Truck Parts Have Arrived
The motherload finally got here. I spent several months ordering parts and collecting them at my brother's, which he then put in a crate and shipped to me. Thanks bro, I couldn't have done it without you!
Basically, I ordered everything I needed to rebuild the front end (including Sway-A-Way torsion bars from eshocks.com), plus some trim, like a new chrome grill and side-view mirrors. I also got new rear axles.
Toyota Truck Parts - Font End
Oh yes, those are brand new, factory-original control arms and spindles!
UPDATE:
Here's a nearly complete list of what I got so far:
Control arm, lower, RH, LH
Control arm, upper, RH, LH
Steering knuckle RH, LH
Center-link
Wheel seal LH + RH
Upper ball joints, LH, RH
Lower ball joint, LH, RH
Idler arm
Pitman arm
Tie rod ends X 4
Sway-A-Way Torsion bars
Prothane bushings (body mounts, comtrol arm, spring shackles, sway bar bushings and end links, tie-rod boots)
Rear axle, LH,RH
Rear axle bearing service kit X 2
Lug nuts and studs X 12
Chrome grill (på bilen)
Chrome corner lights
Chrome bumper
Valence
Brake light RH
Door RH (a whole new door and new window)
Windshield and rubber seal
Fender RH
Truck bed removal made easy
Taking the bed off an 89-95 Toyota Pickup (Toyota Hilux/Volkswagen Taro ) couldn't be easier- no wait, yes it can, and I'll explain below.
To remove the bed, you simply unbolt the 19 mm fasteners (6 of them) that hold the bed. The bed is light enough that two people can easily lift it off. If you only need to push the bed back about a foot to work on the cab (as I had to do), one person can easily push the bed back by scooting it a little bit on each side.
The problem is the wires to the brake lights. You have to disconnect them or cut them in order to move the bed more than an inch or so. I figured I would be be taking my bed off again in the future, so to make bed removal even easier next time, I cut the wires one at a time and inserted them into a quick connector. I soldered the metal fittings to the end of the wires because that's how I roll, and to make sure water doesn't get trapped in the fittings, I filled them with non-corrosive silicon.
Wire Connector
Resources
- Quick connector (kontaktdon) from Kjell & Company.
It’s Alive!
A tow truck brought my baby home today, and it started, no problem. Aside from some serious toe-out, it's totally drivable. So, I'm going to keep her and fix her up. It will be a great learning experience, since I've never done body work.
And now, pics:
Bumper Damage
The highway has a long series of cables instead of rails or barricades, which was great. The cable absorbed a lot of the impact, but on the other hand, it also slingshot the truck back over 2 lanes of traffic. The driver-side front tire hit first, then I think we spun around counterclockwise and caught the passenger-side of the bumper on the cable. It did not want to let go.
Bumper Damage
Side Damage
The whole side is crushed, and the door window is completely shattered. Surprisingly, the extended cab window only suffered a few scratches.
Side Damage
Tailgate Damage
I have no idea how the gate got scratched so high up. The guard cable is only about 3 feet high.
Tailgate Damage
From the side you can really see how badly the tailgate was damaged.