not much to update about....

Now finished 3 of 4 wheels and working on the 4th... getting faster and better as I go. The last one will be the best one. HA!

I've ordered a bunch of assorted screws and clips and nuts and bolts and brackets to replace broken or corroded originals. All told about $100 worth.

The new fenders and box sides are in my garage waiting to be installed. I've got a bunch of stuff I want to do but I have to figure out how to prioritize.... so I'm gonna focus on getting it painted and back on the road. Once I'm finished the wheels I'll take off the other fender and and hood and cowl remove the bed. The old bumper back needs to come off and it looks like the big aftermarket class 4 hitch was welded to the frame so I'll probably have to cut that off. Once the bed is off I can clean up the frame a little bit and hit it with some undercoat.

Then I can begin to prep for painting. I plan to paint the hood and fenders and cowl and bed off the truck for a more even finish. This will allow me to paint the back of the cab too. I think I'll paint it with the doors shut as the doorjams are in excellent shape and the original paint there still has some lustre.

Other little details I want to fix like blasting and painting the drums can be put off.

fender was ugly but body is in excellent shape underneath

before

after

75 cents worth of paint instead of 60 bucks to replace

Slow Progress

Chipping away at this truck an hour or two at a time....

-Ordered new box sides and fenders for a reasonable price
-Found some center caps in decent shape from a guy in Ottawa
-bought a nice used back bumper
-2 of 4 wheels refinished now
-Stripped and painted the skid plate

I pulled a fender off and was pleased to see that there is little to no corrosion underneath.

Original Brochure

Found this on a Toyota Resource site and donated 5 bucks to download it. Kinda cool. . I think mine's a DLX with a few options added. This brochure is probably a USA version and Canadian market trucks often have different configurations.  It definitely had the 31 inch tire package so I would assume it has the 4.56:1 gears. It has bucket seats but not sport seats. It has the am/fm cassette deck (didn't check how many speakers) but no power windows, no cruise. It has a tach, tripmeter and clock so it must have the "touring package" and appears to have the window package.  It has the automatic disconnecting differential, which I'm not sure is the same thing as the "4WDemand". I'm not sure if it has the rear ABS. I'll have to take a closer look. The original owners jokingly referred to it as "hunter's spec".  It has tilt steering and full carpeting.

A few pics and videos

forgive me for the spastic ADHD nature of the videos.... If you use snapchat I don't have to explain.

Bit of progress so far:

New Project... Ideas and wish list

Through my work I recently acquired a 1991 Toyota 4x4 pickup. It's a Xtracab with the 3.0L V6 and 5-speed manual transmission. It was built in Japan (some of these trucks were built in Fremont California) The owner had bought it new 25 years ago and only drove it 178000 Kms. It was never driven off road. It was immaculately maintained and came with all the documentation. Serviced at the same shop since new, it had every single recommended maintenance performed right up to the point where I bought it. All fluids and filters changed as required, recent muffler replacement, new brakes, new tires, timing belt, cam cover gaskets, battery, windshield, and much more. Mechanically the truck is immaculate. It starts and runs smoothly with no noise, no smoke. The transmission and clutch work superbly and the transfer case clicks into 4WD with minimal effort and no noise. The interior is almost perfect but for a small tear on the side of the driver's bucket seat.

Cosmetically, the truck has some issues. The body is mostly rust-free... the cab, doors, floor, hood and bed are in great shape. The front fenders have some bad areas around the wheel arch and the bed sides are rotted with rust. The truck had a camper installed at one point, and holes were screwed into the bed rails to mount iron bars. They weren't properly treated and this is where the corrosion originated. Had it not been for that camper the truck would be almost perfect, but for the Cardinal Red paint, which is oxidized and faded. The chrome back bumper is rotten.

My initial plan for the truck was to recondition it a bit, drive it a little while and flip it for a modest profit... but... the more time I spend with this truck the more I like it and I'm running the risk of becoming attached.....

What I've done so far:

-oil and filter change (not fun... idiotic oil filter location on the 3.0 V6)
-cleaned up and painted rusty screw heads and brackets (battery strap, overflow tank holder)
-strip and paint steel wheels (1 down 3 to go)
-remove crappy hood deflector

What I plan to do:

-strip and repaint the front skid plate. maybe the fuel tank plate too.
-replace the centre caps (the originals are corroded beyond repair)
-undercoat rusty frame parts and paint rusty suspension parts
-replace back bumper
-remove camper brackets and wires
-detail under hood and interior

What I might do if it makes $ense:

-replace fenders
-replace bed sides
-paint job

I would need to pay someone to weld the box sides on but I could do the rest myself. The paint will be far from perfect but I see this as a nice daily driver, not a show truck.