The life and times of my 1987 Toyota Pickup - KLF Special

[KLF]

Love those photos! Especially the dog, that's awesome!

Hmmm.... sounds like the cable may have snapped? Regardless, I don't think it's too bad to get the HVAC control panel out. The toughest part is getting the bezel off without breaking it, it is VERY fragile!! Pull the 4 knobs off first, then you pry on one side (can't remember, I think the passenger side), get it unhooked, then carefully pull it out. Then I seem to remember there are 3-4 screws holding it in. Pull it straight out, then take a look, you will probably see what is broken. Yeah, there was a spare one in the box of parts that went to Brett, maybe you still have it? They are easy to find on eBay.

 

[yotadude520]

Love those photos! Especially the dog, that's awesome!

Hmmm.... sounds like the cable may have snapped? Regardless, I don't think it's too bad to get the HVAC control panel out. The toughest part is getting the bezel off without breaking it, it is VERY fragile!! Pull the 4 knobs off first, then you pry on one side (can't remember, I think the passenger side), get it unhooked, then carefully pull it out. Then I seem to remember there are 3-4 screws holding it in. Pull it straight out, then take a look, you will probably see what is broken. Yeah, there was a spare one in the box of parts that went to Brett, maybe you still have it? They are easy to find on eBay.

Thanks Ken!

I'll look in the box of parts, I think I remember seeing one in there when I originally cataloged everything! If not I have the one that came with my A/C stuff so I should be good.

Might be a dumb question but I should probably disconnect all the other cables before pulling the old one out right?

 

[KLF]

I think it will be obvious what needs to be disconnected once you start pulling it out. There is the electrical for the A/C switch, the fan switch, and the dash light, but the connectors are right there, to the right. You might need to remove the clock as well.

 

[yotadude520]

Last night was fun.

When I was up in the White Mountains before Thanksgiving I was trying to turn on the defroster and the zone changer for the climate control broke somehow. I wasn't sure if it was the cable or not but I ended up having to manually turn it onto defrost to get me by.

After a little disassembly, I found the culprit.

The cable is held on by a clip on the climate control which holds it and allows the inner cable to move when the lever does. That completely broke off.

Getting the old one out was a total PITA. Most people recommend removing the dash pad since I have the gauges up there that was a no go. You can actually get it out by just pushing it as far to the right as you can, then getting the left side past the tab and pulling it out. It's not fun at at all but once you have it out it's out.

Luckily I had a spare one from when I bought the A/C stuff so I just slapped it in and threw it all back together.

The slider is still a little stiff and to be honest I'm a little scared it's going to break again. Anyone have any tips to make it a little smoother? It looks like Ken had put some grease on the plastic sliders on the box and I greased the cable too.

On a side note too, my DS power window switch quit working the other week. The panels in this truck were only available in 1988 & 1989 4Runners and it has the switches in the armrest. A used switch on eBay (if you can find one) is about $500 .

I've never been a fan of power anything so I'm thinking of just swapping in some manual regulators and new panels. From what I've read it sounds just that easy. Anyone here have any experiences with this?

 

[KLF]

Once you source all the parts, it's not bad to swap back to crank windows. You will need to make sure to get regulators for the full non-event windows, they are different. Same for the door cards. Don't use the VIN from that truck, as it originally had vent windows, those are not the original doors.

 

[yotadude520]

Once you source all the parts, it's not bad to swap back to crank windows. You will need to make sure to get regulators for the full non-event windows, they are different. Same for the door cards. Don't use the VIN from that truck, as it originally had vent windows, those are not the original doors.

I found all the parts to do the swap for around $400 (including the new door panels). I found the regulators using a 1989 4Runner w/o vent windows.

Oh and I did take apart the switch last night..got the backing plate off and then saw all the rods and what not. But I think you went further than the backing plate the first time you had it apart. I could see some marks on the side. I honestly didn't feel comfortable enough to mess with it haha.

 

[KLF]

I found all the parts to do the swap for around $400 (including the new door panels). I found the regulators using a 1989 4Runner w/o vent windows.

Oh and I did take apart the switch last night..got the backing plate off and then saw all the rods and what not. But I think you went further than the backing plate the first time you had it apart. I could see some marks on the side. I honestly didn't feel comfortable enough to mess with it haha.

