1980 Toyota Pickup Short Bed - The Toyota of Theseus (2 Viewers)

[greatscott]

My blue truck will turn 40 this July, so I figured it was time to document the trials and tribulations of a truck going through its midlife crisis.

I bought this truck in 2017 after my '97 FZJ80 was killed by a plow. I found it in the classifieds on Mud and it’s been one hell of a machine. We use this truck as our adventure/camping rig and have put a little over 30k miles on it in the 3 years I've had it. As such, this build thread will be a combination of truck stuff and camper stuff.

It’s a blue 1980 Toyota Pickup Shortbed (RN37) with a 4.3L V6 Chevy Vortec, 4L60E Transmission and NP241C swapped in. The PO (@Dynosoar) did a great job keeping everything clean and functioning properly with the motor swap.

As it was pictured in the ad;

After I brought it home to the Eastern Sierra I replaced the door cards with some 1/4” Masonite by tracing the old door card and cut it to fit.

 

[greatscott]

Then I replaced the suspension in the parking lot of my apartment complex. I went with the OME 2” Heavy kit.

Before:

After:

After the door cards and suspension, summer ‘17 was quickly approaching so it was time to build out the bed with a platform and other amenities.

Steel Frame;

Getting Close;

Done!

 

[greatscott]

I took some length of PVC pipe to bend between the topper structure and mounted LED lights.

Added a second battery and Auxiliary fuse panel. I also installed a 600 watt converter, but in 3 years I only used it once, so I took it out.

At first it was great for just me. But soon I had to make room for a bigger bed and added a drop down panel that filled in the space behind the fridge. We can fit a standard full size mattress back there now.

Panel Up;

Panel Down;

Now with full sized folding mattress!

 

[greatscott]

There was a sizable rust hole on the passenger side A Pillar. I had never done any bodywork before, so I asked the PO if he wouldn’t mind welding the patch panel in. The patch looks great and I learned how to weld body panels which has been quite useful with a few holes in the bed.

Swiss Cheese;

Minimal Removal;

And sealed shut;

I added an aftermarket cruise control system from Rostra in October ‘18. Took some tweaking, but it works quite well and its a game changer on long trips. The truck is a hodge-podge of Toyota and Chevy pieces, so I chose a universal system to keep the wiring a little easier to handle and makes it easier to diagnose issues down the road.

Made a mount for the switch;

Control unit tucked in nicely;

 

[greatscott]

I ordered a new truck shell and took delivery in November ‘18. The Can-Back was awesome, it looked cool and did a great job of keeping wind and water out. But I couldn’t lock it securely and the fabric was starting to fall apart from baking in the high desert sun. We also needed a bit more headroom.

The new shell has been a tremendous comfort improvement. I went with a 24” to 30” rise and side doors. I added RGB LED Lights again, but this time by using some C channel with a plastic cover. The lights look pretty slick now.

I installed high steer 7/19 and it was a pretty straightforward process. By this point I've moved into a place with a proper driveway! It fixed the sloppy steering and the squealing is gone. Unfortunately it brought the tie rod pretty close to the oil pan. Not so close that its always a problem, but I’ve been babying it on fast bumpy roads and it hasn’t hit yet. (I’m working to move the tie rod to the factory location now.)

I used the usual frame reinforcement plates and Sky’s ¾ drop arm. That tucked the tie rod end of my drag link nicely in the curve of the frame. I had to do some notching on the cab and front bumper mount to get the box far enough forward.

With the Toyota Pitman Arm:

With Sky's 3/4 drop arm;

In August ‘19 I regeared to 456 and added a Trutrac up front and a Harrop E-locker in the rear. I was on the fence about a trutrac or selectable locker up front, but I’m really happy with the combo I picked.

My fighter pilot locker switch;

 

[greatscott]

On a trip to Santa Barbara in August '19 my transmission crapped out. It sounded bad and felt bad. I had to get the transmission rebuilt.

This spring I started to modify the aluminum camper shell. I have a Hobart and a spool gun, so I welded in some supports for a solar panel, vent fan and a storage box I found cheap at a scratch and dent sale.

After a day or two on our trips in the desert, the fridge runs my aux battery pretty low, so I wanted solar to keep my beer and my bacon cold. Some friends just built an off grid home and had some left over solar supplies, so I got lucky with a top notch charge controller. I installed a Renology 100 watt panel with a Victron 100/20 controller.

I wanted to install a vent fan to help with condensation during the winter and help our dog cool off during the summer. I found a small, simple vent fan and replaced the on/off switch with a dc motor control dongle to adjust fan speed.

