Builds 1980 Agent Orange (4x4 Short Bed) (1 Viewer)

[SMG]

Thanks man! Yeah, she’s a cool old truck that definitely deserves a freshen up. Not a full restore, but close to it. I probably should go more in depth on all the little stuff that I’ve done, basically hitting all the major items.
I love the look of the old school wheels and caps too.

Pretty sure the trucks got similar wheels but never with tabs for hubcaps. I sourced the NOS FJ40 wheels for my '84 from Toyota

 

[SMG]

Yes, that’s the plan. I also welded a 3/8” stringer along the back side of the tube (hard to tell from the pics). The triangle pieces will come later.

I have no plans of trailering anything heavier than a small lawnmower so I should be good.
Eventually, I may go with a different rear bumper all together.


You going to run stringers from the receiver to the the frame? If nit, that tube won't hold hardly ant load. VOE here.

 

[Meatdawg]

Great work, that is a beautiful truck! I am also running the FJ40 wheels with caps and I get a lot of compliments on the look.
Which Holley kit did you go with? Do you have it installed and running yet? I am looking to go EFI on my 20r as well.

 

[SMG]

Great work, that is a beautiful truck! I am also running the FJ40 wheels with caps and I get a lot of compliments on the look.
Which Holley kit did you go with? Do you have it installed and running yet? I am looking to go EFI on my 20r as well.

Thanks! Well I haven’t gotten that far on the thread update, but yes, I am running the Holley Sniper EFI 2300. For some reason they get a bad rap, but for me it’s been working great! Don’t let anyone tell you differently. As long as you install it by the manual, you should be really happy with it.

 

[onemanarmy]

Fantastic truck and glad its getting some love. So refreshing to see someone actually do it right instead of hacking and cutting.

From that maintenance spreadsheet.....tires were expensive back then!

 

[SMG]

Fantastic truck and glad its getting some love. So refreshing to see someone actually do it right instead of hacking and cutting.

From that maintenance spreadsheet.....tires were expensive back then!

Thanks!!! Yeah, I was thinking the same about the tires.

Yes, even though I made some changes/mods to make it more driver friendly, I would never hack on it. That’s what Jeeps are for. LOL!

 

[SMG]

After I finished everything behind the cab. It was time to remove the engine and transmission.

 

[SMG]

My intentions were to have the engine rebuilt, but unfortunately, I confirmed what the previous owner had told me. A small crack in the side of the engine block water jacket that had been JB welded over. I was hoping he was wrong and maybe it was a leak coming from somewhere else.
Not a big deal, as I knew it up front.
Luckily, I found a 22R out of an 1987 that I was able to use as a core and spare parts.
Not to long after, the engine core was shipped out and a new rebuilt engine placed on order.

From the beginning and after driving the truck for a short stint I knew right away that the stock 4-speed wasn’t for me (sorry, no pics). I always found myself looking for that 5th gear. So now the search was on for a new transmission.

Meanwhile, while waiting on the new block and head, I was able to do a deep engine bay / under cab clean.

After everything was degreased and cleaned, I unbolted and raised the cab just enough to finish treating and painting the frame. Once dry, new poly body mounts were installed.

(Pics are not the greatest)

 

[pappy]

Meanwhile, while waiting on the new block and head, I was able to do a deep engine bay / under cab clean.

Don't laugh ... but I've found 0000 steel wool worked great on getting the paint in the engine compartment sparkling.

 

[SMG]

Don't laugh ... but I've found 0000 steel wool worked great on getting the paint in the engine compartment sparkling.

Nice! I’ll have to try that. I know it works wonders on windshields. Thanks!

 

[cruiserdan]

Thanks man! Yes, Factory FJ40 wheels. I do believe you could get them on a pickup as well.
Maybe it was an option, not 100% percent sure.
Currently it sits on 31’s I would like to move up to 33’s at some point.

The 4WD Sport Trucks had the hub caps. The wheels and caps are identical to FJ40 with exception of wheel color.

 

[cruiserdan]

The interior definitely needed some love and unfortunately the dash had been cut. View attachment 2799888View attachment 2799889View attachment 2799890View attachment 2799891

And the roof panel

 

[cruiserdan]

I see it came with a Downey front axle truss. The early housings would bend fairly easily.

 

[pappy]

I see it came with a Downey front axle truss. The early housings would bend fairly easily.

Ya, I thought I saw a bit of old-school Downey on that truck.

 

[SMG]

And the roof panel

Yes, It’s such a bummer. I still haven’t decided how I want to tackle this.

 

[cruiserdan]

Yes, It’s such a bummer. I still haven’t decided how I want to tackle this.

You might be able to get a roof panel. Amayama lists it.

 

[SFROMAN]

Very cool truck. Lots of cool upgrades.

I installed the same lift on my 82 but didn’t like the way the rear most shackle was so I cut the mount off the frame and moved it to improve the angle.

I also went with 33 tires on my truck.

What I didn’t like about the lift is that it gave the truck a much taller lift than I expected.

Here is a photo of mine. It has changed a lot since this photo but it is the same OME as yours. To me it seemed too high.

 

[SMG]

Very cool truck. Lots of cool upgrades.

I installed the same lift on my 82 but didn’t like the way the rear most shackle was so I cut the mount off the frame and moved it to improve the angle.

I also went with 33 tires on my truck.

What I didn’t like about the lift is that it gave the truck a much taller lift than I expected.

Here is a photo of mine. It has changed a lot since this photo but it is the same OME as yours. To me it seemed too high.

View attachment 2803805

Wow! Great looking truck! I sure like the white much better than burnt orange.
Yes, I was worried about the rear springs too.
I ended up taking out the 3rd leaf from the bottom. Now the shackle is slowly creeping backwards instead of forward.
Its riding much better now and seems to be breaking in nicely.

Here is what the rear shackle looked like prior to removal of the 3rd leaf and no bed.

After the leaf was removed and still no bed. I figure I can always put it back in later down the road.
I’ll get a pic with the bed on in a few.

Slowly starting to creep back.

 

[Will Van]

Well it’s been almost a year to the day since I bought this and I’ve procrastinated long enough. I have been wanting another project and have done too much to this truck not to write a thread. Hopefully I can help someone else going down this rabbit hole.

I found this little pickup from another mud member. It’s been well taken care of and spent most of its life in LA. The body and frame are in impeccable condition with no cancer anywhere.
The maintenance records have been kept with an Excel sheet dating back to January 1980, in which I have continued from here on out.

Since the body and the frame are in such nice condition, my plans were to make it run and drive like a new truck but keep it as original looking as possible. No rock crawler here.

Here are some pictures of it being loaded onto the trailer prior to arrival.
View attachment 2799174View attachment 2799177View attachment 2799185View attachment 2799186

Awesome truck and great work!

I love the early style tailgates with the dual latches.

 

[SMG]

Eventually, I found two different 5 speed transmissions somewhat local to me.

An L52 that was out of an 1983 4x4.

And a W56 out of a 1986 4x4 pickup.

I decided to go with the W56 only because, I have read that they are supposedly quieter and a little stronger. The 1986 model W56 also has the metal bearing center plate.

In all actuality, I probably should have went with the L52, only because of the modifications that I had to make for the W56.

So off to Marlin Crawler for a full rebuild.