Topic: Jake's 81 build, 40" Iroks coming soon

[-Jake-]

I bought this 81 Toyota back in August with the hopes of turning it into a capable DD.  It was brought to Missouri from New Mexico from a 70 something year old guy.  Frame is SPOTLESS which is rare in Missouri.  I'm a poor 24 year old brick mason turned engineering college student so I'm definitely on a budget.  Good news is though I had an 87 Toyota I had to park due to a wickedly horrible frame that I parted out and the wife agreed the money from it could go to this  .  So here's the rundown of what I have done so far and a price list.  

First thing I did was put in a new clutch and the tranny and transfer case from my 87.  Good thing is I had just put a new clutch in the 87 before the frame broke.  Cost: Free

Second I rebuilt the front knuckles I had a death wobble due to bad trunion bearings/races. Cost: $99

While I had the front end tore apart I decided to put on IFS hubs and Tacoma brake rotors for drop off rotors and the 3" wider stance to match my soon swapped in IFS rear.  Cost: Hubs/Calipers Free, Rotors/Wheel bearings Free B-Day Present  






Next I went with some F150 springs in the back.  Bought front and rear hangers off of skim here on the board.  Made my own 6" shackles Cost: Springs $50 Hangers: $35







Found a good deal on a set of like new 37x12.50R17 BFG All Terrains snatched them up Cost: $400

Found a good deal on a set of 17x10 Aluminum Rims snatched them up the same day gotta love craigslist Cost: $150



Started the RUF Sunday night its a hybrid from my 81 and 87 packs.  Not saying who I got cross over steering from and got poly bushings off of Amazon, drew up some boomerang shackles and had my buddy water-jet them out of 3/8" plate.  Cost: Springs free, X-Over steering $275, Bushings $25, Boomerang shackles $35


Patiently waiting for its new leaf sprigns



Sawz-Alled this piece of crap bracket off my whole body still feels like it is shaking


Got the axle bolted back up and trimmed the fenders and removed the bumper to make way for my 8274 and tube bumper  


The shackles I had made they are 5.5" from center of hole to center of hole note the perfect shackle angle  


Taking a break for tonight.  Still need to get some longer brake lines for the front and mount the IFS steering box.

[-Jake- [OP]]

Future plans:

Install my e-locker I got off of craigslist and rebuild it with 4.88s with a sweet 12voltguy install kit or maybe I'll be cheap like always and try to figure one out myself

Build my tube bumper this week hopefully and mount my 8274

Build a schedule 40 front d-shaft maybe with a long slip if I can find one cheap

SHOCKS!!!

put a locker in my 4.88s that I currently have in the rear and move it to the front

longfields


So far I have $3300 in it including the purchase price of $2000.  I traded some parts off of my 87 for the Winch.  I've got $450 from it in parts and there is still some left. 

[00taco]

lets see some pics!

[gmack192]

YEAH  all I see is red X's

[-Jake- [OP]]

FIXED!  (i think)

[79coyotefrg]

I bought this 81 Toyota back in August with the hopes of turning it into a capable DD.  It was brought to Missouri from New Mexico from a 70 something year old guy.  Frame is SPOTLESS which is rare in Missouri.  I'm a poor 24 year old brick mason turned engineering college student so I'm definitely on a budget.  Good news is though I had an 87 Toyota I had to park due to a wickedly horrible frame that I parted out and the wife agreed the money from it could go to this  .  So here's the rundown of what I have done so far and a price list. 

First thing I did was put in a new clutch and the tranny and transfer case from my 87.  Good thing is I had just put a new clutch in the 87 before the frame broke.  Cost: Free

Second I rebuilt the front knuckles I had a death wobble due to bad trunion bearings/races. Cost: $99

While I had the front end tore apart I decided to put on IFS hubs and Tacoma brake rotors for drop off rotors and the 3" wider stance to match my soon swapped in IFS rear.  Cost: Hubs/Calipers Free, Rotors/Wheel bearings Free B-Day Present 

 
i'd like to hear more about this tacoma brake conversion

Started the RUF Sunday night its a hybrid from my 81 and 87 packs.  Not saying who I got cross over steering from

  would you be interested in some shock hoops from that 'other place' ??   i got them in a deal for some other parts and cant use them on my truck, ok i can but wont.