 

[greatscott]

The short bed doesn’t leave much room for storage when we are traveling with our dog and bed setup, so I wanted to add storage to the roof as well. We don’t store anything heavy up there, clothes, awning room, leveling pads. It may not look as streamlined as a thule box, but it is solid and works for us. I installed some aluminum angle with holes to bolt the box to. You can see the empty brackets above.

With box mounted;

I installed an Ironman 2M Awning with a few sets of their quick release brackets. It lets me travel with the awning on the side and deploy the awning on either side or the rear.

Deployed off the rear;

 

[greatscott]

In the middle of March ‘20, just before the corona virus shutdown, a friend and I went on a 9 day trip through Death Valley. The trip made it clear I needed to do a big teardown and work on a bunch of little issues, because together they were adding up. I broke down twice. Sheared 3 out of 4 driveshaft bolts on my rear diff and had another run in with some fuel pump issues. Luckily I had a few spare drive line bolts and an empty fuel can to drain my tank into.

Driveline angles, fuel lines, the fuel pump, shock lengths, clearance issues, no e brake, the list goes on. Due to the pandemic I didn't have a job and my Fiancee is working in Oregon till July, so I decided it’s a better time than ever to tear down and take my time. I've also had a bunch of misc parts laying around waiting for attentionWhen I parked it in the driveway for the teardown, the rear driver axle seal started leaking. It was like the truck was trying to communicate with me.

I started on the rear first. I had a 1987 IFS axle sitting around for the right time. Bigger axle tube, bigger brakes. I plan on keeping 33’s, so for a little more clearance I installed the axle shave/plate kit from 4crawler. To keep a magnetic drain plug I replaced the short lower differential stud with a M8 magnetic drain plug I found on ebay.

After the cutting and welding for the axle plate, I had to locate new lower shock mounts. Then I cleaned up the axle and did a couple coats of Chassis Saver and some rubber coating.

The old exhaust setup ran close to my rear driver shock. It melted the plastic dust boot and must have melted the seals, because the shock is crap compared to the other side. I cut and welded a new exhaust from the cat back so I could route it closer to the frame rail and away from my new shiny shocks. I also added a fiberglass/foil heat shield to further protect the shock from over heating. Not sure how long that will survive, but it looks cool!

Also had to add a little spacer plate for my LSPV. Had I double checked when fitting the new axle, I would have just moved the mount from my old axle, but this was quick and easy.

I added some beefy bump stops too.

I rebuilt the rear brakes and replaced the bearing and axle seals. I used the shade tree method to remove the bearing and retainer ring. It really wasn’t too bad. Use ¾ ply on the ground and some thick leather gloves. Make sure you raise the axle as high up as you can, over your head and slam down. Took me 4-5 really good slams. I was replacing everything anyway, just needed the axle shaft to survive. I used 2x2 3/16” wall square tube to hammer the new bearing and retainer on while the axle was seated in the old brake drum to protect the new wheel studs.

I cut a slit in the old retainer, opened it up a bit and used that between the square tube and the new retainer to hammer against.

 

[greatscott]

The rubber coating in my wheel wells was old and flaking off. I peeled most of it off, used a wire wheel for the rest and repainted the wheel wells. While I was at it, I just did the whole frame and underbody of the rear. Spent a lot of time on prep with 2 coats of Chassis Saver and a dusting of rubber spray.

So that's pretty close to present day. I’m still in the middle of a bunch of projects while parts are making their way to me. The rear is mostly together, so in the mean time I've started on the front. I'll get some pictures rolling for that pretty soon here.

Still on the list;
-Shim the axle to fix my driveline angle and order a new driveshaft.
-Drill out t-case flanges for 10mm driveline bolts.
-Waiting on my 3rds to get 529’s from Zuk.
-I have a 4x4 labs rear bumper to mount once the rear is done.
-Rebuild and reinforce the front axle. I’ll also do the ifs hub swap.
-Relocate the high steer tie rod under my springs. I have an Aqualu arm on the way.
-Reinforce the front frame.
-Weld in new shock towers for better travel. OME shocks were limiting full spring travel.
-Repaint the front wheel wells.
-Add more heat protection to the exhaust around my starter and transmission cooler lines.
-Finally install the marlin rock sliders I’ve had sitting around.

The list goes on. Things keep popping up as I move along, so I’m just trying to keep progressing. This truck is like a big kid lego, it’s fun putting all the pieces together.

 

[jgranthevagrant]

Any photos of the 4x4 Labs bumper? Second battery configuration? Where is the camper shell from? Looks like a similar list to mine.

