- Location
- United States
For Sale – 1993 Trail Cruiser with Lockers
4 years ago I needed a vehicle to use at my property in Ozark County, MO. This vehicle was to be used exclusively on my place (ie no pavement, no insurance, no license etc). Basically a farm truck carrying feed, hauling guys out to hunting stands, and occasional firewood hauling.
I found this 1993 here on Mud, and my son and I went up to KC from Houston , bought it, and drove it the 750 miles home. Amazing…the A/C even worked on the way home!
Once in Houston, I realized the rear pads were essentially gone, so new pads were put on. I flushed the cooling system and replaced the three radiator hoses. A PHH-ectomy had already been done, so no worries there. I also replaced the drive belts. At this time I found that the A/C belt tensioner was frozen, so put in a new Toyota tensioner.
The birfs were clicking on tight turns, so I ordered new axle seals and knuckle wipers, pulled the front-end apart, busted the birfs apart and swapped sides. Birfs were packed in Palladium…trunions in Valvoline SynPower. Both diffs got new fluid and the T/C got Mobil 1 75W-90. I also lubed the slip yokes and u-joints.
Unfortunately, it appears the birfs had already been swapped once, as they still clicked on tight turns. I don’t wheel this truck, so I reasoned that with the minimal stress of slow, easy driving on relatively mild terrain I’d be ok – especially considering the fresh Palladium.
The body on this truck showed signs of being around corrosives (salt, manure?) as there was some rust-through at the front and rear of the rear wheel wells. I did some patching with bondo, sanded down the entire body, and rolled on two gallons of WWII Olive Drab Monstaliner. I also sprayed black bed-liner around the sun roof to keep the inevitable water back-up from coming inside.
Next I put Mobil 1 0W-40 in the engine, replaced the air filter and replaced the battery (it died a day before we were planning to drive it back up to MO…good timing!).
The tires were old Firestone Destinations with apparently few miles, but they were definitely not new! I planned to run those old tires until one of them went flat. Took nearly 4 years to happen! The truck now wears a new set of BFG AT KO2 295/75-16 tires with zero miles on pavement and probably about 50 miles of use on the property.
This truck fires up every time, and the engine runs very well. I change the oil every 150 miles or two years, whichever comes first! Fuel tank is always kept full to minimize air/moisture, and I always add StaBil. It is normally driven in low-range only, but I do make a point to put it in high range at least once every trip (8 – 10 times per year) for at least a few hundred yards (wish I had been so diligent with the lockers).
So, now for the bad and the ugly:
· No radio
· Since I have owned it, the left rear window regulator went south. Window is now kept up with a wedge
· I don’t use the lockers, so the actuators are frozen and need to be pulled apart and cleaned/renewed
· About two years ago one of the long brake lines to the rear started leaking. I purchased two new long lines from Toyota, with the intention of just replacing both. This turned out to be a more involved job than I wanted to mess with, lying on the ground under a tree on my off-grid property (when I usually only have 1 day to get any work done once I drive up from Houston). So I wussed-out and just ran both front caliper lines straight to the master and run the truck with front brakes only. Being a 10 mph max truck, I felt ok doing this…someone who is going to wheel in rough terrain would want 4 brakes!
· After the brakes went out, the truck rolled backwards into a small tree and the tree took out the back glass. I have had visqueen and gorilla tape on the hatch since, but did just recently have a piece of plexiglass cut that I plan to glue in place so I can at least see out the back.
· While doing some trail maintenance last week, I was maneuvering in a tight spot, going in reverse at about 2 mph with the sun in my eyes…and clipped a tree…with the tailgate down and the hatch up - ugh. The tailgate hinges got caked up enough that the strikers do not line up. I am heading up over the Thanksgiving weekend and will be working on that little project.
· The power steering pump o-ring has the usual leakage. I have to add several ounces of PS fluid every month when I arrive to the property. It is good for the day or two I am there…then over the next month a couple ounces leak out.
After not using the A/C for a year, it no longer blows cold.
This truck has the cloth interior and the seats are probably the best part of the truck (well, aside from the nearly new KO2s). They are in pretty dang good shape for a “trail beater”. Certainly a lot better than the hard, cracked leather on my ’95.
So that’s a pretty good summary, I think. A great, low cost vehicle to use for puttering around the farm, or to use as an instructional tool for teaching a young’un how to wrench on a cruiser. It could even be used as a basis for a dedicated wheeling truck build, seeing as it has lockers.
I recently bought a 2001 100 series, so this truck has become redundant.
I figure the tires are worth at least $650 by themselves (I paid $850 for them 50 miles ago) and I figure the truck is worth about 1,800 even with crappy tires…so I would like to put a “buy it now” price for Mud members of $2,200.
Obviously, the truck will need to be trailered to its new destination, unless you live very close to Romance, MO (nobody lives close to Romance, MO!).
Only recent pics I have are from my phone. I couldn’t resist snapping a couple pics as it was posing next to its replacement 100 series, at my cabin. PM me an email address and I can send them to you.
Happy to answer any questions I can. I have been on Mud too long, and know too many people here to want to have anyone feel like this truck is being mis-represented…so ask away and I will be frank. The truck is not worth enough to risk a reputation….even my bad reputation!
