Early Toyota four-wheel-drive pickup trucks are regarded as some of the most capable off-road vehicles around. The model years from 1979 to 1985 came equipped with a stout solid front axle, which was replaced in 1986 with an independent suspension design. These highly sought-after early Toyota trucks make terrific rock crawlers and trail rigs with relatively little modification. There is even a spec class of competitive rock crawling, based on these vehicles, known as Formula Toyota.

While early Toyota trucks are a great foundation, they do require a few modifications to make them capable of serious off-road use. Sure, you’ll need the basics, such as larger tires, lower gears and some kind of traction-aiding device in the differentials, but first there is a more important issue at hand.

The steering on these early Toyota trucks was not designed with hardcore off-road use in mind. The stock system utilizes a front-to-back moving Pitman arm with an oddly shaped steering “horn,” keeping all of the steering linkage and components on the driver’s side of the vehicle. This design works fine for the type of use that Toyota had in mind, but with the extreme axle articulation required for rock crawling, this setup is virtually useless. The stock setup also limits the truck to about 3 inches of lift. Anything over that and the stock steering system begins to bind and becomes inoperable. It’s also a safety issue.

Another problem, common with any front, solid-axle four-wheel drive, is that the tie-rod linkage connecting the two front steering arms is positioned directly in front of the axle, below the leaf springs. With the tie rod in this location, it is extremely vulnerable to damage from oncoming rocks. If the tie rod is damaged from a good bash on the rocks, there is a good chance that you might not make it home.

Fortunately, there is a single solution to both stock Toyota steering issues. All-Pro Off-Road has created a steering system for the early Toyota trucks that is built to exceed the demands of hardcore rock crawling. The All-Pro Hy-Steer(tm) Crossover steering kit actually replaces the steering arms on the knuckles with a custom-designed set that relocates the tie-rod above the leaf springs. This positions the tie-rod in a much safer location, out of harm’s way.

The other benefit to the All-Pro Off-Road Hy-Steer system is that it replaces the stock front-to-back driver’s side design with a crossover-style setup. This design works much better for the axle-twisting articulation needed for rock crawling, reduces bumpsteer on the road and will work with any size lift. The only drawback is that the stock steering box will not work with a crossover style setup. The stock pitman arm moves forward and backward, while the crossover design needs the pitman arm to move side-to-side. This is easily remedied by using the power steering box from a newer, IFS Toyota truck (’86-’95). This steering box is stronger than its predecessor and utilizes a side-to-side moving pitman arm. All-Pro Off-Road sells the newer IFS steering boxes, and carries all of the mounting hardware needed to complete the conversion.

The All-Pro Hy-Steer(tm) kit is designed to take the abuse of serious rock crawling, and it’s backed with a lifetime warranty on all components. While there are similar kits on the market designed to accomplish the same thing, All-Pro’s newly improved Hy-Steer(tm) kit is the toughest one available to our knowledge. But that’s not to say it’s the only one that will work, so check around. Using re-designed one piece 4,130 Chromoly steel steering arms, these specially cast arms are more than 30% stronger than comparable billet steel versions. All-Pro also uses thick 0.250-inch-wall DOM tie rods and drag links, complimented with tough FJ-80 type rod ends. To complete the package, a special one-piece drag link is also included and the early Toyota truck can now steer through the roughest, toughest rocks with ease.