Here’s what an original or restored 79 Toyota Sport 4wd should look like, as shown in the 1979 sales brochure:

While its hard to verify details from the pictures in the auction listing here is my list of issues with the “restoration” of this truck:

Door Panels – Correct SR5 door panels,  but attached by sheet metal screws?

Aftermarket Sony radio- cut up dash bezel as well as metal dash frame is surely hacked. Where are the speakers? If originally had radio would have speakers in door panels.

SR5 stripes are right style for 79 & 80 but not applied correctly, way off on drivers side ahead of wheel well.

Aftermarket wheels and tires, nice but originally had steel painted wheels with hubcaps as pictured

Even Sport 4×4 trucks had bench a seat in 79, but those seats aren’t even from a pickup, maybe Celica?

It wasn’t until 1981 that pickups had a one touch tailgate, so the entire box is not original to 1979 #260

If the box were original it would have also been painted red on the inside, not black.

An aftermarket catalytic converter and a cherry bomb muffler with a straight pipe out the back? Not very resto.

1979 4wd pickups had a 4 speed transmission, this one has a 5 speed? With mismatched shifter boots as well.

The windshield seal is aftermarket with no chrome trim insert. Also missing the drip rail chrome trim.

Nice rubber ducky antenna, goes well with the Sony radio, but not a numbered 1979 Toyota

2-3″ body lift doesn’t add to the authenticity of this Toyota

Spare tire is missing

No mudflaps front or rear.

Second tow hook added to front.

It has the woodgrain dash, tach, 3 spoke steering wheel for SR5 but where is the oil/amp gauge pod? Maybe this wasn’t originally a Sport truck model?

Aftermarket shocks, steering stabilizer, and torque control rod.

Nice assortment of hacked wiring hanging at the back end.

The engine compartment is a mess. Black painted firewall and fenderwells. Aftermarket plug wires. Brightly colored oil cap to draw attention that its not the right one.

Are the windshield washer nozzles missing?

Truck has air conditioning? Seems to be on the inside, mysteriously everything is missing under the hood.

Chrome package includes front bumper and grille, but why are the cab vents black?

Hard to tell from pictures but the rear slider window looks aftermarket.

Lots of overspray from paint job including the door tag, door lock catches, and some of the cab access hole plugs.

No mention of having the spare tire tools & bag, owner’s manuals, window sticker, build sheet, etc that would support the authenticity of a rare number vehicle. There are just too many variances from me to believe this truck is original to the extent that it could be sold as a numbered vehicle. At $12,900 it certainly wouldn’t be a good investment in Toyota history.

Well I’ve been driving 1st Gen Toyota 4×4s for 18 years (since I was 17) and finally decided to buy a “new” truck.  I had a ‘82 dlx and was considering restoring her but I got into a minor front end accident and decided to find another truck.. I was looking at Tacos but my heart was and will always be with the 1st Generation Toyota 4×4s. Last year there was ‘82 Sr5 in Sacto California in immaculate condition on craigslist and I fell in love with it.. Though I didn’t buy it, it planted a seed, so decided to start looking exclusively for 79-83 Toyota 4×4’s. (82/83s have the two tone interiors which I really liked, not to mention  81-83 exterior Sr5 stripes..

So last August on craiglist I found an ‘83 in South Central Los Angeles. He was nice enough to trade for my ‘82 dlx plus some cash for his truck. The truck was straight and ran extremely well..I really like the fact it was a California car, note the blue license plates, which told me it was a rust free truck.  The owner was a mechanic and he put a weber carb, new fuel pump, ect. More importantly it passed smog which is a big deal in California.

The entire undercarriage is painted (por21) anti-rust paint, new links and joints on most of the the suspension (energy suspension). The undercarriage was professionally stream cleaned which removed 27 years  of grease and grim..I finished it off with some rancho shocks. The interior was completely stripped (dash, seats, carpet, door panels, steering column) and restored to the best of my ability. I was lucky enough to find a new dash bezel which has become very difficult to find, especially in SR5 trim. I also found the original radio to complete the look. Other than the extra 6×9 speakers I tried to keep the original interior look.. The the second set of door speakers will soon have the original grills attached.

The exterior received much of the same treatment. All bumpers, tail lights, marker lights, fender wells, front grill, front bezel, were removed and either painted or new parts were purchased. It was professionally painted red (Terra Cotta), the original color. Per Toyota records this color was only offered in ‘83.  I still have the engine compartment left to restro. Its been an exhaustive resto, but well worth the effort. I get countless compliments. It’s not a daily driver, just used for weekend runs to the beach, grocery store or home depot.. I’ve done a lot of projects in my life but this by far is the my most rewarding…  I always felt very comfortable working on these rigs. It’s really all I’ve every known.

(Thanks Tony for sharing your truck!)

Now its May 2010 and here’s the payoff:

Nice job!

The truck looks to be in the same shape it was some 25 years ago when featured in the magazine. This truck was know as Barhopper because the bar graphics which begin on the hood continue down the body to meet with the roll bar, then “hop” into the bed. Even the interior is stitched and door jams painted with the bar graphic.

At $16,000 asking price this truck is a bargain. The original build exceeded $40,000. The list is endless. The truck retains is stock 22r engine although totally built and detailed. The truck has an estimated 25 inch lift rolling on 44 inch Gumbo Moster Mudders and Center Line Champ style wheels. Practically everything under the truck is chromed- from shocks to driveshafts.  The interior is full on custom with Momo steering wheel, Alpine stereo, and Cerullo seats. Did you notice the grafted Dodge Ramcharger taillights? Or the shaved door handles replaced with Kenworth openers in the lower diamond plated door panels? How about the “prerunner” style gas tank in the bed? Of course the featured Smittybuilt triple tube rollbar, front bumper grill guard, and rear bumper were all powder coated metallic gray. The numerous lights are everywhere making it impossible to count them all.

This truck is truly a piece of art and a great piece of Toyota history. Considering what the Safro Trekker sold for at auction, and the original cost of this Toyota show truck, the asking price is quite a bargain.

One late night of surfing the web revealed an Arizona 1982 Toyota 4×4 shortbox for sale on craigslist. This turned out to be an extremely rare find as the truck had just 27,545 original miles. I might be suspicious of such a claim, but the story checked out and the pedals show minimal wear. The truck was a tan deluxe model with basically no features other than an aftermarket air conditioner. In fact, it never had a radio; one of those rare models that just had the block off plate with Toyota visible on the dash. No power steering, no tilt, the basic 4speed trans, and vinyl everywhere on the inside. Outside was a basic tan paint with no extras; although it was revealed that the truck had been repainted some time ago. Basic stamped steel wheels with no hubcaps. Bone stock and bare to the bone it was in great shape for 27+ years old with no visible rust.

This was a must have and I started to think about how to get it back to Michigan. Getting from Detroit to Phoenix was easy with airfare as low as $155. The issue was that the truck was about 3 hours east of the airport and as hard as I tried there was no way to get there; either by plane or on the ground. So I had to let this one go. It’s hard to negotiate a deal when 10 other guys are there with cash in hand.

I’m not exactly sure what I would have done with it anyway. This isn’t something to drive around town. It would have been a nice addition to a Toyota museum somewhere. So although I am bummed, there are more opportunities out there. This is just one to talk about- the one that got away.