Restoration School Resumes With the 4WD 24/7 Hilux Project

More than a year ago, we caught up with Jocko of YouTube channel 4WD 24/7 restoring a 1982 Toyota Hilux pickup he calls “Red Dog.” At that time, “Red Dog’s” panels were submitting to stripping, beating, and a base level of aftercare. In this latest episode, Jocko and a crew at Cappa Motor Bodies are prepping the panels for painting, then slathering them in a factory hue called Toyota Freeborn Red.

As with every vid of the restoration process, everyone on camera takes time to explain the necessary steps to getting the finest results, highlighting the purpose of each step as well as tips and tricks to ease one’s way through the processes. After the paint, the host hired a shop to apply some vintage Toyota graphics for a period-correct look, rests the body on new rubber mounts on the repainted chassis, and applies a last coat of protectant inside the boxed frame. All told, Jocko says just the refinishing of the chassis and sheet metal took about 1,000 hours.

And there’s roughly another 1,000 hours of work to come with the engine rebuild and putting all the pieces back together. He went with a more modern engine, the 2.7-liter 3RZ four-cylinder gasoline engine Toyota built from 1994 to 2004. Used in heaps of applications around the world, we know it in the US from the T100 pickup, the Tacoma, and the 4Runner. He says he chose the 3RZ partly because “they love a turbo,” giving him just as much reliability as the original diesel with a lot more power.

Heaps of relatable instruction here, so this one’s also worth a watch—especially for those of you with projects desperate for just this kind of love.

Want to stay up to date on the latest UTV Driver news and reviews? Sign up for our weekly newsletter!