Yes, sorry I missed your call, I was having dinner with Bud (of Budbuilt). Yes you need to keep going, there's another layer that has to come out. Seriously, if you want, and can afford the down time, just drop the switch in the mail to me, I'll give it a shot. Up to you.

 

[joseywales]

Yes, sorry I missed your call, I was having dinner with Bud (of Budbuilt). Yes you need to keep going, there's another layer that has to come out. Seriously, if you want, and can afford the down time, just drop the switch in the mail to me, I'll give it a shot. Up to you.

Now THAT’S a great warranty on a build!

 

[yotadude520]

I ended up taking the switch apart over the weekend and the contacts were toast. I put some grease on them to see if I could get a little bit more life out of it but I've got nothing just like I did before.

Don't hate me guys, but I'm going to be converting this thing back to manual windows. I know I could I run wires to another switch somewhere but I just don't want to mess with it. I've never cared for power anything to be honest - just more things to fail IMO.

I've already got the manual window regulators, and have new door panels, crank handles & arm rests on the way. The truck has been sitting in my garage for the past couple weeks since the window got stuck down and I'm just ready to drive it.

I'll be putting all the power window stuff in some boxes in case I decide to change back to them down the road or if anybody wants to jump on it.

More pics to document the swap to come. Sorry Ken! @KLF

 

[joseywales]

I’ve got manual windows in my Runner. It’s not a bad thing. I love the vent windows too. Poor man’s AC!

 

[rustED71]

Just read through your build, your truck is awesome, I love the mods and how cleanly everything has been done! I spend most of my time in the FJ40-55 section and didnt recognize your user until I saw your FJ40 lol.

 

[yotadude520]

Just read through your build, your truck is awesome, I love the mods and how cleanly everything has been done! I spend most of my time in the FJ40-55 section and didnt recognize your user until I saw your FJ40 lol.

Thanks rustED! It really has been a joy to own and am happy to be driving it again!

 

[GeoRoss]

I was very impressed seeing this truck in person this weekend during a serendipitous trip to ACE.

Really nice truck.

 

[yotadude520]

I was very impressed seeing this truck in person this weekend during a serendipitous trip to ACE.

Really nice truck.

Thanks Ross! It was nice chatting with you again!

I still think you need to SAS your 4Runner....go down that rabbit hole!! Drive mine and you'll see how much more stable they feel compared to the IFS nonsense in the front.

 

[yotadude520]

I just realized that I never documented my power to crank windows conversion! It was as easy as swapping over the regulators. I did have to put in some new bushings for the screws in the arm rest to go into, but all in all super easy swap and I am very happy with my crank windows.

I think the hardest part is tracking down some nice door panels - but I was lucky enough to find some that match the SR5 seats in the truck.

 

[yotadude520]

I took the truck up to the White Mountains last weekend as I do every year, and boy was it a wild ride.

On the drive up the truck was running a little hot. After checking everything out I noticed the coolant reservoir was bone dry and my A/C belt was slipping. I tightened the belt & filled the reservoir and it seemed to make a little difference but not much. I started looking deeper and the clutch fan was completely shot. I bought a replacement fan in Safford and replaced it with my dad on Friday.

The new fan clutch seemed to be working great - temps were around 190-200 with the A/C on and things were looking good until yesterday.

On my way back to Tucson we got caught in a massive hailstorm in New Mexico. The hailstones were literally the size of golf balls and it sounded like someone hitting the truck with a baseball bat. There was nowhere to pull off and I had to keep on driving until we got out of the hail storm. Needless to say, there was some carnage. Here are the pics I took for the insurance company. (there's a good amount of dents that didn't even make it into the pictures)

To make things worse on the way out of Safford the charge light came on and the voltmeter started dropping and the temp gauge started increasing. I pulled off on the side of the highway and saw that my alternator belt had shredded. In the 30 seconds it took me to pull off the road the temp gauge went to 240. My alternator belt had completely shredded and it also runs the water pump. I was luckily able to get a tow truck to come get the truck but due to COVID-19 I couldn't ride in the tow truck with the driver or in the truck on the back. Things were looking bleak as our closest ride was about 2 hours away.

And then out of nowhere @GeoRoss calls me asking if I'm stranded and needed help! I told him what had happened and he quickly turned around and came to help out. He and his daughter had been camping in the White Mountains and were on their way home when they saw my truck sitting on the side of the highway.

I arranged to have the truck towed to an AutoZone in Wilcox where they had a new belt waiting for me. The tow driver had the truck on the ramp in mere minutes and we found ourselves driving to Wilcox.

