i think everyone has covered what you may need to know
But here's a bit etra and may save you some dollars and effort if your fussy like me
if you go a TD factory ask questions about when was the last time someone checked the big end bearings. And you want full service historyto support their claim
toyota whilst they deny a fault ever existed, used to at some dealer ships, slip the sump off and throw a set of big ends in at the 100k service.
I did mine, thank god i caught it in time, been perfect ever since.
Dont listen to all the hype about having to get injectors and pumps done. I spent all the money on that crap for very little in return.
Do the tune up first with what you got, then negotiate what extra returns you MAY get with extra maintenance be carried out on your diesel
Little problems you may find..
1/ seat foam collapses - send to upholsters to fix - $250 rrp-
2/ Front seat bolts captured nuts tear out of the floor - strip interior and repair
3/ pre 93 model transfer cases full time 4x4 dont have the internals as the later trucks particularly the "sprag" clutch to reduce drive train snatch in the centre diff ( correct me if im wrong)..
4/ ihdt factory manual boxes have an unko 2nd/3rd gear internals. these usually lead to up shift / down shift crunching if the oil is tho thick in the box, and unfortunately with age, become the nature of the beast. you learn to drive around it and the snatch in the earlier boxes.
5/ I have found in general Auto versions (petrol and diesel) have premature wear on the front diffs and they start to sing due to the pinion / crown wheel mesh, Funtionally fine but the noise can get to you on long trips.
6/ Grab a hold of the passenger dash grab handle and feel for excessive movment in the dash.. If so have a look around the bottom of the dash. you will see the bottom mounts for the dash there. They are spot welded on only. Sometime if this is the only area to go a drill and pop rivet does the trick. If its moving around the top of the dash, it all needs comming out and repair all the broken spot welded dash mounts. ( this is a Cookie to do )
7/ electric mirrors are generally good untill you smash tme into a tree
-Or after exposure to the elements the bottom retaining screw mount (internal plastic thing) perishes and the mirror falls out - Liquid nails to fix this - if the motor or electrics or gearbox in it is RS
$350 rrp to replace - chrome or black
8/ i suppose most believe that 80's dont rust. They do tho just like all the others, i think its more the fact when people bought 80's the fell in love with them and gave them the due care required to preserve them longer.
Gave it a hug at night before parking it, sprayed them with lanolin before going on the beach etc etc..
If you do however come across one that looks rough, it probly is and should be left alone in case it comes back to bite you. Unless you can get it for a steal and have the time and cash to tidy her up or put some nice rock rash on her to keep BJ happy
9/ rear gas struts loss their gas - replace or regas - $40- $120
I only mention this cause its a pain in the arse to keep it up with your heads wihile stickking a esky full of fish in the back
10/ check for captured nuts broken off in the back tailgate where to metal hinge pivots go onto. Its pretty obvious if they are stuffed - bit of a pain to fix
hope some of these pointers help you in you search for a clean truck..
