc crap but i feel shes close enough now to share thanks for looking, comments crits welcome, hope to see you around :)

[lateralj]

Quite a laundry list of things i want to do:
spare tire mount
incab cage
steering stabilizer or hydro assist
tire balance*balancing beadlocks is a pita*
also still breaking in the motor.

but would not mind hitting a trail some time soon :smokin:

[lateralj]

I found these big big piles of frozen gravel in a parking lot close to my house, and was able to play on them a bit last night. was actually alot of fun. diff lockers are freaking awesome! cant wait to finally get my front drive shaft, hopefully will be here soon.

will probably start bending up a cage today, will update with pics if so.

[Patrolman]

Very nice work! Was that Trex decking for the bed????

[Jim]

but would not mind hitting a trail some time soon

Kick up some dust in the Trail Run Planning forum and I'm sure you'll get interest!!

I've enjoyed watching your process (and the welding humor)...

[lateralj]

​
Very nice work! Was that Trex decking for the bed????
yea that was attached to the frame with wood screws :( it was not ideal, good idea just not executed all that well.

[ctracy5]

Very nice build hope to see you out there soon

[lateralj]

started up on the cage.

rear main hoop:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00647_zpsbd26ee36.jpg

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00654_zpsc46e29dc.jpg


she fits:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00659_zps7a136e99.jpg


trying to get it in, i did this :(

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00663_zpsaec77c13.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00662_zps1f1b26f0.jpg




also i had a front main seal leak problem, this was one i replaced after already having a leak and it was still leaking.

I pop-ed off the crank pulley and this is what the seal looked like, i had not tried to pull it out or touch it yet this was what i saw when i got the crank pulley off:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00674_zpsc88cb5bb.jpg



i think maybee something fell behind the dust sheild and just went to town on the seal, not sure. Anyway, the seal has been replaced and has been leak free for ~1500 miles.

[Fordguy77]

Damn that sucks! Kind of weird it ate the front main so bad! Watching this build it has convinced me to buy that bender!

[Patrolman]

Your crank must be grooved to be able to eat the seal like that. I have never seen one that bad. I believe they make crank sleeve kits.

Nice work on the cage, but too bad for the windshield. If you are really going to wheel it, I guess it was going to crack sooner or later anyways.

[lateralj]

Your crank must be grooved to be able to eat the seal like that. I have never seen one that bad. I believe they make crank sleeve kits.

Nice work on the cage, but too bad for the windshield. If you are really going to wheel it, I guess it was going to crack sooner or later anyways.


yea that seal came out with a speedi sleeve already on, still not sure what happened

[Patrolman]

I wonder if maybe the front of the crank is bent slightly? Wouldn't be unheard of. In any case, it is a lot of work to fix correctly. Probably easier to replace the occasional seal.

[lateralj]

Damn that sucks! Kind of weird it ate the front main so bad! Watching this build it has convinced me to buy that bender!
Honestly Joe at rogue fab has been amazing, if there is something i want to buy, that will be the first place i check to see if they sell something that will do it, really i cant speak highly enough of them.



I wonder if maybe the front of the crank is bent slightly? Wouldn't be unheard of. In any case, it is a lot of work to fix correctly. Probably easier to replace the occasional seal.

I had the crank checked when i had the block apart, heres hoping i did not bend it in the mean time! Also, I'm hoping maybe i just got a bad seal or a fluke series of events, i don't want to spray oil all over the trail :(

[lateralj]

Good news and bad news, good first.

Got some more work done on the cage today, the first main hoop I bent did not fit tight enough into the cab as i would have liked it, so i bent a new one that fits like a glove:

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00734_zps44602697.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00737_zps7474130a.jpg

started on the side supports:


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00679_zpsea7b81ea.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00676_zps4fe71268.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00682_zps89b8974f.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00685_zps17301bdf.jpg

quick test fit before notching to check bend angles:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00686_zps9dae07fb.jpg

[lateralj]

Bad news.

i use a lot of oil when bending to keep things lubed up (way to much honestly) so after finished up the side supports i wanted to clean up the oil spots i made, but was out of kitty litter so i jumped in the truck and headed to the store, then someone decided to turn right in front of me, i looked right into the guys eyes and he just kept turning in. everyone was ok which is all that matters, just really bumed right now:


http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00690_zpsba458b41.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00697_zps8ab8be5e.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00706_zpsc3fd78cc.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00710_zps1b8bfac4.jpg

hit hard enough it sheered the turn stops off the knuckle:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00725_zps83708806.jpg




again everyone was ok which is all that matters, and on the plus side it really built some confidence in my welds, the front hanger i put on and the bumper look like nothing happened other than paint so thats a plus :D

[CS79bronco]

Glad everyone was OK. Sad that some idiot would turn like that. It's a sinking feeling when it happens. I had that happen at night, turning on a left turn arrow & a guy ran the light, then pulled into a parking lot. I followed him into the lot, he floored his car & disappeared. Even with the license # he was never found.

