This is the 1979 Pickup I bought thru a coworker for $350. Ive had it for about 2 weeks. I think I got a good deal. It wasn't running, but I got it running decent, doubt its ready for smog yet (Damn California) Trying to make a trail rig and also be able to use it as a back up driver. Im new to Toyotas, but loving the family you guys seem to have. Im interested in any ideas, or any tips. Let me know what you think!

 

Looks like a Great truck for $350.. I would have bought it too

first off welcome to YT.. lots of great information here.
I would get a photobucket account so we can see bigger pictures of your truck, those little thumbnails suck...Copy and paste the [IMG] code into your post.

Some recommended reading:
Newbie Modification Thread: it will answer a lot of questions for you

Pirate 4x4 Toyota FAQ ver2 read this but I would not recommend posting there till you learn a lot

Lot of good info out there. A 1st Gen Round eye is the best IMO

 

for 350 bucks id wheel it lock it front and rear put some 35s on it regear it

 

So Ive been gone for a few weeks. Came back the other night and got the bed off. Cleaned up the frame (and killed a million or so Black Widows in the process....thank god for brake cleaner and a flame!) Here is the before and after.Sorry for the quality, all I had was my cell. I also pressure washed the engine compartment which appeared to clean off the old oil that held a leak. Oil is now leaking somewhere in the front end, havent had a chance to check it out yet.
Before...

After...

 

Alright so I got the engine and trans pulled. I hadn't planned on pulling the trans, but one bolt screwed me all up. Heres the before and after tear down. The timing cover is where the leak was, everything is covered with about a inch of sludge. Lucky me. Off to the store to get some degreaser and a gasket kit.

 

During the cleaning I noticed that my block has a 22R stamping on the drivers side. I read that intake ports on the 20R are round and mine are, does this mean Im lucky enough to have scored the swap?

 

idk man but thats gonna be a nice lookin truck

 

The 20R cylinders may be smaller than the 22 series; maybe measure? But that would be slick if you got a 20R/22R already... there's a bunch of hybrid info around; I'm looking into this swap down the line. Off the top of my head that swap has higher compression and better torque? Run a decent cam and that thing will W-O-R-K!

>>Dan

PS--I love the lime green valve cover! What else is getting that paint???

 

20R Head flows ALOT better than the 22R head..
Throw a decent cam in it, do the dual row timing chain, some other engine mods, and you're cherry.

 

79YotaMandan - I have the same motor. Looking to rebuild it. Any updates since your last post?

Frank

 

Awesome! I recently bought the same model and working on the exact same problems. Leak towards the front somewhere up top as it's dripping down the motor and hitting three different spots on the ground. Just did seafoam to the motor but seeing this makes me think it would be worth tearing it completely down.