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1983 Toyota Pickup
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| Chevy 4.3 TBI T350 Tranny Marlin Crawler Cross Over Steering On Board Air Red Optima Eagle GPS Ramsey REP8000 Ramsey Front Bumper Cobra CB 3" Wider Rear Axle Detroit's Front and Rear 5:29 Gears 3" Body Lift |
Trail Master Front Springs Pins moved forward 1"
Custom Mazda Rear Springs
Custom Rear Trac |
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Chris bought the truck with
the tires already on it. The motor was a very tired 20R with a Weber carburetor,
header and a 2 1/2 inch exhaust. Shortly after the initial purchase, he bought gears and
lockers, a lock rite in the front and a Detroit in the back. Next came the motor, a 1984
22R bock was acquired for $100.00. The block was bored 4mm over and the crank was
balanced. The 20R head was completely gone through and the head and block were both
shaved. After it was assembled, a new center force 3 dual friction clutch was added. How did it run? I raced a 1990 Jeep Sahara with an I-6 and beat it! Not bad for a 4 banger. |
| After a few years of driving it, it was
time to get serious. I ordered a Marlin Crawler. On the first test drive with it, I
found out how much torque the second low range added. I got myself caught between a rock
and a hard place. The only way out was to back up onto a very large rock with my wheels
turned hard to the right. On the first attempt, I broke the hub, birfield, and my
lock-right. The next major obstacle for the truck was the carburetor. The 8+ year old Weber and the increasingly steeper hills I was trying was not a good combination. I tried everything I heard of to stop the flooding when I went up hills.
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I lowered the floats and I sealed drinking straws in the overflow of the float bowl. The thing that worked the best was running the carburetor backwards. It took a little imagination to get it working, but it did work. I could go up hills okay, but I would flood and stall the motor going down hills. The problem was not as bad, but it was still not fixed. Also, I needed more power to get up the hills in the mud. |
The best answer to both problems was a Chevy fuel injected 4.3. I got it from a 1990 S-10 Blazer at a local salvage yard. The 4.3 and a T350 tranny is a great combination for my truck. My truck stayed in this configuration for a few years until the quest for travel began. |