I will likely think of other pertinent things to add, and will do so as my memory gets jogged.
4 years ago I needed a vehicle to use at my property in Ozark County, MO. This vehicle was to be used exclusively on my place (ie no pavement, no insurance, no license etc). Basically a farm truck carrying feed, hauling guys out to hunting stands, and occasional firewood hauling.
I found this 1993 here on Mud, and my son and I went up to KC from Houston , bought it, and drove it the 750 miles home. Amazing…the A/C even worked on the way home!
Once in Houston, I realized the rear pads were essentially gone, so new pads were put on. I flushed the cooling system and replaced the three radiator hoses. A PHH-ectomy had already been done, so no worries there. I also replaced the drive belts. At this time I found that the A/C belt tensioner was frozen, so put in a new Toyota tensioner.
The birfs were clicking on tight turns, so I ordered new axle seals and knuckle wipers, pulled the front-end apart, busted the birfs apart and swapped sides. Birfs were packed in Palladium…trunions in Valvoline SynPower. Both diffs got new fluid and the T/C got Mobil 1 75W-90. I also lubed the slip yokes and u-joints.
Unfortunately, it appears the birfs had already been swapped once, as they still clicked on tight turns. I don’t wheel this truck, so I reasoned that with the minimal stress of slow, easy driving on relatively mild terrain I’d be ok – especially considering the fresh Palladium.
The body on this truck showed signs of being around corrosives (salt, manure?) as there was some rust-through at the front and rear of the rear wheel wells. I did some patching with bondo, sanded down the entire body, and rolled on two gallons of WWII Olive Drab Monstaliner. I also sprayed black bed-liner around the sun roof to keep the inevitable water back-up from coming inside.
Next I put Mobil 1 0W-40 in the engine, replaced the air filter and replaced the battery (it died a day before we were planning to drive it back up to MO…good timing!).
The tires were old Firestone Destinations with apparently few miles, but they were definitely not new! I planned to run those old tires until one of them went flat. Took nearly 4 years to happen! The truck now wears a new set of BFG AT KO2 295/75-16 tires with zero miles on pavement and probably about 50 miles of use on the property.
This truck fires up every time, and the engine runs very well. I change the oil every 150 miles or two years, whichever comes first! Fuel tank is always kept full to minimize air/moisture, and I always add StaBil. It is normally driven in low-range only, but I do make a point to put it in high range at least once every trip (8 – 10 times per year) for at least a few hundred yards (wish I had been so diligent with the lockers).
So, now for the bad and the ugly:
· No radio
· Since I have owned it, the left rear window regulator went south. Window is now kept up with a wedge
· I don’t use the lockers, so the actuators are frozen and need to be pulled apart and cleaned/renewed
· About two years ago one of the long brake lines to the rear started leaking. I purchased two new long lines from Toyota, with the intention of just replacing both. This turned out to be a more involved job than I wanted to mess with, lying on the ground under a tree on my off-grid property (when I usually only have 1 day to get any work done once I drive up from Houston). So I wussed-out and just ran both front caliper lines straight to the master and run the truck with front brakes only. Being a 10 mph max truck, I felt ok doing this…someone who is going to wheel in rough terrain would want 4 brakes!
· After the brakes went out, the truck rolled backwards into a small tree and the tree took out the back glass. I have had visqueen and gorilla tape on the hatch since, but did just recently have a piece of plexiglass cut that I plan to glue in place so I can at least see out the back.
· While doing some trail maintenance last week, I was maneuvering in a tight spot, going in reverse at about 2 mph with the sun in my eyes…and clipped a tree…with the tailgate down and the hatch up - ugh. The tailgate hinges got caked up enough that the strikers do not line up. I am heading up over the Thanksgiving weekend and will be working on that little project.
· The power steering pump o-ring has the usual leakage. I have to add several ounces of PS fluid every month when I arrive to the property. It is good for the day or two I am there…then over the next month a couple ounces leak out.
After not using the A/C for a year, it no longer blows cold.
This truck has the cloth interior and the seats are probably the best part of the truck (well, aside from the nearly new KO2s). They are in pretty dang good shape for a “trail beater”. Certainly a lot better than the hard, cracked leather on my ’95.
So that’s a pretty good summary, I think. A great, low cost vehicle to use for puttering around the farm, or to use as an instructional tool for teaching a young’un how to wrench on a cruiser. It could even be used as a basis for a dedicated wheeling truck build, seeing as it has lockers.
I recently bought a 2001 100 series, so this truck has become redundant.
I figure the tires are worth at least $650 by themselves (I paid $850 for them 50 miles ago) and I figure the truck is worth about 1,800 even with crappy tires…so I would like to put a “buy it now” price for Mud members of $2,200.
Obviously, the truck will need to be trailered to its new destination, unless you live very close to Romance, MO (nobody lives close to Romance, MO!).
Only recent pics I have are from my phone. I couldn’t resist snapping a couple pics as it was posing next to its replacement 100 series, at my cabin. PM me an email address and I can send them to you.
Happy to answer any questions I can. I have been on Mud too long, and know too many people here to want to have anyone feel like this truck is being mis-represented…so ask away and I will be frank. The truck is not worth enough to risk a reputation….even my bad reputation!
I will likely think of other pertinent things to add, and will do so as my memory gets jogged.
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