[lateralj]

Glad everyone was OK. Sad that some idiot would turn like that. It's a sinking feeling when it happens. I had that happen at night, turning on a left turn arrow & a guy ran the light, then pulled into a parking lot. I followed him into the lot, he floored his car & disappeared. Even with the license # he was never found.

yea its frustrating when people don't pay attention when driving considering we are all piloting around 3500 lb missles.

but accidents do happen and as far as that goes, this one could not have turned out better since no one got hurt.

I sure am glad i decide to not be lazy and i put the seat belt back in the truck after test fitting the cage to run to the store though!

[Patrolman]

Glad that everyone is OK. Looks like you have some work to do on the front end now. Bummer, but hopefully his insurance covers it.

[lateralj]

yea, be a real shame if i had to link the front now :D already started shopping for kits, just have to see how the insurance works out.

[Hypoid]

Bummer for sure! I'm glad evreyone is still here to tell the story.

[The StRanger]

Must have been a hard hit to brake that
Glad youre OK..

[Popsgarage]

Bummer!

[Brad]

Glad your ok Brandon, sorry about the damage. I came on here to check your progress and thank you for helping with my bumper bends and found this. Keep us appraised on the repairs.

[Cr33p3r]

Good to hear no one was hurt! Sucks that kind of stuff happens while building your rig, looks like you did a great job on building the bumper plenty strong:thumb:.

[lateralj]

used the highlift today to get the drivers wheel un-jammed from the wheel well.

The drivers floor board is tore up something serious, and the drivers side frame has a nice big bend in it.

sigh dont know what im going to do now.

[Popsgarage]

the drivers side frame has a nice big bend in it.

Urgh. That really sucks! Hope his insurance is really first rate!

[scout man]

Brandon, been meaning to tell you, but after watching the way you are oiling your bender I wanted to suggest that you use engine assembly lube on the follower and the die. It will stick around longer and not run all over your driveway like the oil does that you are using now. Even regular grease in the same places would keep your driveway cleaner.

Glad to see your alright, wish the truck was also!

[Patrolman]

Sucks about the frame. Anything else is generally fixable, but sounds like it might be done.

[lateralj]

Brandon, been meaning to tell you, but after watching the way you are oiling your bender I wanted to suggest that you use engine assembly lube on the follower and the die. It will stick around longer and not run all over your driveway like the oil does that you are using now. Even regular grease in the same places would keep your driveway cleaner.

Glad to see your alright, wish the truck was also!


ah dude good looking out! that clevite in my cabinet just got a new use :)

[scout man]

:thumb:

[Patrolman]

Make sure you are finding comparable trucks for when you settle with the insurance. Good to have done a bit of research. Here is one to start:
http://fortcollins.craigslist.org/cto/3626163801.html

[lateralj]

So the other persons insurance company totaled out my truck.

Now i have to get a list of receipts and provide that to them.

I have a bad feeling this is not going to work out well. *grabs lube*

[scout man]

either cut off all the fab stuff you have done, replace the truck with a matching one, and re-use all that fab you have done... or buy it back from the insurance and go full-on buggy with it.

[lateralj]

yea im leaning towards getting another truck and moving all the parts over.

gonna go take a look at this, hopefuly its got a nice frame.

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/3645127962.html

[ctracy5]

Can you "buy" the truck back from the insurance for cheap, it will have a totaled title but still make a great parts truck

[lateralj]

Well the agent said they wont take my truck so i dont think ill have to buy it back. And the title wont get salvaged because its not new enough. Still alot of unknowns though.

