Long time Toyota guy, just picked up my first 1990 HDJ81 and figured I'd do a build thread on my progress so far. I purchased her at auction in Osaka, Japan about 3 months ago, but only took delivery about 2 weeks ago in Long Beach. It was surely the longest and most excruciating wait of my life! She's got 264k seemingly well maintained kilometers on her, and is in pretty amazing shape considering her age! There is a bit of peeling paint on the rear right fender flare, but the rest of the paint is mostly intact. There's also a heavily cracked dash, and extremely faded interior plastic that's being restored now.
Now, on to the good: triple locked with factory winch (and winch controller), working center freezer/fridge with ice-cube trays, cruise control, rear disc brakes, sunroof, and much more. The motor runs very smooth, and trans shifts relatively well albeit a bit rough, or more truck-like than I'm used to. I suspect an ATF flush as well as kickdown cable adjustment will sort this out.
The plan: She's got some play in the steering, about 2.5" inches in fact, but I suspect a busted tie-rod is contributing to this. So I won't make any adjustments to the box until I have all brand new steering ends and tie rod ends. I'd hate to overadjust and cook my box in the process. The shocks are also completely blown, so I'll be replacing with brand new OEM shocks for now. Fox 2.0's down the road, but I have a strict budget from this stupid Dave Ramsey class, so I got to prioritize.
This trucked is slated to be my new client car/DD (I'm a Realtor), so it must present very well. So the emphasis will be on maintenance, aesthetics, noise, and ride quality. To the first goal, BEB's are en route, the front end will be completely redone, front and rear axles rebuilt, all fluids changed to Toyota brand, and belts/thermostat replaced. I still have 44k km's left on t-belt and water pump, so I can put that on the backburner for now.
For aesthetics, the truck will receive a full paint job, less the door jams, in Nissan KAD metallic. The front bumper will be replaced with either a TJM T17 or a Slee without hoops. I'll also be looking to retain the factory winch, so I'll need to do more research on this and see what's involved. The wheels will be swapped to Level 8 Strike 6's repainted in a gunmetal finish, and the tires will be 265/75/16 Duratracs in load range C. The window tint will be 50% from B pillar back, 70% on driver/passenger, and then 90% on windshield. New DEPO glass headlights fitted with a DDM projector HID kit (55w, 4300k) will also be installed.
I'm literally copying this color scheme since I'm so lazy!
For noise, I'll be doing sound deadening install throughout the floor boards and doors, although I haven't decided on a brand yet. I'll be retaining the factory exhaust and mufflers, although I'm considering swapping out the small muffler under the driver's door for a catalytic converter to help with diesel fumes at idle. While this isn't hugely important to me, it's important that clients don't think I drive a tractor. I'll also be installing a 3" electric exhaust cutout that will dump right in front of the rear right tire. This will be fed by a 3" downpipe with no other restrictions. This way, I'll be able to dial up the fun once I'm clear of clients.
Finally, ride quality. This is an issue which I constantly obsess over. Before my truck arrived, I was anxious that the solid front axle would create a very harsh ride. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how smooth these trucks ride. Miles better than either of my old 4runners. However, I'm sure this would be ruined very quickly by installing poorly valved shocks and a lift kit; just like my 4runner. So I'll be taking my time experimenting with different setups. It's imperative that the truck stay at stock height so as to make ingress and egress easier for clients. So I'm stuck with factory springs or 861/862's. So as mentioned above, I'll initially be running new OEM shocks to establish a baseline. From there, I'll most likely try 861/862 and make sure I don't gain too much height. Finally, if I find myself driving "past" the capability of the shocks off road, I'll upgrade to Fox 2.0 IFP's. So comfort trumps all with this build.
I'll be doing several other smaller projects along the way, documenting as much as I can with my trusty $100 Craigslist SLR. Projects such as double-din navigation install, interior restoration, exterior trim restoration, carpet refresh, leather seat swap, and more. So, just like all my past build threads, I have very thick skin, so lay on the comments, criticisms, and questions!
Now, on to the good: triple locked with factory winch (and winch controller), working center freezer/fridge with ice-cube trays, cruise control, rear disc brakes, sunroof, and much more. The motor runs very smooth, and trans shifts relatively well albeit a bit rough, or more truck-like than I'm used to. I suspect an ATF flush as well as kickdown cable adjustment will sort this out.
The plan: She's got some play in the steering, about 2.5" inches in fact, but I suspect a busted tie-rod is contributing to this. So I won't make any adjustments to the box until I have all brand new steering ends and tie rod ends. I'd hate to overadjust and cook my box in the process. The shocks are also completely blown, so I'll be replacing with brand new OEM shocks for now. Fox 2.0's down the road, but I have a strict budget from this stupid Dave Ramsey class, so I got to prioritize.
This trucked is slated to be my new client car/DD (I'm a Realtor), so it must present very well. So the emphasis will be on maintenance, aesthetics, noise, and ride quality. To the first goal, BEB's are en route, the front end will be completely redone, front and rear axles rebuilt, all fluids changed to Toyota brand, and belts/thermostat replaced. I still have 44k km's left on t-belt and water pump, so I can put that on the backburner for now.
For aesthetics, the truck will receive a full paint job, less the door jams, in Nissan KAD metallic. The front bumper will be replaced with either a TJM T17 or a Slee without hoops. I'll also be looking to retain the factory winch, so I'll need to do more research on this and see what's involved. The wheels will be swapped to Level 8 Strike 6's repainted in a gunmetal finish, and the tires will be 265/75/16 Duratracs in load range C. The window tint will be 50% from B pillar back, 70% on driver/passenger, and then 90% on windshield. New DEPO glass headlights fitted with a DDM projector HID kit (55w, 4300k) will also be installed.
I'm literally copying this color scheme since I'm so lazy!
For noise, I'll be doing sound deadening install throughout the floor boards and doors, although I haven't decided on a brand yet. I'll be retaining the factory exhaust and mufflers, although I'm considering swapping out the small muffler under the driver's door for a catalytic converter to help with diesel fumes at idle. While this isn't hugely important to me, it's important that clients don't think I drive a tractor. I'll also be installing a 3" electric exhaust cutout that will dump right in front of the rear right tire. This will be fed by a 3" downpipe with no other restrictions. This way, I'll be able to dial up the fun once I'm clear of clients.
Finally, ride quality. This is an issue which I constantly obsess over. Before my truck arrived, I was anxious that the solid front axle would create a very harsh ride. I was pleasantly surprised to see just how smooth these trucks ride. Miles better than either of my old 4runners. However, I'm sure this would be ruined very quickly by installing poorly valved shocks and a lift kit; just like my 4runner. So I'll be taking my time experimenting with different setups. It's imperative that the truck stay at stock height so as to make ingress and egress easier for clients. So I'm stuck with factory springs or 861/862's. So as mentioned above, I'll initially be running new OEM shocks to establish a baseline. From there, I'll most likely try 861/862 and make sure I don't gain too much height. Finally, if I find myself driving "past" the capability of the shocks off road, I'll upgrade to Fox 2.0 IFP's. So comfort trumps all with this build.
I'll be doing several other smaller projects along the way, documenting as much as I can with my trusty $100 Craigslist SLR. Projects such as double-din navigation install, interior restoration, exterior trim restoration, carpet refresh, leather seat swap, and more. So, just like all my past build threads, I have very thick skin, so lay on the comments, criticisms, and questions!