dodger886

Wanted to introduce myself as I'm new here. Im "Dodger" from NY state. I have been wrenching and repairing on most of my trucks and motorcycles now for almost 22 years. Its great to fix something and have it run again forever- and likewise bad to fix something badly engineered and crap out all the time so you eventually hate it! Ive done both!

I'm new to Toyota as I now have a 2000 Ford Ranger and an 1977 Ex Military Dodge 886 Ambulance. I wish I had purchased a Toyota instead of my "Henry's Plastic Blue Oval" but hope to pull the trigger on a 'yota sometime this year.

In the past I have used the heavy Dodge as haul truck for my business. It literally goes anywhere you point it... in all weather, snow, mud, gravel, ice- name it! Full Time 4WD and massive capacity a real head turner too! Great for hauling stuff to remote locations, camping, or enclosing stuff you don't want ripped off. But mileage and massive gear train noise at highway speeds make it a more feasable off road and less of a daily driver. So it is reluctantly up for sale.

Times and needs have changed- and I am now looking to buy a retired Uhaul Toyota one ton dually box truck. I drive alot from NYC to upstate with light weight "balloon frieght" and a gas guzzler is out of the question. I have been a big fan of the Toyota 22R and 22RE engines for their legendary reliability and now cult status.

The 'Yota Uhaul comes equipped either with a 22r, 22re, or the 3vz-e engine( "see: head gasket leak section"-I know). It seems Uhaul also used the 8 inch one ton full floating 6 bolt rear with 4:10 gears(?) and an automatic transmission (dont know the model)

I am looking for opinions of course from owners of these sort of 2WD box trucks regarding 4cyl vs 6 cyl performance, and reliability, engine/tranny swaps (auto to stick-anyone squeeze a stock yota diesel into one of these? I have a friend in Japan who might ship one), efficiency, and mods for more power and fuel economy. What Toyota series is the 1986-1994 truck called? Heck, and any other helpful opinions would be great.

My local Toyota dealer is a wizard with information and has and will gladly help me but needs a VIN number from one of these rides to get more exact info from his computer (specs parts etc). Anyone with a Uhaul Toyota willing to provide me with one- of course with the last 3 or four digits removed or changed for your safety? I can get the info and post it should others want to know. Or anyone could provide info from their ride already known would be great.
Im sure I'll have more questions but thats it for now- whew! Looking forward to your replies and expert opinions and advice. Cheers,
and thanks already for the great group,
"Dodger"

peabody

iTrader: (1)

I had a 92 dually flatbed 5 speed, 3vz. First gear was never low enough and it would not 'go anywhere you point it', of course. If I knew then what I know now, it would have been hell of fun with a rear locker and the 3.4 swap. I threw firewood logs at it on sometimes dicey state forest roads. I would say check the frame arches over the wheels and along gas tank very carefully for rust through. It was not great on gas. They were called cab/chassis.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

Unless you take the scenic routes from the City to upstate you will really be very unhappy with any box type truck with a 22r series engine and a automatic transmission .

Fuel mileage could be almost in single digits

Then not very many of us on here have seen this type of Toyota at least in running condition

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

i used one to move stuff from Barfalo to Watertown when I was stationed at Ft. Drum.
It worked but was kind of gutless on I-90 and I-81

dodger886

Thanks for the replies. I thought these would be a bit slow and clunky shifting. I have been looking at some engine/transmission conversions online. Looks like the 3.4 conversion with a standard may be the way to go. perhaps even a 5vz with a turbo? Haha that would be just wierd and pointlessly expensive wouldn't it?
Seriously, my Ambulance is slow as well and can haul less- so I am used to slow and "gutless" at times. Recently online I saw a yota uhaul with a mustang 5.0 and tranny installed...that sounded rather tempting but in looking at it it may be a bodge job. Still looking...any more insight from owners would be great. Dodger

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

It all comes down to just how much you want to spend

Maybe a Cummins 4Cylinder I know they have been swapped in a few times.

I Do like my 3.4 having one in a Tacoma and in 92 4Runner The Tacoma is pretty much a work Truck sees 1000 plus pounds most trips.

