I figure I should document this misadventure somewhere, this seems like a logical spot 
This all started with a hacked up 80 on 40s I found on Craigslist. Hacked up, rough and not nearly built enough to be on 40s. That was literally the only first gen within a couple hundred miles. And he wanted $6500 :lmao:
But that planted the seed. We had a trip planned a week out to Portland. Spring break get away to the big city, and my daughters first time at a zoo. Back to Craigslist we go, searching every city from here to there for a good deal. Found an ok 80 short bed with 125k miles, kind of pricey, but maybe worth it? Texted him on the way in to town, already gone.
Second on the list, 1983 long bed, 149999 miles, looks halfway clean. Oddly, there's 10 picture of the outside, not one inside :roll: He says the interior is "utilitarian" whatever that means.
So we meet up, horse track parking lot on race day... "Utilitarian" means the radio, speakers and wiring are gone, and no heat/ac at all. Most of the parts are there, some things seem absent, like the blower switch :lmao:
4" Old Man Emu lift, yellow shocks and all. Steering feels tight, although the wheel itself is loose and upside down. Seems to run well, engine is a rebuild from 03/2016 with a 3 year warranty, at a shop 800 miles from my house. Paperwork says you have to retorque the head bolts and adjust valves after 1500 miles, his "buddy" adjusted the valves last weekend. No word on the head bolts. Shifter is sloppy but hits all the gears, the knob is held on only by gravity. Transfer case shifts, no way to really try it out in a parking lot. Tires are good, fresh 29s in a very not hilux highway pattern.
Then there's the topper. It's massive. As in massive. No handle, blown shocks, pvc pipe you have to trust with your life while sitting under a 60lb piece of glass. I thought about ditching it immediately, but the lack of real tools, help or a house convinced me to roll with it.
So I bought it. Probably paid too much, but I don't care, I just felt like it needed my help :lmao: Drove it back to our airbnb and parked it for 5 days while we moved on to other airbnbs many miles away. I did make sure to lock the doors and install The Club he provided, "because people love to steal these things"
Wednesday morning we drove back, found the truck and hopped in. Fuel gauge is on E. Oregon's awesome gas pump laws, coupled with a tired locking gas cap and manual windows made for super fun times. Rolling down the highway, cell phone blasting Spotify, window down, I realize the 1/10 miles are rolling by, but that 149999 never moves. I wonder how long it's had 149999 miles :roll: Too late now, on we go.
I made sure to flip off White Trash on my way through Tri-Cities
Then it started to get cold, and I had no heat. No big deal, throw on an extra sweater. The drivers seat is tired, saggy with a few bare springs. It leans to the left and absolutely kills my back. Folded up a blanket from the Jeep, sits much higher and slightly flatter. All is good until it gets dark. Flip the headlights on, pointed at the ground 10' out and 4' to the right. Useless. High beams are better, like low beams from a 1990s pickup. High beams it is, for the rest of the ride.
Finally got to the passes between WA/ID/MT. She'll pull 65-70 on the flat, basically wide open all the time in 5th. Slows to 55 on a hill, grab 4th and wide open again. Held 60 at 3200 pretty comfortably. Lookout pass was a different story. Grabbed 4th, kept losing speed. Shit. Grab 3rd. Wide open, 3500rpm at 45 the whole way up. Did I mention it's 30*, snow/raining, windows down an inch or two trying to keep fog off the windshield, and there's no heat.
After the pass it's all a blur, 2 hours of driving on autopilot, pulled in at 2am.
This all started with a hacked up 80 on 40s I found on Craigslist. Hacked up, rough and not nearly built enough to be on 40s. That was literally the only first gen within a couple hundred miles. And he wanted $6500 :lmao:
But that planted the seed. We had a trip planned a week out to Portland. Spring break get away to the big city, and my daughters first time at a zoo. Back to Craigslist we go, searching every city from here to there for a good deal. Found an ok 80 short bed with 125k miles, kind of pricey, but maybe worth it? Texted him on the way in to town, already gone.
Second on the list, 1983 long bed, 149999 miles, looks halfway clean. Oddly, there's 10 picture of the outside, not one inside :roll: He says the interior is "utilitarian" whatever that means.
So we meet up, horse track parking lot on race day... "Utilitarian" means the radio, speakers and wiring are gone, and no heat/ac at all. Most of the parts are there, some things seem absent, like the blower switch :lmao:
4" Old Man Emu lift, yellow shocks and all. Steering feels tight, although the wheel itself is loose and upside down. Seems to run well, engine is a rebuild from 03/2016 with a 3 year warranty, at a shop 800 miles from my house. Paperwork says you have to retorque the head bolts and adjust valves after 1500 miles, his "buddy" adjusted the valves last weekend. No word on the head bolts. Shifter is sloppy but hits all the gears, the knob is held on only by gravity. Transfer case shifts, no way to really try it out in a parking lot. Tires are good, fresh 29s in a very not hilux highway pattern.
Then there's the topper. It's massive. As in massive. No handle, blown shocks, pvc pipe you have to trust with your life while sitting under a 60lb piece of glass. I thought about ditching it immediately, but the lack of real tools, help or a house convinced me to roll with it.
So I bought it. Probably paid too much, but I don't care, I just felt like it needed my help :lmao: Drove it back to our airbnb and parked it for 5 days while we moved on to other airbnbs many miles away. I did make sure to lock the doors and install The Club he provided, "because people love to steal these things"
Wednesday morning we drove back, found the truck and hopped in. Fuel gauge is on E. Oregon's awesome gas pump laws, coupled with a tired locking gas cap and manual windows made for super fun times. Rolling down the highway, cell phone blasting Spotify, window down, I realize the 1/10 miles are rolling by, but that 149999 never moves. I wonder how long it's had 149999 miles :roll: Too late now, on we go.
I made sure to flip off White Trash on my way through Tri-Cities
Then it started to get cold, and I had no heat. No big deal, throw on an extra sweater. The drivers seat is tired, saggy with a few bare springs. It leans to the left and absolutely kills my back. Folded up a blanket from the Jeep, sits much higher and slightly flatter. All is good until it gets dark. Flip the headlights on, pointed at the ground 10' out and 4' to the right. Useless. High beams are better, like low beams from a 1990s pickup. High beams it is, for the rest of the ride.
Finally got to the passes between WA/ID/MT. She'll pull 65-70 on the flat, basically wide open all the time in 5th. Slows to 55 on a hill, grab 4th and wide open again. Held 60 at 3200 pretty comfortably. Lookout pass was a different story. Grabbed 4th, kept losing speed. Shit. Grab 3rd. Wide open, 3500rpm at 45 the whole way up. Did I mention it's 30*, snow/raining, windows down an inch or two trying to keep fog off the windshield, and there's no heat.
After the pass it's all a blur, 2 hours of driving on autopilot, pulled in at 2am.
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I'll weld up some mounts and they'll work fine, just one more thing to deal with. Even sitting crooked they're considerably more comfortable than the old Toyota seats :mrgreen:
