I have an '81 SR5 5 speed longbed and I was wondering how much trouble it would be to swap the tranny for an automatic, and if autos are ok driving wise. I ask because I may have to do a clutch sometime soon and I thought maybe do away with the whole troublesome clutch issue entirely....Just a thought....

 

An auto tranny in an '81 would be a hassle, may not even be possible with a Toyota auto. Did Toyota offer a non-electronic auto in trucks & 4unners? I don't know. If not, will the ECT ECU run as a stand alone? I doubt it. Since an '81 truck has zero electronics, there is nothing of the tranny's ECU to interface with. Now, if you'd be interested in swapping in a 22RE or 3VZE at the same time...

 

There is a 3spd non-ECT toyota auto that bolts to the 20/22Rs. Why you would want to do this, I'm not sure...if you switched to an auto you would lose: torque to the wheels, gas mileage, fun-to-drive factor, acceleration, overdrive, etc. Plus, you'd need lower gears to account for the auto trans which is geared differently. (I am 85% sure autos come with slightly lower rear gearing)