500 or less Truck Club
- Thread starter yotarover
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
You guys are lucky!! Any Canadians getting those deals? I doubt it, up here in BC POS beaters are going for $2000 and as high as $8000 for a 25 year old truck!!! I paid $1500 for mine and as soon as I brought it home it exploded with rust within a month.
I was about to break down and buy some cheap 31" tires but a buddy got a set of free 33" cooper all terrains and gave them to me! I mounted them on some old rims I've been saving that I got years ago (also for free). So no more orthopedic shoes. These tires are a little out of date but they match the old school Toyota look I've been after...
I may be breaking the budget and shelling out for some gears this summer to go with the tires.
I may be breaking the budget and shelling out for some gears this summer to go with the tires.
got it almost for free...but didn't stay free long
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
Came with a full float rear conversion? Not bad! 
haha...no it didn't. i was curious about that as well, but it turned out to be center caps that are made to look like manual hubs. strange, but with the new wheels, I got the original toyota center caps for the rear.
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
Interesting.. Are they plastic??? Any pics of the fake hubs?
hi'ya! well this is my combined 85/86 with 8ft flatbed take 1. it's an 85 22R mated to the 86 A340H auto with 85 2wd cab on an 86 4x4 chassis .. total monetary cost was ZERO!
i kinda like the 2wd fenders & grill ..
(still have to figure out the auto'puter and/or switches to get use of all four gears)
Cheapo Build Update: Almost free monutube shocks!
The cheapness continues...
So to re-hash I bought this 1980 longbed last summer for $250. After a new clutch slave, a tune up and dusting off the cobwebs we started using it for DD and weekend warrior trail truck use. The goal has always been to keep it mild and cheap but steadily improve the trail performance. We welded up the rear diff, made our own 1.5" lift springs by adding some cut up leaves from some leftover stock springs. We even added an anti-wrap leaf to the top of the rear leaf packs which really works to eliminate wheel hop. A buddy owed me a favor and bought me an aussie locker for the front end. I even got a free set of out of date 33" cooper all terrains donated to the cause. We recently fabed up some square tube sliders for about $50.
The springs weren't much of a lift, but enough to top out the stock shocks which made it ride like cee-wrap! So to accomidate my re-stacked stock leaf no budget leaf springs (about a 1.5" lift), I relocated the rear shock mounts down a bit and further in towards the center. This added a bit more tip out on hard corners, but added some downtravel without losing any up travel.
The rear springs...
I have been using some clapped out stock rear shocks up front. They are pretty lousy on the washboards, but have been OK for crawling and added enough downtravel to help the ride out ALOT. We just welded some of those 99 cent commercial conduit hanger tabs from home depot right on the top of the stock shock tower and the position works perfect for the stock 23" extended rear shocks from a first gen pickup. You get full compression and about 3" of extra down travel. No big deal in this day and age of 3 feet of front articulation but it is a noticable improvement over the stock front length. As you can see the old shocks are spewing fluid now...
This setup has been working, but I have always been hopefull that some decent shocks would fall out of the sky for "cheap or free", which is the build theme for this truck. My aunt won a certificate from a raffle for a free set of light truck shocks from one of our Les Schwab Tire stores here in Montana. She lives in Oregon and doesn't need any shocks, so she passed it on to me. The total max value was $267, so I threw in an extra $54 and had them order four of their inhouse monotubes in the ideal lengths and valving for my spring setup. They are basically equivelant to a bilstien 5100 and I have used them on several builds in the past with great success.
So if you are very patient it can be done with little or no budget! I know this isn't a bas ass truggy build, but it is turning out to be a great trail truck and wheels much better than stock. Now all I need is a cheap or free dual t-case adapter.
I think I'll fab a cross over arm to improve the steering...
The cheapness continues...
So to re-hash I bought this 1980 longbed last summer for $250. After a new clutch slave, a tune up and dusting off the cobwebs we started using it for DD and weekend warrior trail truck use. The goal has always been to keep it mild and cheap but steadily improve the trail performance. We welded up the rear diff, made our own 1.5" lift springs by adding some cut up leaves from some leftover stock springs. We even added an anti-wrap leaf to the top of the rear leaf packs which really works to eliminate wheel hop. A buddy owed me a favor and bought me an aussie locker for the front end. I even got a free set of out of date 33" cooper all terrains donated to the cause. We recently fabed up some square tube sliders for about $50.
