R and R of Brody's 84 PU

[Brody]

I picked up an 84 4x4 PU that needs some TLC. I am going to post some pictures as I am going through it, what I found wrong and how it was fixed. It is all basic stuff, but it might help someone out down the road and will certainly be a reminder for folks to do a little periodic maintenance on their rig before it gets to this state.

Here is a picture of the engine compartment after I used about 3 cans of degreaser on it..that is why it's shiny..but before I washed it. It had a major engine leak through the valve cover that had been blowing oil over everything..

Since this is going to be a work truck, it isn't going to get built up, merely tuned, tightened, hoses replaced and re routed, carb sorted out, oil leak fixed, new shocksx4, greased, oil changed, some rust removal done and some body work work done. Then a quick prep and paint. Should end up with a nice clean little ride. Final budget on this, including the paint is $2k.

[WINKY]

nice!!

[Pathrat]

Great idea to post as you go. The description and pictures will help me! Thanks!

[Brody]

1984 Pick Up continued

Today I named the beast….Charger…befitting of the many horse power the 4 banger provides..

Here is what I found and repaired…The pictures show before and after shots but won’t correspond to the text, but are in order as to before and after shots:

Wires were a bit of a mess : rewired as needed, soldered and sleeved with heat shrink. Taped up any others to keep ‘em neat.

Vacuum lines were broken in spots, missing in others: replaced all bad lines/missing lines

Replaced PCV valve and rerouted the hose

Replaced all the spark plugs and used anti-seize on the threads and boots

Replaced the valve cover breather with a one way valve. The old one was a simple breather and was blowing oil all over the entire engine compartment.

Replaced the air cleaner and cleaned the cleaner housing. The black puddle on the floor of the garage is the junk that came out of the housing.

Blew out all the lines with carb cleaner.

Cleaned the carb, but didn’t take it off (yet) seems ok for now

Replaced the fuel filter. The one that was on it was ok, but designed for a direct Toyota replacement. The mount was missing, which was causing the filter to rub on the frame/fender. I put a straight in line filter in that eliminated this problem.

Changed the oil and filter

Changed the shocks. The old ones were hammered and affected the driving. Since I am going to be using this as a work truck, I stuck some cheapo Monroes on it. The ride was vastly improved.

I used about 6 cans of degreaser to remove all the built up crud in the engine compartment and underneath the truck. Between the mud and oil, there was so much junk under the truck that I couldn’t see the zerk fittings, nor could I see about half the nuts and bolts that I am going to tighten up.

I also replaced the distributer cap and rotor. The old cap was ok, but showed signs of arcing. The rotor was slightly toasted.

Tomorrow (or the next day) I will tighten everything I can get my hands on underneath, adjust the E Brake, adjust the clutch, grease anything that has a zerk fitting, oil anything that looks like oil might help it, fill or replace all the gear fluid. The last depends on whether or not I find traces of water in it (it will be brown and sort of sludgy if it has been contaminated).

Down the road a bit, but not critical is a front end tear down and rebuild. I will do a standard rebuilt on it, replacing all the gaskets and seals, repacking the wheel bearings and Birfields, and replacing the Timken (think king pins…this is a Yota) bearings.
The other thing that I am going to do, since this is on the cheap, is I am going to fill the gaps around the rubber on the carrier bearing. This still allows flex where it is needed, but eliminates a lot of play. I actually need to do this same thing for the carrier in my other rig….Cheap fix and pretty much guarantees not having to fix the carrier for a long time…

So far, this is what I do to any vehicle I buy, whether it is a car or 4x4. I don’t care what the prior owner says he or she has done. What this does is give me a very good starting point for keeping my own records and I know just what has been done, what date, etc. I have also been through just about everything on the car/truck without major disassembly and end up with a really good feel of what needs to be done or watched. It is a bit of a PITA, but well worth it in the long run.

Would I drive this cross country yet? No…not until I do all the rest of the stuff and probably not until I repack the front wheel bearing and rebuild (seals, gaskets, Timken bearings) the front end, then no problem.

I also realized that with this rig being an antique carbed engine, it is the absolutely perfect rig to do the Brown’s Gas stuff on. All I really have to do for that is to plumb it in and hook up some wires for it….This will be forthcoming as I get time….

