mountainair970

Found this monster. Time to bring it back to life. Straight off, I've got the option to stick with the four speed or convert to a five. Obviously more work involved with the five; worth it?? Just wanted to get some opinions.

J.yota

Nice little 1st gen. Being an 83 it should already have a 5speed. If it is a 4speed, then the swap all depends on the kind of driving you do. I've owned both, and the 4speed wouldn't bother me if I didn't spend much time on the HWY. The 5speed would obviously give you a slight bump in MPG, and a more comfortable HWY cruising RPM.

mountainair970

The 5speed that it has doesn't line up with the crossmember that's supposed to support it. It's a couple inches too long. The drive shaft that it came with (riding in the passenger seat, not installed) is too long and I just assumed it was for the four speed, which the guy had sitting in the weeds next to the truck and threw in to sweeten the deal.

J.yota

It sounds like the cross member fit issues your having is due to the "type" of 5 speed you have. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Toyota's, but Toyota made several different versions of they're 5speeds for the 4x4. The proper model of 5speed for your 83' is known as an L52. The L50 5 speed out of the earlier 81-82 would also fit perfectly. Any other 5 speed, no matter the year or model type will require some degree of cross member modification as well as driveline lengthening/shortening. The 4speed you have should also be a direct fit. The L-series transmissions that will fit can be most easily recognized by they're cast -iron cases. All other transmission will have all aluminum cases, and these will not be a direct fit. Hope this helps in your decision.

mountainair970

Definitely helps. Thanks. Sounds like the four may be the way to go in order to get on the road sooner. Probably not going to do too many highway miles anyway.

itsivxx

Was the truck originally Yellow and if so are you going to repaint it the same?

mountainair970

I think the truck was an original grey, but who knows about the hood or where it came from. It's hard to say. The truck sat on the axles in a field for years, lost to the world, so little is known about its past. But I think I'll leave the paint as is for now. Character right? Is yours an original yellow? It looks in pretty good shape if it is...

itsivxx

If was that dull Yellow they had on them trucks. I just upgraded it to the Super Bright Yellow Color Code: 576 that was applied on the 2000 Toyota's, much better yellow. The under side and engine compartment is still the original yellow and shines as well as the new paint.

Started with a rust free truck other than the area where the tail gate hinges attached to the bed which was removed and replaced

mountainair970

How to drop a transmission and transfer case driveway style...

mountainair970

Strange how projects evolve...I traded some work for this over the weekend. The obvious question is has anybody moved this camper from the 2x4 onto the 4x4?

kdo58

The v6 transmission are longer and more stout, from what I've read.