Black 1986 SR5 Flatbed:
Engine 22RE fuel injected 2.4 liter 4 cyl.
Suspension: Stock IFS front, Solid rear
This truck was purchased as a parts truck for $300.00. The engine was apart with a broken timing chain. I was unable to get the new chain on the engine so I modified one that I found in the bed. I shortened it and welded it together. It ran, but not well. After much research, we got in contact with John�s foreign engines in Washington State. He informed us of a little known fact. Toyota used 2 different heads on the 22 R series of engines. A tall head was used up till 1984 and was then replaced with a shorter head. The combustion chambers were also redesigned at that time. You can differentiate between the heads by looking at the exhaust ports. Pear shaped ports that are not separated are the newer heads. The heads that have two separate holes at the exhaust port are the older style heads. The two styles must be matched with their respective blocks. The guy who I had bought the truck from had used an old head off his Celica on the newer block. $500.00 later, the truck ran like a top.
The body was also a major piece of work. It�s not uncommon to see the bed of a Toyota 4x4 in need of a scrap yard. We had the further problem of a rusted frame. It actually broke in half while hauling a load off wood. Ouch!!!!! It was obvious that radical surgery was the only solution. We decided to cut the back end off the truck. Then we fabricated a new frame from rectangular box tubing. This tubing was hammered into the existing frame and extends well under the cab. The cross members were made from C channel. We also added a 2 inch receiver hitch salvaged from an S-10 truck. The stock Toyota axle and leaf springs were fitted to the new frame. A bumper from a Jeep TJ was the icing on the cake. The whole thing was coated with acid etch primer and an industrial black primer.
Now on to the bed. We knew that bed replacement on Toyotas is an everyday occurrence. Let�s face it; the things were designed to rust. The inspiration was found on the web. We fabricated a bed frame from 2-inch box channel. We also added a roll/ladder bar to the design. The sides of the bed are covered with expanded metal. The tailgate is made from the same box channel and expanded metal. Hinges from the hardware store were modified to fit. After much deliberation, it was decided to make the floor of the bed from steel diamond plate with a 1/8th inch thickness. The bed of this truck is now more durable than the average dump truck.
To finish it off, we painted the cab black in base coat clear coat, the bed in an industrial vinyl primer, and striped it with some left over conversion van stripes. The rear lights are mounted in an aluminum strip. Actually it�s a running board that was cut to fit. The lights are off the shelf units from the auto parts store. Nice, cheap, and replaceable. The interior is stock Toyota, save the Honda accord seats, which replaced the originals. The wheels were painted anthracite gray and fitted with new BF Goodrich Land Terrains.
The truck is now Dad�s daily driver. It also hauls the occasional load of wood and will be hitting the trail too.