[Patrolman]

At least you have your ducks in a row. Too many people get tricked into getting a salvage title for older rigs. Keep in mind, you don't have to provide receipts or prove value necessarily. They should make you a starting offer. The ball is in their court. If you don't like it, you can go back and ask for more, typically with a dollar amount in mind. They might balk, and that is what Small Claims is for. My dad went there and doubled their original low ball offer in the court settlement. If you have comparable rigs to provide that helps your case. Each time I had to deal with an insurance company I provided them the listings for the comparable rigs. Make sure you find the highest price ones since they might still try to negotiate. If you are diligent, it can work out well!

[lateralj]

so i got some advice from pirate about taking it to get the frame straightened.

then called abra and without looking at the vehicle they gave me a estimate of 150-300$ to straighten her out.

I might give it a try then just reinforce the bent area,

[Patrolman]

Wow, that isn't bad at all! And solid axle rigs are easy enough to align, so it could probably still drive pretty well. You are right though, a bent frame, particularly if it is visible, should be reinforced. I am interested to see if they can really straighten the frame. Sounds cool!

[Clickpopboom]

so i got some advice from pirate about taking it to get the frame straightened.

then called abra and without looking at the vehicle they gave me a estimate of 150-300$ to straighten her out.

I might give it a try then just reinforce the bent area,

Hard to put a $ amount on it without measuring it, but if you are in the Aurora/Centennial area the techs at the body shop I work at are top-notch.

[Chris]

I'm not a fan of Abra and have a body shop in the family if you want to get another estimate in Lakewood. Either way I'm happy that it's not too bad to fix!

[lateralj]

would love some other body shops people like if you wanna share. appreciated :)

[Chris]

Here's my recomendation: http://www.perryandterryautobody.com/

Ask for my son-in-law, Joe. He's the front end manager.

[Clickpopboom]

I work here: http://www.proautocollision.net/

[lateralj]

well insurance actually worked out surprisingly painlessly.

ill keep updated as the re-build happens.

[Fordguy77]

Glad to hear that it worked out better than anticipated. Looking forward to the rebuild.

[sunk]

Wow, this is a great thread, I was reading it from the start and was entertained, I yelled out loud when I came to the post about the wreck. Glad to hear your are OK and the other guy had insurance. Looking forward to your new build.

[lateralj]

well every shop i call cant put an 85 on the frame machine cause how old it is they dont have the measurements.

Just got back from yoda jims got a new front housing and driver knuckle.

put 30000lb tow strap on front of frame wrapped around tree in my back yard, threw in reverse. Frame still bent.

Looking for new donor rigs now :)

[Clickpopboom]

well every shop i call cant put an 85 on the frame machine cause how old it is they dont have the measurements.

Just got back from yoda jims got a new front housing and driver knuckle.

put 30000lb tow strap on front of frame wrapped around tree in my back yard, threw in reverse. Frame still bent.

Looking for new donor rigs now :)


I just talked to one of our techs and one of the estimators up in the front office- We can pull the frame, but it will require manual measurements after each pull, so the labor cost can climb pretty quick. Our frame machine has measurements that go back to 82 on the Toyotas, but not the 3d plot required for automeasuring.

[Patrolman]

That is a bummer. I had to straighten the front frame rails on a Miata before. Slid the engine hoist under the car with the wheels still on the ground. Chained it to the bottom and then hooked the boom to the top. Slowly maneuvered it until the bumper mounts were straight again. Frame was nowhere near as strong as a Toyota truck though.

[lateralj]

I just talked to one of our techs and one of the estimators up in the front office- We can pull the frame, but it will require manual measurements after each pull, so the labor cost can climb pretty quick. Our frame machine has measurements that go back to 82 on the Toyotas, but not the 3d plot required for automeasuring.

wow i appreciate you doing that!

Honestly I feel like new frame/donor is the correct way to fix this. The frame was already rusted/rotted to **** when i first got it and i put alot of work in restoring/preventing the same, but now that its bent i dont think its going to be safe even if i re-enforce.

also my old man said he would let me borrow his plasma cutter, which would make things soooo much easier than cut off wheels.

if anyone knows someone selling a 84-85 toyo mini truck feel free to float it in this thread :)

[lateralj]

also, though attaching the truck to a tree and throwing it in reverse was the dumbest thing i have done in a while, it was fun :)

[Chris]

attaching the truck to a tree and throwing it in reverse was the dumbest thing i have doneYou're young, plenty of time to do something dumber!

[ctracy5]

You're young, plenty of time to do something dumber!

It work for my dad with our old VW beetle growing up.