We quickly put a new belt on in the AutoZone parking lot and also replaced the power steering belt while we were there. Ross also told me that the A/C belt is the same size as the water pump/alternator belt - so if you're ever in a pinch you can use that to get ya home!

With the new belt on we departed home and the truck was doing great. It doesn't seem like any damage occurred when the belt broke and it overheated. It ran a lot cooler on the way home but did start to spike up again near the end of the drive. Still need to look into this.

The drive home was filled with low points, but also had some really high points as well. I can't thank Ross enough for going out of his way to help us and it goes to show that our community is unique and filled with excellent people and true enthusiasts. It definitely was not a fun ride home but at the end of the day with some help the old girl got us home safely. I can't ask for much more and can't stress enough my gratitude to Ross for all the help he gave us.

The truck is going in to get the hail damage looked at on Wednesday and will hopefully be fixed. Will update everyone with what happens next.

 

[GeoRoss]

We are still talking about the odds of us driving by. We are so happy we could help. My karma points would be higher if you were a bus load of nuns, but I’ll take these points any day.

 

[GeoRoss]

Thanks for not mentioning all my glamping stuff.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

I took the truck up to the White Mountains last weekend as I do every year, and boy was it a wild ride.

On the drive up the truck was running a little hot. After checking everything out I noticed the coolant reservoir was bone dry and my A/C belt was slipping. I tightened the belt & filled the reservoir and it seemed to make a little difference but not much. I started looking deeper and the clutch fan was completely shot. I bought a replacement fan in Safford and replaced it with my dad on Friday.

The new fan clutch seemed to be working great - temps were around 190-200 with the A/C on and things were looking good until yesterday.

On my way back to Tucson we got caught in a massive hailstorm in New Mexico. The hailstones were literally the size of golf balls and it sounded like someone hitting the truck with a baseball bat. There was nowhere to pull off and I had to keep on driving until we got out of the hail storm. Needless to say, there was some carnage. Here are the pics I took for the insurance company. (there's a good amount of dents that didn't even make it into the pictures)

To make things worse on the way out of Safford the charge light came on and the voltmeter started dropping and the temp gauge started increasing. I pulled off on the side of the highway and saw that my alternator belt had shredded. In the 30 seconds it took me to pull off the road the temp gauge went to 240. My alternator belt had completely shredded and it also runs the water pump. I was luckily able to get a tow truck to come get the truck but due to COVID-19 I couldn't ride in the tow truck with the driver or in the truck on the back. Things were looking bleak as our closest ride was about 2 hours away.

And then out of nowhere @GeoRoss calls me asking if I'm stranded and needed help! I told him what had happened and he quickly turned around and came to help out. He and his daughter had been camping in the White Mountains and were on their way home when they saw my truck sitting on the side of the highway.

I arranged to have the truck towed to an AutoZone in Wilcox where they had a new belt waiting for me. The tow driver had the truck on the ramp in mere minutes and we found ourselves driving to Wilcox.

We quickly put a new belt on in the AutoZone parking lot and also replaced the power steering belt while we were there. Ross also told me that the A/C belt is the same size as the water pump/alternator belt - so if you're ever in a pinch you can use that to get ya home!

With the new belt on we departed home and the truck was doing great. It doesn't seem like any damage occurred when the belt broke and it overheated. It ran a lot cooler on the way home but did start to spike up again near the end of the drive. Still need to look into this.

The drive home was filled with low points, but also had some really high points as well. I can't thank Ross enough for going out of his way to help us and it goes to show that our community is unique and filled with excellent people and true enthusiasts. It definitely was not a fun ride home but at the end of the day with some help the old girl got us home safely. I can't ask for much more and can't stress enough my gratitude to Ross for all the help he gave us.

The truck is going in to get the hail damage looked at on Wednesday and will hopefully be fixed. Will update everyone with what happens next.

On the bright side a new paint job and more!! Hang in there

 

[Toast]

Bummer! I'm curious to know if they try and total the rig. That's a ton of damage which will most likely require either a TON of PDR or a complete paint job. Keep us posted, I've always loved KLF's rig. As far as overheating goes, what radiator do you have? 2 core? 3 core? CSF makes a nice 3 core brass/copper radiator that would solve your issues if you only had a 2 core. Also, do you have an OEM thermostat with Toyota red coolant? Just some thoughts...