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Toyota 5 speed gearbox related question


Flash

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Excuse this basic question but I'm a total newbie when it comes to anything Toyota related.

For my current project I need to source a 5 speed column shift manual gearbox. Uncle Google says that the third generation Toyota Hiace vans came equipped with such an option. I've found a 1987 Toyota Hiace column shift 5 speed equipped van that is up for sale but it is running a diesel engine (a L14 I think ... hope this makes sense). I would rather replace this with a petrol engine.

So knowing absolutely nothing about Toyota I am wondering what petrol engine would bolt up directly to this gearbox. First prize would be something around 2 litres, SOHC and if it was fuel injected that would be even better.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated 

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Nothing other than the L series diesel will bolt up without changing the bell housing to suit. The G and W series boxes have the same bellhousing pattern, which opens your options up to various petrol engines (the larger ones anyway) but you'll still need the correct bellhousing to suit your engine of choice

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2 hours ago, Yowzer said:

Nothing other than the L series diesel will bolt up without changing the bell housing to suit. The G and W series boxes have the same bellhousing pattern, which opens your options up to various petrol engines (the larger ones anyway) but you'll still need the correct bellhousing to suit your engine of choice

Thanks for this Yowzer. So if I understand you correctly a G or W series bellhousing will bolt directly on to the L series gearbox and I can then bolt on a G or W series engine ?

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1 hour ago, drftnmaz said:

Dunno if your interested but i have a column shift gearbox from a mazda e2200 van, that i brought to use in my column shift ute, which is gone now so box is up for grabs if your interested? then could use mazda/ford F/FE series of engines...

Hey drftnmaz, thanks for the heads up on the e2200 van also being column shift. This is starting to sound like a good option. I'd happily grab your gearbox but I'm across the Tasman at the moment so the freight costs would kill me.

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52 minutes ago, Flash said:

Thanks for this Yowzer. So if I understand you correctly a G or W series bellhousing will bolt directly on to the L series gearbox and I can then bolt on a G or W series engine ?

Close but not quite. Toyota has their engine series, and then their box series. The G series box (what you're looking at) is their commercial spec units for vans, utes etc. The W series boxes are their larger RWD boxes for cars like the older Supras, Cressidas etc often mounted to various I6 engines but sometimes smaller 4cyl and diesels too. Bellhousings are interchangeable between most of these boxes, however you'll still need the correct bellhousing to suit the engine, so at this point you'll have a L to G/W bellhousing (L series engine, G series box). If you want to use a 3SGE for example, you'll need the S-G/W bellhousing, possibly from an older Celica /Carina (if they had W boxes, I can't recall what they ran) or from those funny 5S powered vans.

Some engines, like the A series (4AGE etc) were never coupled to these boxes so factory bellhousings don't exist to suit, however there are aftermarket options available I think.

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12 hours ago, Yowzer said:

Close but not quite. Toyota has their engine series, and then their box series. The G series box (what you're looking at) is their commercial spec units for vans, utes etc. The W series boxes are their larger RWD boxes for cars like the older Supras, Cressidas etc often mounted to various I6 engines but sometimes smaller 4cyl and diesels too. Bellhousings are interchangeable between most of these boxes, however you'll still need the correct bellhousing to suit the engine, so at this point you'll have a L to G/W bellhousing (L series engine, G series box). If you want to use a 3SGE for example, you'll need the S-G/W bellhousing, possibly from an older Celica /Carina (if they had W boxes, I can't recall what they ran) or from those funny 5S powered vans.

Some engines, like the A series (4AGE etc) were never coupled to these boxes so factory bellhousings don't exist to suit, however there are aftermarket options available I think.

Thanks very much for the detailed info Yowzer. This gives me a few options to work on.

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The low seat height in a hiace of that era can be a cunt if you try to fit any sorta late model 4 cylinder without major work to move the engine more rearwards.

A 3Y-E from a Townace van would fit with some minor work to move the throttle body which would give you an injected 2L petrol engine

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3 hours ago, Yowzer said:

An 18R-G sounds like it'd suite your requirements too, but they're a bit hard to come by nowadays.

Depending on what he wants from the engine a nice 18r single cam carb might be a solid option too. 

A bit easier to get and with a reground cam and a weber 32/36. Become really quite a great and simple engine. 

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Currently running a factory standard 1700cc Ford Consul engine in front of the factory standard 4 speed column shift. The plan is to eventually daily this so needs something more modern, reliable and easy to find parts for. The engine bay is tight and I don't really want to cut up the floor if I can help it. I also don't want to spoil the inside by putting in a floor shift. See pic of interior below

 

875263548.jpg

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19 hours ago, HighLUX said:

The low seat height in a hiace of that era can be a cunt if you try to fit any sorta late model 4 cylinder without major work to move the engine more rearwards.

A 3Y-E from a Townace van would fit with some minor work to move the throttle body which would give you an injected 2L petrol engine

So, the issue is not so much the height of the engine as the width of the engine compartment that I have to work within. Current engine is pre crossflow so pretty narrow by modern standards. There are two ute versions running around. One in the UK has been fitted with a Ford Sierra 1.8 diesel and Type 9 5 speed that required minimal cutting to the sides of the engine compartment, but the gearbox is a floor shifter and it looks messy with the gearshifter sticking out of the top of the engine cover. The other is an Oz based slammed ute called The Little Red Truck that has been fitted with a 2jz, but that involved major surgery to the cabin floor to the point that the standard seats would no longer fit and is also running an auto box.

There is a van somewhere that has been fitted with a straight six out of a Zephyr (pic of engine bay below). In this case the engine box was extended back into the loading bay. It's a neat looking conversion that would have retained the original 4 speed manual box, but I'm not keen to swap a piece of 60s technology for another piece of 60s technology.

Keep the suggestions coming, I really appreciate the guidance.

Little Red Truck.jpg

Zephyr 6.jpg

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