[Brody]

More

[Brody]

More yet

[Brody]

And the last ones for now. You need to keep in mind that the entire engine compartment was cover with about 1/8" or more of black oily film and that the undercarriage has so much built up grime that you couldn't see the linkage on the steering arms..now you can see both. I am going to get a pressure washer one of these days....

[Funrover]

I wonder how long this rig will stay close to stock.... Looks to be coming along nicely Pete

[4Runninfun]

i was kinda thinking the same thing, but i think as brody drives this around town more and more he'll appreciate the ability to maneuver through traffic and get into tight parking lots easier. it's like when i was on 35's they were fun but you loose small cars very easily and maneuvering around is just that much easier.

[Patrolman]

Nice work! As soon as you are done with all that you can do the work that my 87 truck needs! :) Basically all the same stuff as it has been poorly neglected. Bad owner, bad owner.

[Pathrat]

Says Brody:

"Replaced the air cleaner and cleaned the cleaner housing. The black puddle on the floor of the garage is the junk that came out of the housing."

Do you mean you replaced the air filter and all that crap was from the filter housing? You know I am trying to suck up all the auto information I can comprehend (pictures and small words preferred) so I want to make sure I have this right.

What is that black and silver cone thing? See pictures 6 and 13

I really like that truck, nice pick!

[Patrolman]

Just a FYI, if you don't plan on doing any serious wheeling with the truck and want the extra load capacity, the TJ coils are great. I love having the ones in my truck. Can walk you through the options if you want.

[WINKY]

good to see the heat shrink came in handy man!

[Brody]

Work truck, so no mods. The off road rig will get a hydro assist, plus the 63" springs and will slowly get built up more.

The sliver cone thing is a small air cleaner, like what both Chris and I used on the OBA conversion intake and what you can also use on an extended differential breather line. The guy had this in place of the stock Yota one for his valve cover breather, which is supposed to be a one way valve. This was the main cause of all the oil inside the engine compartment and under the rig.

Yes the huge black puddle of junk was from the inside of the air cleaner housing. The air clear element was actually sitting in a puddle of black oily crud..

[Roostercruiser]

what color are you gonna paint it

[Brody]

Factory White or Tan..whatever the insides of the doors and hood are...some POS factory color for that year...This is a stock truck, after all...

[Brody]

Started the underneath tightening of stuff on Charger yesterday along with some exhaust repair.

Everything was loose..every nut and bolt I stuck a wrench on needed at least a full turn! The exhaust manifold was missing two suds and i nut and all of the nuts were just flopping about. I have to remove to Yota guard under the engine today and see what is up under that..can't wait for the surprises there...

This is something that I do every 2-3 weeks as a matter of course on my rig simply because it is the kind of stuff that bites you in the butt on the trail if you don't. I don't see why someone lets their heap get to this point. It is way more important on a trail rig than than a DD as you are usually a long way from parts/help when your rig breaks down...

I also redid the 'ass repair' on the muffler. Something new to me when I got into it: not only was the muffler sticking down and jammed against the frame rail, but the cut off pipe was about 18" long and the muffler was slid over this. The muffler wasn't doing anything at all. I merely re attached the reducer to the end of the pipe (like it should have been done in the first place) and stuck an angled end on the muffler. Then I welded up all the joints and welded attachments to the frame for the piping. Now I am glad I never throw junk away. I had a couple of those weird rubber frame hangers kicking around along with those oddball bent pieces of 3/8 steel that attach them to the frame rails. In addition, I also had some of the other "L" shaped pieces that attach these to the muffler that I had cut off from something else and stuck in my junk box..

Anyway, now the truck sounds like a nice little 22R and actually seems to run better with the exhaust flowing out the muffler instead of blowing out gaps in the manifold...

[Chris]

Looking forward to seeing it Pete. Sounds like it's coming right along.

[Brody]

To me, most of the stuff on this truck is about what you would do before a Moab trip...similiar to the wheel bearing packing party that Raisin Sun does..preventative maintenance..and after a hard wheeling trip...It goes a long way..

Anyway, I have to have starting point for continued maintenance, so this is a good way to do it. I also should mention, if I haven't already, that I do this on every vehicle that I ever buy used...

