DragonDriver5 (AKA DD5) features a garage full of (mostly) car projects, a garage full of potential, and the drive to build, create, and restore. I scour the internet for deals, or find projects at the auto auctions. I specialize in old Toyota junkers, but you never know what I'm going to be bringing home...
I have been working on cars since 1998, starting with my 1977 Celica (I still have it, check out the videos!). I love to find old beater cars that nobody cares about and bring them back to life. Sometimes I even flip cars and make money off the deal!
Hey!! Amazing to see someone else rebuilding one of these cars. I recently started restoring a '78. If you have any tips or tricks especially for finding parts id appreciate any advice!
Glad to hear it! There's a pretty good community of people who love these old Toyotas! I'm not sure how it is in your area but you might try and find a local club. If you're in the Northwest I can help you with that as I know a few. As far as parts go, I try and stay local, but ebay is always a good place to look if you can't find it anywhere else. With these old cars keep checking because it can take a while to find something. In the good ol' days there would be a lot of them in the junk yard but I haven't seen one in probably over 10 years now around here. Facebook groups are always a good place to start too if you need a specific part
I had this same problem with my 87 Toyota 4x4 22R i was certain it was a carburetor problem, hard starts,rough idle after days of checking vacuum lines and adjusting the carburetor i decided to check my distributor cap and it had grime inside it from a bad cap seal, cleaned out the grime, replaced the rubber O ring and now its running like a swiss watch.
I’ve been trying to buy cars and the sellers have been flaking on me. We make a deal, the days come to meet they tell me nvm bc they “got a better deal”. Just for them to get lowballed and then they get mad when I message them again when the ad is still up. Like wtf
Yeah I'ts a pain for sure! The best advice I can give is to try and do the deal as soon as you can, like at that same time as much as possible so they don't back down
You will for sure like part 2 then, which is when I do work on it (and fail?). Part 1 was more about getting the car and surprising my daughter than working on it
Yeah, I'm going to try it! Thanks. I thought id have to do more prepping with wet sand. If i saw it right, all you used was a green scrubby pad and soap and water.
It was some kind of wax spray.. I was trying to polish it at that time but it didn't work very well since the gel coat was down to the flake. That was a polisher, I didn't do any sanding on the boat since it was already missing so much red it would have made it worse
What size grit sand paper do you use, and what do you use to clean it off before and after sanding..... What kind of clear coat uv do you use and how many coats ?
High temp engine clear coat. Fine grit sand paper, cleaned it with dawn dish soap and water mixed and then rinsed with the garden hose, hope that helps!
Haha YES! When I was looking at it I remembered riding in yours when it was new and thinking how the heck a car could get that trashed in such short of time. Always liked yours so that was why I wanted to check it out
I bought a 2001 Highlander Limited three years ago. It was great the first 2.5 years. I've have so many issues with the check engine light and VSC lights coming on, ever since I got new tires, alignment, front rotors and brake pads done. Had the back valve cover gasket replaced, plugs and coils, timing belt kit installed, VVT solenoids (cause it started bucking), both knock sensors (after market, code was only for bank 2, but replaced both) and harness, water bypass hose (since it was accessible while doing the knock sensors) and a new battery. Check engine light and VSC lights always come back on within 20 miles after clearing. I'm a senior on a fixed income and this is breaking me. Code still says knock sensor. One shop says the VSC light tells him it needs the steering angle sensor- in the steering column- replaced. I love the car and I know I can't get my money back if I sell it. Suggestions? Please be kind.
I have replaced my knock sensors 3 times with genuine Toyota parts, replaced the wiring harness twice and replace the computer that controls it.... I still get the bank 2 code every time I drive. I just clear the code so it will shift into high gear and keep going.
They do make mistakes when programming (I got a recall notice for my vehicle) like on my Scion. Look at the comment above that says they replaced everything and it comes down to a steering column issue. If it is working, and driving fine what is a code? Don't beat yourself up about an anomaly. Brakes and tires and wheels, and windshield wipers, are the most important things. Enjoy🎉and checking the oil and coolant and reservoirs.
It could be worse my nephews first used vehicle came with a leak in the roof, and it was a nightmare. He tried caulk and everything but it would not stop leaking. It was a saturn. He finally got a nice used Toyota van. And then he got married and they got a new little car I think it is a Toyota. It is so cute. Chevrolet makes a cute economy car too.
I think at some point it would teach a child about financing, and interest, and credit, and the importance of reading the fine print, on documents, and the law of consumer protection of financing if you purchase a newer vehicle. Just research and prepare, and ask questions, about the rules of purchasing, vs leasing a vehicle. It might be less costly than maintainence on a dinosaur. But if you don't go into debt for a vehicle, you could buy a home instead. You determine your priorities at the end of the day. Most auto loans, are moving to 10 year loans, because vehicles are so overpriced.
I got news for you , your grandkids will be running it way after you are gone, guarantee, those Toyotas were designed to outlast every car in the market, note, should you choose to accept you should consider put 205-75-14 tires, very possible that you may get near 29 MPG, I don't want you to believe me I dare you to prove me wrong.
I've got an '86 22r with a similar issue. Pretty sure you need to clean or rebuild your carb.....or go with a genuine Weber. I plan to do the latter (previous owner tried new dist, wires, plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump, etc).
