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'80 yota

Kyle Strong

Kyle Strong

1/2 ton status
Joined
Sep 26, 2005
Posts
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Location
Eugene, OR
I know this isn't the place to be asking, but I don't feel like joining a yota forum for one topic. :rolleyes: My friend is looking to buy an 1980 toyota truck. 7 in lift, 36" swampers, lockers, etc. I was wondering if there were any model/year specific problems I should look for? I know about the normal stuff to look for on a lifted vehicle (how lift was installed, who installed it, etc). I just need the "odd" things too look for. And anything else anyone feels is necessary. Thanks!
 
gotcha. ya, I think I might see that one. So I guess just look for the normal stuff that's bad for all vehicles/trucks
 
Take a look in the July '05 FourWheeler magazine. There's a whole article on toyota weak links.
 
warning...

I had a friend with an '80 toyota 4x4 pickup--it was lifted and had 36" tires on it..he put a complete roll cage in it,and it was a good thing he did..between him and his wife,they rolled it 4 separate times!..they said it rolled over very easy,all it took was a sudden swerve,or to run off the shoulder of the road slightly,and it was over...be careful if he buys it!..

Other than that,the frames rot bad old toyota trucks--(as noted already)--Nissans and Mazda's do too..the 5 spd manual toyota tranny is prone to 5th gear woes,and used ones in decent shape are scarce,and expensive..and not much interchange ability between years on them...:crazy:
 
In an 80 he/she really wants the 4 speed and not the 5 spd. The 5er's are the weakest 5 spd yota ever built.
What's the intended use? DD + wheeler, or?

Having been on various yota lists & bbs' since 98 or so it is my observation the Birfield line of breakage is either above a 12.50 wide tire, or a tire taller than a 33, or any sort of doubler/lower low range gear set. If you've got any of those it's a matter of when, not if the Birf's will break.
 
I totally forgot about the four wheeler thing. I'll dig out the magazine and take a peek at it. I don't know the width, but they are 36's. It is a 4 speed tranny. It has 4.88's, which I think is a little much for a dd (which it will be) so I told him to go for a set of 4.10's or so. I know 4.56's would be better, but I think it would be a little too many rpm's for a dd. He wouldn't be wheelin' it too hard, just the weekend trips. And I'll keep the rolling issue in mind. That's kinda scary.:eek1:
 
488's would be fine for a daily driver. mine had 35's and 4.10's and it was a little bit of a dog off the line and cruised 60mph nicely.

an 80 will have the 20 r and 4 spd. check the tranny crossmember area they rust there and make it a bitch for dropping the tranny if need be since the mount bolts are captive in the frame. also check out the gas tank for rust. mine was awesome.
 
4.88's would be fine huh? Cool. And it has a 22r. It's the 3rd motor it's had. I don't know...he wants a vehicle that is reliable, looks cool, and something he can wheel with. Sounds like this truck would be a good candidate. Do you remember what kinda mileage you got with yours?
 
other then having it on it's side enough to dump gas out it wasn't bad like 20 if I babied it. I had an 81 with the 22r.


I just say where you're from. Mine there now at my brothers house his girlfriends brother bought it. so be on the look out for a really short bobbed bed on 35's. I cut 24" out of the bed. and 35's with no lift other then shackles.

where do you go wheeling down there now? all the places I went to are now closed.
 
What color is the truck? And where does he live? I might have seen it. When my truck was able to make it to the trail I went out to panther/wolf/battle creek, a little south of veneta. They have some sick trails out there. I have some pics of some friends getting stuck soo bad it's rediculous. Well, for around here it was a pretty good stuck.
 
thats where we use to go. the yota is "toyota white" which now looks yellowish from all the mud I left on it. he lives off of barger but the motor is still up here. i blew the 22r out of it. he found a free 20r to put in it.

i hit a tree in my 1st cherokee coming back from one of the bonfires up battlecreek. it's a fun area. my brother took his blazer up there a few times and it was SLOOPPPPYYY laid it into the bank and caved in the passenger side door.

he joined here with his new blazer "cheapk5" but he hasn't posted yet
 
who currently owns this toyota? I use to know every single one in town when I worked at Knechts there.
 
yeah, there are parties up there all the time. My friend who frequents this site but doesn't post up (don't know his username) screwed up his door so bad it doesn't open now. Has to crawl in through the passenger side. We went out one time and got messed up pretty bad. He broke a u-joint to the output shaft of the t-case while trying to climb a little hill that some guys rollin' on 44" boggers dig out, and the other guy buried his front axle completely in one of the holes tha thad also been dug out. Off barger...I'll keep an eye out next time I'm over there. So assuming he keeps the 4.88's, he'd be getting around what, 17 mpg?
 
I don't know who owns it...it's in creswell and I didn't get a name. I'll know tomorrow evening though.
 
a creswell rig... hhhmmm I'd look all over that frame of cracks and tweaks.

deberry and bohemia are some wild spots for wheeling (creswell and cottage grove) I'v been to both... fun times. I jumped my 79 jimmy at deberry trying to not roll it.
 
Look for an 86 Fourrunner, it's the last year with the solid front axle before they went IFS and the first year with fuelinjection.;)
 
yeah, I have a few friends what wheel deberry (I haven't been yet) who live in creswell. And I'm a little concerned about it being from creswell. I know they abuse vehicles down there. And he doesn't want a 4runner, but a pickup. Go fig.
 
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