The paint code reads 3D7, which Toyota refers to as “Red,” a pragmatic name for a pragmatic truck. Huge tires seem to be popular with these little trucks, giving them a bit of extra clearance for anyone who actually takes their truck off-road. This 1987 Toyota 4×4 Pickup is listed here on eBay in Clermont, Florida; there is no reserve, and the current bid price is $6,800 with four days left on the auction.
This truck has reportedly been painted once in its lifetime, and the current owner’s family has had it since 1987. It’s a fourth-generation truck and, unfortunately, they’re right in the mix of when Toyota was having issues with rust, specifically frame rust. The seller isn’t hiding anything, so kudos to them for providing so many great photos. There are some dings and you can tell that the body has been repainted, such as the spot behind the rear wheel seen above.
Florida isn’t exactly the desert southwest for dry weather, and if this was a Florida truck for the last four decades that the family has owned this 4×4, it may have helped contribute to the incredible rust shown underneath. They say the frame is solid, and it appears to have been coated, but you can see plenty of rust holes underneath. Frankly, I’m surprised at the bid price given the issues that show up in the photos. It goes all the way up the exhaust, with holes visible in the pipe and the muffler, not to mention the underside of the bed, which there isn’t a photo of to show how it looks from the top side, unfortunately.
Cosmetic issues continue inside, and I’m sure another Barn Finds writer could have easily focused on the good things rather than the bad things. My apologies for that, to the seller and the readers. Having grown up in Northern Minnesota with rusty vehicles my whole sad life, that’s all I can see. Maybe it’s a PTSD thing. This is the only single-cab 4×4 1987 Toyota pickup that I could find on the Barn Finds archive here; is that possible? You can see that a lot of the soft things inside are cracked and in need of repair, and I wish they had left the body and paint original, as they tout the originality of this truck, other than that one repaint.
The engine bay thankfully looks pretty clean, and it shows Toyota’s 22R, a 2.4-liter SOHC inline-four with around 100 horsepower and 133 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by the transfer case and 5-speed manual sending power to all four wheels as needed, the seller says it starts, idles, runs, and shifts as it should, and this one has air-conditioning, although there’s no mention of whether it works or not. I’m guessing since it’s in Florida, it works, but we don’t know for sure. The seller claims that this Toyota 4×4 pickup is a holy grail. What do you think?
Had an 86 just like this, red, even same American Racing aftermarket wheels. Bought it brand new, had tan vinyl interior, and along with the wheels I put a gold pinstripe along the bed and cab, a slider back window, tinted the glass, and upgraded the stereo. I loved that truck. My pride and joy. Got married in 88 and sold the truck in 89 because we needed a car, and the car my wife brought into the marriage was a tired, money pit of a Volvo sedan she had bought from her older brother that loved playing the game “Guess What Can Leak This Week”. Since it was hopeless that my bride learn to drive a stick and I tried, oh God did I try, to teach her, my beloved little red rooster was sold with just over 40K miles on the ticker. Good news is I still have the wife, but I still miss the truck. Better than the other way around I suppose.
That thing is so shiny that until you see the engine pics, I thought it was a toy being filmed using forced perspective optics.
I believe he meant Holey Grail. Salt water will do that to a truck. I know, I grew up there and drove on the beach. Watched other people surfing in their cars and trucks as the tide came in.