DanS HJ-45
New member
Thanks for all of that useful information. I know were I can get a 2nd gen pickup frame, suspension, axles and drivetrain intact for a good price. that might be good starting place. I guess finding a 4 door body would require takinga trip and seeing where the best suppliers would be. Where were these auctions that you found these bodies at?
That hilux pictured is a cool truck. That body style isnt bad either.
The 2nd Generation and 3rd generation trucks have different body mounts and (more importantly) wiring harnesses. If you're serious, get an 89-95 Extra Cab, and do a SAS conversion. As long as you can live with a little lift (Downey does a 3"--it's what I plan on mine for exactly that reason) it'd be no big deal. 4 cylinder or V6 wouldn't matter, as the transmission crossmember is the same, and if you go with a 1KZ-TE (you should) you'd be welding in new motor mounts one way or another. Bonus if you get a V6 truck would be that it would already have an R150f transmission, which is what mates to the 1KZ-TE (and can attach to the 2L-TE/3L as well).
The problems with the government auctions I've found is that they're all in different places, and through different agencies. I would pay special attention to military units who were deployed overseas for a few years, and have recently returned stateside. For some reason they seem to load vehicles into transport planes and boats for auction here instead of passing them onto the next unit. That's why I've missed my opportunity to snag them--they're definitely not easy to find. Most were went to me by friends who knew I was a foreign Toyota diesel nut. FWIW--none were auctions for bodies--they were complete vehicles. Generally pretty rough. But for a 4-door Hilux body: I'd be willing to deal with a few dents and cuts.
Easiest would be to deal with G&S or someone like it who does a good deal of importation from overseas used sources. When I get ready to bring one in myself though, I'll probably just plan on another trip to Chile/Argentina/Patagonia to see what I could drum up. Bonus to that plan is that I love it down there.
Dan