Piddlin'

Got the seal ordered and it should be here tomorrow afternoon. I'm itching to fill this thing with fluids and fire it up. I've never heard it run. I did go to Lowes and get some 2x6s to make the flatbed. Lowes lumber selection is trash. It's not perfectly square in a few places, but neither is the sheet metal.
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Might wanna consider framing that bed with some scrap angle iron. Keep it from curling up and warping on you. Lowe’s lumber does that really well.
 
I really like the way the truck looks.
Are you going to install any tie down hooks or side rails?
X2 on the angle iron.
 
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I got the tool box mounted and added some tie down points. I'm at a bit of a stand still right now. Bolts were frozen and broken off in the transfer case crossmember frame brackets and the threaded holes in the frame. So I cut the brackets off and am planning to use angle iron to make new support brackets. In addition to that, the transmission isn't going into gear. My girlfriend is coming in town for the weekend, so no progress until Monday. It's crappy weather today anyway.
Tomorrow we're putting my dog of the past 11 years down. Gonna miss that old girl.
 
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Thanks for all the thoughts guys. Hacked out the old exhaust today. It was leaky to say the least. Ordered a new exhaust mid pipe for less than 50$ after speedperks discount and advance auto discount code. Anyone who buys from advance without using a coupon code is throwing money away. My order came in 18$ less than it would have been on rock auto, and that's without shipping. Hopefully, should have the exhaust clamped back together tomorrow.
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Drained the fuel tank. Luckily for me there was only about 1 gallon in there! That never happens. Put in 5 gallons of 93 octane non-ethanol to the tune of -$3.45 a gallon. Oh well, gotta pay to play. Ran the truck today with the new exhaust midpipe and the o2 sensor plugged in. That's cleared up my check engine light. Got the transmission to go into gear just but bumping the t case shifters into gear. Today was a good day.
 
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Spent about 45 minutes making that small steel bracket to support the MAF/ filter. Now the hood won't latch, so more tweaking when I get a chance.
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Got an ammo can from a friend. Got it bolted to the floor. Also pumped about 30 oz of Slime into my front driver tire. Hoping for the best in the morning.
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The black hood was bothering me. So I got a can of Rustoleum dark green camo and hosed it down. Plan to respray the rest of the truck when I'm done fooling with the mechanical aspects.
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There's my fancy new exhaust mid pipe in action. Inner fenders are so over rated. Motor is smoking more than I'm comfortable with. Not excited about the reality of that situation. I do have a 87 22r that was carbed that I could swap in. Anyone know want to enlighten me on what the difference between a 22r and a 22re block and head are? I really hate filtering through all the banter on pirate just to find pertinent information.
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I got a little froggy two weeks ago and decided to tear down both axles at once. It was a moment of truth to say the least, considering I bought the truck from someone who really didn't know Toyota stuff very well. I knew the rear axle had a locker, and 5.29 gears. But couldn't figure out what was in the front. I was hoping for chromo shafts, 5.29, and a lunchbox locker. That's the optimist in me.
Got the front torn down. Stock shafts. :( pulled the front third. 5.29 open diff. :(
Pulled the rear third. 5.29 with a lunchbox, and TRASHED gear set. :(
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So, I felt a bit deflated. I did plenty of staring and head scratching. And the truck sat for the past two weeks in this configuration.
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I had planned to throw two welded 4.10 thirds in it and wheel it. That would pretty well render 4high useless and the truck would stay in 4.7:1 all the time. Which also sounded like a dumb idea. Soooo... found a 5.29 with a spool from a new friend, and planning to stick the lunchbox from the rear into the open diff that came out of the front. Momma said there would be days like this.
 
Like the work being done.
Hope there are some tires or something in the back when are working under the rig.
Those wood blocks holding up the rear springs seem a bit marginal
 
I appreciate you keeping me in check on the safety concerns. I actually prefer wood blocks over your run of the mill jackstand. But no, there wasn't a second safety, like a tire.
 
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Well, not much has been accomplished here recently. Between the busy season at work, holiday affairs, hunting and me fooling with the white 1984 pickup, the toyote has been backburnered. I did get my mess together long enough to swing by ECGS and get my front Spartan locker installed in the only salvageable 5.29 diff that came with the truck.

Been trying to find another 5.29 diff for the rear. In the mean time, cleaned up the mating surface on the housing and I replaced my diff studs with bolts and a red Loc tite.
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Since the last update, I have moved to the Northeastern corner of NC for work. Pretty much as far away from any resemblance of a crawlable rock as I've ever been. Sold the white 1984 truck, and bit the bullet on a new 5.29s for the rear diff. Still no 220 service in my shop, so had a new friend come over and weld on my transfer case mounting brackets with his Bobcat. Had about 10 leather gloves shieldin the gas lines on the passenger side frame rail. I was puckered to say the least. It's all gussetted 3/8 angle iron, which I think is just what I needed.
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Had a bit of progress since the last update. Bought some discount Richmond 5.29 gears off eBay and sent my welded carrier and empty third member down to ECGS for set up. This showed up on my porch about a week later.
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Reused the bearings, fresh solid pinion spacer, and cleaned everything before I dropped it off.
Got the third back in the truck and moving under its own power. Thank goodness.

Finally realized that the CD player was draining my battery, so installed a band aid ground disconnect, to keep from charging the battery every time I want to move it around the yard. All for the past 8 months, I just thought this optima was junk.
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Got tired of jumping the contacts on solenoid box for the winch, so I wired in a on/off/on, planing to wire an inline kill switch for the winch line in, winch line out switch. Just got to mount it on the dash.


Still need to address making a bezel for the shifters to cut back on engine noise.
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Sold out my half of my equipment trailer to my dad and picked up this 18' 5 ton from Red Hot welding
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