Operation street legal Hilux

[Rot Box]

I have owned my Toyota since I was 16 years old and it has seen a tremendous amount of abuse since then. It has served me well and I have probably driven it around the world several times if you total up the miles—from the bottom of Utah to the top of Montana it has seen it all. I have the stock 20R that runs very well, but is on its 5th transmission which has lost 3rd gear the rear end vibrates and I’m just trying not to think about that right now. Anyway the day finally came when I received a 5 day letter (suspension of registration) and a list of fix it tickets a mile long (do not smart mouth officers of the law online… ever! They will find you ha ha ha ). It’s tough to get an old truck to pass inspections these days, but even harder to get a beat to death—stripped down—pile of crap 4x4 to do it. I embrace the responsibility to operate a safe vehicle when on the road for my safety and others and I hate the thought of a trail only pickup. Long story short: I miss driving it daily and I don’t want to get in trouble again

So here is my challenge: 79 Toyota Hilux that needs front bumper, rear bumper, horn, park brake, fender flares, working lights (brake and signal), exhaust that exits away from under the body ect… My bumpers are tube which does not meet the requirements so I’m thinking about building an ARB bull bar style bumper for the front and plating my rear one so that they are both 4.5” tall to the centers of both tires.

Body wise my front fenders have been chopped to the point of no repair so I am going to replace them with new uncut ones and leave it that way. I have no idea for the bed it has been caved in on both sides and will not meet the requirements so I’ll probably have to replace it with a different one.

I have no park brake whatsoever. I’m not sure what to do here I don’t even have the in cab lever let alone the cables. Ideas?

Horn and lights shouldn’t be too bad. But I keep popping the brake light fuse and don’t quite know what to do yet.

Was told that because I have Ford leafs in the rear, lifted front springs and an unusual placement of the rear shocks that my suspension has been altered and will not comply. What can I do about that? It’s much stronger than the stock equipment if that even matters. I’m sure it all about some one’s perspective but I’m kind of stuck there.

Anyway I would like to have this truck go to any shop in Utah and pass an inspection even if it means making it less capable offroad. Here is some pics of my progress today. I pulled both bumpers, spent at least an hour killing wasps and yellow jackets and I installed a horn.. not much but better than nothing.

 

[Green Leader]

So all of this because you mouthed off online? You must have said some pretty nasty stuff. What is the story here?

 

[Noahfecks]

For your parking break how about a line lock? If you cant find one local they are only about $30 from Summit. If you just need the stock parts I am sure I have some arround somewhere.

Is there a law in UT that prohibits lifts on vehicles? (sorry im in CO) I dont see how lift springs are a violation as they are direct replacement for OEM and attach in the same manner. Sure have seen alot of lifted trucks on my travels through UT.

 

[Paul R]

I'm pretty sure there are a few companies that offer a mechanism that bolts to the back of a tcase to be used as an ebrake for those who upgraded to disk brakes...

 

[Bart]

Okay, I gotta ask. Why not pick up another 79 in decent shape and transfer your good stuff over? Just seems like a lot of work and more $$$ to fix yours, even for something with sentimental value.

 

[SAMI]

That suspension "red flag" is BS.. There should be no problem with what leaf springs are used. since your truck came with leaf springs.. They're really diggin deep to build a case against you.

 

[gijohn40]

Okay, I gotta ask. Why not pick up another 79 in decent shape and transfer your good stuff over? Just seems like a lot of work and more $$$ to fix yours, even for something with sentimental value.

I was going to say the same thing... get another truck and use this one for trails only... is it really worth the time and money to fix it to you?

 

[choptopbII]

If i was you i would just trailer it everywere save yourself from having to deal with all the inspection BS every year. Making my truck an OHV was the best mod ive ever done.

 

[Rot Box]

I've tracked down a parts truck with good body panels so hopefully I can take care of some of the dents. I'm probably going to just rattle can them with a desert tan color and call it good for now

So all of this because you mouthed off online? You must have said some pretty nasty stuff. What is the story here?

I'm a very sarcastic person and this individual didn't pick up on it. I was not rude towards him or any person in any way. It's hard to guage a persons true uh.. personality in an online forum and I was misunderstood. I expressed a different opinion about something and it went from there. I'd prefer to not talk about it here--it happened years ago and i'm over it

For your parking break how about a line lock? If you cant find one local they are only about $30 from Summit. If you just need the stock parts I am sure I have some arround somewhere.

Will a line lock qualify as a park brake? I'll definatly look into it thanks!

Okay, I gotta ask. Why not pick up another 79 in decent shape and transfer your good stuff over? Just seems like a lot of work and more $$$ to fix yours, even for something with sentimental value.

I was going to say the same thing... get another truck and use this one for trails only... is it really worth the time and money to fix it to you?

I agree it is an ugly bird and it probably is a waste of time I have two things going for it though. One is the interior it is really nice, quiet, comfortable and clean. Number two is the body is really the only thing that is in terrible shape. I can swap all the panels I need to make it look good in one afternoon so thats good. The frame and suspension and most of the drivetrain are in great shape.

