So last night I took a quick drive to look at a house in my Toy. It was EXTREMELY windy in IL. As I was getting blown all over the road I felt shimmy in my steering which led me down the path of "one more dang thing to fix". Either my alignment or who knows what else. I've had this thing about 2 1/2 years and all I've done is work on it. Honestly, it is becoming a chore. Does that mean I should sell it? I don't feel like spending 20k on something, but something that rode more quiet and had a cummins diesel is looking pretty good for about 10-12k (considering I couldn't even keep my Toy at 65 at points in the wind last night). Plus I could actually pull something while not taking too much of a hit in mileage, have good brakes, an airbag, and fit someone who is taller than 6 foot.

Here's just a glimpse (top of my mind) of what I've fixed:
New engine
New brakes all the way around new hoses, the works (which still suck on 31's)
TONS of rust prevention yearly (for a MidWest truck, she's in pretty darn good shape)
Switch to manual hubs which I totally rebuilt
upgrade to new throttle body
new front axle seal kit
Fixing of emergency brake setup
New Shocks and rear leafs
New A/C install
Cruise install
Stereo/inverter install
Two paint jobs on a bed that never stops rusting
and much much more.

Some of you may say "that's not bad" BUT, I don't have a garage and I don't really use my truck for wheeling. It helps me get truck chores done and haul stuff back and forth.

Last time I went to the Toyota dealer the parts guy said, "how much money you going to put in that truck". I keep telling myself..."i fix this and it is good for another 20 years" but, it never seems to end. I have a damn leak in the cab I've been trying to track down for 2 years and still don't have it fixed.

Granted, she has never let me down, it is a tough truck, I've learned a TON and have sometimes really enjoyed the work and gotten a lot of satisfaction out of it. And, the small form factor is nice.

BUT, not having a garage and trying to tinker on this in my very limited spare time on weekends when I sometimes need to be doing other things is getting to be a chore.

The other side of it is, I don't think I will nearly get out of it what I have in time and $$ wise. Still though, no matter how much I put in it, it will likely always be a noisy driver and consistently require tinkering. Have I lost my Toyota mind?

T.

If I were you and I didn't want to really wheel, I'd get something newer and more street friendly considering I'll still need a truck.

If I were you and I did want to wheel, I would keep that truck and still get something newer more street friendly but do so considering I already own a truck.

I think if you had out on the trail more, it would show its capabilities and that would put the shortfalls better into perspective.

Frank

You have done mopst of teh work needed to keep the truck running for years to come, and you wouldn';t have had to do so much if teh PO had done regular service on it. You would get more power out of teh engine if you installed 4.56 gears, the 31's are 11% bigger than the 28's for which the 4.10 gears were designed for, so at 65 you are really doing 70+.

Granted your Toy isn't going to ride or sound like a truck 25-20 yrs newer, and if you plan/desire to tow something large, than you should really look into a full size rig.

If you don't need the extra money from the sale of the '85 to finance a new rig, I would keep the '85 until I was sure I didn't want/need it anymore. It is paid for and with a new engine it is going to last a lot longher than any domestic full size will especially if it is going to be used as a daily driver.

Here's a couple more things to think about: The Cumminss for 10k-12k is going to be a long way from new - if you think you've spent money on your Toy, wait till you start PAYING someone to fix your late model Dodge. Diesel repairs are way expensive and a lot tougher. A friend just dumped his when it got to a 100k miles cuz the repairs were eating him alive (he bought a 68 Suburban 3-dr for a daily driver). Also the newer you buy, the harder they are to fix yourself and the DD miles pile up pretty fast. Not to mention, higher insurance costs, etc. Good luck.

Thanks for the responses guys. Sometimes a guy just gets worn out <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> That comment from the parts guy also had me pretty bummed. I just wish I could get a couple things fixed that no one seems to know how to fix. That cab leak has me perplexed. I've tried tracking it to up above the fuse box and patching it to no avail. It still comes in during heavy rains.

If I could just find a way to fix that and the road noise, I think I'd be much happier with it. I've even lined the floor and the back of the cab with poor man's dynomat, added two layers of carpet and added a nice stereo and it still drives me nuts. After a long day of work or a few hours in the cab I am so sick of the noise.

Would lining the top of the roof help alot?

As far as the Dodge, the Cummins diesel is one of the most solid engines ever made. Diesel repairs may indeed be spendy, but if you pick the right year Cummins they go well over 300K with NOTHING. Now the Dodge itself, might be another story, but I don't see how that is worse than what I have had to do to my Toyota. Make sense? Some of the Cummins are ALL mechanical. Even moreso then my 85 Toy.

T.

I can't remember if we visited that cab leak with you here or not; there's a couple drain holes in the windshield vent (the slotted area) in the corners. If you especially park under trees, those need to be unclogged. If using an air compressor, make sure you wear eye protection.

For the road noise, check your firewall grommets. If they're missing or worn out, that'll let in a lot of noise, Make note esp at the steering column and where the harnesses come thru in the corners.

A guy just did a fix with a pipe foam wrapper and some sealant.

You know i had a cab leak in my extra cab. Look at everything that goes into he firewall. I actually had water dripping onto my either my hood latch cable or my throttle cable, and was running down them inside. I just taped it up and it solved my problem. Just get a glass of water and start pouring it everywhere you can think of. A little at a time and look for it!!! Hope that helps!!

I've had a diesel and have worked at more then a few places with diesel work trucks. The thing with a diesel is its only really worth while if you are working it daily. Simply put they are expensive to run. Just cause the engine keeps going its all the little things that make it go that will make you want to swallow a gun. The cummins is a good mill but imagine having to do what you have done to your toy to a cummins and tally up how much it would cost. This would be your reaction = <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />

There are more then a few 22re engines with 300k and nothing too.

My vote is to keep your current truck and if you've got that much money to spend, buy something for 5-6k. You could probably get a 2wd tacoma with around 100k. I bet the combined insurance would come out equal to that of the big dodge as well.

my work truck is an F450 crew cab dump truck with the powerstroke turbo diesel. throw 6 tons of stone in, tow an 8000 lb tractor and load up 6 guys on a daily basis. but if thats not what yer gonna do on a daily basis id keep the yota. the diesels really dont get better mileage, and they arent any more reliable than a 22re. i know its not quite the same, a diesel pickup, but we have about 15 of them at our shop and they nickel and dime us to death. most recently they all have had the fuel tanks replaced due to the fact that theyve all delaminated. 3 have blown head gaskets in the past year and a half, and a half dozen hav e had turbo problems as well. a few have had the ECU's replaced as well. i dont really take my truck off road that much, but i use it as a truck constantly, for work, and all the camping/kayaking/fishing hunting etc that i do. My Yota does all the truck-specific stuff i want it to do, tackles the mild to moderate trails i go on, lets me do all the outdoor sports i want and takes me on 16 hour road trips through the snow belt in wintertime to go visit in-laws <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/zombie.gif" alt="" />. ill keep my toyota and IMHO you should too. just my two cents. hope it helps