RJR

The 3.4 liter 5vze mod might work for you, but seriously, at some point you need to give up on the "small" truck and get a full-size pickup with a V8. A post 2000 ford or chevy truck with a 5.7L V-8 will get 15-16 mpg and will move just about any load or high air resistance box down the road at 70mph without breaking a sweat. No 22re or 3vze is gonna do that, and a 5vze will be struggling. The other mods (Cummins diesel, 4.0L GM V6, 5.0L V8), etc., will be a huge amount of work and then you have to worry if the drive train will last behind the extra power and torque.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Toyota and the 3.0 gets me where I want to go just fine, but I recognize its limitations. When I wanna move my 2200lb popup down the highway, I hook it to my Suburban. Much better suited for the job.

dodger886

Yah, point taken. Better to haul using something durable as well as able to get out of it's own way.

I do still like the idea of a smaller truck. I have free access at my local scrapyard and can buy any truck parts by the pound and not by actual value. Yes its true! So engines and transmissions for a swap could be possibly plentiful and around .25 cents a pound.

I know maybe you all have more experience with 4WD rock crawlers and not the 2WD dually sort of ride I'm searching for right now.

I am curious why a 5vze (3.4liter) would be not perform well in this application? If I could completely remove every wiring component from the donor truck would it just be a matter of plug and play? Or is there more to it than that- such as oil pan clearances or computer ECM woes, and transmission bolt up issues?

I have sorta' given up on the idea of a larger truck as mine right now is way too heavy duty for highway use. Right now small is good. Dodger

RJR

I would say the 3.4 swap is probably the best option if you want to stay Toyota. It's a great engine, and from all accounts, the swap isn't too bad as long as you have a donor truck with all the wiring so you can port it over. My concern was your use of the term "one-ton truck" as you were describing your application. Regardless of the box you put on it, or what somebody calls it, a pre-Tundra Toyota is not a one-ton truck and will not do the same things that a full-size Ford or Chevy will, even with a 3.4 engine. If your hauling needs fit within the 'yota's capability and you recognize the limitations, it's a great solution.

dodger886

Gotcha' -I'm referring to the dual axle type commercial Toyota not the "1Ton" long bed. Just to be clear.

Agreed I'm sure there is a major difference between a Toyota dually 1ton and a ford chev or dodge dually 1 ton. I like the small size though vs the huge one ton trucks aformentioned.

happykoinursery

hi... im not a mechanic so I have idea what makes it go. magic squirrels for all I know.... BUT... I actually own one of these things and its been our business truck for six years. Here goes:
Mumbo Jumbo: it has a v6 engine, its an old uhaul truck with 190k on the mileage thingy. when we bought it from uhaul the body was in horrible shape, the engine slightly less so... I guess. it ran, it was cheap. that was enough for us, we're just farmers.


CONS: unless you want to spend a lot of money on new wheels, you're stuck with the 14" wheel. try and find high load range tires in the 14" range. We did, and last month the one year old tire blew up (exploded) with only 800 lbs or so loaded into the back. that's on top of the normal 400 lbs of farmers market gear we carry. tire store gave us new ones... only one brand was available on the island. (were in Hawaii)


CONS: no safety stuff i'm used to: airbags, antilock, etc. I added a backup camera, since you cant see out the back. side cameras too, same problem.


CONS: i'm 6' 3" and fitting into the thing is hard to do. not impossible, just hard. once you're in its comfy enough, just tight. it has a bench seat.


CONS: its loud in the cab. makes conversation difficult.


PROS: it fits in a drive through!!!! yay! and you can quite easily park it in a stall that would fit a regular car like a Taurus or a camry.


PROS: we get about 16mpg out of the thing... loaded. that's mostly freeway miles, but I don't drive like you nuts people do. it doesn't have the power. at all. ever.


PROS: even without a lot of horsies, it holds 50 mph easy - uphill, fully loaded in 3rd gear with overdrive off. It wont go faster than 55 though, also uphill in 2nd gear with the same load. understand though that 50 is 5mph faster than I usually drive. you east coast types would hate me.


PROS: cheap to repair when it needs it. everything works, even the a/c!


SO/SO: the uhaul box will handle a 12' beam, but only if you angle up into the box. floor is just a few inches short of 10'. I also have to bend over slightly while loading the box, but im kinda tall.


SO/SO: RIDICULOUSLY low load height. stepping into it just that - you step into you don't climb in. deck is only about 16" off the ground. and yes it scrapes but with the uhaul steel 'bumper from hell' who cares?


well that's all the real world stuff I can tell you. we are looking to replace it, but ONLY because of the airbag/safety issue and the fact that the box is sometimes a bit small for our growing business. Other than that, we love it!