My 'Body Off' Restoration - Tonka

[Super_Dave_D]

My sons 2 year birthday is approaching fast and I want to do something cool for him. I want him to have the same all steel 'Mighty' Tonka that I had when I was his age. So after looking on Ebay seeing CRAZY pricing for original NIB ($500-$1000), I decided to buy a used one and do a restoration.

I found this one on Ebay for 25 bucks and best of all, it was a one owner truck. Its a 1973 or 74 so not quite exactly like I had but very close (plastic front bumper). I dismantled, stripped and repainted her with a couple weeks to spare. Check out how clear the canopy turned out. All I need to do is order some repo decals, polish and I am done.

I cant wait to give it to him so he can beat it up - LOL! I had fun reliving a little bit of my childhood in the process - Enjoy.

As it arrived


Body off


Primed Bed


Almost Complete

[Shaun @ Tru6]

beautiful work, that brings back so many memories. 6 was a good age. dump truck, excavator, bulldozer, bucketloader, backhoe... some of my best memories around that time, not a care in the world other than watching the frog eggs day by day hatch into pollywogs in the brook next to our house.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Very nice, my kids have my old set of similar Tonka trucks. Except they all look like that first picture.

[john70t]

Do they have that App for the iPad? j/k j/k.

[on2wheels52]

My kid flat wore those same type of wheels off a Tonka jeep. Many miles of use. Hope your kid does the same.
Jim

[flatbutt]

excellent!

[widebody911]

Here's part of my collection

[Racerbvd]

I had that Truck!!! Very COOL!!!

[Normy]

Cool idea!

N

[bivenator]

Six years old, bent at waist with hands on the sides of the bed and pushing that Tonka all over the back yard, good times. Of course hitting a root would bring an abrupt stop and a possible endo but thats the price you pay.
Good work superdave.

[Rick V]

Cool. You just took me back a few years to a happy time.

[cashflyer]

I had the dump truck, crane, and loader.
Your effort makes me wish I still had them for a cool resto project.

What type paint did you use?
Rattle-can, or Glasurit?

[Sarc]

Originally Posted by Super_Dave_D

My sons 2 year birthday is approaching fast and I want to do something cool for him. I want him to have the same all steel 'Mighty' Tonka that I had when I was his age. So after looking on Ebay seeing CRAZY pricing for original NIB ($500-$1000), I decided to buy a used one and do a restoration.

I found this one on Ebay for 25 bucks and best of all, it was a one owner truck. Its a 1973 or 74 so not quite exactly like I had but very close (plastic front bumper). I dismantled, stripped and repainted her with a couple weeks to spare. Check out how clear the canopy turned out. All I need to do is order some repo decals, polish and I am done.

Very, very cool. On his last trip up here, my father dropped off my old dump truck and wheel loader that he's had in "climate controlled" storage for...20 or so years. Needless to say my truck has a bit more patina than your did.

Curious if you've had any luck sourcing decals yet.

[Super_Dave_D]

I used Rustoleum Sunburt Yellow in a Rattle can.

[Super_Dave_D]

Decals are available on Ebay

[Don Plumley]

Cool - I still have all mine from my childhood (late 60's); all in outstanding shape, sitting sealed in a box. My son played with them, now saving them for the next generation.

[peppy]

I always wanted the dump truck, I had the front end loader, but never got the dump truck.

My son got the dump truck for Christmas.

The restoration looks great.

[LWJ]

Killer!

[Tim Hancock]

Nice job!!! Looks like a satisfying fun project.

[VaSteve]

I had this big brown Tonka pick up, also made out of metal. That thing was great!