The Many Ups & Occasional Downs of Owning a Vintage Toyota Pickup
One owner gives his ’85 4×4 a thorough review. Unsurprisingly, this restored little pickup is still an utter off-road beast.
As readers of Yota Tech, it wouldn’t surprise us one bit if you were already well aware of the impressive compact pickup trucks the company produced in the 1980s. Toyota first introduced pickups into the North American markets in 1969, with the Hilux leading the pack. In the 1980s–and following the fuel crisis–car makers were trying to deviate away from large, heavy, and gas guzzling trucks of decades past. Ford, Chevy, and even Dodge offered smaller, efficient, yet still utilitarian trucks.
True to Toyota fashion, though, the Japanese manufacturer put just a tad more in their small Pickup. And yes, it was literally just called a Pickup–dropping the “Hilux” name Stateside. Toyota was gaining a reputation for making exceptional off-roaders. So, the automaker added a few teaspoons of their trail-slaying magic to the fourth-generation trucks (produced from 1983–1988) to spice things up.
One very proud owner of a 1985 Toyota Pickup is Brian from 6th Gear Garage. In fact, Brian (one name only, like Prince) owns and has owned several Toyotas from this era. Brian has owned this particular rig for about ten years, and has put a lot of effort into restoring, upgrading, and making his Yota even more badass. This has included replacing the engine, frame, body work, and more; you can check much of it out on his YouTube channel. But for this video, Brian has decided to see how his ’85 4×4 rig rates overall.
Okay, let’s get to that engine. While it was hilariously under-powered when standing next to the smaller trucks of the day, Brian and many others firmly stand behind Toyota’s old-school pickups. While reliability for Brian’s USDM carbureted 22R 4 cylinder engine was a little questionable, it was the fact that they were easy to maintain and find parts for that more than made up for it. Although, at a power rating of 97 hp and 128 ft-lbs of torque, it wasn’t all that useful when it came to daily driving. Or heavy hauling, or toting that heavy of a load – though it did help Brian haul a few times to renovate his home. But, since his came with the infamous solid front rear axle and 4WD, it definitely made for an excellent off-roading companion. Especially with a six inch lift and 35″ tires. Though, it took him a while to come to terms with it.
“I sold my very reliable, 45 mpg earning Honda Civic to drive my truck daily,” notes Brian. “I would drive a hundred miles a day with no regrets. Though, it took me a few years to learn that driving an off-road toy did not make for a very reliable daily driver.”
Now that he drives an Acura to and from work, the Pickup is off the streets save for off-road trips. Brian has kept himself very busy with a full restoration project. Despite the lack of power and daily driveability, Brian was head over heels in love with the machine. After all, the Pickup wasn’t designed for daily driving.; it was designed to be a utilitarian workhorse. That was abundantly clear. And not by adding a plethora of features. Rather, the purpose was defined by Toyota’s lack of features.
“Safety wasn’t really a priority in 1985,” said Brian. “My mostly bare bones truck is a great example. Lacking things like, a passenger side mirror, or a rear bumper. I mean, the rear bumper was the bed.”
And bare bones is right. His truck, with the Xtra Cab, didn’t have power windows, power seats, power locks, a tachometer, a center console–or in most cases–even a clock. However, there were a few clever things that most smaller trucks didn’t offer that set it so far apart from the competition. For example, the clutch wasn’t needed to start the thing. This was in case of a stall, or the engine was flooded in deep water while off-road.
Drivers could could put the truck in first gear in 4-Lo to crawl out of any situation–something most other trucks couldn’t offer. Additionally, as opposed to a C-channel frame, Brian’s Pickup sat on a boxed steel frame. The benefits of such a change is while off-roading, there was noticeably less twisting and movement in the frame. However, it also made the Pickup (and most other Toyota trucks for years to come) extremely prone to rust…a lot of rust.
For example, part of Brian’s extensive restoration work involved dealing with holes caused by rust on the floor panels, rocker panels, and most importantly the bed. Though, Brian swapped out the entire bed for a fiberglass bed. Many would likely just substitute it for a flat bed. Aside from rust prevention and eradication, he’s replaced just about everything else on the truck at least once. Which would help explain his extensive knowledge of the Pickup’s workings.
Off-road wise, Brian says he’s only ever used older Toyota trucks, and that’s because they’re hard to beat. The interior doesn’t leave much to worry about. The foot wells are covered with vinyl as opposed to carpet to keep the driver from worrying about mud, dirt or water. The dash is simple, displaying only what’s most important (well, except for the tachometer, of course). Some didn’t even come with clocks. Brian’s, though, did come with intermittent wipers. For the ’85, an altimeter and air conditioning were optional. Then again, though, if it wasn’t designed to be a daily driver, it doesn’t matter all that much, right?
Brian’s favorite feature on his Pickup is the solid front axle (SFA). 1985, as Brian is quick to mention, is the last year US buyers had the SFA as an option. After that, all Toyota trucks, even the 4WD version, came with independent front suspension (IFS). This was Toyota’s way of improving the ride and daily drivability, though it didn’t do much for Toyota’s off-road crowd. Most were quick to swap the IFS for the SFA, though Brian doesn’t feel it’s necessary.
“You don’t need a solid front axle to have fun off-road. Yes, it’s stronger, and more durable with less components to break, but don’t pass up a clean 4WD pickup because of the IFS. For most normal driving, IFS fine, and a lot less harsh than the SFA. If you do serious off-roading and rock crawling is your thing, then you’ll want the SFA.”
After all this, just keep in mind – a good, off-road truck isn’t always huge with a thirsty V8. Or even have a SFA. Also, if you remember, there were quite a bit of Top Gear episodes where they tried feverishly to kill one of these fitted with a diesel. It survived so much and still ran, that it sat in their studio up until the show was bought by Amazon.
So don’t expect modern creature comforts, face-melting speed, or breakneck torque. But with a classic 1980s Toyota, what you will get is a reliable rig that is tough is nails, looks rock-solid, and delivers a very affective and tenacious performance.
One look at his beauty an we say: get one of these trucks while they’re still around and still reasonable in price, going for about $20,000 on average.
As for Brian’s classic, if you’d like to see a full rundown of all the modifications and work, check out this very thorough video.