 

....and got poly bushings off of Amazon, drew up some boomerang shackles and had my buddy water-jet them out of 3/8" plate.  Cost: Springs free, X-Over steering $275, Bushings $25, Boomerang shackles $35


Patiently waiting for its new leaf sprigns




Got the axle bolted back up and trimmed the fenders and removed the bumper to make way for my 8274 and tube bumper 


The shackles I had made they are 5.5" from center of hole to center of hole note the perfect shackle angle 

i'll send you the shock hoops for a set of those banana shackles.  i want to use stock shackle bolts so one side would need a 3/4 (18mm) hole

[-Jake- [OP]]

On those boomerang shackles, do you want 5.5" from center-center?  Another question to use the stock shackle bolts you'll need one plate with both holes being 18mm and the other plate should need both holes being 13mm is that what you wanted?  So 4 plates total, 2 plates with both holes being 18mm and 2 plates both holes being 13mm.  Sound right to you?

[79coyotefrg]

sounds right to me, let me go measure for distance from eye to eye,  i'll get a pic of shock hoops, they were installed on a sas 89  but were removed cause dip installed them wrong

[-Jake- [OP]]

The Tacoma brake swap wasn't too bad.  You just need IFS hubs and calipers and I ordered 97 4x4 Tacoma rotors from O'Reilly's.  You have to cut down the bosses on the hub so the taco rotor will slide over it make it look like this I used a thin cut off wheel in an electric grinder took about 20 minutes for both of them.  Ignore that plate in the picture too I just used front range's picture to show the hub.

After that is done run a tap or and old bolt through the knuckle the opposite direction the old caliper bolt went in(so chase the threads from the outside in).   You might need to widen the gap on your calipers to accommodate the the taco rotor do it like this:

Install the hubs and wheel bearings all that crap.  Slide the Taco rotor over the hub.  Now place your caliper bolts in your caliper from brake pad side out like in the picture above I also had to use a washer for a 1/2" bolt to get the spacing correct so if you need the same go ahead and place it on the bolt as well.  Raise the caliper up and start your caliper bolts.  This part requires patience because its a real PITA to get them started, just don't cross thread them.  Tighten em up good and you're done with one side!  

Here you can see barely see the washer in between the caliper and the knuckle mounting point.


Heres how the calipers bolts mount now


All done!

[79coyotefrg]

hears the hoops

he welded the little bars on in the wrong place i think

[79coyotefrg]

On those boomerang shackles, do you want 5.5" from center-center?  Another question to use the stock shackle bolts you'll need one plate with both holes being 18mm and the other plate should need both holes being 13mm is that what you wanted?  So 4 plates total, 2 plates with both holes being 18mm and 2 plates both holes being 13mm.  Sound right to you?

right,  only i think 14mm cause when i tried to slip a 13mm wrench over the threads it wouldnt go, 14mm was a hair loose so that will work

[-Jake- [OP]]

You can keep those hoops.  One problem I foresee with using your stock shackle bolts is they are probably going to be too short.  I have 6" long 5/8" bolts in mine with about 1/2" to spare, stock ones are around 5" I think.

[-Jake- [OP]]

Finally got it semi-drivable!  Need to bleed the brakes more and get shocks and probably a steering stabilizer right now I could feel it if I ran over a pebble.  Oh quick tech tip could be well known but I'll put it out there anyway.  An easy way to extend your front and rear brake lines is use the stock rubber ones from the LSPV to the dist block on the rear.  They worked great and they work with the existing hardline mount as well so you can snap it back in place.

garage flexin'

[79coyotefrg]

You can keep those hoops.  One problem I foresee with using your stock shackle bolts is they are probably going to be too short.  I have 6" long 5/8" bolts in mine with about 1/2" to spare, stock ones are around 5" I think.

ok, never mind

[Travis H]

Finally got it semi-drivable!  Need to bleed the brakes more and get shocks and probably a steering stabilizer right now I could feel it if I ran over a pebble.  Oh quick tech tip could be well known but I'll put it out there anyway.  An easy way to extend your front and rear brake lines is use the stock rubber ones from the LSPV to the dist block on the rear.  They worked great and they work with the existing hardline mount as well so you can snap it back in place.

garage flexin'

common thing to do if your on a budget, i did it on my 84.

[Leg0nd]

Jeez. you did all that for a grand? Then you are the right guy for me to talk too! Dang. Sounds awesome. Did you put a suspension lift kit on it too? Cuz otherwise, how did u get them 37's on it! And as for regearing it... I can't do that myself, have no skills on axels. Don't even know where to start.

[83yota]

gearing is simple. Just take it slow and MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE. my first set of gears took me about 6 hours. (i messed up) and i did it all reading a book and i had never done it. not i can do it in about an hour. out and in without bearings

[81yotalove]

im another first gen owner, college student doing a budget build so i know what your doing. nice truck by the way looks clean.

got a question though. what speed was your wobble at? because mine is so bad from 25-30mph then goes away, its worse on decel though. maybe i have the same problem.

[Leg0nd]

thanks for the positive motivation 83yota. Can you tell me what book you used, or where i can find a good book to rebuild my axels and regear them? Thanks

[8D3TOY]

Sweet! First Gen Toyota and Craigslist an unbeatable combination.