[Chris]

Raisin Sun

:lol:

I had my external HD hooked up yesterday and ran across this RS Logo someone posted.

[1freaky1]

It is a good lil truck from when I saw it, just lots of neglect on the previous owner Pete you have done a lot on it since I first saw it and each time I am over it is moving right along! Nice job!!!

[Brody]

Thanks so much for the thought! I am actually good for parts...just need a junkyard lower front bed body panel and some minor interior stuff. Truck was sound mechanically, just in extremely bad need of some TLC maintenance stuff.....and the removal of about 40 lbs of accumulated oily sludge...down to the fine tuning..minor stumble at idle and won't idle well below 1100 RPM, but that is all minor.

Running much better, sounds better, eliminated about 3/4 of the odd rattles, steers and brakes better and the new EL Cheapo shocks make it ride much nicer. Amazing what a little time, PB Blaster, WD, wrenches and tune up makes...

[Brody]

Charger got a little love yesterday. Got the whole cab undented , sanded down, bondo'd where necessary and primed. Now just gotta do the bed.

Paint color will end up being whatever my neighbor has in his garage from a body shop buddy or the stock Yota white like the inside of the doors.

[4Runninfun]

wow! what a difference. looks good!

[WINKY]

i was just over there monday, and you did this???? man you work fast! looks new! what ya gonna paint it?

[Brody]

Thanks...that was 7 hours start to finish, including a bunch of dents in the hood, top of the cab, some around the fender wells, and one big one low down behind the passenger door. Still have some smaller ones that showed up after the primer, but these are minor to fix..

Paint will be what my neighbor has in his garage left over from a trade with a body shop guy or basic Toyota white, which it was before. Under the hood and inside of the doors are white and it just isn't the kind of rig I am gonna spend much time on. Clean and running well is what I am after...

Then it becomes a 'for sale' work truck...

[Funrover]

Looks great!

[1freaky1]

7 hours, it would have been at least one hr less if I wasn't there to distract you from working on it. It is looking good Pete.

[Brody]

Jumped into the rear today...wasn't especially looking forward to it as there were rust holes above both rear fender wells and a very large hole in the lower driver's side quarter panel. My light metal welding is slowly getting better (Thanks Sean, for the pointers!) and I was able to cut and patch in a piece for the large hole and fill the smaller ones. The remaining holes are for the silly plastic fender well guards.

Luckily for me I am planning to do a Dupli Color truck bed coating for the whole lower half of the truck. I gives me a little leeway as far as repair work finish goes...

My next shot at the truck is going to be the last picture where, if you look closely, you can see that not only is the area under the right rear light caved in, but it got hit hard enough to buckle the bed and the upper rail a bit. Rather than replace the bed (providing I can even find one in decent shape...it isn't in the budget, anyway..) I am going to try to straighten this up using heat, my winch and a large hammer...and some Bondo...

I can use a pointer or two here as this is a bit beyond what my body work skills are. Here is what I plan to do: bolt a steel plate through the body section that is most bent, bolt a u bolt through that, heat it up and start slowly pulling it with the winch as I hammer on it...Aside from the actual point of impact just below the tail light, it looks as though I need to move it back out between 1/2 and 3/4 of an inch..Anyone done this before??

[4Runninfun]

wow body hard to believe it's the same truck after only a few weeks with you. good work! I am going to do the bed liner on my truck this summer as well. I think it's one of those few things you can do that look as good as it is functional.

[Brody]

I am going to do the bed liner on my truck this summer as well. I think it's one of those few things you can do that look as good as it is functional.

Thanks!

I did the bed of the truck with the brush on el cheapo dura bak that you can get at the discount auto parts. I used a couple of cheap brushes to work it into the corners and rolled the rest out. It went on about 1/8" thick and was an absolute misery to grind down to bare metal when I bobbed the bed! That stuff is pretty much on to stay. I think that it cost me less than $50 and ended up being pretty uniform and nice looking. Beats the $350 I was quoted for Rhino Lining...Only thing you want to watch, besides the basic prep stuff, is to do it on a cool day or in the shade. It dries VERY fast...oh, yeah...don't get any on your hands..it'll be there for a month or so....

This one is getting the same treatment...

