The life and times of my 1987 Toyota Pickup - KLF Special (1 Viewer)

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I don't think I want to go any faster than 55 in this thing. Most of the trails it'd be seeing are local ones at that so nothing too far out of range.
 
I don't think I want to go any faster than 55 in this thing. Most of the trails it'd be seeing are local ones at that so nothing too far out of range.

Huh? I woulda gone fast as s*** in my 40. I’m trying to buy it back from the guy I sold it to. Then I can see what I’m made of.
 
Huh? I woulda gone fast as s*** in my 40. I’m trying to buy it back from the guy I sold it to. Then I can see what I’m made of.

I used to do that. I would take my sketchy Jeep CJ-7 down the highway all the time - talk about pucker factor. But there are literally trails all around me within an hour drive. I’d be more than happy to be able to go 55 as I get there and enjoy the drive especially if I’m going farther out. No need to push it!

Was your 40 build similar?
 
I used to do that. I would take my sketchy Jeep CJ-7 down the highway all the time - talk about pucker factor. But there are literally trails all around me within an hour drive. I’d be more than happy to be able to go 55 as I get there and enjoy the drive especially if I’m going farther out. No need to push it!

Was your 40 build similar?

Kinda. It was SOA with fj60 power steering and 35s with 4.88 gears. It drove “really well”... you know, like a really fast tractor.
 

Wowza! That thing is a real looker and the mileage is insane. But c'mon, could they at least have fixed the dash before putting it for sale? :flipoff2:
 
Had an extremely busy weekend! I always go up to the White Mountains for my birthday and was excited to take the Toyota up there and to get the new FJ40! So Wednesday night I started getting to work on the mini. I did my normal check up on things and changed the oil. Everything looked good as always! I also decided to fix the camper shell that I just got. The back window frame was sagging really badly and was honestly a little sketchy. Nothing two rivets couldn’t fix!

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Hit the road after work on Thursday and had a nice drive. Averaged 24 MPG again going up the mountain, which is awesome! Glad to know it’s consistent.

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I decided to take the girlfriend out exploring and we had a blast. Didn’t get into anything TOO gnarly but it was definitely fun to take it up and use it. It blows me away how comfortable it is off-road, especially having leaf springs. Went all the way out to Big Lake and just overall had a great time with it. It’s such a fun truck to use.

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Also saw this doe laying down right in front of us, it was definitely curious and surprisingly tame. It stared at us for a couple minutes and only moved once we started moving again.

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Saturday morning the cruiser showed up in our driveway, and I started working on it (which will be in a separate thread). The thing is an absolute BEAST. Took it on some really gnarly trails up the mountain and the thing almost shook me to death and is really, REALLY sketchy. 43 MPH is the fastest I was able to go.

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Unfortunately since I took my dad’s truck to get the 40 home, he needed to keep the Toyota up there, so until I go back up again that’s where it’s going to stay for now. Makes me sad leaving it up there but it will be okay. I should be back up in about a month and definitely want to have it here so I can drive it in the winter. I checked in on it while I was in town to make sure they locked it up properly. :hillbilly:

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Hey Will:

Thanks so much for continuing to post photos. They make me sad and happy at the same time. I miss my truck dearly, but I sooo glad it is in an environment where it is getting used and enjoyed, and it will not be subject to our weather and road salt.

BTW, I dropped a small package in the mail to you the other day, you should have it soon, if not today. I found some extra keys in my stash, and I don't have any use for them. One is the original key with the plastic head, or at least what's left of it. It still starts the truck, but falls out of the ignition, which can be a scary situation if you lose it on the floor and need to shut it off in a hurry.

Mods are progressing on the Cruiser, to make it as useful as that truck is...

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Hey Will:

Thanks so much for continuing to post photos. They make me sad and happy at the same time. I miss my truck dearly, but I sooo glad it is in an environment where it is getting used and enjoyed, and it will not be subject to our weather and road salt.

BTW, I dropped a small package in the mail to you the other day, you should have it soon, if not today. I found some extra keys in my stash, and I don't have any use for them. One is the original key with the plastic head, or at least what's left of it. It still starts the truck, but falls out of the ignition, which can be a scary situation if you lose it on the floor and need to shut it off in a hurry.

Mods are progressing on the Cruiser, to make it as useful as that truck is...

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Hey Ken!

Thanks for the care package. Really appreciate you sending me those spares, I like to have as many as I can! I still need to get a spare remote too!

I love keeping the forum updated on what I’m doing with it and where I’m going. It’s a lot of fun being able to document it and read over the past adventures I’ve had. I’ve never taken any vehicle I’ve owned on as many road trips in as short of a time period as I have with your old truck. It’s so reliable and I don’t think twice about hopping in it and driving it wherever.

I’m glad to keep it in a rust free area too. Even though the bottom of the frame is still slathered in fluid film, it’s peace of mind that it will be preserved. I’ve already decided that this will be the truck that I will pass down to my kids some day so I need to keep it in tip top shape. I’m pretty sure I’ll get another 240k miles out of her!

Thanks again for all your help and sending me all these goodies. If you ever make your way down here I owe you a beer and some good wheeling!

And by the way, do you have a build thread going on your cruiser? I'm always curious as to what you replaced this old truck with!
 
