I've been trying to bring an '83 pickup back to life. Its 2WD and had a W50 5 speed in it when I got it.
The transmission has chipped gears and its on its last legs. No replacement transmission could be found. An Ebay listing of a W50 appeared and I bought it but it turns out its actually a W55 which is slightly too long and the gear shifter doesn't fit. Before I give up and send it back is there anything at all that I can do to make it fit besides cut a new hole in the body for the gear shifter? Has anyone ever done something like this before?

 

It might be a bit easier to just rebuild the W50, if the chipped gears are 1st or 5th or both (they tend to get the most wear). There are 5th gear sets available out there, plus full synchro rings & bearing rebuild kits, & Toyota actually lists quite a few parts for this trans as still being available:

https://parts.lakelandtoyota.com/sho...rimLevel=18371

You could also try Yoda Jim's in Colorado for a decent used W50 trans - http://yodajims.com/

I'd suggest one out of a motorhome version of the truck, as they tend to have much less mileage on them and are in good shape internally.

And there is always this option, 4th from the bottom of the list: https://www.drivetrain.com/parts-cat...l-transmission

I have heard of W50's being swapped out for W55's or W56's before. I don't have any specifics on it, but remember that it always take a bit of modification; driveshaft shortening, mounting mods, etc. No telling if your splines would line up either (tooth count & spline diameter differences).

 

Here's some info I found. I'm also looking to swap a 5-speed into mine. Seems like either a W50, L50, or L52 would work

http://toyotamotorhome.org/forums/in...smission-swap/

 

I had a 78 pickup with a Chinook camper built onto it. It had a 5 speed! When I tore out the carpet I learned how. Someone had cut the floorboard and peeled it back so the gear shift could come through, then used an old license plate to cover the old shifter hole. Unless you plan to fully restore your truck, I see no reason to be too worried about cutting the floor. It's just how it's done if you want a 5 speed (which in my opinion you do). I never knew what model transmission had been swapped into my truck, but I'll tell you, 5 gears is great. Not that these trucks are safe going down the road at 70+, but if you do take it on the highway, it's kind of not safe to go much slower than that, with how fast traffic moves these days.

A good rule for whether it will connect to your engine: any transmission that was mounted to an R-series engine will mount to any other R-series engine. Whether shifter hole mods, crossmember mods etc are needed will be a case by case basis. But it will mount without modifications to your engine.

 

Just curious, are there any differences between the RV trans vs pickup trans, or is it just because they usually have fewer miles on them?

 

It doesn't matter if it's a "regular" pickup or the RV model, the trans is the same. There are no internal or external differences in trans models just because it's in an RV. Some in the RV's might have aftermarket oil coolers on them; those aren't Toyota stock items.

The RV's usually have a TON less miles on them, so any parts from one is a great choice for a replacement part on a Pickup. I've gotten 3 used parts from an RV for my '78, Exhaust Manifold, Fuel Sender & Fuel Tank, and all were in great condition, despite their age.

 

Gotcha, thanks 13swords.
i was hoping you were going to say there was something special abt them because im abt to get one from a dolphin but oh well.

 

No problem. When you get that trans from the Dolphin, I would suggest that you change out both the input and output shaft oil seals, as they are likely to be original, stiff as a board and may leak. Also & of course, drain out the old oil gear oil & replace with fresh.

Parts references for W50 5 Speed:
Input Shaft Seals - National 1981, SKF 11615, Timkin 1981
Output Shaft Seals - National 710319, SKF 14730, Timkin 710319

 

Only thing I'll add is that he's right on, as long as it is low mileage, as he says. If it's not low mileage, that's not necessarily a reason to avoid it, but the opposite will be true. If it's high mileage, it's experienced a lot more wear and tear than a tranny with the same mileage out of a non-rv truck, because it's been hauling around all that extra weight all its life.

 

I think it is high mileage but its free so ill have a spare at least

 

Hard to argue with free.