"Booger" the 1982 Toyota Griffith Trailblazer

[Hokie LX]

I've been on the hunt for a new project truck now that my 60 is almost done once I finish the roof rust repair.

Cruising Facebook last week I stumbled on this 1982 Toyota Griffith Trailblazer for sale. These trucks are pretty rare nowadays so I immediately called the guy to ask about it. It was a good price and seemed like a good project given its current state so I committed to buy it.

Quick shoutout to the seller who held the truck on my word for 5 days while I got down there to pick it up even after an overwhelming amount of interest from other buyers and dozens of offers to buy it with a nonrefundable payment. It's nice to know there's some good sellers left!

I road tripped down there with @GLTHFJ60 and his infamous Moonshine Motel to pick it up on Sunday and got it home. Luckily the trip was uneventful.

Now onto the truck...It's a 1982 Toyota Trailblazer that has been in the same family for >33 years but has been sitting and not running for at least 10 years. I knew this going into the sale and knew it would need a lot of work to bring back to life. It has been repainted >10 years ago but it was mostly complete. The three immediate issues are the engine is locked up, the floorboards are rusty, and the back glass was replaced with a sheet of plexi due to it breaking years ago. The interior was disassembled but it had some good new parts on it.

The plan for the truck is to go through it and make it roadworthy and then make it a nice driver. It won't get cut up or have big tires but will be a nice driver that can be taken on some mild trails.

Here are some pics from the pickup and as received. The name Booger came with the truck as you can see by the windshield sticker which fits the truck well so the name will stay.

 

[gnob]

awesome score

 

[pappy]

Oh man. I miss my 1982 short bed. It was stupid to sell it. Have fun with the project.

 

[Woodini]

Nice find!! GO BOOGER

 

[Hokie LX]

Got it home, loaded up the cylinders with some Marvel Mystery Oil and did a quick pressure wash and interior clean out. Peep the pro waterproofing I've done with some painters tape until the new seals arrive. Will need to get some custom seals made for the top windows which may be time consuming...

Luckily the truck had both sets of roll bar fiberglass covers. One is installed, the other is in my garage. The bed is very solid, the front floor needs some work. I'm trying to track down some full length pans but can only find a set from Thailand on ebay. I've found some front pans from c2c but really need to do the whole length. If needed, I'll buy the front pans and patch the back.

 

[gnob]

I've had good luck finding random rubber at Steele Rubber.

 

[Hokie LX]

I've had good luck finding random rubber at Steele Rubber.

This is great to know. Looks like they're local in NC too

 

[open country]

Nice score! Is the cargo area long enough to sleep in? Would be a sick wheel-sleep-wheel overnighter rig.

 

[Hokie LX]

Nice score! Is the cargo area long enough to sleep in? Would be a sick wheel-sleep-wheel overnighter rig.

Thanks! I haven't measured it but I bet I could sleep in it. Not having the back of the cab frees up a lot of length in the short bed. The back will get sealed up, insulated and carpeted. I have the rear seat but TBD if it will live in the truck or if I'll keep it open

 

[clrussell]

Wow very cool. I’m in

 

[Fort Knox]

Hell yeah man!! Love it.

 

[blumtn]

Congrats on the Trailblazer. I've got an '83 and still have all the internal fiberglass and side panels, rear seat, console, etc, etc. I recently took the shell off and likely will never put it back on, so I have the rear glass as well. I might be willing to part with some of this stuff if you need anything.

 

[Hokie LX]

Congrats on the Trailblazer. I've got an '83 and still have all the internal fiberglass and side panels, rear seat, console, etc, etc. I recently took the shell off and likely will never put it back on, so I have the rear glass as well. I might be willing to part with some of this stuff if you need anything.

Absolutely! I PM’d you. Thanks!

 

[Hokie LX]

Couple of updates

Got the motor freed up…kind of. It spins but hits a rust line in Cyl 3 that formed from sitting. Put a scope in it and the other 3 cylinders look peachy but cyl 3 definitely has some corrosion.

Added new outer door window runs to keep water out of the doors. Got a new windshield gasket also that needs to be installed.

My plan is to take the head off and take a closer look at the corrosion in the one cylinder. The motor will get a bit of a hot rod rebuilt but I’d like to get it running first to check out the function of the tcase and trans. Thinking I may do a roadkill rebuild with a dingle ball hone to see if I can get it running long enough to check these out. Then tear it down for a proper rebuild. At this point I’m thinking of doing the LCE street short block kit with a thumper or street cam and oversized valves.

The plan is to get the head off in a few weeks after a work trip then see if I can get it running.

 

[JeffD]

 

[onemanarmy]

will be following.....

 

[Comet]

And I thought Sandy was cool. Subscribed for inspiration.

 

[weejub]

Sometime in 2024, you can spend $5K and get one of these . . I do love the website though

rebuilt engines — 22RE Performance

the reason you came here.

22reperformance.com

 

[Explorer4Hire]

22RE ENGINES FOR SALE IN NORTH AMERICA

We built the longest lasting and most reliable 22re engines. From stock rebuilds to performance strokers we know how to get the most of these engines. Call us today to discuss your build with our master engine builder.

www.22rebuilder.com

This place looks legit. They are up north though.

 

[Hokie LX]

I looked briefly at buying a rebuilt engine already assembled but for this project, I’d like to use the opportunity to rebuild an engine myself as I have never done it before.