The springs weren't much of a lift, but enough to top out the stock shocks which made it ride like cee-wrap! So to accomidate my re-stacked stock leaf no budget leaf springs (about a 1.5" lift), I relocated the rear shock mounts down a bit and further in towards the center. This added a bit more tip out on hard corners, but added some downtravel without losing any up travel.
The rear springs...
I have been using some clapped out stock rear shocks up front. They are pretty lousy on the washboards, but have been OK for crawling and added enough downtravel to help the ride out ALOT. We just welded some of those 99 cent commercial conduit hanger tabs from home depot right on the top of the stock shock tower and the position works perfect for the stock 23" extended rear shocks from a first gen pickup. You get full compression and about 3" of extra down travel. No big deal in this day and age of 3 feet of front articulation but it is a noticable improvement over the stock front length. As you can see the old shocks are spewing fluid now...
This setup has been working, but I have always been hopefull that some decent shocks would fall out of the sky for "cheap or free", which is the build theme for this truck. My aunt won a certificate from a raffle for a free set of light truck shocks from one of our Les Schwab Tire stores here in Montana. She lives in Oregon and doesn't need any shocks, so she passed it on to me. The total max value was $267, so I threw in an extra $54 and had them order four of their inhouse monotubes in the ideal lengths and valving for my spring setup. They are basically equivelant to a bilstien 5100 and I have used them on several builds in the past with great success.
So if you are very patient it can be done with little or no budget! I know this isn't a bas ass truggy build, but it is turning out to be a great trail truck and wheels much better than stock. Now all I need is a cheap or free dual t-case adapter.
I think I'll fab a cross over arm to improve the steering...
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #51
at least my thread is still going .. ever body keeps telling me s*** can't be done cheap or free i look at them and wonder geee why is it you said i can't do this and the next day i come back and it's done ? like when i made my 2"bl i was told it wouldn't work and blah blah and it turned out perfect with no modifications to anything
.. ever body keeps telling me s*** can't be done cheap or free i look at them and wonder geee why is it you said i can't do this and the next day i come back and it's done ? like when i made my 2"bl i was told it wouldn't work and blah blah and it turned out perfect with no modifications to anything
My find...
Picked this up for $300, with blown head gasket. Still a work in progress to get running.
Picked this up for $300, with blown head gasket. Still a work in progress to get running.
I have a problem...
1985 p/u 4x4 - FREE
1987 p/u 4x4 - $300
1990 4rnr 4x4 - $250
1990 4rnr 4x2 - $370
1992 p/u 4x4 - $50
1992 4rnr 4x4 -$300 < winter daily!!
EDIT: almost forgot 1985 turbo 2wd p/u -$300
and I still have all of them
1985 p/u 4x4 - FREE
1987 p/u 4x4 - $300
1990 4rnr 4x4 - $250
1990 4rnr 4x2 - $370
1992 p/u 4x4 - $50
1992 4rnr 4x4 -$300 < winter daily!!
EDIT: almost forgot 1985 turbo 2wd p/u -$300
and I still have all of them
My $450 RTE 4Runner, "
- Joined
- Feb 27, 2007
- Threads
- 76
- Messages
- 448
- Location
- Tuscaloosa Ala. ROLL TIDE!!!
- Website
- www.myspace.com
SwaggerWagon
Just bought this really clean 88 4Runner yesterday $500 (Blown head gasket)
Just bought this really clean 88 4Runner yesterday $500 (Blown head gasket)
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2006
- Threads
- 265
- Messages
- 9,822
- Location
- Ashland, OR
- Website
- www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
I'm still trying to figure out why you guys like to pay for trucks.... 
(In case you didn't get that, this one was free...)
"88 EFI 4 banger/5 speed, engine in pieces for about 6 years...
I really do need a real tow rig... 6000+ ft. (truck was parked at about 1000 ft when I hooked onto it...)
(In case you didn't get that, this one was free...)
"88 EFI 4 banger/5 speed, engine in pieces for about 6 years...
I really do need a real tow rig... 6000+ ft. (truck was parked at about 1000 ft when I hooked onto it...)
Well, this one only cost me a cooler full of beef and it is in pretty good shape.
