Hey y'all. New guy here from NC. I've started up a project thread on another forum, but it's pretty corolla-oriented and I prefer more truck content. Advice and input is welcome from other truck guys. Here goes:

Intro:

For a while now, my buddy and I have been searching for a ****box Toyota to try out different parts we're making for the 22R/E. Our standards were pretty low. It needed to be under $500, a manual transmission, have a title, and have a frame with no wholes in it. We finally found something that looked like a good candidate. $400, clear title, has been sitting in a tobacco house since '05, located "just north of town." "Just north of town" became an hour and a half drive up into the sticks, aka Tennessee, aka shine country, aka flat tire = eaten by coyotes, aka "you got a pretty mouth, boy." A little haggle haggle bought us a $300 truck and a $40 tow to our employee's house ~30 miles away (I later ended up paying $100 to get the truck back to my shop, deal wasn't as good in the end).

The idea of this build is to test an idea for an everyman turbo set up for the 85.5 22RE. Currently, we rebuild stock 22R long blocks. There's one big problem with these engines, they're sackless piles. Half the folks we do engines for are trail riding or have 35" tires that a stock 22R simply doesn't want to move around (especially with a carb that hasn't been tuned in 5 years and has gas washed all the cylinders to death). The main goal of the build will be to create a fast/fun boosted 22R with a stock long block, (most of) the stock wiring harness, and on an accessible DIY-er budget.

Build End Game:

- Create a plug and play ECU and MAF with wiring harness adapters.
- Offer a turbo manifold that doesn't cost all the $$$.
- Adapt or create budget minded ignition system, again plug and play.
- Build a better oil pan.
- Test new camshaft grinds.
- Test strength of stock transmission. Maybe replace with something else mid-build if we blow up our 1-gazzilion mile gearbox.
- Improve suspension and brakes.
- Document and write detailed instructions for all of the above.

Pictures:

At our employee's house in the sticks just south of The Sticks. Besides removing all the old moldy carpet, I don't think I'll do much to the looks of the truck. The truck has some kind of to package. It used to have a 5th wheel, has a brake controller, and supposedly has 4.82 rear gears (yeah, I'll believe that when I see it). Truck came stock with cruise control and AC, but no power steering. Currently, I need to ditch the early engine sitting in the bed and probably will ditch the iron 4 speed as well.



















Next installment: The Strip Search.

Hug your block (?), ya'll.