If i was you i would just trailer it everywere save yourself from having to deal with all the inspection BS every year. Making my truck an OHV was the best mod ive ever done.

I thought about it several times, but I'm really not into the hardcore rockcrawling the way I used to be. I like to do the more difficult trails in Moab but also be able to drive through the Swell and other scenic routes on the way back. I quess I'm getting old but half the fun it the journey there imo :greg:

 

[Rot Box]

My front flares are almost wide enough but I'm starting to think glass with a 4" bulge would be the ticket...

Its hard to tell from the pic but my rear tires stick way too far out of the fenders. I have stock 7" wheels with 32x10.50 tsl's right now but plan to switch to 255/85's which "might" be a little narrower depending on the wheel I run. I also have the later 3 inch wider axle with 1.5 inch spacers on each side and would prefer to keep it that way so I'm trying to figure out what to do for flares. Anybody have any ideas Oh and I'm glad that bird got the windshield and not my head

 

[reddman]

A line lock will not pass as an E-brake. The code on vehicle modification says that the E-brake must be mechanical, not hydraulic. Just a heads up.

There are driveline brakes available, I'm pretty sure Jesse at High Angle Driveline sells a kit. That's a good option if your drums suck or if you've converted to disks in back.

 

[Corban_White]

Flatbed the rear.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

Flatbed the rear.

Don't you dare!


The bed is one of the biggest reasons 1st gens are cool. Seems like 95% of toyota owners are too lazy to deal with keeping a bed on, so they do a flatbed. Its disgaraceful.

But I think Andrew already knows that...

 

[Hickey]

Flatbed the rear. Worth repeating. As for your suspension, the cleaner things are, the less inspectors will find objectionable. Clean clean clean, then paint it all gloss black.

 

[choptopbII]

I thought about it several times, but I'm really not into the hardcore rockcrawling the way I used to be. I like to do the more difficult trails in Moab but also be able to drive through the Swell and other scenic routes on the way back. I quess I'm getting old but half the fun it the journey there imo :greg:

Either way A highly capable toyota that is still street legal is awesome. :greg:

 

[Rot Box]

Thanks for the replys!

Flat bed?! I'm with Wyatt on this one. The side hooks and rear latches really make the early first gens stand out. My bed however is obviously trashed so I'm tracking down a different one. I have thought about stretching the frame a little and bobbing a long bed. That way I could still use my short bed shell and rid myself of all the overhand and get a little more wheel base in the mean time if that makes sense.

Tomorrow I plan on getting a ton of body parts and a few other items. If I can I will snag an E-brake pull lever and cable then pay the big bucks for the driveshaft E-brake assembly as that really looks like my only option. One thing I am stressed out about is finding the round headlight grill and headlight trim. The later 81.5-83 square headlight stuff is everywhere and I don't care for it as much. The roundy stuff is getting hard to come by :-\

Anyway I'm going to cross my fingers with the suspension. I spent a lot of time on all the brackets and frenched hangers and although they look great imo the rear springs still have the big "FORD" stamp on them--I'll probably just grind that off

Hopefully I can make some progress in the next few days so it doesn't look like a total waste of time

 

[pELYgroso]

I may have the grill you're looking for. I'll check. I also have a stock front bumper for your truck and a rear off an '86 runner that should work if you want (for inspection) If you're going to do a different bumper I'd be interested in buying your tube one that you pulled off!

 

[Rot Box]

I may have the grill you're looking for. I'll check. I also have a stock front bumper for your truck and a rear off an '86 runner that should work if you want (for inspection) If you're going to do a different bumper I'd be interested in buying your tube one that you pulled off!

Oh cool let me know if you find it I'm interested in the front bumper too do you have the headlight trim with marker lights by chance?

Not sure what I'm going to do with the rear bumper yet I'm just starting at the front and working my way back. I need it to be 4.5" all the way across so I will probably just do some plating on the Marlin unit.

 

[solidfrontaxle]

I also have any stock first gen stuff you would ever need, if you feel like taking a drive...

The only thing I don't have is the round headlight bezels and grill. I have three sets of square, and all I really want is round too...

I have a couple of smittybuilt rear bumpers but they hang down really low.

 

[Rot Box]

Made some progress today. I now have all my lights working, installed new fenders and bumper.

I found the fenders, bumper, E-brake lever and some really clean doors at a local scrap yard. I spent most of the time making trips back and forth packing all the parts and my tools back up to the parking lot. All was good untill I found out the guy wanted $40 a piece for the doors!!! So I bought the fenders and bumper and figured that was good enough. I also found some headlight bezels but forgot them at the scrap yard--I really don't want to go back for them the owner and his wife are creepy and make me feel really uncomfortable

Anyway I'm going to need a 4" flare of some sort for the front and about 3" for the rear. Any ideas on what to use? I'm thinking about going super cheap with some ghetto plactic of some sort...

It's been awhile since I've had my tires rub any part of the body and it's actually nice in a way I now have a better perspective on just how far my front axle is moved forward. Slight trimming and I'll be good to go