My favorite was the straight front axle with a 22R and 5 speed. They're hard to find in any kind of shape but not expensive to put back in servicable condition.
I am looking to get an older Toyota 4 wd pickup for beating around in and doing chores.
Looking for one of the old indestructible pickups from years ago, but I don't know much about the Toyota.
What year/s to look for? Years to avoid? Most desirable long-running engine?
Any general advice would be appreciated.
Slap some wheels and tires on the ones sitting in DeFlaves yard and you'll be good to go. May need to bring your own lawn mower to get at 'em...even now...in late December...in north central Montana...but whatever...
Leave the cinder blocks though because he has to re-level his trailer in the spring...
Drove an '87 22RE , five speed manuel until '99. Tired of shifting the 5 speed with nearly all my driving in town, so purchased a 2000 with automatic in Oct. '99. Never had a minutes trouble with either.
The 2000 is still my only transportation. It will outlast me.
I have a 1987 Toyota 4X4 that I bought new in December of 1986. It just turned 28 years old. I have about 200k miles on it.It is the best truck or car I have ever bought. It has never gave me any trouble. I have the 22r engine which has the carb instead of fuel injection. I kinda of wish I had the fuel injection. The Toyota mechanics want to buy it from me because they know I have taken care of it. They have offered me up to 6K dollars for my truck which to me is a lot for a 28 year old truck. I think book value is about 1500. It has been through a lot of mud during hunting season but I never abused it. The red clay here in Middle Georgia is fun during hunting season. You slip and slid all the way to where you are going to hunt. I have the five speed and it gets decent gas milage. I have had the truck so long it is like part of the family. Good luck with your search.
My son just graduated from college and wants to sell a 1995 Toyota extra cab 4x4 six cylinder with 5 speed manual. 200,000 miles with no rust. He is asking $2,500 and lives in Fargo North Dakota. whelennut
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
The early 3.0 V-6s are to be avoided like the plague. The 3.4 Tacoma V-6 is GTG. All of those trucks are "gutless", sort of. It ain't a V-8, but its got a LOW-RANGE, when you need grunt. And it that ain't enough, intall TWO transfer cases inline. That 22RE is capable of damaging its own motor mounts and possible the frame with that setup.
The 80's 22RE's actually had about eight or ten more horsepower than the early 90's trucks. Something was wrong with yours (lot of clogged catalytic converters from that era) or you have "unrealistic expectations", IE it ain't a five-O Mustang.
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
You have to match the tire size to the diff gears with those gutless 4 bangers. My '85 xtra cab with the 22RE and 5 speed had TOYO 35x13.50 15" MT tires and 5.29 gears. Got 19 mpg going 70 on the freeway and did fine pulling hills.
The first gen 4Runners are nice ('84-'89) but they're built on the pickup frame and the extra weight from that heavy top causes them to sack out the rear leafs.
The 3.0 (3.slow) V-6 is a head gasket blowing POS.
The early 3.0 V-6s are to be avoided like the plague.
Really? I've got 2, an 87 & a 93, with 190k & 238k, changed the starter and timing belts on each, still running strong. The 93 will get 23mpg on a good hiway day. Best trucks & engines I've owned.
As to the original question, if you prefer a 22R, look for a fuel injected unit. My 86 is carbureted, that carb is a complex little bastage. The FI engines get better milage and more power in my experience.
I just searched craigslist here in an area of 150,000 population and found 5 '90-'95 4Runners with the 3.0 for sale cheap because they have blown head gaskets.
I just searched craigslist here in an area of 150,000 population and found 5 '90-'95 4Runners with the 3.0 for sale cheap because they have blown head gaskets.
The tranny/transfers on those 3.0 V6's have issues as well. The 22RE/W56 5-speed/gear transfer is the way to go. The R-151 is a beefed up W56 for the turbo and I've read the parts are still available to do that to any of that series of transmission.