[Funrover]

WOW..... I feel like a total slacker now.... When Can I bring my 65 and benz over???? I really need to learn body work. Pete the bedliner really makes it nice and as Jon said it looks good but is also functional.

[Brody]

WOW..... I feel like a total slacker now.... When Can I bring my 65 and benz over???? I really need to learn body work.

I am barely good enough to do my own body work. Replacing the rusted out metal panels today was a first time for me. Straightening the back like I need to do, I have never done before either. I am not too bad on basic dings and dents or even big dents, but 'not too bad' surely isn't good, especially when body work is involved. I have straightened and painted about 6 or 8 trucks and cars and one boat, but the best I seem to be able to do is about a 5-10' paint job...just letting you know..Happy to show you what I do know, you ever want to come up this way. It will at least give you the basics...

[JeepersCreepers]

Looks good. I need to learn me some made body work skillz and a whole mess of other skills

[Funrover]

Looks good. I need to learn me some made body work skillz and a whole mess of other skills

X2 I am there with ya

[Brody]

There used to be a Basic Body Work and Painting book out that Checkers and all the discount places carried. It wasn't great, but certainly got you started in the right direction. You don't really need a lot of specialty tools, either, to do basic stuff. I have done everything on this truck, minus the welding part, with a ball peen hammer, cheap dent puller, some wood blocks, a random orbital electric sander, a drill (for the dent puller), a small drywall rasp, sheet sandpaper and Bondo. Where the rust was bad, I used a 4" grinder with a coarse wire wheel to clean it up.

[1freaky1]

Pete what happened to that quarter panel? As for getting it straightened out your idea is probably the best for pulling it out, a shop back in the day would have used a hydrualic pump with a wedge to open it back up from behind it but now they all just replace the panels.

[Brody]

I think homey that owned it backed into a rock or stump pretty hard. He also could have driven over something and landed on this same spot...Looks more like he hit something...

The big hit was just below the light, so it tweaked the side mount for the light/tail gate lower down. I can get something around the very base, just above the bed and winch from that. It is going to be interesting, whatever I do...If that doesn't get it straight enough, I can always cut it below both lights, pull it and slide a sheet of 18 guage in there and do something with that I suppose...

[1freaky1]

Well if it comes to cutting it out let me know and you can pick up a piece a metal from me if you need it.

[Brody]

Thanks Sean!

[Roostercruiser]

thats really turning out very nicely looks great:thunb:

[Brody]

I had gone to the junkyard awhile back and picked up a few things for my 84. I got a heavy rubber bed liner out of a Chevy ($10) and all of the interior plastic trim plus new visors out of an 87 for $20. I don't have the $$ to Rhyno line the bed, so the rubber liner is a stop gap measure right now. after I Rhyno line it, I'll be able to use the rubber somewhere else...

Anyway, the interior was a mess, with years of accumulated mud, grease and weirdness in the carpets, on the seats, on the door panels, etc. The drivers side seat mounts had broken...the back the mount itself and the front the spot welds (!!). The plastic was in such bad shape that you could literally crumble it in your hands.

I took some dish soap and a scrub brush and scrubbed every surface inside the truck, then hosed it out...it will dry out sometime..Then I ground off the rust in the bed and recaulked all the corners. I cut down the bed liner and got it installed, then removed the side windows to replace the plastic panels.

All in all, not a bad return on $30 as it now looks 100% better. I still have a little bit to go, but mainly touch up painting on the console and the door insides. The dash is cracked to beat the band, but I think I will just go with a dash cover on this.

Here are some pictures

[Brody]

And the last 3

[Funrover]

There was nothing wrong with the seat.. it just provided extra entertainment

[Brody]

There was nothing wrong with the seat.. it just provided extra entertainment

Bet there was a good story behind the seat, too. Either that, or there was a 500 pound driver at some point! It would take a lot to break the seat mounts...

[Patrolman]

Looks good! You have more patience with the scrubbing. Personally I would have pulled the seats and the carpet and taken everything to the car wash. I car wash seats on a regular basis. I have been doing that for 15 years now and it works really well. Also works on the carpet. Things dry out in a day or so here, so the vehicle isn't down too long.

[4Runninfun]

as always pete looks better every time.

[ShutUpHippie]

as always pete looks better every time.

x2 :thunb: