Extra Stout: LS-Swapped Toyota Stout is Ready to Light ‘Em Up
The exterior might be all rat rod, but under the hood, this classic Toyota Stout is impressively tidy.
The Toyota Stout was only available in the United States from 1964 to 1969, and over that five years stretch, only about 4,000 were sold. That makes it a pretty rare bird on our shores, though from what we’re seen, that rarity hasn’t yet made prices shoot through the roof. Back in 2018, a project truck sold on Bring a Trailer for just $1,300, which means that if you’re looking for an interesting project, there still might be time to get in front of the curve here. Thanks to Radwood, it seems like the boat has sailed on finding cheap examples of the 1980s Toyota 4×4 rigs.
That said, if you’re seeking inspiration for a Stout build, look no further than this rat rod project from Reddit user NaturalJuggernaut. While it’s tough to find an area of this 1969 pickup which hasn’t been touched, it makes sense to start with what he’s done under the hood. In place of the stock four-cylinder, there’s now a modern LS powerplant, which will provide significantly more grunt that the 80 horsepower and 105 lb-ft of torque it left the factory with.
Sure, it would have been neat to keep it in the family with a 2JZ, but the tight packaging of the LS made it the easier choice here.
The hood scoop is apparently leftover from another iteration of this build. But it’s worth noting that while most of the truck fully embraces the rat rod aesthetic, everything in the engine bay looks squeaky clean. While the big American mill obviously takes up significantly more real estate than the stock unit, this is an impressively tidy swap, and speaks to the builder’s impressive attention to detail.
The differential is stock, but according to the thread, the drivetrain is a mix of Land Cruiser and Hilux parts, though the rear brakes came from a Ford Thunderbird. Given all the extra power, it’s likely good there’s a diamond-plate flatbed outback, to keep some weight over the rear tires.