Well this will be my first post. I recently bought an 89 with a 5 speed 22re. The truck is 4wd and does have, which after what I have read is greatly hated, IFS. I coon hunt and this is my Cooning rig. The previous owner had the flat bed put on, the motor rebuilt and bed lined the exterior of the doghouse, fenders and hood. The truck came with another front end and the bed. I will be going Sat to pick the front end and the bed up. The bed is supposed to be non rusted and non dented. I will have no use for the bed so I have plans to sell it. The previous owner put 31inch Mud King tires on it and they have less than 1000 miles on them. I am no fan of the tires so they will be getting replaced come tax time.

This rig will be my DD and cooning rig for a year or so. I plan on installing new gears, front and rear lockers, a lift and new tread for now.

Once a new 1 ton Cummins shows up at my homeplace the truck will get set up for wheeling!

Looks like great platform to work with. How's the frame?

The P.O. did a nice job with that bed; have been looking to do something similar for my water mule.

There's lots of talent here, and our Toyota section above is full of helpful info as well, so acquaint yourself with the site, and welcome to the 'Wire!

>>>*I like that bed, easy to load and tie down from anywhere. You might think of adding a stop at the front, though.

Coon hunting, huh? Come on out, it's easy around here. All we do is wait until the Dog barks and then go poke them out of the Plum tree with a broom handle...*LOL**....*EB

The frame is in suprisingly good sape. Alot of surface rust but nothing that is in need f a "right now" repair.

Nice looking rig for a starting platform.

You shouldn't have any problem turning it into a capable hunting/trail rig even with the IFS. The IFS is a lot stronger and more capable than the rumors and forums might lead one to believe. The Toyota first gen IFS is actually pretty durable, as long as you understand what it can hit at speed and what it can't, i.e., you can "Ivan Stewart" down fire roads with ease, but you don't want to hit basketball size bolders or bigger at speed, doing so tends to bend/break steering components. There are still some of us holdouts who still wheel rock trails like Rubicon and Fordyce with IFS set-ups, granted we can't run every obstacle, but we get through teh trail without much issue. The IFS also offers a better street ride and handling, something important if you are going to put a lot of seat time in driving to work or long trips to your favorite hunting sites.

I would set up the rear with an ARB or Toyote E-locker, forgo the front locker and install dual cases. I run a front auto locker in my '91, but it isn't a daily driver, so I don't have to be concerned with the driving quirks auto lockers have on snow and ice. You could always install a front ARB later if you feel the need, or swap to an SA if the IFS nolonger fits your needs.

I really like that bed to...

when my bed gets so bad that it needs replaced, thats what I will do with mine, except with aluminum.