If you thought baby moon hubcaps only worked on salt flat racers, the owner of this 1970 Toyota Hilux here on eBay would like a word with you. These old-school pickups were an unusual sight when they first arrived in the land of big-bodied pickups and 18-wheelers, but much like the Honda CVCC, they showed that size wasn’t the sole measure of a truck’s ability to perform. Though this example isn’t showroom fresh, it benefits from a recent engine rebuild and some modern amenities like keyless entry and a CD player. Hey, for vehicles this spartan, those are relatively big deals. If you’re interested, the seller has the unusual request of removing the truck within 48 hours of the auction’s end, which isn’t typical of a classified ad being broadcast nationwide. Place your bids and then buy a plane ticket if you’re interested in this forbear to the legendary Tacoma.
Wish it was a bit closer. Could be a cool little truck for my son…
These were fun little trucks with their turn signals up on top the fenders. I put a Celica 22R engine in mine, pretty much bolt in, barely 100HP but it and it as great fun. Odd, some friends thought it was green, some of us thought it was a grayish tan.
I am wondering though, how this is a barn find.
I was a Toyota mechanic when that truck was first sold. They were brought in without beds due to a dispute between the trade authorities in Japan and the US and the beds were manufactured and installed here.
They can take a beating. No frills, just utility. I like it. Two days ago my Subaru Baja got sandwiched in a chain reaction accident on the interstate. I actually need a very small pickup for my business. Maybe I’ll bid on it, catch a plane and bring it home.
I had a friend at work that had one of them for over 20 years and it was darn near bullet proof. Great little truck. Now they only seem to make monster trucks and that is a real shame.
Regarding, “Winning bidder must leave a PayPal Deposit of $500 and pick up the vehicle with 48 hours form the end of auction.” I sent the seller an ebay message saying, “Do you really expect the high bidder to pick up the truck within 48 hours of the auctions end? You placed your vehicle for sale NATIONWIDE, not many people are going to be able to pick it up within that time frame. A last minute plane ticket or last minute transport will cost more than what the truck is worth! AFFORDABLE transport typically takes one to two weeks before it’s picked up.”
Let us know if he replies.
Read the reply below.
The seller quickly responded, “Hi, I posted an update.Thanks.- nutrin0s”.
The seller posted the following update on ebay…………
On Aug-09-15 at 06:01:07 PDT, seller added the following information:
Update:
-A non-refundable deposit of $500 is due 48 hours from the end of auction.
-Vehicle must be picked up 7 days from the end of auction. Remaining cash balance in person only.
-Please make arrangements and time this accordingly.
-If more time is needed, please inform me before placing a bid.
FYI… ‘baby’ moons covered the lug nuts only… this truck has a set of ‘full’ moon caps.
IMO..there isn’t enough modification to undo to mess with. I’d just drive it to Home Depot as is & get ‘honey do’ materials…lol
Arrrgh! You kids! Those are “full moon” hubcaps, not “baby moons.”
I love these old-school Japanese trucks. They were more utilitarian than today’s trucks. My stepdad had a 1978 Toyota Hilux SR5 Pickup. It had a 2.2 litre 20R gasoline engine and a 5-spd. manual gearbox. I don’t know exactly what the horsepower and torque ratings were. But I remember the truck. People complain that the compact truck of the time was too small, that you couldn’t stretch your legs. Yeah, right! I’m 5’5″ tall, about average in height. Maybe if you were a basketball player, or you had crazy long legs and long arms, you might have some trouble. But most people might be able to fit comfortably. While the seats themselves weren’t very comfortable, the cabin of the truck was roomy. It had everything you’d expect a truck to have.