Hello, everyone. My name is Stephen. I live in the New Orleans area. I recently bought a 1977 Toyota Scat Motorhome (think all fiberglass Chinook). It’s currently 2450 miles away from me in Oregon. Once I get my hands on her, I’ll start to scheme about all the things I’d like to do.

I’m already looking into a motor swap to either a 22RE or a 6 cylinder (currently has a 20R bone stock engine and a 4spd manual trans).

Anyway, just wanted to say hello.

 

20R is a bullet proof engine. The L43 4 speed is also very durable. Unless there’s a mechanical problem, I’d keep the original drivetrain.

There aren’t many scats left. You will have a build plate attached to the inner fender or firewall. This will give you important drivetrain information. All early Toyota trucks have these. They have a chassis number as opposed to a VIN. VIN didn’t come out until 1983.

I’ve attached a photo of my ID plate so you’ll know what to look for.

 

Hey, thanks for the reply and info. I'm not dead set on swapping the engine. I'm going to wait and see how she drives. I may just go with the 20R upgrades and see how she feels.

Do you know if a 5spd manual is a direct swap? That would also help on the flat areas, I reckon.

 

The factory 5 speed for that year was a W50. Prone to breakage of the shift forks. A W58 is supposed to be a direct fit with some support and tunnel modifications.

Several members on this forum have done the swap. They will probably chime in with more detailed information.

 

Thank you, bud. I'm all open to ideas. I live in the New Orleans area. My favorite type of scenery is mountains. If you've ever been here, you'll know why long distance drive-ability is kind of important.

I know I probably picked the wrong vehicle for that kind of thing, but man she purty.