# Any 80s Toyota 4X4 Truck/Runner fans ?



## osadayo99 (Mar 16, 2019)

I've been an old Yota fan for years, done some nice off-road mods on solid front axle models. Use them for daily drivers , firewood hauling , camping , trailing and hunting. 
Just wondering if there's others out there ? [on site]
Thanks !


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## Eagle_Adam (Apr 23, 2019)

I’m a datsun guy at heart but none of them came from the factory with 4WD.....

So naturally I’ve got a soft spot for any Toyota 4WD rig pre 85


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## Eagle_Adam (Apr 23, 2019)

Although if I had the fab skills and tools needed I would copy my buddies 4x4 620 build


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## CentaurG2 (Apr 24, 2019)

Anything from the 80’s has long since turn to rust around here. You are unlikely to see anything from the early 2000 still on the road.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXJyXh252Ic


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## Deleted member 150358 (Apr 24, 2019)

My first car was a 1970 Toyota hilux. For the pos it was it had some good points. Well no actually it fried the points on a regular basis. Fun and economical to drive on the back roads and side streets. Embarrassing to turn onto the freeway with!

Always liked the 80's yotas but yeah here 3 years and the fenders were flopping like a chicken trying to fly!


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## Deleted member 117362 (Apr 24, 2019)

My 1985 Toyota Tacoma's bed seams started rusting the day I drove it off the lot. Trouble free otherwise.


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## Eagle_Adam (Apr 25, 2019)

I cant even begin to come up with the Appropriate words to describe how happy I am that I live in Oregon, and Oregon has yet to turn to that devil salt to free it’s roads of snow/ice!


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## Eagle_Adam (Apr 25, 2019)

Cus no salt = this for me!!!

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/any-other-datsun-addicts-here.329266/


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## CentaurG2 (Apr 25, 2019)

Combine road salt with salt from the Atlantic and yearly state inspection, cars don’t stand much of a chance. Its alright. Cars are getting better and safer. Its good to upgrade tech, albeit costly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cW-ATJxLXc


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KePrK9FseGk


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## wood4heat (Apr 25, 2019)

My Yota, sadly I sold it last Fall. Miss it today.  

https://www.arboristsite.com/community/threads/got-a-new-toy-today.278506/#post-5325864


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## stillhunter (Apr 25, 2019)

I don't always keep a truck for 34 years........... but when I do it's a 84 Toyota
now





almost new




20 some yrs. ago...unstoppable w 33-15,50 15 SXs .


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## bfrazier (Apr 28, 2019)

Here's my 1985 - his name is Tojo and he has 380,000 miles on him. Picked him up last year just for driving around my property as a chore truck. Had to pull the canopy off so he can haul wood. A year later, he's carried at least 40 loads of firewood and probably a hundred other things. He starts and runs every time, so I'm happy.

Yeah, just 2 wheel drive. $800... cheaper than a good saw.


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## osadayo99 (May 2, 2019)

Nice rides Fellas ! Yeah I have a nice stable of old Yotas 1983 longbed SR5 , 2 -1985 Longbed and regular bed {lil camo} topped off with a 1985 Runner , All of them were junkers needing motors , trannys or major motor repair.
I've always run the same package 5;29 gears , centerforce clutch II, weber 38s with all emissions blocked off, Detroit locker in rear and truetrac up front. these little trucks are tanks off road they can't be beat !
*****Nice job on the green 83 remodel SWEEET !


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## stillhunter (May 2, 2019)

osadayo99 said:


> Nice rides Fellas ! Yeah I have a nice stable of old Yotas 1983 longbed SR5 , 2 -1985 Longbed and regular bed {lil camo} topped off with a 1985 Runner , All of them were junkers needing motors , trannys or major motor repair.
> I've always run the same package 5;29 gears , centerforce clutch II, weber 38s with all emissions blocked off, Detroit locker in rear and truetrac up front. these little trucks are tanks off road they can't be beat !
> *****Nice job on the green 83 remodel SWEEET !



I had a 5;29 in the rear on my truck for some years w 33's. I never got to re gearing the front axle but used the 4wd a few times in the mud when I needed to. On the street the 5:29 was a blast. Take off from a stop made it pretty fast , fast enough to embarrass a few peeps who apparently wanted to race to the next stoplight. I could also cruise around town 35/45mph and it would roll on down the road w no peddle at all. I seem to remember it making 30mpg or more around town. In low, it would idle up very steep hills offroad. I used to get out and walk beside it now and then as it inched along. W the super swampers tslsx I rarely needed 4wd even w open diffs. I could park it in a deep mud hole, rev the motor and dump the clutch and it would jump around and then climb on out.......... good times.