 

[greatscott]

Any photos of the 4x4 Labs bumper? Second battery configuration? Where is the camper shell from? Looks like a similar list to mine.

The 4x4 labs bumper is just like the one on their site for the 1st gen 4 Runner, but with the 1st gen pickup mounts. I'll have photos once it's installed.

The second battery is in the white Taylor box. I used a Blue Sea ML-ACR to control the charging.

Added a second battery and Auxiliary fuse panel. I also installed a 600 watt converter, but in 3 years I only used it once, so I took it out.

View attachment 2320700

The camper shell is from Lifetime Camper Shells, but I think they went out of business.

 

[Cannon88]

Great truck and progress. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ntsqd]

Must suck to have places like Coyote Flats, Silver Cyn., and Mazourka right in your backyard. I'm not jealous. I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!

Nice truck. The 4.3 swap was the leading contender for my Xcab before the rust monster really got it's teeth into it. Did the PO do a slight body lift to make it fit? That was what it was looking like I was going to need to do.

I found that Bilstein's std. 255/70 valving in 5100's worked exceptionally well with the OME std. front springs on stuff like the road into Eureka Dune. Could drive under control pretty much as fast as I wanted to go over stuff like that. Typically about 45 smoothed it right out. I used an A-P hoop kit, but were I to do it again I'd probably use the F-250 towers and try not to cut the inner fenders.
I went with 63's on the rear using WFO's kit and found that the Bils std. valving was a bit light, but that their 275/78 valving (can be ordered that way) had the rear keeping up with the front.

 

[Manhattan]

Great write up! Man... the entire underside of the CapableCamper looks amazing. Nice work. And yeah - jealous of your playground.

 

[Meatdawg]

Very nice work! You have given me several ideas for my 1980 short bed.

 

[greatscott]

Must suck to have places like Coyote Flats, Silver Cyn., and Mazourka right in your backyard. I'm not jealous. I'm not! I'm not! I'm not!

Nice truck. The 4.3 swap was the leading contender for my Xcab before the rust monster really got it's teeth into it. Did the PO do a slight body lift to make it fit? That was what it was looking like I was going to need to do.

I found that Bilstein's std. 255/70 valving in 5100's worked exceptionally well with the OME std. front springs on stuff like the road into Eureka Dune. Could drive under control pretty much as fast as I wanted to go over stuff like that. Typically about 45 smoothed it right out. I used an A-P hoop kit, but were I to do it again I'd probably use the F-250 towers and try not to cut the inner fenders.

The 4.3 is a great motor for this rig. It's easy to diagnose and parts are everywhere. PO used a 1.5" body lift for the install.

I have 12" travel 5125's with 255/70 valving and LROR towers for the front. Already checked the fit and the body lift saves me from having to cut the fenders.

Saline, Eureka and Coyote have definitely taken it's toll on this truck! Can't wait to get back out there. If you're ever in the area shoot me a message.

 

[Dynosoar]

I knew I sold the truck to the right person! It is always hard to part with an old Toyota that you built . Scott you have turned that truck into an awesome machine. Thanks for the update.
Dyno

 

[ntsqd]

You did the original build on that truck? I thought some of the pics had familiar looking backgrounds.
Come to think of it, the truck was at your place when I was there that day so long ago, wasn't it?

How are those Fox's working out?

 

[greatscott]

A little update after a week of cutting and welding. I shaved my front axle housing and added knuckle gussets.

Welding in progress...

Marlin's knuckle gussets...

I added reinforcement plates and taller shock towers to the front wheel wells. The frame was notched to fit the 4.3 and it's exhaust headers and I already had repaired a crack about a year ago. I wanted peace of mind and went with the overkill option. The plates were made to go from the front back, but I installed them from the back going forward so the notches were reinforced with a single piece of metal. I cut and fit more flat stock to fill the frame forward of that.

Checking fit with the old shocks...

And both sides fully welded and cleaned....

 

[greatscott]

I also reinforced the front frame and replaced the crossmember the ran in front of the radiator. The old crossmember was cracking in a few spots and the new one has more room between it and the radiator allowing for an aux cooling fan for those hot desert days.

I've bought the front frame brace from Davez and it has the '84+ bolt pattern for a winch plate. I'd like to get a winch on there and keep the factory bumper and valence. We'll see how that goes.

While scrubbing under the passenger door and getting ready for paint some daylight started poking through. It's not pretty, but I filled the holes for now. I'll have to do a real fix whenever I tear apart the interior. I have a feeling this is from water coming in the hole I had in my roof.

And here is Roxy sleeping on the job...

I have a bit more wire wheeling, some sanding then paint!