Had an extremely busy weekend! I always go up to the White Mountains for my birthday and was excited to take the Toyota up there and to get the new FJ40! So Wednesday night I started getting to work on the mini. I did my normal check up on things and changed the oil. Everything looked good as always! I also decided to fix the camper shell that I just got. The back window frame was sagging really badly and was honestly a little sketchy. Nothing two rivets couldn’t fix!

p87ZlH.jpg

jPONq6.jpg

8Ojafu.jpg


Hit the road after work on Thursday and had a nice drive. Averaged 24 MPG again going up the mountain, which is awesome! Glad to know it’s consistent.

GJw1eS.jpg


I decided to take the girlfriend out exploring and we had a blast. Didn’t get into anything TOO gnarly but it was definitely fun to take it up and use it. It blows me away how comfortable it is off-road, especially having leaf springs. Went all the way out to Big Lake and just overall had a great time with it. It’s such a fun truck to use.

mlsNmC.jpg

t9NSch.jpg

3RDeE4.jpg


Also saw this doe laying down right in front of us, it was definitely curious and surprisingly tame. It stared at us for a couple minutes and only moved once we started moving again.

Dstilh.jpg


Saturday morning the cruiser showed up in our driveway, and I started working on it (which will be in a separate thread). The thing is an absolute BEAST. Took it on some really gnarly trails up the mountain and the thing almost shook me to death and is really, REALLY sketchy. 43 MPH is the fastest I was able to go.

MBFP35.jpg


Unfortunately since I took my dad’s truck to get the 40 home, he needed to keep the Toyota up there, so until I go back up again that’s where it’s going to stay for now. Makes me sad leaving it up there but it will be okay. I should be back up in about a month and definitely want to have it here so I can drive it in the winter. I checked in on it while I was in town to make sure they locked it up properly. :hillbilly:

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I’d get rid of those dry rotted swampers in favor of some sort of MT and I bet most of your shaking will go away.
 
Please link the 40's thread here when you start it....
 
Please link the 40's thread here when you start it....

Link here and in my sig :)

 
After leaving the truck to sit up in the mountains for a month I finally was able to go back and get it on a weekend. It started up no problem but the right rear tire was flat! After looking it over I noticed it had no major cracks or leaks so I filled it up and took off home. I got there on Saturday and left Sunday. There wasn’t much time to go wheeling or do anything exciting. I just really wanted my truck back.

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The big update here is that I FINALLY was able to track down everything I need to add A/C to the truck. In a couple weekends I’ll get to the daunting task of installing it. I know that there isn’t a really good write up for installing A/C in these trucks so I’m going to be documenting my process very closely. Ken has made it a little bit more difficult for me since he plumbed the mechanical gauges through the one of the evaporator holes so my install is going to be a little bit more difficult. Thanks @KLF :flipoff2:

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Stay tuned everybody! (especially you Jake @old87yota)
 
I have been busy so I haven't spent much time lurking here lately, but I will be watching!
 
Subscribed for A/C conversion updates. Been wanting to do this to mine...this rig is soooo sweet!!
 
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Stay tuned everybody! (especially you Jake @old87yota)

The only part of that big section you will need is the section where the evaporator coil sits, and some of the wiring. You only need to pull out the glove box and the upper dash pad. The rest of that box was totally rebuilt, all new foam gaskets on the dampers, acidized the heater core, etc.

There is a BUNCH of wires going out the hole in the firewall for the AC lines, the worst will be dealing with the sender lines for the mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges. Sorry about that. You'll also have to extend the wires for the little beeper for the remote locking system that is hidden under the charcoal canister bracket.

You have my number, don't hesitate to call.
 
Oh yeah... it's probably time to pull the winch apart and check the grease and lube. I learned the hard way what happens if you don't do this occasionally.
 
The only part of that big section you will need is the section where the evaporator coil sits, and some of the wiring. You only need to pull out the glove box and the upper dash pad. The rest of that box was totally rebuilt, all new foam gaskets on the dampers, acidized the heater core, etc.

There is a BUNCH of wires going out the hole in the firewall for the AC lines, the worst will be dealing with the sender lines for the mechanical temp and oil pressure gauges. Sorry about that. You'll also have to extend the wires for the little beeper for the remote locking system that is hidden under the charcoal canister bracket.

You have my number, don't hesitate to call.

Thanks for the info Ken! It's going to be a little bit more daunting, but I'm still not too concerned. When all is done it should look factory ideally. I don't even think the relays mounted behind the glove box will be disturbed either after looking at everything.

I think the biggest question right now is what gauge I should replace the air PSI gauge with? A clock? A fuel gauge? Diff temp gauge? Air temp gauge? Or just leave the dead air PSI gauge. We'll have to see!
 
Happy thanksgiving everyone! Hope you all had a good weekend with your families.

I took the mini up to the White Mountains a couple weekends ago to prep the cabin for Thanksgiving. All in all was a fun ride and the truck (as always) did great.

We had quite a bit of snow on the ground and had a little bit of fun in it. I was only there for one full day so I didn't have too much time to go out and explore!

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I did have to go to the barn to get some things, and had to take a photo!

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Mylo had a good time hanging out too - it was his first time seeing snow!

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Unfortunately on the last night the vent selector broke and was stuck blowing air on the floor and the side vents. :bang: I was able to get it to go onto the defrost by manually shutting the flaps on the drivers side.

Not too happy about that, but luckily I have the spare setup at home. I've never had to take the climate control units out - are they a total PITA? Any ideas on what could've caused it to break? When I move the selector it doesn't do anything and now that it's on defrost it won't go anymore left than the HEAT setting and it feels like it no longer has tension.

Any tips on this?
 

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