PEAK PUTTERS

So there I was out putting the break-in miles on the cj5, and after driving down this one road for the umpteenth time and looking at a first gen Toyota pickup sitting forlornly in a field, I decided to stop and inquire. So the yota was definitely in the "gotta have" category as the body was pretty straight, and the glass was good. Even had a good solid front drive sahft in it. The down side was that the engine was in parts, and the dash had been torn apart. But the price was right, and it was one of those things where you either buy it or you know that it will be gone if you don't buy it and come back later. So I made a trip to DMV with the owner to file for the lost title and all, and now I've got an 81 Toyota pickup. If I hadn't opened my mouth about fixing up the cj5 and giving that back to the daughter and her S.O., I'd have been perfectly happy to remain with that cj5. But it was a weak moment for me. <grin> I'm one of those that like both the jeeps and the toyotas.

But the wife has been on my back to get a pickup truck, so that was excuse enough for me. Now comes the issue of the engine. The most common sense route would be to put a 22-R engine in it. The exotic would be a 4.3L v6, with a 700R4 trans and mate that to the Toyota transfer case. Really is probably going to boil down to cost. I've got the 4.3, and a 700r4 with the adapter to the Toyota transfer case. The problem is that the 700r4 needs to be put together with the new shaft and the rebuild kit and goodies. So that is definitely an option. I'm afraid though that the cost of building up the trans is going to be a bit steep. But then it is liable to be a bit steep to find a good solid 22-R engine also. So I guess it's half dozen one, half dozen the other. The end goal for the truck is to be a daily driver, and some wheeling too, but the emphasis is on the daily driver.

So if anyone has an "in" or knows a good transmission person, I'm definitely looking. And the same also goes for knowing of a good 22-R engine. And the winner will probably be what ever comes along first and is the most reasonable.

In continuing this saga, my next adventure with it was in trying to find a running engine to put in it since the one in it seems to have quit running after it was submerged in a very deep puddle by the previous owner's son. So I spied this ad for a 22R engine in Spokane on Craig's List. So I call the person up and he still has the engine and says yup, it's a 22R and was running good in the truck they pulled it out of. Three hundred and fifty buckaroos. So I tell him I will be up there the following morning. So the following morning I climb in the Cherokee with one of the female family members and off we go after an engine. Luckily the place was easy to find. So she gets out of the jeep and heads over to look at the engine while I'm getting my coat on. As I get there, she says, "something isn't right here." Well she was correct because it wasn't even a Toyota engine, let alone being a 22R. The guy says I'm pulling his leg to get the price down. So I had a Toyota manual in the jeep and got that out and showed him a few pictures of a 22R engine.................

So a wasted trip as far as the engine goes. Had a nice drive with the young lady and we had a good lunch in Spokane. I'm just glad I took the Cherokee that gets good mileage rather than the pickup that sucks gas worse than a 6 year old eating ice cream.

But it was a bummer. So the next day, Jerry called and said that one of the guys in the Toyota group we wheel with frequently had just acquired an 82 2wd Toyota p/u. It needed a trans put back in. The engine was thought to be a running, but not known for sure. So this morning Jerry headed over and picked up that 2wd p/u and hauled it over to the shop. And the other guy, Zack, is helping yank the engine and stuff it in my 81 to see how it runs. The truck has all the dash and heater controls that I also need for my 81 4x4 truck. So since the gent owed me some bucks from a past vehicle sale, I just acquired the parts truck. And if the engine turns out to be a good runner then I'll give him 300 for the engine. If it isn't a runner, then nothing, but at least I'll have a good rebuildable core. So it has turned out to be a decent swap for both Zack and I. And hopefully I'll be able to give him 300 bucks later on tonight as I do hope the engine is a good runner. And that should theoretically get the majority of the issues out of the way so that I can get the 81 running on the street this week. Should have some pictures taken tonight of the evolution.