Builds Picked up a Pickup

[Manhattan]

Wouldn’t this be interesting...

SOLD - 70 series new take off pickup beds

I just received a bunch of new take off pickup beds from 79 series regular and double cab , I am gonna keep 2 of the short ones for me but the rest is available. These are new take offs but being transported a few times there are some dings and dents in them . Some are pristine and complete ...

forum.ih8mud.com

That's crazy. Stacks of new take-offs... starting at $350. Sure, they'd take some modifications to fit an '84, but damn. They all sold in minutes. Shocker.

 

[Manhattan]

The lights arrived just now. They're FJ40 tail lights. Despite the ridiculously low price - $44 with free shipping - I think they may be real Toyota parts. They are SOLIDly built - definitely feel like Toyota parts. And, there's a stamp. Sure, anything can be faked. But they sure feel legit!

 

[G-Cat]

Did you see the tan 84-88 bed in Gainesville GA (Craigslist)?

Looks like it has/had some rust issues from the limited pics...so likely not a contender.

 

[VA.CRUISER]

Where did you get your lights from ?

And awesome build

 

[Manhattan]

@G-Cat... missed that post. Thanks! Not sure what's up with that seller. I've sent him a couple notes - no reply. Strange, 'cause it's a new listing. Maybe the bed was that nice.

@VA.CRUISER... The FJ40 tail lights were an eBay score. Tail Lamp Rear Lights Pair Fit Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 FJ45 BJ40 HJ45 BJ42 | eBay

Also noticed they have "Toyota" and "Koito" cast/molded in the lens. Koito is/was a parts supplier to Toyota since the 50s.

Could just be really good copies.

 

[VA.CRUISER]

Thanks @Manhatten for the link thinking of using these in my build

 

[hiluxjeremy]

Cool thread!

 

[Will Van]

We have a match!

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Just stumbled on your thread. Great work!!!

What are you going to do with the old wheels? I need a set of original steelies for my '83.

 

[Manhattan]

What are you going to do with the old wheels? I need a set of original steelies for my '83.

They went to the recycler. They were GONE. The welds were like biscuits - layers of rust on layers of rust. We joked that one big bump and the wheels would be two pieces again.

 

[Will Van]

They went to the recycler. They were GONE. The welds were like biscuits - layers of rust on layers of rust. We joked that one big bump and the wheels would be two pieces again.

View attachment 2275261

Yikes! Good choice on the replacements.

 

[Manhattan]

As I've mentioned/shown - Patty's dash is toast. I looked for O.E. dashes... all were $350++ and most had already started to crack. I also decided, that even if I found one with no crack... it's got be about to crack So, I'm going to try a Coverlay dash pad/cover.

I wish those two lumps were all that were wrong with the dash. I wanted to knock them down so the cover would sit down. A heat gun and 60 seconds of massaging...

No, Patty's dash is cracked and faded (to a sweet shade of green!) like most of these old trucks...

The prep for the dash takes a lot longer than the installation... clean, prep, paint, sand (overspray), clean...

The dash is glued in, propped, wedged, and weighted. I'll check back on her tonight. Fingers crossed!

Overall, I think the dash cover is a good fix for these old dashpads. For $130 + paint, call it $145, and zero skill or special tools required - just a couple hours cleaning, prepping, painting, etc., - the result is good. The next level fix is custom made or professionally repaired dash. Those options are north of $1,000 (got quotes). Patty's a cool old truck... but not a Shelby.

The Bluebird brown is an exact match... for some of the brown pieces in the '84 Pickup. Clearly the creative brief for the interior team at Toyota included "Color: Warm Chocolate Rainbow". But, it works.

The Coverlay dash fit really well after a couple hours in the sun - installed without glue, weighted... then pulled into shade to cool, then unweighted. My 17-yr-old daughter "Gotta love those thermoplastics". Brought a tear to my eye.

The lower sections around the instruments cluster are the only two spots that scream "dash cover". But again... so much better than before.

 

[rustED71]

Your interior is looking great. I have a digital clock from my 87 4runner you can have if your interested, it works perfectly, the face has some little scratches but I'm sure you could buff them out

 

[Manhattan]

Your interior is looking great. I have a digital clock from my 87 4runner you can have if your interested, it works perfectly, the face has some little scratches but I'm sure you could buff them out

Ha! So that's what goes in that big square knock-out panel?! Seriously... I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't know that's what was "missing" in the base truck. So uh... absolutely! If you're not going to need it, I'll definitely plug it into that hole. PM sent and karma bucket topped off!

 

[rustED71]

Ha! So that's what goes in that big square knock-out panel?! Seriously... I'm embarrassed to admit, I didn't know that's what was "missing" in the base truck. So uh... absolutely! If you're not going to need it, I'll definitely plug it into that hole. PM sent and karma bucket topped off!

Ha, ha yeah I just put one in my 91' yesterday, there is already clock wiring plug in the back of the blank face plate so it should be plug and play!...I'll have to check my PMs a little later today...

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Wow @toyotaboy80 - that is some coverage. Way more than I did on the doors. I covered probably 60% of the inside of the outer skin. I think the biggest improvement was going from nothing but the vinyl flooring to the full-floor coverage. Like yours, the truck is almost silent on the highway now.

Bumper and lights yesterday. Really down to the bed now.

View attachment 2199631

love what you are doing here. Where did you get the ARB bumper?

 

[Manhattan]

love what you are doing here. Where did you get the ARB bumper?

Thanks! That ARB bumper became a bit of a quest. Once I decided that was the bumper I wanted, I contacted lots (!) of 4x4 shops whose sites said they had one... none did. The replies I got back were the same: Backordered and No ETA. One shop in Atlanta went on the hunt for me. The owner knows a guy at ARB. That guy at ARB started scouring warehouse info... and found THE LAST ONE in the U.S. in a warehouse in WA. The box was gray with dust; directions printed in 1998. The best part - the shop's price was the best of all the shops. Crazy.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Thanks! That ARB bumper became a bit of a quest. Once I decided that was the bumper I wanted, I contacted lots (!) of 4x4 shops whose sites said they had one... none did. The replies I got back were the same: Backordered and No ETA. One shop in Atlanta went on the hunt for me. The owner knows a guy at ARB. That guy at ARB started scouring warehouse info... and found THE LAST ONE in the U.S. in a warehouse in WA. The box was gray with dust; directions printed in 1998. The best part - the shop's price was the best of all the shops. Crazy.

Thats what ya call a find!!!! Nice touch.

 

[rustED71]

Pm(s) sent.
(*Edit to Manhattan regarding clock).

 

[Toast]

Manhattan, I’m thinking about trying to fix my dash as well! Looking at trying to fill the cracks and paint. Hoping that someone has done this. Also, found out that we are supposed to “oil” our vinyl pieces about once every 6 months or so. I just pulled my dash cover off to oil mine for the first time and found a new crack. Ughhh! I’m debating on even taking one step down this rabbit hole but my dash is starting to look ugly with a few cracks sneaking past my dash cover...

 

[GeoRoss]

Manhattan, I’m thinking about trying to fix my dash as well! Looking at trying to fill the cracks and paint. Hoping that someone has done this. Also, found out that we are supposed to “oil” our vinyl pieces about once every 6 months or so. I just pulled my dash cover off to oil mine for the first time and found a new crack. Ughhh! I’m debating on even taking one step down this rabbit hole but my dash is starting to look ugly with a few cracks sneaking past my dash cover...

This is what I did on a spare dash. I think I could do better next time to make the transition less noticeable.

1986 4Runner Refresh