People dog the little 22RE for being "weak", that is one of the reasons it'll last so long.
You have to match the tire size to the diff gears with those gutless 4 bangers. My '85 xtra cab with the 22RE and 5 speed had TOYO 35x13.50 15" MT tires and 5.29 gears. Got 19 mpg going 70 on the freeway and did fine pulling hills.
A lot of guys put 32in tires on 4cyl Toys with 4.11 diffs and don't realize they are killing their torque and power unless they re-gear the diffs.
[quote=Dutch]If I remember correctly, the '97 Taco with the small four I had came off the lot with 152 horses.
Sometime around '97 or '98 Toyota went to the 2.7 and they do make more power than the 2.4. My daughters '90 4Runner has a 22RE that makes 110 horses. The older Tcases were gear drive, too but her '90 is chain drive.
The 3.0's are undeniably one of the worst motors Toyota put out. But, being a Toyota, you'll still find owners that have had zero issues and are well past the 250K mark.
if you're in the snow belt, rotsa ruck. them things rotted to nothing around here. my 79 sr5 ran like the devil until it turned into the flintstones truck. buddy used it as a stump puller until he ripped it in two.
[quote=Dutch]If I remember correctly, the '97 Taco with the small four I had came off the lot with 152 horses.
Sometime around '97 or '98 Toyota went to the 2.7 and they do make more power than the 2.4. My daughters '90 4Runner has a 22RE that makes 110 horses. The older Tcases were gear drive, too but her '90 is chain drive.
The 2.4 (2rz-fe) had 142hp, the 2.7 (3rz-fe) has 150hp. I have 261,xxx on my 2.4 and its going strong. Toyota's are the best vehicles IMHO hands down.
You have to match the tire size to the diff gears with those gutless 4 bangers. My '85 xtra cab with the 22RE and 5 speed had TOYO 35x13.50 15" MT tires and 5.29 gears. Got 19 mpg going 70 on the freeway and did fine pulling hills.
The first gen 4Runners are nice ('84-'89) but they're built on the pickup frame and the extra weight from that heavy top causes them to sack out the rear leafs.
The 3.0 (3.slow) V-6 is a head gasket blowing POS.
This man knows his Toyota's!!! How much do you want for that 85 x-tra cab....
The early 3.0's had head gasket recalls from Toyota so those owners may be the ones that got more trouble free miles out of their trucks after the "fix."
if you're in the snow belt, rotsa ruck. them things rotted to nothing around here. my 79 sr5 ran like the devil until it turned into the flintstones truck. buddy used it as a stump puller until he ripped it in two.
There are panels and cab-corners available for rotted cabs. Rusted beds are gonners. Build a flatbed.
You have to match the tire size to the diff gears with those gutless 4 bangers. My '85 xtra cab with the 22RE and 5 speed had TOYO 35x13.50 15" MT tires and 5.29 gears. Got 19 mpg going 70 on the freeway and did fine pulling hills.
The first gen 4Runners are nice ('84-'89) but they're built on the pickup frame and the extra weight from that heavy top causes them to sack out the rear leafs.
The 3.0 (3.slow) V-6 is a head gasket blowing POS.
This man knows his Toyota's!!! How much do you want for that 85 x-tra cab....
Cool but a reverse-out probably ain't adviseable in a pickup, but that's hollywood.
The early 3.0's had head gasket recalls from Toyota so those owners may be the ones that got more trouble free miles out of their trucks after the "fix."
I think the years went from 1990 to 1995 for the 3.0 head gasket recall. I remember reading on a Toyota truck forum a couple years ago where a guy had a head gasket replaced under the recall in 2010.
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
Marlin Czajkowski of Marlin Crawler fame put a '96 2.7 in his '80 Toy Hilux. With the gearing it has, he gets a 1,148:1 crawl ratio. It has Goodyear 37" MTR's.
