Classic 1980 Toyota with a new twist
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| Original owner..Umpteen thousand on the clock,
tired old springs with add a leafs
original 22r, transmission and t case
cool 80's era aluminum winch bumper
AC still blows cold and it still drives good
It's time for a change...
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The idea behind this build was to not change the overall appearance much. The owner liked the truck but wanted to add a few features that Toyota didn't offer back in the day. More power, better charging, more traction, better access and a little help for those old springs.
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| First thing first, out comes the engine and off with that bumper.
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| To fill our new void a 4.3L Vortex engine was needed. A wrecked van provided a very nice donor.
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| There was an issue mating the 4.3 to the 80 driveline so a transmission and transfercase from a '91 toy were used. Advanced Adapters supplied the radiator, bellhousing and the rest of what we needed to put everything together.
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Motor mounts were fabricated and we traded the old engine for some stainless headers. The headers had to be cut and rewelded to work but it made for a nice extra.
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We build a new transmission mount using the original crossmember as the foundation. No sense in getting rid of something that works great from the factory.
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A Howell computer and wiring harness was installed with all the relays, warning lights and necessary equipment to make this little engine run very smooth. The K&N cold air intake was used from blazer. A few things had to be relocated byt it looks very factory.
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The 4.3L Chevy engine was a perfect fit. This gave the truck the much needed power the owner wanted. Along with running this engine at any angle it will get just as good of fuel mileage as the trusted 22r.
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| Everyone needs a diamond plate aluminum box for their second battery right? Well here's one we built under the custom bed. All this and rubber hold downs too.
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