Toyota is known for making vehicles that outlive the owners. It is not an exaggeration. Toyota trucks are over-engineered and made in a way that they just cannot be killed, no matter what you put them through. The prime example of that is the Toyota Hilux Pickup from the 1980s.
The People from BBC’s famous automobile show, Top Gear, did everything from setting this truck on fire to parking it on the top of a building and then blowing the building up with explosives, and it still ran.
First things first, before we explore why Toyota Hilux is invincible, let’s tell you how you can switch to it from your unreliable truck. You can use Gettacar.com online trade in, both to sell your truck and buy this Toyota.
The invincibility of the Hilux comes down to an over-engineered design. Let’s see how this principle is applied to make its frame and engine virtually indestructible. Visit this site for best parts reviews.
An Indestructible Frame
Here are some noteworthy features of the frame used in the Toyota Hilux.
Rigid Box Channel Frame
Toyota wanted to make this truck a utilitarian workhorse and nothing more. The most important thing for that was a frame that could handle all the abuse. So, they made the frame of the truck with high-strength steel. Not just any steel, they used a box frame, instead of a C-section.
Box channel steel has the cross-section in the shape of a rectangle or square while the C-Section is shaped like a rectangular C with one side open. It gives the frame of this truck incredible rigidity. The frame won’t flex no matter how much you haul on or tow behind this truck.
Simple & Strong Suspension
The next thing that made this truck so incredibly durable and strong was the suspension used in it. Toyota did not go for fancy adaptive dampers or coil-overs. This truck was meant to tow and haul, and for that, the best suspension was the good old leaf springs.
Not only that, but Toyota also used solid front and rear axles in this truck. This does make the truck less comfortable, but comfort was not the first thing on Toyota’s mind while designing this truck. Solid axles make sure that you have optimum traction, and traction is the first thing you want when you are going to tow or haul.
Another reason for using these simple mechanisms is that these things are easy to fix. If you know a bit about automobiles, you can most probably fix a Toyota Hilux at home. Even if you have to go to a mechanic, it will not cost you a small fortune to get the truck fixed.
It’s for this reason that these almost 40-year-old trucks are still seen on the roads.
An Over-Engineered Engine
No matter how dependable the mechanical parts of a truck are, it is the engine that makes it move. Toyota spared no expense in making sure the powerplant they fitted in this truck was as durable as the truck itself.
Toyota offered this truck with a bunch of different diesel and gas engines, but the most loved one is the 22RE. This motor was used by Toyota in many other vehicles too, because it was durable and easy to work on. This simple 2.4L 4-cylinder engine can easily go 500,000 miles, but how?
High Nickel Block
Toyota used a high-nickel steel alloy to build the block of the 22RE. The addition of just 5.5% nickel gives the block 125% more strength as compared to a pure-iron one. It makes the block last way longer and performs better under extreme working environments.
Forged Internals
The next thing that made the 22RE so incredibly strong was the use of forged pistons and crankshaft. We don’t want to get into the scientific details of forged parts but they are made in a way that makes them stronger without increasing the weight. It means the engine could do a lot of work without wearing out.
Long Bore & Domed Pistons
The other thing that makes the 22RE great is a relatively longer bore. An engine with a longer bore has a lower RPM range but more torque. It is a general principle in engines that the lower the RPM, the longer is the age of the engine. The increased torque also meant that the engine could tow and haul far more than engines of the same size.
Another genius thing that Toyota did was making inverted domes on the top of the pistons. It increased the displacement of the engine and also the compression ratio. The result is an engine that was stronger but yet more fuel-efficient.
If you think that reliability and durability were just limited to the Hilux, that’s not the case. The latest trucks made by Toyota are also built on the same principle.
Taking the Legacy Ahead
Toyota is not only making compact trucks but full-size ones too. The top-of-the-line model is the Toyota Tundra which has the same rigid frame and a V8 under the hood.
As far as the durability is concerned, there is a man in the US who has driven his Tundra for a million miles and the engine was never remade. The recipe Toyota uses is pretty straightforward – over-engineer it to the maximum extent.
In Conclusion
We don’t mean to say that Toyota is the only good truck maker in the pickup market. There are remarkable options on the market being offered by other automakers too. Examples include the likes of Chevy Silverado and the legendary Ford F150.
But while these trucks are innovative, comfortable, and modern, Toyota is all that plus invincible.
How many trucks do you know that can survive being hit by a wrecking ball, blown up on the top of a concrete building, and set on fire and can still manage to enter an auto show powered by their own engine?
