Some people are just lucky! Bryon Porter of Hesperia, California, was given an '84 Toyota 4x4 pickup 20 years ago for his 16th birthday by his too-cool parents. Ever since then the classic 4x4 has slowly been transformed into one of the nicest trail Toyotas we have run across. Bryon works at Western Fabricators in Hesperia, which brings his affinity for fabrication and four-wheeling full circle. Working at a fab shop gave him all the tools and equipment he needed to transform his Toyota into a very capable crawler and allowed him to craft trick parts like the utility box bedsides. The front of Bryon's Toy is fitted with a Diamond axlehousing and filled with Longfield axleshafts, 5.29 gears, and an ARB Air Locker. The high-steer and ram-assist system is from Trail Gear and uses a later-model Toyota IFS steering box.The front of Bryon's Toy is fitted with a Diamond axlehousing and filled with Longfield ax After spending a day on the trail with Bryon and his truck, we found that the truck not only looks great, but performs like a well-engineered Toyota crawler should. Tech Specs 1984 Toyota Pickup Drivetrain Engine: Chevy 4.3L V-6 Transmission: NV4500 Transfer case: Toyota fitted with Marlin 4.7:1 gears Front Axle: Diamond, 5.29 gears, ARB Air Locker Rear Axle: Ford 9-inch, 5.29 gears, Detroit Locker Suspension Springs & Such: Trail Gear leaf springs in front, All-Pro leaf springs in rear, Bilstein shocks Tires & Wheels: 37x12.50R17 BFGoodrich KM2, Trail Gear 17x9 Creeper Locks Steering: Hi-Steer, Trail Gear ram assist Other Stuff: Custom 20-gallon fuel tanks, Flowmaster exhaust system, custom transmission tunnel, Ford Explorer rear disc brakes, Auto Meter gauges, Lecarra steering wheel The '84 Toyota pickups came with 22R engines that were reliable but that didn't offer much in the way of power and performance. Bryon solved that problem by swapping out the underpowered factory engine for a 4.3L Chevy V-6. A GM NV4500 transmission mated to a Toyota transfer case fitted with Marlin Crawler 4.7:1 gears transfers the power and torque to the axles.The '84 Toyota pickups came with 22R engines that were reliable but that didn't offer much The utilitarian interior of the Toyota is really all a guy needs. The bare floor makes it easy to hose out the dirt and dust from a day on the trail. The truck is also fitted with Beard seats for comfort and a custom rollcage for safety.The utilitarian interior of the Toyota is really all a guy needs. The bare floor makes it The truck box bedsides are impressive. Bryon handcrafted them at the shop. They certainly come in handy on the trail to hold tools, spare parts, recovery gear, and lunches. The truck bed sits over a Ford 9-inch axle, which is fitted with 5.29 gears, Summers Brothers axleshafts, and a Detroit Locker.The truck box bedsides are impressive. Bryon handcrafted them at the shop. They certainly By Kevin McNulty Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