[Fordguy77]

Might have some more luck with a little bit of heat and a portapower setup. I need to push the passenger frame rail out on the 4runner a bit, and that was my plan of attack. But a donor rig would be nice too...

[lateralj]

so i hit the bend with a rosebud torch and smashed it on the tree some more, she pulled out decently!

[Fordguy77]

Glad the heat helped, still might want to put in some reinforcment plates across the bend.

[lateralj]

yea defiantly going to re-enforce. even still i might swap over to a new frame.

i should be able to knock out the front axle this week if i get over this damn cold/flu.

went with marlin armor/gussets/truss/mounts this time instead of TG. The TG stuff did not fit all that well, was not bad, but had to be modified some places so i was not filling a 5/8" gap with weld.

I dont know if axle armor/trussing is even worth it, just warps the housing welding it on and then bends anyway when you crash, oh well its fun to weld.

[glacierpaul]

'frankenyota'? :) Call James at JD Automotive (auto mechanic) 303-274-1217, he builds toyota rigs/trucks and may have a lead on a frame or suggestions for you.

[lateralj]

decided not to be lazy today got a little work done on the new axle:

cutting useless stuff off.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00034_zps31c66fe0.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00031_zps34e36eff.jpg

scrubed it:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00042_zps78f8b716.jpg
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00043_zps1d6fdc15.jpg

wire wheeled and scrubed again:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00046_zps197aa5c3.jpg

armor:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00049_zpsaa512b7d.jpg


obligatory weld shot:
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j285/oishisakana/DSC00054_zps6deb9fc8.jpg



If anyone is looking for axle armor for toy mini axle, I highly recommend the marlin stuff over the TG. Fit is much nicer and the knuckle gussets tie really well into the bump stops and the spring perches, very nice.

[glacierpaul]

Nice!

[Haku]

Not a big fan of those trusses, but the welds look good. The trusses tend to concentrate all the bending force right at the leaf spring pad rather then let the axle flex. The welds look great and that diff armor looks really nice and low profile too. I love Marlin's new knuckle gussets too, SO much better fit then their old ones and whatever Trail Gear sells now.

The easiest and possibly strongest way to do replace a frame is to just build one yourself. You can find frame diagrams easily, and I've seen a couple guys make them out of 3x5 tubing and some fish plates. It also allows you to make it higher clearance then the stock frame. Finding a solid axle frame might be a bit harder then an IFS frame too. 2wd frames should still fit the body, but have higher clearance too.

Looks great, and let me know if you need some wrenching help or anything. I've torn apart and reassembled the front axles on those about 10 times now and it goes pretty quick now.

[lateralj]

Yea I wish i would have gone trusses less on this one. Yea I really liked the marlin stuff a lot, plus they always give you stickers and their stickers are the best.

are those re-centered h1's on your truck in your sig?

[Haku]

Yep....they sure are. I got them from Trail Worthy Fab, which is near Wichita, KS. I got them pretty much as basic as you can get them and then painted them, but they will powder coat them and add rock rings and such. There is a "show and tell" thread on Pirate for them that does a really good job of showing what you can get.... http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/axles-tires-wheels/902637-trailworthyfab-com-show-tell-thread.html

They were super helpful and answered all my dumb questions and even gave me a great deal on shipping them. Just be forewarned, they are heavy as heck, and despite that you should still get them with rock rings if you buy them. The edges of my rims are all messed up from scraping on rocks and stuff. Between my 37" Pitbull Rockers and these rims, I'm at a solid 140 pounds a corner actual weight. I personally will never use any other kind of beadlock then a double beadlock. I've used them down to 0psi with no movement on the bead, and its MUCH safer then clamping a metal ring on the outside of the bead IMHO. They can take some abuse too...


http://youtu.be/JQ7FjzIVnhY

Can you tell I like my wheels?

[lateralj]

I don't blame you, they are sweet.

[Haku]

Yep. They would be even sweeter if they were a size that more tires were available for. Interco and Pitbull make stuff for them, and you can get the Military take offs, but none of the big brands make tires for that size anymore (Goodyear, BFG, etc).

Oh, and if you want more Marlin stickers I have a few for ya. I have a whole pile of them somewhere that I only want a few from.

[Haku]

All of this stuff just reminded me that I've been meaning to buy those rock rings.... so I just ordered a set of this style... http://www.trailworthyfab.com/images/D/HSOFB.jpg