[-Jake- [OP]]

Jeez. you did all that for a grand? Then you are the right guy for me to talk too! Dang. Sounds awesome. Did you put a suspension lift kit on it too? Cuz otherwise, how did u get them 37's on it! And as for regearing it... I can't do that myself, have no skills on axels. Don't even know where to start.

I didn't pit a "lift kit" on I built my own which netted me somewhere around 4" of lift.  If you need some boomerang shackles I can have them made cheaper than you can buy them anywhere else and to whatever dimensions you want.  I did have to trim the front fenders to clear the 37s but other than that no problems.  I was afraid I'd have to put a body lift on and actually bought one but all worked out well so if anyone needs a 3" body lift for a 79-83 toyota let me know.  Go here for sweet right ups/pictures on building Toyota rear ends http://gearinstalls.com/ lots of good info!

im another first gen owner, college student doing a budget build so i know what your doing. nice truck by the way looks clean.

got a question though. what speed was your wobble at? because mine is so bad from 25-30mph then goes away, its worse on decel though. maybe i have the same problem.

could be mine symptoms were similar to yours seemed like 40 mph was the worst.  Could also be your caster angle but I doubt it if it is fairly stock.

[-Jake- [OP]]

bumper progress finally called it quits for today going to finish it in the morning.  All that is left is some bracing to the frame and put on the fairlead roller and put the cable back on.  Luckily I have a friend who has a tubing bender and a cousin who builds race car roll cages so I had good help.  Actually I couldn't have pulled it off without them.  Heres progress pics!



We were going to tuck it up and cut the grille to fit but I decided I didn't want to hack up my "semi-pristine" grille so we moved it forward just enough to clear the grille.  This picture shows the original plans.


Got the main bar bent up


Getting an idea on height


Done that easy!  Well not done done but done enough to head home and eat dinner.  The bolt holes on top go through the tube and are sleeved.  The bottom mounts bolt to a 1/4" plate.  Gonna finish bracing it tomorrow.

[-Jake- [OP]]

Oh I forgot to do a total cost on the bumper and winch.  The winch I traded a top shift t-case, doors, dash, carpet and a/c pump all off my 87.  The "shop rental" from my buddy which included tube bender, welding wire, bolts, etc was a 12 back of bud light and 2 quarts of ATF for his race car.  My cousin had some tube and 1/4" plate.  Total cost was $11.87 for beer and $7.08 for ATF so thats a grand total of $18.95.

[-Jake- [OP]]

Added some bracing.  





Done done, painted it with implement paint, added my license plate, and moved my Hellas behind the grille they just didn't look right mounted anywhere on the bumper.



Next on my list is a remote winch panel so I can operate it without the corded remote also need to relocate my blinkers to share the same spot with the running lights. 

[81yotalove]

thanks for the reply on the vibration problem!

where did you trim on your fenders to fit the 37's? i have a 3" lift in the progress and i just want to fit 35 12.5's?

[-Jake- [OP]]

thanks for the reply on the vibration problem!

where did you trim on your fenders to fit the 37's? i have a 3" lift in the progress and i just want to fit 35 12.5's?

I cut the front off even with the bottom of the headlights also took off the front bumper and valence that went below it.  My front axle is moved forward 2" I think so I HAD to cut the fenders anyway.  If yours is in the stock position you may or may not need to but might have to pound in the floorboard a bit with a BFH for when you're turning.  Just get it lifted get your tires on and then just turn lock to lock to see some potential problem spots and fix em!  Good luck!

[81yotalove]

yeah thats what i going to do, i think i'll have to hit in my floor board for now.

[kneedownnate]

Great job man, truck's looking great!  I'm jealous of you snagging those 17s, I've been looking for a set for a while since I found some nice 35x12.50-17 tires cheap.  

Oh, and I started off cutting my fenders like yours but I was thinking they'd hit so I did em like this, but will probably end up cutting them to match this truck, which isn't mine 

Edit:  forgot I don't have pics of my current cut  

[-Jake- [OP]]

Great job man, truck's looking great!  I'm jealous of you snagging those 17s, I've been looking for a set for a while since I found some nice 35x12.50-17 tires cheap. 

Oh, and I started off cutting my fenders like yours but I was thinking they'd hit so I did em like this, but will probably end up cutting them to match the blue truck.

Edit:  forgot I don't have pics of my current cut 

Here you go don't know where you live but I guessed California since thats where everyone is from...
http://reno.craigslist.org/pts/1487566713.html

thats the only "good" deal I found in all of California.

[79coyotefrg]

hey I'm from Arkansas

DAMN look at the Natemobile


Jake, are you going to Gilmer??