A popular swap is the Chevy Vortec 4.3 V-6 with aluminum heads and TBI. A $500 bellhousing adapter, a Toy V-6 5 speed, the correct wiring harnesses and you're good to go.
A popular swap is the Chevy Vortec 4.3 V-6 with aluminum heads and TBI. A $500 bellhousing adapter, a Toy V-6 5 speed, the correct wiring harnesses and you're good to go.
IIRC, the R-151 tranny, the one for the turbo 4cyl (W-56 with a beefed up transfer output shaft is the tranny for that swap. That Marlin Crawler dude knows all.
My 1987 Toyota Deluxe Truck 4X4 with the 22r engine and a 5 speed came with a whopping 102 horsepower. I still have the owners manual. It doesn't have a lot of power but it sure will go through the mud. I have pulled a lot of V8 trucks out of the mud. I agree with what everybody said about the carb on the 22r. I have 31X10.5 tires on my truck (Bridgestone AT Duelers) and it gets about 15 MPG in the city and about 19 to 22 MPG on the highway. With fuel injection you can easily beat that and have more HP. I still love my truck after 28 years.
My 1987 Toyota Deluxe Truck 4X4 with the 22r engine and a 5 speed came with a whopping 102 horsepower. I still have the owners manual. It doesn't have a lot of power but it sure will go through the mud. I have pulled a lot of V8 trucks out of the mud. I agree with what everybody said about the carb on the 22r. I have 31X10.5 tires on my truck (Bridgestone AT Duelers) and it gets about 15 MPG in the city and about 19 to 22 MPG on the highway. With fuel injection you can easily beat that and have more HP. I still love my truck after 28 years.
Yours have a carb? I think a few did until 87. If you change the ring gears to 4.56's you'll get a bit of power back. A few V-6's came with 4.56's. I've been able to locate one complete front diff in a junkyard but not a rear one.
Another thing to keep in mind when looking for an older Boyota is I would plan on removing any oversized tires/rims and other stupid schit as soon as you get it.
The old Toyotas (like many other products in the world) are at their best when left stock IMO.
I had a 94 truck with with the 3.0 V6. It was no performance engine and Toyota did do a preventive head gasket change out but it was a very reliable truck for the 14 years I owned it. The only problem I recall was that the front wheeling bearings would squeal for about 1/2 a mile if they were cold and the temperature was less than 15 degrees outside. I believe Toyota had a fix for it but I ended up moving to Florida and it was a non-issue there. I would have kept driving it but my kids complained about having to ride in the small jump seats in back. I have an 08 Tacoma now with about a 135K on it and still going strong.
My 1987 Toyota Deluxe Truck 4X4 with the 22r engine and a 5 speed came with a whopping 102 horsepower. I still have the owners manual. It doesn't have a lot of power but it sure will go through the mud. I have pulled a lot of V8 trucks out of the mud. I agree with what everybody said about the carb on the 22r. I have 31X10.5 tires on my truck (Bridgestone AT Duelers) and it gets about 15 MPG in the city and about 19 to 22 MPG on the highway. With fuel injection you can easily beat that and have more HP. I still love my truck after 28 years.
Yours have a carb? I think a few did until 87. If you change the ring gears to 4.56's you'll get a bit of power back. A few V-6's came with 4.56's. I've been able to locate one complete front diff in a junkyard but not a rear one.
If a Carb'ed version, replace the head with one from a 20 R and you will see an approximate 15 increase in HP, as this ups the engine compression.... local guy did that and then converted the rig to run on propane...
It will get up and scoot, especially pulling going up some of our local mountains..
Yamaha also use to make a head for them, that upped the rpm capabilities to 9000 rpms +....the lower end will take that all day long...brought HP on the those to the 175 to 180 range...
had a few buddies who had done that conversion....
those conversions plus axle ratio conversions.. you can end up with a mean little truck...
With regards the US, which versions of the 4Runner and the Pick-ups's had the full box section chassis?