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## osadayo99 (May 2, 2019)

I hear ya Stillhunter, Ive' always had 22R engines , in low gears they have a nice torquie pull to them . Like you I can just let the lil' beast idle up a hill . I'm a super swamper fan also ...outstanding off road in the muck tires. ...


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## osadayo99 (May 2, 2019)

BTW ...Stillhunter thats a great decoy you've got standing next to your toy !


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## stillhunter (May 3, 2019)

Overheated the original motor when the thermo. stuck, driving home from work on a 96* day @ about 180k. Did'nt notice till it starting spark knocking and the gauge was in the red. I pulled over and let it cool off, ran a few miles/repeat till I got home about 10 miles. Flush/new t/stat and w pump. A few weeks later I noticed some steam in the exhaust at starting in summer , it would stop when it warmed up. I had other vehicles and only drove the truck a mile to the trash dump, hunting etc. within 5 miles or so of home for 2 years. The steam got worse. One day I pulled into a friends yard and he walked up from his garden as I sat in the truck idling. He said "you got problems" and nodded a the rear. I stuck my head out and looked back,coolant was pissing out of the tailpipe ! drove it home and parked it for good.
A month or so later I found a 82 2wd truck w 42k on the 22R. It had been rolled over and bought back after it was totaled. The guy pulled the plugs and filled the cylinders w motor oil. It sat for 13 years before I bought it. I put it in gear and rocked it and the motor spun easily. I had to cut down some pine trees that had grown around the truck to drag it home. I changed the oil,plugs, swapped carbs and cranked it. It purred like a kitten and no smoke. Put new front and rear seals on it,installed and rolled on. That 82 motor is in my truck today @ 214k. It's time to do the timing chain and the org. 84 carb needs rebuilding but the truck still runs and rides. I'm gonna R&R soon.


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## roalco (May 19, 2019)

Here's my BJ60 (1984) bought it in '85 (it was just six months old), daily driver till 2012, now my fun ride when the weather's snarly or good! Just under half a million on it, and has outlasted four very good dogs (back seat pilots)... Thought I might fit the stihl to the front bumper as a trail clearer


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## Jethro 2t sniffer (Aug 12, 2019)

Nice cruiser. Does this count?


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## Corbet (Sep 2, 2019)

I’m a Cruiser guy. This is my 3rd. Had to move up to a newer model a while back to please the wife. It hit 250K on the way out this morning. I’d love an early 80’s mini truck as a toy if I could find the right one.


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## Jethro 2t sniffer (Sep 3, 2019)

Corbet said:


> I’m a Cruiser guy. This is my 3rd. Had to move up to a newer model a while back to please the wife. It hit 250K on the way out this morning. I’d love an early 80’s mini truck as a toy if I could find the right one.
> 
> View attachment 757025



That's nice man real nice the 80 series is right up there with the best 4x4s ever made ever old but modern thrown together.

If you really want to jump into the rc truck world Google SSD trail king and if your heart is set on older body's it's eather 'hilux 'GQ patrol 'Defender or 40 series cruiser. Also k5 blazer umm bronco and a few different jeeps. There is some stunning 80 series body's now and could create a very cool replica of what your driving now. It's not cheap there not toys as such lol.

Mine is a very out dated chassis from effectively 2008 (axial scx10) and yeah it's live axle and drives very well its just not as realistic as what's around now days. That's an rc4wd body. Google rc4wd trail finder 2 and you will see what I mean it's leaf sprung the axles look amazing needs a few upgrades to get it properly thrashable. The SSD the vaterra ascender the scx10.2 are very good trucks for not huge money


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## Corbet (Sep 3, 2019)

Jethro 2t sniffer said:


> If you really want to jump into the rc truck world Google SSD trail king and if your heart is set on older body's it's eather 'hilux 'GQ patrol 'Defender or 40 series cruiser. Also k5 blazer umm bronco and a few different jeeps. There is some stunning 80 series body's now and could create a very cool replica of what your driving now. It's not cheap there not toys as such lol.



