Build 1984 Pickup "NEKBONE" Rebuild

[Wyatt Pine]

I have been trying to sell my cab and frame for months now. I got contacted JUST now for the cab but the frame might end up being cut up and scrapped. Too bad you're not closer. I can probably cut chunks off of what you need and ship?? It's an 88 standard cab 4x4.

I think Ospho inside the frame rails is a good idea. Just make sure it's completely flushed out and compatible with whatever you coat the inside with.

I appreciate it, I now have chunks of frame sitting at my dads place from a donor chassis, next time I have another reason to remove the bed, I'll swap out the crossmember. The rest of the repairs went well and are hopefully permanent.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

After fixing up the frame and floors I moved on to the windshield frame. I found a cab and chassis pickup at my local pick n pull, so I sawzalled the windshield and frame out of it to cut apart for my truck.

I ended up needing to cut out most of the windshield frame. I was able to do the repair without removing the dash. Which probably wasn't worth it, since it needs a heater core anyway.

 

[projectTonka]

The determination, must be a lot of sentimental value, looking forward to seeing the progress continue.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

After wrapping up the majority of the rust repair I started stripping the green paint, and multiple rattle can paint jobs, off of the truck. I ended up using Aircraft stripper, none of the "environmentally Friendly" paint strippers would touch that green paint. I have no clue what kind of paint it was, but it was thick and really tough.

I really like the original 3B2 Red Wine paint. I believe it was a 1984 only color.

I also had 20 or so cans of tan spray paint I bought a few years ago. I bought them to paint the Isuzu Trooper I had. I never got around to it, so Tan it is! (for now)

 

[Wyatt Pine]

After painting the frame and most of the cab (at least primer) I placed the now rust free cab back on the mostly rust free frame. With some beautiful help.

We ended up using an engine lift with a block of wood secured through the shifter hole in the floor. Worked out GREAT would highly recommend. Just be careful of the dash.

I used the Enegergy Suspension poy bushing kit that came with all suspension bushings and all cab mount bushing. I had no issues with them.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

After putting the cab back on the chasis, I started finishing up the body work and getting this thing driveable. I still haven't really driven the truck at this point, so I am itching to get it driving.

I still had the windshield from the junkyard truck that donated its windshield frame so I was able to reuse that glass since I could not find one locally. I don't have any pics of install, I can say, I wish I had one of the big suction cups the professional glass installers use.

I also grabbed a cheap used set of 33's from Facebook market place. One of the old tires had some serious wear.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

At this point, September 2024, I had worked on getting the 'Nekbone' to operating condition, mainly afternoons and weekends, for 5 months. I had only driven it a mile. I was really itching to get out and use it. I planned a trip with my Father and Sister to go to Frisco, Outer Banks NC and drive on the beach. I buckled down and spent all of my spare time prepping the truck. Once I had the body back on I focused on any mechanical issues I came across. I started with replacing the distributor with a new unit with working vacuum advance.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

I also spent a lot of time removing wire nuts and extra wiring from the engine harness. A chevy 1-wire alternator was swapped in at some point. The dash light was never connected, causing constant Brake and Charge lights on the dash. I also bought a trail-gear chevy alt bracket. Someone had used the factory toyota alternator mount and a home made adjuster.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

I had replaced the front leaf spring bushings when I had the front axle removed for resealing. When I attempted to install the front drive shaft I was unable to move the splines on the drive shaft. At ALL. I am assuming the front add-a-leafs were so stiff that the suspension never really articulated and allowed the driveshaft to rust.

After a lot of heating and beating, and cutting the dust shield off. I was able to get the halves apart, clean and grease the splines and reinstall. I used a dust boot for a JK wrangler to seal off the splines, since I cut the dust shield off.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

Haven't posted in a while, time to play catch up!

After fixing the front drive shaft I started driving the truck as much as I could to try and weed out any problems I may have before taking it 250 miles away from home. I reinstalled the flat bed and grabbed as many spare parts and tools I could.

About 2 hours into our 3 hour trip, the truck just shut off on me. I was cruising at 55 and all of a sudden, nothing. It was just starting to get dark, so I made a few quick checks... sprayed carb cleaner and it would run, so I knew I had a fuel issue. I swapped in a fuel pump I had brought with me and we were on the way down the road. About 5 minutes down the road. Somehow (weeks prior) I had reinstalled the fuel pump without the plastic spacer to space it away from the cylinder head. I was able to make an electric pump barely work enough so I could get some beach driving in.

Made it almost all the way home.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

After getting back from our OBX trip I started to focus on reliability issues with the truck. I rebuilt the carb for the 22r and began working on fixing the many oil leaks. I also had a vibration I was trying to track down, which ended up being a pinion bearing eating itself alive. I sourced a used 4.10 v6 3rd member from my local pick n pull to remedy that issue. pic from my pick-n-pull.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

In November 2024, my fiancé and father got together to track down a bed. we found on near Danville VA, and went and grabbed it with my dads 80 series. Its an 88 2wd 'Japanese' bed. I have also heard them called Canadian beds. I don't mind missing out on the 4x4 fender flares on the bed, I'd rather have the rolled top edge.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

My brake light wiring had been cut apart to install jeep tail lights. I had grabbed the wiring harness from the 88 2wd truck that donated the bed. I was able to use the front half of the 84 wiring harness and the taillight plugs from the 88 harness to make one good harness.

my bumper however did not fit with the bed. I have yet to reinstall, i do plan to install it though.

