1987 Toyota Pickup 22R Build Comes All the Way from Puerto Rico
This very cool old Toyota pickup project is one of the few that comes to us from the Island of Enchantment.
For the most part, the builds we come across in the YotaTech forums reside here in the states. Of course, we also have members who live all over the world. And as you already know, Toyota trucks are overwhelmingly the vehicle of choice in many, many other countries thanks to their inherent toughness. But we must admit, this 1987 Toyota pickup under construction by member puertofrito might be the first one we’ve seen from the unincorporated U.S. territory of Puerto Rico.
“I’m a long time lurker and first time Toyota owner. Really dig the pool of good information here. No clue how far down the owner list I am, but I got my first Toyota, a 1987 22R 4×4. I’ll post a few sweet pics of the beginning, then fast forward to now. Currently, I’m rebuilding a 22R block/head from a first-gen 4Runner I snagged for $150.”
The cool pickup from way south certainly looks to be in pretty good condition, but it isn’t without its flaws.
“Upon buying this truck, I quickly found that it needed lots of work. It didn’t have an air cover/filter, tail/brake lights not functional. The headlights and various other electrical pieces suffered from bad grounds and hot-wiring. There was a previous collision and a hack job rear box to haul horses. The suspension/brake systems were very abused, and it had a very dirty interior.”
The first order of business, as is typical, was to perform a bunch of general maintenance.
“I performed a motor, diff, and tranny oil change, inner/outer tie rods and alignment, front/rear brakes, and rotors/drums resurfaced. Then I replaced the driver’s side window crank arm, KYB shocks, LED tail/brake lights, and rod bearings (a story for later). Weber 32/36 with spiral adapter and block plates from LCE, new radiator/hoses, thermostat, and hacked off the top of that horribly loud box to make more of a flat bed with rails. Finally, I added energy suspension sway bar links, upper and lower ball joints, and front wheel bearings/seals.”
With the Toyota pickup running and driving well now, the OP could turn his attention to rebuilding his spare engine. After disassembly, he took it to the machine shop and started cleaning up all the little bits and pieces.
“Took some time to sort out all the bolts and nuts and clean all the crud off of them. The original timing cover has a little epoxy at the top on the outside and a very tiny crack on the inside. I’m guessing it could be from the hidden bolt I’ve heard people forget or don’t see. I plan on using the original oil pump, with new seals of course. But I cannot remove the front seal. It’s really stuck on there and extremely tough trying to cut it a bit with a razor. Might end up getting a new one.”
At this point, that’s where this interesting rebuild project sits. But we’re obviously curious to see just how it progresses moving forward. So be sure and head over here to stay tuned as this old Puerto Rican Toyota slowly comes back to life!
Photos: YotaTech forums
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