My boy and I have a pair of Axial crawlers. (bomber and wraith) I don't have any real interest in building a scaler at this time. Although I do have a cheap 80 series body in a box if I ever get the itch. I'm just afraid I wouldn't want to use it if I ever did. We beat the current RC's pretty hard currently.


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## Jethro 2t sniffer (Sep 4, 2019)

Corbet said:


> My boy and I have a pair of Axial crawlers. (bomber and wraith) I don't have any real interest in building a scaler at this time. Although I do have a cheap 80 series body in a box if I ever get the itch. I'm just afraid I wouldn't want to use it if I ever did. We beat the current RC's pretty hard currently.



Aww nice yes it certainly is an adjustment to stop thrashing them and take it slowly. The axial scale trucks do take a hiding though that's why I went with them. The rc4wd stuff is a bit more delicate even though there 95 percent metal


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## Rickz26 (Sep 8, 2019)

Jethro 2t sniffer said:


> That's nice man real nice the 80 series is right up there with the best 4x4s ever made ever old but modern thrown together.
> 
> If you really want to jump into the rc truck world Google SSD trail king and if your heart is set on older body's it's eather 'hilux 'GQ patrol 'Defender or 40 series cruiser. Also k5 blazer umm bronco and a few different jeeps. There is some stunning 80 series body's now and could create a very cool replica of what your driving now. It's not cheap there not toys as such lol.
> 
> Mine is a very out dated chassis from effectively 2008 (axial scx10) and yeah it's live axle and drives very well its just not as realistic as what's around now days. That's an rc4wd body. Google rc4wd trail finder 2 and you will see what I mean it's leaf sprung the axles look amazing needs a few upgrades to get it properly thrashable. The SSD the vaterra ascender the scx10.2 are very good trucks for not huge money



Great to see those rigs in actions! My uncle got '84 4Runner and a TRX we use for trail fun. We'll visiting them next weekend for a family gathering. I will give him a hand on installing the new brake kit and motorcycle exhaust on his new CR250 R dirt bike project for his eldest son. We might have at least 2 days to take the 4Runner and the bikes for trail run.


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## SuperDuty04 (Sep 9, 2019)

I’ve had a couple Toyotas over the years. Had a 94 tacoma afew years ago that was mint, 31” tires on 10” rims so it had a nice stance and git around great off road. 

In May we picked the wifey up a 2019 4runner TRD off road premium. The first week of ownership I installed a 3” old man Emu full suspension lift and 33” BFG AT tires. And custom 20” wheels. It’s one bad ride with the factory locker snd crawl control. Was probably a bad idea because now guys have a good good excuse to come up talking to her. She’s already smoking hot and with a lifted Toyota, it’s a double whammy for guys flirtin.


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## joe25DA (Nov 2, 2019)

The day we bought hers 





Mine out in the dunes. We don’t get stuck





Big fan of the 80s Toyota trucks. To this day the gold standard is Marty Mcflys ‘85 SR5 in Back to the Future. First truck was a ‘95 T-100 DX king cab 4x4. Was only 2 years old when I was driving it in highschool. Dad had gotten a company truck so I paid the insurance and drove that. In ‘06 I bought a new TRD Tacoma O/R. 2” lift and some other goodies over the years. Then we had a 3rd kid...Good excuse to get the truck I always wAnted a 4Runner. Bought a ‘14 SR5. 2” lift, 275/70 BFG A/T. Blast in the dunes, it just crawls. Wife liked driving it so much we now have 2. And lately she’s hinting about a small lift and bigger tires. Something about these small chicks wanting the lifted trucks....


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## SS396driver (Nov 5, 2019)

CentaurG2 said:


> Anything from the 80’s has long since turn to rust around here. You are unlikely to see anything from the early 2000 still on the road.



That's not true. Well taken car of they hold up very well . 2004 my wife drives daily


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## hatchet13 (Apr 6, 2020)

Got a rare example of a rot free 94 4x4 in upstate ny bought it with 350k (knocking)on the original 22re. Sourced a good bottom end outa a 89 runner that had got cozy with a tree. Love my ol yota wife hates it but would probably choose the truck before her lol.


