A buddy obtained this '91 pickup about a decade ago for parts.  It drove on the trailer at that time but the battery was not included, so it rolled off and sat since then.  We think it must have been a theft recovery, because the doors and ignition are all jacked up and he bought it at some kind of auction for a few hundred bucks.  He had mentioned wanting to clean up his yard and offered it to us for parts for $250.  I couldn't turn down a good part out so the boys and I went in on it and took the trailer up on Friday to drag it home.

Just for kicks we brought some fresh oil, 5 gallons of gas, a battery and a fuel filter.  It had no tires to we brought a set of 32s I was given the day before (good timing).  The boys swapped tires and changed the oil while I dropped the gas tank skid and drained off the old gas.  The oil had about a quart of water in it and black sludge chunks.  The gas smelled like varnish and was a blue color.

After we got all that sorted we unhooked the coil, stuck a screwdriver in the broken ignition switch and turned it over to let the oil get up into things.  After we re-hooked the coil it stumbled a little but no start.  We checked spark, which was good, then I changed the fuel filter, but it still just sputtered.  Shot starting fluid into a vac line which fired, but no run.

Then I unhooked the return line from the fuel pressure regulator to see if the pump was pushing good.  Fuel came whizzing out and it ran!  Hooked the return line back up and it continued to purr like a kitten.  I mean like this thing sounds NICE!

All we can figure is the fuel pressure regulator was stuck or restricted and unhooking the return knocked it loose somehow.  Jake drove the thing home 70 mph and the boys even took it gopher hunting on the way.

The coolant looked pretty rusty so I flushed the rad with a power washer.  Had to solder the upper hose fitting and bracket back on.  Ran water in it and heated it up about 5 times before it finally came out clear.  Tailgate didn't open due to busted internals.  We had a green one left over from Caleb's truck so we put it on there.  The doors don't really shut yet because of the jacked up, bent latch areas.  We will figure that out.

Anyway, these things are nuts. What a testimony to Toyota 4x4s from this era. After sitting a decade with water in the crank case it fires up and drives nice. 291K on the odometer!  We immediately put it into service hauling water to the house so we can legitimize it's existence to my wife  .  Plans include a somewhat non-conventional go fast, cheapo IFS set up for thrashing around on farm roads.  Welded rear because driving the direction you want to go is lame  .  Stay tuned for future installments...

What engine does it have?

I got the passenger door to close right by taking out the latch and hammering the latch area sheet metal back into proper alignment.  It appears that someone who was really drunk or high broke into the slider and then proceeded to pry the doors open with some kind of bar, from the inside.  How messed up would you have to be to not just realize you could unlock the doors once you crawled through the slider?

Man how I wish these old trucks could idle up to the camp fore and tell you their life story...

The drivers door is not working out.  I fixed the latch area and it is somehow bent down in the hinges or the door skin.  That latch is all beat to heck so I may just source another door.  We took it off for no so we don't have to close it .

So far all is well and it has hauled numerous 1,700 lb tanks of water down our muddy driveway on about a quarter tank of gas.  Still purrs like a kitten, doesn't smoke or anything.

I am going to go up for his other parts truck in the near future for another $100. It's an early 90s 3.0 long bed with some cab damage and a missing front clip. This should produce a usable driver's door, steering column without a broken ignition and 4.56 gearing to make it just right for 31" tires.

Let me drag it home and see what we have.  It will be a couple weeks the way things are going.

Thank You! There is no rush so don't break anything.