(first posted 3/27/2011) For some odd reason’ I find myself drawn to summer time shots this morning, despite their strong shadows. Before the advent of factory extended cab small trucks, there was a serious boomlet in aftermarket jobs. Cut and extend the frame rails; insert fiberglass “sleeper cab” in between.
I call it a sleeper cab, because like the big trucks, you had to crawl back there; no doors. That’s all right; everyone was skinny and limber back then. The woman who owns this one told me it’s a 1977 Cortez, presumably no relation to the Clark Cortez motorhome.
These got their start in the mid-late seventies, and had their heyday, like everything else that was “small”, in the early eighties. Very common, indeed. Always wondered about their structural integrity, especially when I saw one with a big slide-in camper on the back. Make that 20R engine earn its keep!
Extended cab and sleeper cab Toyota trucks in the same driveway. Makes me think of the old quote about; “knowing what you like.”
I love twofers, accidental or not.
My freind had an 87′ I think turbo 4×4 Toyota with such a cab, here it is next to my 87 Toyota 4×4 van.
Two great vehicles! I’d like to a CC on these vans someday, there’s tons of neat things about them, and you still see quite a few of them milling about.
87′!!! That is one helluva stretch! It must be a joy to park!
Nice looking truck! It’s too bad Toyota never offered such cab for its Hilux truck.
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Can anyone tell me anything about this 81 toyota i just bought ? It has a 22r and 4 speed.
With this type of cab, one could either sleep in it, or if you have children under the age of five years, they could sit in the back seat, if applicable.
I liked the 74 Toyota Chinook mini camper I had , except the poptop leaked during the rain. It was on a long bed Toyota truck chassis . It would sleep 2 adults plus a small child over the cab. It was underpowered, about the same power to weight ratio as a mid 60s VW bus. It would usually get 21 mpg hwy, but on an occasion got up to 24 mpg. Drove it from Oregon to Iowa and back without any problems.
I always thought a Chinook with a Chev 4.3V6/700R4 swap would be pretty neat
We think of those old Toyota trucks as being small, but there are smaller trucks these days , like the Vantage electric truck like this one , made in California. It’s a 2010 and he’s asking $10500.00. I think the design is Japanese, because I’ve seen photos of them there. They’re probably based on a micro mini van chassis.This one is a handy looking dump truck with an extended cab. I’ve also seen these on a local college campus in Portland Oregon, used for landscaping and maintenance . Those were gas versions that sounded like motorcycles.
My dad had a 78 Toyota pickup when I was a boy. It may have been small by today’s standards, but having driven one myself, I didn’t think it was small at all. It was quite a workhorse, with its 20R 4 cylinder engine, 5spd. manual shifting gearbox. It may have been small next to the likes of the Ford F150, the Chevy/GMC CK10, and the Dodge DW150, but I found it to be big enough for me to work with. The only complaint I had with the truck were its seats.
That is a Chinese FAW minitruck. I doubt there is much California-made in there, probably they put it together from knock down kits to avoid the Chicken Tax?
FAW picture.