I know the later Tacoma's had a chassis which was only 30% box section, the rest being C and flat section which led indirectly to the chassis failures on certain models..
I am glad to say the HiLux we get still has an all box section chassis and on certain markets is rated a 1 tonne pick-up...
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
I went to a Weber carb on my 20R. I haven't checked mileage, but power is much better. I find myself running 10 mph faster than before when I'm driving thru corners.
My 1987 Toyota Deluxe Truck 4X4 with the 22r engine and a 5 speed came with a whopping 102 horsepower. I still have the owners manual. It doesn't have a lot of power but it sure will go through the mud. I have pulled a lot of V8 trucks out of the mud. I agree with what everybody said about the carb on the 22r. I have 31X10.5 tires on my truck (Bridgestone AT Duelers) and it gets about 15 MPG in the city and about 19 to 22 MPG on the highway. With fuel injection you can easily beat that and have more HP. I still love my truck after 28 years.
Yours have a carb? I think a few did until 87. If you change the ring gears to 4.56's you'll get a bit of power back. A few V-6's came with 4.56's. I've been able to locate one complete front diff in a junkyard but not a rear one.
If a Carb'ed version, replace the head with one from a 20 R and you will see an approximate 15 increase in HP, as this ups the engine compression.... local guy did that and then converted the rig to run on propane...
It will get up and scoot, especially pulling going up some of our local mountains..
Yamaha also use to make a head for them, that upped the rpm capabilities to 9000 rpms +....the lower end will take that all day long...brought HP on the those to the 175 to 180 range...
had a few buddies who had done that conversion....
those conversions plus axle ratio conversions.. you can end up with a mean little truck... performance options abound...
Thanks Seafire, I may give that a try. I could use some more HP. It takes awhile to get up to highway speed with 102 HP. LOL. Other than that my truck has been a great truck for 28 years. When I bought my truck you had to buy the SR5 verson to get FI if I remember right.
I had a T100 that was absolutely bulletproof. 3.4L with a 5 speed. I sold it at 189,000 and bought a 2002 Tundra with the same 3.4L V6 and it's run me to 225,000.
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
Maybe he didn't get the uber upgrade.
Tbone, Hang in there sweetheart. Sometimes running with the "dangerous" crowd can be uber challenging.
BTW, we find Uber to be a very helpful network when in need of transportation in a big city. Look it up sometime!
I am looking to get an older Toyota 4 wd pickup for beating around in and doing chores.
Looking for one of the old indestructible pickups from years ago, but I don't know much about the Toyota.
What year/s to look for? Years to avoid? Most desirable long-running engine?
Any general advice would be appreciated.
1985 is the last year of the straight axles.
22R with EFI is the motor you want.
5 speed manual. The four speeds can be problematic and the five speeds are bomb proof.
But honestly, any Toyota with the 22R and a five speed is going to be pretty UBER. Be it independent front suspension or the coveted straight axle.
Don't overlook the old 4Runners. They can often be found for significantly less but they are just as off road capable and are great vehicles.
Travis
Watch out for the 5 speed manual on the 1992 model pu's. They dont have a tranny pump to pump the fluid to the top shaft. This causes the top shaft to have problems. I've had to have my tranny rebuilt 2 times. Once at 140K and again at 270K.
Skip the 4runners or at least be careful of what year you purchase. My brother got one. He calls it the gutless wonder, and was disappointed with the gas mileage.
Maybe he didn't get the uber upgrade.
Tbone, Hang in there sweetheart. Sometimes running with the "dangerous" crowd can be uber challenging.
BTW, we find Uber to be a very helpful network when in need of transportation in a big city. Look it up sometime!
Do you use it to get to the old folks you're screwing over? Look that up sometime.
Have a 95 Taco with the 2.7 4 cyl and the 5 spd 4wd , 225k and running strong better power than 22R's and still get 22 mpg on the highway. IFS you bet, smoother than the straight axle ones. Magnum Man
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