http://picasaweb.google.com/millenniumtree/1986ToyotaPickup

Please tell me if it's worth it.

Bad news: 2 piece prop shaft
Oil seal on oil pump is out - sprays oil everywhere
220,000 miles on the clock
E-Brake cable snapped

Good news: Solid rear axle
Usable hubs in front, which look to be in good nick
Cheap ($300) (~150 quid) may go for lower offer
Springs and shocks appear to be in good shape for driving purposes.
Great tires with plenty of tread.
Trailer hitch for towing crap before it gets donorized!

22R engine, carbed. will easily bolt to a supra trans (W58) if needed, or it's usable with the W55 gearbox it comes with.

Did I mention cheap?

I can do a spark plug visual and possibly a compression test before I buy. Anything else I should check at the curb before handing over my cash?

Please take a look at the photos and let me know if it's a suitable donor or if it's just too knackered.
Sorry I wasn't able to get a picture of the top of the engine as the car was locked and the owner was not home.


[Edited on 14/5/07 by millenniumtree]

Good donor
Several of my friends have done locosts using various
pickups

I am using an 84 Toyota Celica with the 22RE motor and W58 trans. Nothing is useful but the motor and tranny unfortunately - but that was strong as hell at 185,000 kms, with 150 compression in all 4 cylinders. I did some research lately and found that the engine height is less than that of the more desirable 4A GE, so that was encouraging.

You mean nothing on the celica is useful, or nothing on the truck?

I should be able to use the rear axle and front hubs, if I figured right. I can get diagrams of the hubs if that would help.

Did you have a RWD celica? If so, why couldn't you use the rear?

No, no, sorry, the truck should be OK. I just didn't want to engineer something myself that would have allowed me to use the Celica IRS. I bought an MX5 based kit instead - more $$ but I will sleep better. The 22R engine ought to be OK. If it isn't, then the 22RE won't work for me either!!! You will need a fairly tall scuttle, nose and bonnet though. My frame is going to be 1" higher than their BEC builds.

We can always argue any plan, but I may have done a Ford Ranger or Mazda B2000 donor build in retrospect. All those English cars would be great but of course, I'm in Canada. I have one of my secretaries going over for a few weeks, and I'm tempted to ask her to fill a few suitcases with parts, but that would be just cruel.

Nice.

I'm going to test the compression on it - if everything checks out, I'll probably go ahead with the purchase.

Even if the engine is bad, I'd still have at least some good hubs and wheels.

I like the idea of a single donor for most all the parts, and you really can't get them much cheaper than this around here. Even a pair of headlights and a tow hitch costs more than that in a junkyard. You might call it "highway robbery". har har.

I also was going to use a +442 chassis, or at least a +222, so engine hight shouldn't be a big issue.

With my newfound fiberglassing skills, I'm sure I could make a bonnet scoop or bump, no problem.

[Edited on 11/5/07 by millenniumtree]

I bought it!! My first locost bit!!!
I paid $280 US. He would have taken 250, but I had only $20 bills, and I gave him an extra 20 because the compression was fantastic.

Stock compression on this engine is 127 psi, and the measured compression was right around 120 on all cylinders except one was slightly higher (125ish)

I didn't write the compression down, and didn't retest with oil, because the compression was so good all around!

I've driven it home, but it runs a bit funny. Carburator problems suspected. I checked the "sight glass" on the carburator, but there doesn't appear to be a line in it. Could this mean that I'm not seeing any fuel, or that I'm seeing ALL fuel? Way too much gas, or way too little? I checked with the engine off - do I need it to be running when I check it? Also, how do you adjust the float level?

I have a W55 transmission (visual check under the truck, and then checked the model number under the hood) This is the first of the alloy W transmissions, so it's compatible with all alloys (W57, W58) It's a strong box and was used with stock horsepowers up to 190.

I'll be posting my running issues in another thread, so everyone can help diagnose what's up.

A preview - the plugs were BLACK, but not oily when I pulled them - they have only been in the engine for only a few weeks!!! They all were equally and entirely black, so I suspect that the mixture is very rich. The exhaust also smells very acrid. Maybe unburnt hyrdrocarbons or bad cat? Anyway - I'll post this topic in another thread.

[Edited on 14/5/07 by millenniumtree]

Sounds like a good deal! Makes me realise how much I was ripped off on mine. Not using a single donor has cost me $4000 canadian up to now - just in running gear (Fleabay and the Junk yards mostly). That isn't including a frame or anything else.

quote:

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Originally posted by RK
Sounds like a good deal! Makes me realise how much I was ripped off on mine. Not using a single donor has cost me $4000 canadian up to now - just in running gear (Fleabay and the Junk yards mostly). That isn't including a frame or anything else.

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Well, I was told the scrap metal is worth so much that it isn't worth it to these places to take cars apart, hence there aren't many parts around.

I will be lucky to get out of my build for less than $16,000 cdn. So far, it's just been a lot of bad luck though: the donor was useless, the front hubs etc I bought were stuck together with the knuckles and I couldn't, no matter what I did, get them apart for modifying and painting, the transmission needed $450 worth of work, I stripped a bolt in the engine head that would not come out etc etc. I am in so far I can't escape, but I am pressing ahead, because if I get stuck, I am paying people. In general, though, the whole thing is not a lot cheaper than buying another car and totally rebuilding it. But what's the fun in that?

Yeah.

I really wanted a Toyota build and the only other suitable donor is a corolla GT-S - even a junker goes for thousands around here. And a supra, although fun, would cost $10,000 just engineering a chassis that would take 1000 lbs of lump. So my only remaining choice is this little pickup.

It just so happens that it's also the cheapest option I could have hoped for. The 2WD trucks are fairly plentiful and no one wants them - they prefer the 4WD versions. Things inevitably will go wrong, but used parts are plentiful for these things. Like you, I don't think I'd have the heart to kill the project if it goes overbudget.

Under time and over budget, or under budget and over time.
You can have one, but never both.

Good luck with your build!