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## mexicanyella (May 18, 2020)

We have a ‘98 T-100 4WD with the 3.4 V6 and a bunch of miles on it that serves as our farm truck for hauling hay, pulling a 2-horse trailer or flatbed trailer for moving the tractor once in awhile. You have to stay sharp to get loads like that rolling uphill without smoking the clutch, but it will do it. The engine looks like something that belongs in a Ferrari, but it’s pretty much a detuned, low-hp wide torque curve kind of deal. You just have to remind yourself that at one time, there were stake trucks and school buses with inline sixes in them, and they made it work somehow...


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## Goinwheelin (May 18, 2020)

I’m not much of a Toyota guy but my brother is. This is a 82 4x4 frame with a mid 70s 2wd cab on it. It’s powered by the 7MGTE engine out of an 89 Supra turbo. Axles have 5.29 gears with Detroit lockers f/r. And Bobby Long chromoly shafts in the front.
5 speed with Dual transfer cases. 42 inch Iroks on bead lock rims. 4 Link/coil over rear. OME springs up front. Full hydro steering Warn 8274 up front.

It’s 3.00” pipe from the turbo back and he’s done a bunch of engine and turbo work to it. Head studs and metal gasket, bigger injectors etc. had the stock turbo gone thru by this place in Texas. The sucker flat rips! plus it’s a lot lighter than the most of the jeeps we run with.


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## mexicanyella (May 19, 2020)

Goinwheelin said:


> I’m not much of a Toyota guy but my brother is. This is a 82 4x4 frame with a mid 70s 2wd cab on it. It’s powered by the 7MGTE engine out of an 89 Supra turbo. Axles have 5.29 gears with Detroit lockers f/r. And Bobby Long chromoly shafts in the front.
> 5 speed with Dual transfer cases. 42 inch Iroks on bead lock rims. 4 Link/coil over rear. OME springs up front. Full hydro steering Warn 8274 up front.
> 
> It’s 3.00” pipe from the turbo back and he’s done a bunch of engine and turbo work to it. Head studs and metal gasket, bigger injectors etc. had the stock turbo gone thru by this place in Texas. The sucker flat rips! plus it’s a lot lighter than the most of the jeeps we run with. View attachment 828621


I would really enjoy a video clip of that thing in action. I’ll bet it makes a pretty cool sound when in action, and I’ll bet it can throw some big fat four-wheel snow roosts when you stand on it.

Do you by chance have any under-hood pics?


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## Goinwheelin (May 21, 2020)

mexicanyella said:


> I would really enjoy a video clip of that thing in action. I’ll bet it makes a pretty cool sound when in action, and I’ll bet it can throw some big fat four-wheel snow roosts when you stand on it.
> 
> Do you by chance have any under-hood pics?


Sorry I missed your post. I’ll look thru the pics and videos I have. Not sure if I have a under hood pic


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## PasoRoblesJimmy (Mar 28, 2022)

Believe it or not, the Original Prototype for the 4Runner was made by Winnebago. Winnebago modified a Taco pickup by installing a fiberglass cover with a seat in the back of it. Toyota then took up the ball and came out with the 4Runner.

I own a 2015 4Runner Limited with Full Time 4WD.


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## PasoRoblesJimmy (Oct 29, 2022)

A friend of mine drove the Rubicon with a Datsun 2wd pickup.


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## JRM (Oct 30, 2022)

I had 3 80's Toyotas. The last one, an 89, was my favorite. I straight axled it and rebuilt the 22re from the ground up. Put a ton of hard miles on it. 2 small kids back to back ended those days....

I inherited this ol girl. Been in the family since the early 90's. Kids are now almost grown, one of my projects once I have some disposable income again will be a frame off resto. Nothing fancy, just get rid of the rust and make it safe to be on the road again.


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## PasoRoblesJimmy (Oct 30, 2022)

2022 is the 40 year Anniversary of the Toyota 4Runner.


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## Sierra_rider (Oct 30, 2022)

I used to have a straight-axled 91 ex cab Toyota. It had the crappy V6, 5speed, 5.29 gears, etc. The front was an 85 axle, back was an E-locker Taco axle. Wagoneer springs in the front, Chevies in the back. It was fun, but I never really caught the crawling bug, I'd rather be out riding my dirtbikes.

Nowadays, my only Toyota product is my DD...'18 Tacoma 4wd TRD-OR double cab with the lame little 5' bed. I really wanted an extra cab with the 6' bed, but this one has a 6 speed manual, which was my #1 priority. It's sooo much better in the snow than my big long-bed diesel Dodge.


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