I have a 1989 model Toyota Pickup w/ 22RE engine and W56 tranny. However, my
truck was manufactured in Sep 1988. That's where things get tricky. Because
apparently, Toyota made significant changes between 1988 and 1989.

To me, a 1989 model vehicle is a 1989 vehicle. But I've had some people tell
me that parts of my vehicle may be 1988 versions. Specifically, I'm looking
to buy an Exedy clutch kit and they have two different parts: one for years
1981 to 1988; the other for years 1989 to 1995. In my mind, I should be
getting the latter part (89 - 95), but the seller e-mailed me the following:

"Due to our O.E.M. database, all manufactured 1988 Toyota pickup 22RE, the
correct clutch kit for your truck is [the 81 - 88 part]."

Is the supplier correct? Could someone shed some additional light on this?

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While I'm on the subject of clutches, I have a story to tell. A few months
ago, I was driving and noticed that suddenly my clutch didn't feel right. I
stopped and did an under-vehicle inspection and discovered that one of the
two bolts securing the clutch slave cylinder to the bell housing had fallen
out, allowing the slave cylinder to partially rotate during actuation! Since
it was the bolt closest to the clutch lever arm that was missing, I pulled
out my tools and moved the other bolt (which was already very loose) into
the position of the missing one. Getting the bolt closer to the lever arm
reduced the amount of rotation of the slave and allowed me to limp to the
nearest hardware store where I could buy and install (in their parking lot)
some new metric bolts.

Lessons learned:
1. If something doesn't feel right, it's because it isn't. Trust your
instincts and your knowledge of the vehicle. Stop and find out what's wrong
before a small problem becomes a serious one.
2. Check the slave mounting bolts periodically for tightness.
3. Locktite is your friend. Use it.
4. Always carry a decent set of tools with you.
5. Body lifts sure make on-the-road repairs a lot easier!

Ok, problem solved. But I've been wondering: why not substitute studs and
nuts for the slave cylinder mounting bolts. The reason being that a steel
bolt in a threaded aluminum hole is not an ideal connection: you can't apply
a lot of torque to the bolt (for fear of stripping out the aluminum
threads), the different thermal expansion rates of the dissimilar metals can
cause the bolt to loosen over time, corrosion can occur in the threads, etc.
Locktite Blue can mitigate some of these concerns, but a stud and nut set-up
(with Locktite Red on the stud threads going into the bell housing) would be
even better. I'm thinking of installing the studs with Locktite Red, then
installing the slave and applying the nuts with Locktite Blue. Or better
yet, safety wiring the nuts.

Can anyone see any potential problems with this set-up?

TIA!
Michael