 

[aztoyman]

Looks good.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

I shifted gears to the numerous oil leaks coming from the 22r. I had gotten the engine to run well and worked out a bunch of small leaks and quirks, but I was getting tired of leaving a few ounces of oil anywhere I parked. The leaks were primarily from the timing cover and the half moons at either end of the valve cover. I did not take any pictures somehow.

I pulled it into my dads garage to work on it over a rainy weekend. I swapped the timing cover gasket and once all together I realized I cracked the timing cover and had to order a new one. $75 on amazon and honestly I was surprised by the quality. I did not swap over to the new timing cover yet though. I JB-welded the crackin the original cover and ran it.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

No more oil leaks (except for a drip from the rear main, IDC) however at start up I do not have any oil pressure for maybe 15 seconds or so..... The oil pump looked ok when I had it apart. I primed the pump with Lucas on first start up after the timing cover gasket so I did not have this oil pressure problem Definitely worse when cold.

I swapped the oil pressure switch and rewired the sub-harness under the hood just to make sure I wasn't getting a false reading. No oil pressure on startup.

I was not sure where to go from here. I should have taken the timing cover back off and inspected it. I was feeling lazy in the timing cover department. In order to JB weld the crack I created I had to remove the timing cover again. which would have been the 3rd or 4th time I took it apart. I just kept driving it....... The first cold start of the day I would have to let it run for maybe 10 seconds with no oil pressure. the rest of the day was perfectly fine. I would get oil pressure within 5 seconds of start up which I thought wasn't too bad.

 

[aztoyman]

15 seconds without oil pressure can't be good. Does it clatter until pressure comes up? Was it like this before the timing cover swaps? Do you have the proper oil filter with an anti drain back valve in it?

Were you able to take a look at the pump when you were dealing with the cover? It's pretty basic but it needs a good seal(s) so it doesn't suck air. The relief has to be working properly. The spring limits the pressure but if the plunger stuck open or leaking you will lose flow.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

The oil pressure issue was NOT present before the timing cover gasket replacement. I was using a Toyota filter. I even shimmed the spring with no results. sometimes the oil pump would keep its prime overnight.

The problem really came and went with temperature. On the warm days (60-ish) it would get oil pressure in about 5 seconds of running. Which I didn't love, but I did not think was bad enough to take the timing cover back off. I drove it off and on for a couple months with pretty much no issue. My hunch was a small leak on the oil pump suction side. In my haste to get the truck back in working order for winter I had reused the oil pickup gasket when I had the oil pan off. It still seemed to have some crush to it when I torqued the pickup tube bolts. I was in a big hurry to take the truck camping presidents day weekend so I basically just tried to minimize my oil pressure issues vs solving them.

I slapped a new oil pickup tube gasket on it and decided it was well enough for a 750 Mile round trip to Maryland and back. My solution was to start the truck every few hours in order for the oil pump to keep its prime. I did resort to warming the 22r oil pan with a propane torch for 5-10 min and removing the pressure relief valve and priming the oil pump before startup on the 20 degree mornings.

Other than losing the oil cap right before hitting the trail, shop rag and duct tape FTW. It ran and drove great, and performed perfectly. just quirky with oil pressure.

It was a cool trip to take "Nekbone" on. We go on this trip every year in MD and my dad never took the truck on this trip when he owned it. I let him drive it around while we collected fire wood and goofed off.

 

[aztoyman]

Good to hear you had a good trip.

From what you describe it sounds like there's still something not right. Especially since it wasn't happening before the timing cover work. Kind of sounds more like a leak on the pump inlet side of things.

It's been a long time since I worked on one of these engines but I do remember that the cover dowels need to be in place, the gasket surfaces need to be clean and flat, O-ring grooves and seals to check. Pickup tube not too close to bottom of pan, no cracks, flat clean flange and good gasket. I don't remember if it's possible to put bolts that are too long to hold it down properly.

I'd probably put in a good quality new pump at this point. I don't remember if the drive collar for the pump mattered for the seal with the pump.

I vaguely remember the timing chain tensioner causing oil pressure issues. I think there was clatter for a few seconds after start-up.

I know you're probably tired of working on it. Especially the same issue you hoped was fixed. Plus it's winter . It's going to suck more if the delayed oil flow takes out your engine.

 

[Wyatt Pine]

Something was definitely not right. I had ordered a new pump so when I got back from that last trip I installed it and it did not help the problem. I did anything and everything I could think of short of pulling the timing cover. The truck wasn't my daily driver so I was just waiting for warmer temps when this oil pressure issue became less of a problem.

During this time I also ended up with a great deal on a winch, shoutout Dad for picking it up for me. I did not like how far the bolt on winch mounts from trailgear stick in front of the stock bumper. I ideally wanted to continue to run my stock bumper for now. I grabbed a universal winch plate from Harbor Freight and saw how far back I could mount the winch plate.

The lower section of the core support was preventing me from moving the winch any farther back. I had a couple more inches until the radiator was in the way.