Your best bet is to get a factory service manual for any repair or maintenance of a Toyota pickup. However here is a good overview of how to get those hubs back together.

Time to repair the emergency brake system on my 1981 Toyota longbox 4×4. The e-brake has never worked since I got it. I wish I had done this sooner; one day I left the truck idling in the woods and it took off down the hill. Finally the driver’s side door caught a tree and stopped it. Having a working e-brake is much better than having a white door on a blue truck; but that’s history now.

I know this is a very common problem. Spend some time watching this video then go out and check and/or fix your truck. Its a good investment in time and very little money; or else-

Since the “Blue” truck came with the parts to convert it from manual steering to power steering I thought it would be a good idea to go ahead and do it. While this is basically a bolt on project it turned out to be a bit of work. It can be done in phases and this is the approach I decided to take. Over three days all of the brackets, bolts, hoses, belts, and other components were added to the 22R engine and ‘82 SR5 truck body/frame.

First step is to mount the pump and brackets to the motor. In my case there were three parts to the bracket assembly, the tension pulley, and finally the pump itself. The important thing here is to get all of the bolts from the donor and try to mark them so they can go back into the correct spots. The three brackets bolt together, and to the head and block. It’s probably as easy to mount the p/s bracket to the block first, then add the pulley bracket and other bracket to the assembly as you go. Just leave the bolts somewhat loose until everything is assembled; then tighten all the bolts at once. Finally mount the pump to the brackets. Just remember to use the short bolt under the pulley. In my case the pulley was already pulled from the pump, but I don’t think this is necessary. Also mount the idler/tension pulley to the bracket on the head. And now is good time to mount the extra pulley to the crankshaft pulley with four bolts.

Next step is to mount the oil cooler tube and reservoir to the body. The holes for the oil cooler are there, but the two nuts are not spot welded to the body. Use two metric nuts to hold the cooler in place or steal the square nuts from the donor and spot weld onto the sheet metal. For the reservoir the holes are not there; nor any markings. Using good judgment try to get the reservoir in place and drill three holes into the inner fender wall. You will need to take off the drivers side fender for this job. Again use three metric nuts to mount the reservoir or steal the square nuts from the donor and spot weld on.

Up until now it’s possible to drive the truck while the conversion takes place. Now it is time to commit. The next step is to remove the pitman arm, disconnect the steering shaft, and remove the manual steering box from the frame. I find it is necessary to separate the steering box from the frame bracket, then remove the bracket first in order to provide clearance to slide the steering box out between the frame and inner fender wall. Now slide the p/s box and bracket into position. I found it was necessary to attach the steering shaft to the box before bolting it to the frame. Now re-attach the pitman arm. Next attach the hoses to the pump, reservoir, and cooler tubes using the original hardware. Finally add the belt and tension according to specs.

Fill the reservoir with Dextron AT fluid. Double check everything and start the motor. Move the steering from lock to lock several times to try to work out the air from the lines. Shut off the motor and check the fluid level. Start again and work the steering back and forth until the “whine” subsides. Now it is time for a test drive. After driving a straight distance remove the steering wheel and realign so it is centered.

All in all it took about three days to get it done. I did take the time to sandblast and paint all of the parts black before assembling them on the truck. Besides looking much better it got rid of any rust. I also checked all of the hoses and belt for damage before installing. The result is a nice clean original looking installation with smooth easy steering. While not totally necessary for a truck with 9.5×30x15 size tires, it does provide a nice compliment to the other “luxurious” options that a SR5 truck commonly has. It’s a good project, but it’s key to make sure to get all of the parts and hardware from the donor truck; it greatly simplifies the installation.

Find power steering parts on Ebay

Over the past few weeks I have been working on the SR5 project truck’s axles. Both needed attention. Even just sitting in the garage over the past few years the rust has taken over like a plague. The truck was due for service anyway; the pads and shoes were thin and the seals have failed allowing water to enter the steering knuckles. Water mixed in with the grease and attacked the knuckle bearings. Those will need to be replaced.

Disassembly of the axles is quite simple following the steps outlined in the 1981 factory repair manual. Each part was then individually cleaned and painted. Worn and damaged parts, bearings, and hardware were replaced with new. Then again following the steps outlined in the repair manual the axles were put back together again.

In general the factory parts for this project are still available from Toyota. To save time I will list some of the common part numbers: Here are some of the parts and prices you might need to restore your front axle:

Felt ball seal set: 43204-60020 approx $21.68 each side

New Bolts for seal set: 91651-40612 approx $0.62 (8) per side

Rotor: 43512-60060 approx $47.16 each side

Pads: 04465-YZZC0 approx $46.21 set

Inner axle seals: 90311-33085 approx $4.96 each side

Outer Axle Seals: 90311-62001 approx $11.70 each side

Knuckle Bearing: 90366-17001 approx $24.18 (2) per side

Gasket Spindle: 43435-60011 approx $1.46 each side

Seal Spindle: 90313-93011 approx $28.05 each side

Next on the list: disassemble everything again, sandblast and paint the axle housing; then finally put it back together for good!

Just a quick post on the project truck- I’ve been working on restoring a 22R for the 1981 pickup. The original motor was gone before I got the truck and I picked up an ‘81 2wd SR5 a few years back with a good motor. However it was 2wd and an automatic so there have been some differences. I thought it was quite a difference looking back at 134,000 miles of grime and grease. Three weeks later it’s beginning to look more like an original.