My 82 PU

[gtrobb]

Hello all. I've been hanging around the board for a couple of years now, and spending a lot of time online around the NC4x4 classifieds - keeping an eye out for First Gen Toyota items with the usual result being me or friends of mine driving several hours to bring back what I believe to now be enough parts and pieces to finally call a project.
It started off three years ago with a frame I picked up to repair an 81 PU I had at the time. I had it sand blasted, then some quality hand-sanding time and a lot of rattle-can Rustoleum Primer, a few days to cure, and then a nice coat of Gloss Black:



Then I sold the truck and sold the frame. Now, fast-forward 2 years, and I see an ad on the NC4x4 board for a "First Gen frame"...yes, it was the same one - two years and (at least) two owners later. So, of course it found its way home. Who am I to question how the planets aligned to offer me this second-chance project?
A couple of months go by and I pick up the donor cab...an 82 SR5. It must have been a pretty good looking truck in its day - still had the complete "uncut" tach cluster/woodgrain dash and one of the best fenders and front valance combinations I've seen on a "project" level cab around here.

Then, a few weeks ago, donor #2 - an 81 chassis with 84 Cab:

A good friend called and asked if I was still planning that first gen project I had been talking about for a while...he knew of a recently rebuilt 22R and thought it would be a quality addition to the project. I went to have a look/listen and ended up bringing the whole thing home. So, add a 22R, 5 spd, top shift case, fr/rr axles, IFS steering box and a nice set of chrome SR5 wheels to the mix. AND the recently-functioning fuel and brake lines as well as the parking brake and power steering assemblies were welcome additions.


And then today - A VERY productive day. I heard from a friend that another friend had a friend with a nice first gen shortbed for sale...so I called earlier this week, he sent pics, we set the pick-up, and I started off around 8 for a road trip to Winston Salem. Here's a photo just off Hwy 421 on the way home:

And here are a few driveway pics:


I had spoken to the PO and had seen pics, but I was still very surprised at just how good this bed is...the tailgate has one small quarter-sized rust spot at bottom left, but is otherwise in great shape - opens perfectly and take a look at the condition of the hinges:

Just one problem area (pass front corner) thanks to a factory rollbar, but I can patch this with pieces from the other bed:

He also included a NICE pair of taillights - AND a pair of 79-80 Round Eyes bezels and lens...I soaked them for a couple of hours and they really came out great:

I really got lucky on this one...this was an awesome find and things should hopefully pick up from here.
So, the major pieces are here and now the real work begins. Plans are for White w/silver/gray/charcoal decals, gray interior. Some upgrades - crossover steering, FJ rotors and later model IFS calipers, longfields, single case with 4.7s, and probably a 10.5-33 BFG KM2 or similar...something a little taller than stock (to take up some of the fenderwell space from the lift req'd for the crossover steering), but not too large for the 22r to handle on the street. I want to maintain the appearance of the stock truck, but upgrade a few mechanical items for dependability, safety & performance. More pics and updates will come as things progress, and I hope it will be something interesting to follow.

[Slacker]

wow .. yeah , you should have bought a lotery ticket that day ;D
and the box looks great , those good ones are getting very hard to find !!

I look forward to your progress



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[fzj80]

X2, nice score on the box.

[crusherfied]

Wish I could find a nice clean box like that for my '82 shortbed

[gtrobb]

Thanks for the comments. Friday was a productive parts-finding day. I picked up the 22RE carburetor and air cleaner assembly I needed...AND scored a great 79-81 round eyes grille and bezel setup, too.
I spent most of the day Saturday replacing the bypass hose and 90 degree fiting on my 94 22RE...but I'm still chasing a "no hot air" issue with the heater. I my have a clogged line "beyond" the core - or a cable/flap issue - but I'll need more daylight for fact-finding on those. But, she was back together with a nice mix of antifreeze just in time for the 20 degrees we saw Sat night.
Sunday afternoon saw a little progress on the 82 cab. I removed the windshield, doors, fenders, and other misc items. I am working on disassembly of the dash and remaining engine compartment areas, and then it's on to the floor insulation removal (ugh) to get her ready to go over for floorboard repairs, bodywork and interior/underneath/engine compartment paint.

[foonanas]

where are you in NC?

[gtrobb]

I am between Boone and Hickory, right in Lenoir area. I spoke to you a year or so ago when you were thinking of selling your Trekker. Did you change your mind/where is it now? I'm hoping you were able to keep it and things are moving along with it as well.
- - - -
I've been trying to track down a "no heat" issue in my 94, and i have pretty much narrowed it down to the heater core. So, when payday rolls around next weekend, I'll spend a Christmas vacation day or two and strip the dash and refurbish the heater box while I'm in there.
I have made some progress on the 82 cab...nothing inspirational, but I have 95% of the cab stripped down. And tonight I tackled the most dreaded job...removal of the floor insulation. An air chisel made a HUGE difference, and I was able to remove all in around an hour. I cracked open the garage door for a few hours this evening to let the cab cool on the concrete floor...it was noticeably (more) cold to the touch, so I am thinking that may have aided in the removal. But, the damage in the front corners was a little worse than I had hoped:

But, while the floor panel is "gone", the body mount support structure underneath suffered little more than surface rust. And, the rear corners:

AND a question for the board...the side trim panels (and kick panels not shown) are PAPER thin...I cracked one just handling it AFTER removal, and the driver side panel came apart during removal.

Any words of wisdom and experience regarding repair? I was think a single layer of mat on the back, then a light coat of resin over the front to seal/strengthen?
Again, nothing pretty, but a lot of the "boy, I am going to dread this" is out of the way now. Cab will be ready to go outside onto trailer (awaiting the body man's call), so I can set the frame on jackstands and get started on touch-up and assembly there.

[Slacker]

I`m sure the cold helped alot on the removal .. I have done a few , it definatly comes off easier in the cold !

The floor is pretty common to rust .. real tough to find a good one .. just count your blessings you got a good box , and press on ;D

on the trim panel .. mine worked out ok , just one little crack under the pinch weld moulding , where the tape on the back stuck when I was removing it , so I got lucky there .. but I was thinking of making some replacements and was going to try just laying the glass mat on the back of the panel .. I never tried it , but I think it would work ..

because the back of the panel is smooth , I though it would work as a mold , I was just going to gelcoat and lay 1 layer of 1.0 oz mat . you dont have to gelcoat , but then you will probabally have to finish the out side , maybe not though , you might just be able to peel it away , and paint . the 1 oz should be thin enough to work in to the corners , and also be thin enough to keep the panel flexable


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[Slacker]

yes , they would "stand the heat" the 1.0 oz layer , if done correctly , with the correct catylist would be fine , I do it all the time .. problem is people dont use the corect amount of catylist , and heat or exotherm reaction is "hotter" then it should be .. this is usually the reason for fires due to these chemicals , it why I tell people to leave there over mixes out side . the 1 oz is also thin enough for a final product to be amost the exact same thickness as the original .. + yes , it would be way better then the factory plastic . I have a bunch of these "panels" (other model pieces comming up for sale in the new year)

using the out side "textured" would be tough though.. I doubt you would be able to make very good pieces , as the gel-coat would "stick" to the mold . waxing and prep. would be tough , you would totally have to rely on the spray release , and that dosnt work out well for production pieces .. A 1 off may work , but then the cost of making a mold, wouldnt be worth it .