40th Anniversary salvage rebuild

[subzali]

You should post up a before and after. Pretty amazing to me. Such good work.

 

[Inukshuk]

You should post up a before and after. Pretty amazing to me. Such good work.

 

[simps80]

Don’t overbuild that thing she is perfect as she sits! Mostly a message for the 10 year younger version of my 80/me so take it for what it is worth 😀


Nice work Mister!!

 

[HDavis]

Having really put the truck through the paces the last couple months I decided it was time to look it over for any items that have popped up over the last few months. Everything seems to be doing alright with the exception of two leaks.

One being from the oil level sensor. This sensor has also given me a false positive several times, so I will be ordering the o-ring and inspecting the sensor while I am at it. The other leak is from the power steering pump. After some poking around I found that one of the bolts that secures the pump through the alternator bracket had come loose. I torqued it to spec and cleaned up the area and will keep a closer eye on it.

I have also noticed that it doesn't have the best road manners. I had it aligned in June by a big brand shop, and it feels like they have done a pretty poor job. On paper it looked fine when I picked up, but I can't seem to find the printout anywhere to confirm. I ordered everything to refresh the sway bar bushings and end links, so hopefully that smartens things up. Admittedly this is the first solid axle vehicle I've driven, and I've somewhat convinced myself this is how it drives. I should probably get behind another 80 series to see how mine compares.

Now on to cosmetic stuff. On the side I have been searching for a hood, fender, and valence so I can have them painted in the factory Antique Sage Pearl. It presents well already and makes sense to finish it up by painting it all one color.

Now on to wheels. I've always been really focused on wheels, and I really like the 16" look. My current tires are 285/75 r16 and have only a few thousand miles on them, so I would like to continue using them if possible.

I have identified 3 options I am considering, and they are:
Keep it stock and get the current set or another stock set sandblasted, powder coated and buy a new set of caps.
I don't know if mine are too far gone for that or not, the current set are pretty badly pitted both inside and out.


The second option is the Tacoma wheel in Anthracite. These are 16x7" with a +25mm offset. As you can see by the graphic it would require a 1-inch spacer to get the track back into spec. I would get to keep my current low mileage tires and these wheels can be found pretty inexpensively on marketplace.


The third option is the TRD wheel In Matte Gray. These are 17x7" with a +4mm offset. As you can see by the graphic, they are close enough to spec that you can probably get away without spacers. This would also require buying an entire new set of tires and would be the most expensive overall. This is a departure from the 16" and I think that these have been a bit overused on just about everything.




I'm sure you are thinking that there is also a whole plethora of aftermarket wheels that are available, and you are right. I will be keeping my eye out for something I think looks better. But for right now I think a stock Toyota wheel is the way to go.

 

[subzali]

Having really put the truck through the paces the last couple months I decided it was time to look it over for any items that have popped up over the last few months. Everything seems to be doing alright with the exception of two leaks.

One being from the oil level sensor. This sensor has also given me a false positive several times, so I will be ordering the o-ring and inspecting the sensor while I am at it. The other leak is from the power steering pump. After some poking around I found that one of the bolts that secures the pump through the alternator bracket had come loose. I torqued it to spec and cleaned up the area and will keep a closer eye on it. View attachment 108079
View attachment 108080

I have also noticed that it doesn't have the best road manners. I had it aligned in June by a big brand shop, and it feels like they have done a pretty poor job. On paper it looked fine when I picked up, but I can't seem to find the printout anywhere to confirm. I ordered everything to refresh the sway bar bushings and end links, so hopefully that smartens things up. Admittedly this is the first solid axle vehicle I've driven, and I've somewhat convinced myself this is how it drives. I should probably get behind another 80 series to see how mine compares.

Now on to cosmetic stuff. On the side I have been searching for a hood, fender, and valence so I can have them painted in the factory Antique Sage Pearl. It presents well already and makes sense to finish it up by painting it all one color.

Now on to wheels. I've always been really focused on wheels, and I really like the 16" look. My current tires are 285/75 r16 and have only a few thousand miles on them, so I would like to continue using them if possible.

I have identified 3 options I am considering, and they are:
Keep it stock and get the current set or another stock set sandblasted, powder coated and buy a new set of caps.
I don't know if mine are too far gone for that or not, the current set are pretty badly pitted both inside and out.
View attachment 108089View attachment 108101

The second option is the Tacoma wheel in Anthracite. These are 16x7" with a +25mm offset. As you can see by the graphic it would require a 1-inch spacer to get the track back into spec. I would get to keep my current low mileage tires and these wheels can be found pretty inexpensively on marketplace.
View attachment 108094View attachment 108099

The third option is the TRD wheel In Matte Gray. These are 17x7" with a +4mm offset. As you can see by the graphic, they are close enough to spec that you can probably get away without spacers. This would also require buying an entire new set of tires and would be the most expensive overall. This is a departure from the 16" and I think that these have been a bit overused on just about everything.

View attachment 108078
View attachment 108100

I'm sure you are thinking that there is also a whole plethora of aftermarket wheels that are available, and you are right. I will be keeping my eye out for something I think looks better. But for right now I think a stock Toyota wheel is the way to go.

My experience with aftermarket wheels has not been great.

