The truck is coming along nicely
As previously stated I plan to use the ’79 Toyota Hi-Lux 4×4 as my base for many adventures around the country, so the last couple of weeks has been spent attempting to make the vehicle as reliable and roadworthy as possible. If I do make a modification to the vehicle, consideration will be taken as to not only the off road gains, but the effects to reliability and street manners as well.
Since the last post I have done a ton of work on the motor to bring it back to life. A compression test was done proving that the motor is in amazingly good condition, so I decided to just go for a major tune-up. I changed the spark plugs, plug wires, cap & rotor, checked the valves and timing, replaced all filters, lubed all U-joints, replaced the front CV joint and fixed the exhaust manifold stud that was missing at time of purchase. I do believe that the vacuum advance is not working properly on the distributor still, so that is about all that is left. All vacuum lines and junk attached to them are good and in working order.
The truck is almost ready for it’s first trip, and so am I! It feels good to have the build up go so smoothly, in the end I am glad that I went with a vehicle that I am very familiar with to work on. This is my fourth Toyota, before this was the 2001 Tacoma, the 1989 4runner, and the 1981 Hi-Lux. All were great vehicles, great to work on and a pleasure to drive. In addition to these vehicles I have built up a few other vehicles as well. The list is; 1978 Chevy Blazer, 1975 Dodge 1/2 ton 4×4, 1945 Ford GPW, 1947 Willy’s CJ2A, and the first was a 1978 Dodge 1/2 ton 4×4. All of these vehicles over the years have taught me much about how things work and there has been many times I learned my lesson over and over again until I finally got it right. I’m very lucky to have had the experiences I have had over the years.
Hopefully my next post will be of adventure, because I am really starting to need it! I will keep you posted, of course.
