Builds Build: Steve's 82 Longbed (1 Viewer)

[SteveH]

What happened to the photos of the bare frame with the cross-member?

If it's the photo I'm thinking of, it's merely showing the new shackle bushings on the rear end of the front springs. They are hard to see in the photo.

Steve

 

[HS44]

Wops! I was was also looking at another thread and had it remembered wrong. Sorry about that.

Anyway, I do like your restoration project.

Anyway, I also had to get a bit 'creative' to remove one of the leaf spring shackles too. Must be rather common for them to 'refuse' to be easily removed from the leafs and truck frame.
I used a 4 1/2" angle-grinder to cut the stud part of the shackle in half and pounded, heated, and just left one half on the leaf spring because I was getting new leaf pack.
I thought it was going to be easy after the leaf was off and out of the way... ...Nope , more pounding with a 3 lb short handle sledge, using a pry bar and another bolt that I used for a drift to get that cut in half shackle out of the frame so I could install the new one.

Cheers!

 

[MDH33]

Fun project Steve! I'll stay tuned in. I miss my '82 shortbed and '80 longbed.

 

[SteveH]

After ordering on eBay ($32-ish - shipped from Thailand) and waiting 5 weeks (!), my fuel sending unit finally arrived. Sure looks better than the old one. I tested the resistance and it appears to be close to factory (20 ohms 'full', 132 ohms 'empty'). Can't wait to transfer the wiring harness over, connect it, and swing it thru the arc to see if the dash gauge responds as it should. Then, I can untie the 2 gallon can dangling from the bumper, reinstall the gas tank, put license plates on this sucker, and drive it.

 

[SteveH]

The current gas tank!

 

[SteveH]

Got the gas tank installed today. I some 1/4" steel shot around inside the tank before I installed it, which loosened a few rust particles. Not super effective, but something I always wanted to try. I then rinsed the tank with fresh gas, which caused the Hammerite paint to fall off the outside of the tank by the drain plug. Can respray that area.

I drove it 14 miles and it rides and drives great. The new suspension bushings and shocks totally transformed the truck. Steering is nice and tight. Temperature was solid, as were volts. Trans is a little noisy (as expected) in 3rd and 5th and there's a rattly heat shield or 11.

 

[SteveH]

Decided to remove the heat cover from the manifold and check all the manifold bolt torque and fix a broken stud on the sheet metal cover. Also replaced PCV valve and grommet, plug wires, valve cover gasket, and cleaned the cover itself. Looks a bit nicer.

 

[SteveH]

@yotadude520
@Prairie Swamp

Will scan and post the pix tonight - I went to the Toyota dealer this morning, and he printed the parts manual page showing July 1982 as the cutover for double-row to single row timing chains in the 22R engine. My engine is a July '82, so one of the very first with a single row chain.

This explains why my one-owner (engine never opened up) truck has a single row timing chain.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

Thanks for the follow up. I'll pull the vc on my 82 and take a look. I don't know my build date off hand.

 

[SteveH]

From the Toyota dealer - showing the double-row to single-row timing chain changeover on the 22R being July of 1982. See circled date ranges.

 

[SteveH]

I set out to repack the front axle and replace the seals (and do a brake job) and the knuckle it was suitably crusty - lots of scraping and wire brush work here. I got it all cleaned up, cleaned and disassembled, and pressed out the rotor studs and discovered the Centric rotors from Rock Auto only had 6 holes.

I returned them and ordered the '8 hole' variety that have the two bolt-on holes, and the 6 stud holes. A mis-listed part. Oh, well. Beware to check rotors you buy for the right number of holes! This is the old OEM rotor with 8 holes....

And the new 6 hole rotor... no way to bolt it to the hub.

Always fun to tear down a solid axle - reminds me of the FJ40, 55, 60, 62, 80 series axles I have done over the years. Everything looked clean and tight inside - no spindle wear, and the birfields were tight. This truck was never 'wheeled, so that helps.

 

[pappy]

I set out to repack the front axle and replace the seals (and do a brake job) and the knuckle it was suitably crusty - lots of scraping and wire brush work here. I got it all cleaned up, cleaned and disassembled, and pressed out the rotor studs and discovered the Centric rotors from Rock Auto only had 6 holes.

I returned them and ordered the '8 hole' variety that have the two bolt-on holes, and the 6 stud holes. A mis-listed part. Oh, well. Beware to check rotors you buy for the right number of holes! This is the old OEM rotor with 8 holes....

And the new 6 hole rotor... no way to bolt it to the hub.

The 8 vs 6 hole debate is old. Not a big deal. Those bolts are not holding the rotor on. The studs are, especially after the whole assembly is squeezed by the lug nuts.

 

[SteveH]

Thinking about it later, I agree, but I object in principal to parts show as 'fitting' and then you have leftover bolts, as it were .

 

[SteveH]

...So I slipped on ice and broke my leg in Feb., and that put this project on hold for 2 months. I"m back, with pictures.

I have recovered and did the left side hub re-seal, brakes, and rotor last week. Now working on bodywork and hubcaps (mid-resto pix here).

A local was giving away an '82 4x4 bed, so I got it to possibly use for patch metal (or as patterns) to fix the rust on my truck. His bed has 330K miles on it, so it's a little tired. I may just fold some 18 ga. metal in a vise to recreate the fold line in the bed side that Toyota used. But, the free bed gives me some options to play.

 

[SteveH]

Welded up the right side. Cut out rusty area, tightly fit a 22ga. plate, weld, grind, repeat.

 

[SteveH]

This past week, I welded up the entire left side of the truck with 22 ga. metal.

 

[SteveH]

Replaced the horn contact with an ancient new OEM part provided by the seller. Horn works well now.

To do this, you remove the horn switch assembly (3 screws on the back of the steering wheel), the steering wheel (using a puller), both clamshells on the steering column, and the contact wire. This horn pin is retained by a tiny e-clip. After you remove that, the pin is free. The new horn pin had a lot more material on the thick part - this one is at least half worn away. (I didn't take a pix of the new one.)

 

[SteveH]

Dyed the carpet with fabric spray. The carpet was in good shape, but faded. Also restored the lower door panels. The carpet was loose, baggy and faded. Some contact cement and dye took care of that. Also repainted the Alpine speaker grille with flat black spray paint.

 

[jakey poo]

Looking good!

 

[SteveH]

Got it back from my paint guy - some teaser pix. And one with the FJ40, of course. Still need to do a number of little things - carb work, check the timing chain for wear, etc.