On my Tundra, the center cap was all chrome and blingy, but was rusted out on the inside. The lug holes were also too small to fit my factory lug wrench in there to get the lugs off. Who wants to carry an extra socket and breaker bar all the time just the get the wheels off? Even though I wasn't crazy about the factory wheels, I found a set and went back to them.

My buddy has aftermarket wheels on his J**P. Same thing with the lug holes too small to fit a factory lug wrench. His had also been installed with keyed lugs - I think all his nuts were keyed? Anyway he forgot that they were keyed so we spent like an hour trying to change his tire by hammering on different sized sockets etc. So frustrating.

I like the factory 80 series wheels. I'd be interested in seeing what a wheel restoration place has to say.

 

[Inukshuk]

Not much to align on an 80. Have NEVER done mine. Only adjustable is toe. and you can do that as well with a tape measure.
Now caster is a different story. "I had it aligned in June by a big brand shop". Unless that brand is Slee, won't tell you much.

 

[Telly]

I'm sorta of obsessed with restoring factory Toyota rims. I've done probably 8 sets of rims over the years. If it were me, I would dismount the tires and go to town with a red Scotch-Brite pad and degreaser. I've had excellent results using Duplicolor wheel paint and clear coat. The key is several light coats and one final heavy coat. Be sure to let the rims cure for 7 days before reinstalling the tires.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Great thread @HDavis ! I just finished reading through every page. I really appreciate the pictures and description of your work.

There are a few acronyms that I’m unfamiliar with, would you mind explaining them. Thanks.

EWD - electrical wiring diagram (factory service manual type) ?
NSS - ?
VSV - ?

Also, looking forward to seeing what you decide with the wheels. My 80 wheels are looking pretty ugly and I’ve been wanting to do something about it.

 

[Inukshuk]

EWD - electrical wiring diagram (factory service manual type) ?
NSS - ?
VSV - ?

EWD - yes and yes
Neutral Safety Switch
Vacuum Switching Valve

 

[Hulk]

I'm a fan of the OEM 16" wheels. If you restore them, they look great.

 

[HDavis]

Not much to align on an 80. Have NEVER done mine. Only adjustable is toe. and you can do that as well with a tape measure.
Now caster is a different story. "I had it aligned in June by a big brand shop". Unless that brand is Slee, won't tell you much.

Thats good to know. It was Les Schwab. They gave me a printout, but I can't seem to find it. I checked all the end links prior to the alignment and even replaced one that I found to be bad. I would describe it as wondering in the lane. I might look into checking the toe with a tape measure to see where that sits and definitely need to be schooled on caster.

 

[HDavis]

I'm sorta of obsessed with restoring factory Toyota rims. I've done probably 8 sets of rims over the years. If it were me, I would dismount the tires and go to town with a red Scotch-Brite pad and degreaser. I've had excellent results using Duplicolor wheel paint and clear coat. The key is several light coats and one final heavy coat. Be sure to let the rims cure for 7 days before reinstalling the tires.

I did this same approach with my 100 series, and they look great 3 years later. Duplicolor wheel paint for the win! My 80 wheels are too pitted for that though, they need something more aggressive like sand basting I believe.

 

[HDavis]

Well, it I'm going to call it early and say the consensus is refresh the stock wheels.

Where is the go-to place for wheel refinishing or sandblasting/Powder coating?

 

[Telly]

I did this same approach with my 100 series, and they look great 3 years later. Duplicolor wheel paint for the win! My 80 wheels are too pitted for that though, they need something more aggressive like sand basting I believe.

Good call on sand blasting and I've done that as well with really gnarly rims. I have a guy in C/S that charged me $20/rim but I'm sure that is doubled now (like everything else).

 

[rover67]

I'd take them to premium powder coating in Longmont or just drive the truck there and see what they say. Never had a wheel done by them but that's where I'd start.

 

[HDavis]

I ordered the o-ring for the oil sensor and decided to order the parts to refresh the sway bar bushings and end links while I was at it. I have not had the intermittent oil light since and there were no visual cues on the sensor as to why this was happening. After replacing the bushings, it was obvious that they were perished, the road manners are much better and the clunk I was hearing from the rear is gone.

On a different note, I found this slightly used 270-degree awning for a great deal on Facebook marketplace. Now I need to find some time to go on a winter camping trip and use it.

 

[Crash]

I ordered the o-ring for the oil sensor and decided to order the parts to refresh the sway bar bushings and end links while I was at it. I have not had the intermittent oil light since and there were no visual cues on the sensor as to why this was happening. After replacing the bushings, it was obvious that they were perished, the road manners are much better and the clunk I was hearing from the rear is gone.
View attachment 109515

On a different note, I found this slightly used 270-degree awning for a great deal on Facebook marketplace. Now I need to find some time to go on a winter camping trip and use it.

View attachment 109514View attachment 109517

Nice articulation! 😜

 

[simps80]

I have these if you want them

I can’t find the thread you were asking about these
I have 4 slash 5
if you want

 

[HDavis]

View attachment 109545

I have these if you want them

I can’t find the thread you were asking about these
I have 4 slash 5
if you want

Ill take 2! I shoot you a text, I've got some parts I need to get from Stevinson too.

 

[simps80]

Cool
You can pick the best two of the five

I had afull set of mint OEM caps but I don’t recall must’ve given them away already