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My new 1976 dually Chinook


Nickyd

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Hi there. Long time Toyota lover and full time van lifer in our 1989 yotavan.  

Just bought this 1976 dually chinook. 

I saw a chat about this particular one on here. 

It was listed for 9777$. I drove it home after paying 4400 for it. They installed new front brakes  and all 4 shocks and springs and 6 brand new tires 

It has 92k on the r20 motor. 

I'm a little confused by the dually. 

Any way. We are completely gutting and redoing the inside  Its gnarly in there. Rats did a good number on the wiring too.

The 4 speed shifts and runs well. Carb needs adjusting and a filter. hesitates under hard throttle. 

The rear lights are wired funny and do the disco dance when you're on the brakes

we caravaned back 115 miles no problems at all.

Currently residing in Tucson. Come by and say hey if you're in the area  

You can follow our complete build progress @thegrttoyotavan

 

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Nice looking rig. You paid way too much money for it. It's water over the dam at this point.

Big thing is the rear axle. If it has 5 lugs, it has the semi-float axle. These have been known to break, causing the rear wheel(s) to detach from the axle housing without warning. An upgrade it a 6 lug ff is a definite "must do!".

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1 hour ago, fred heath said:

Nice looking rig. You paid way too much money for it. It's water over the dam at this point.

Big thing is the rear axle. If it has 5 lugs, it has the semi-float axle. These have been known to break, causing the rear wheel(s) to detach from the axle housing without warning. An upgrade it a 6 lug ff is a definite "must do!".

Hey there Fred. Figured but. You get what you get...  

 

Anyway. I've read a lot about the dually axle and upgrading to the FF.  

was the dually a factory option  I've only seen a few with the welded dually. 

Would a regular 6 lug non dually be a possible option.

im guessing I can't just put regular wheels on my rear with heavy duty tires? 

I can do most of the work but don't have access to my welder or big tools. They are on the other side of the country. How easy are these swaps? 

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Actually you can go to single 5 lug rear wheels with heavy duty tires. I think your rig is light enough.

The problem with your existing axle is 40 years of stress put on the axle shafts from running the "foolies". The metal could be fatigued, and not visible to the naked eye.

Singles would be a good start, but look around for a full float.

I did a GM full float in my rig so I can go to single rear wheels. The build thread is in the completed projects column.

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There is no reason to upgrade a Chinook to a dually axle unless your going to haul bricks in it. It just doesn't weigh enough even with camping stuff in it. Most of the members of the Toyota Chinook group on Yahoo have never even replaced their axles even though they are old. Lots more info on your rig here

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/toyotachinook/conversations/messages

I do think you paid more than you should have considering the work needed. Did the seller ever give any reason for the ridiculous info on their ad that it had a V6 engine and air conditioning.

Linda S

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The floor looks surprisingly flat.   Most Chinooks I've see up close has some pretty bad floor "slump" towards the sides where the frame supports are. Not an easy fix.  Chinook floor is made of honeycomb Vericell.

5 lug semi-floating rear is more then enough for a stock Chinook. Main thing to check is the condition of the rear wheel bearings.  They are just sealed single ball-bearings that get no outside lube from anywhere.

I've got a 6 lug full-floater in my 1978 Chinook, but it certainly did not need it.  I just happened to have had an extra FF rear and figured I stick it in and get the benefit of the extra stability of four wheels and the rear stablizer bar.  Nice to have but not sure I'd ever go through that amount of work again on something as light as a Chinook.

So it seems your floor is flat.   How about your roof?  They tend to get pretty bad too.  Especially if they've been parked somewhere where snow sits on the roof.

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The floor is in surprisingly good shape. flat all around. Only small problem area I've found is the step down right before the door is a little chipped and warped.  The roof does have a little bit of sag. Nothing I can't reinforce  specially since the entire inside is getting ripped out and redone, ceiling included. 

I'm not so sure how I'm going to insulate the inside our yota van has double bubble reflectix through out the entire van. And hardwood floors throughout.  It works really well with keeping heat in even in freezing temps.

Ive heard chinook owners using 1inch foam behind there walls to Insulate. I'll have to look deeper into it tho

 

Glad to hear I can swap to single wheels. The dually is cool but I rather not stress it anymore and tolls do cost more with 6 tires.  I'll get under there and check the bearing and make sure nothing is knocking around  

 

is a lift even possible with these old trucks? I like having bigger tires because I do some off-roading here and there 

 

 

Edited by Nickyd
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I seem to remember that some of the Ford Rangers have the same bolt pattern and came with 15" wheels

Repair and update. Start here.....

 

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Thanks guys. I did read somewhere that Rangers and some bronco2s have a 15 inch wheel that will fit. 

The truck is not going to be driven more than a few blocks every once in awhile until we are completely satisfied and ready to take it on the road. 

I'll keep on the look out for some cool wheels. The rear curb weight is around 2800  less now that nothing is in there. I'm sur ri can find a tire that will work  

The suspension was replaced. Shocks and springs. 

The brakes are new. 

Shifts great. 

Drove 115 miles home through the dessert I problems.  was impressed. 

 

At at somepoint a trailer light hook up was added. And some wires reworked. 

We have a disco party light up when we step on the brakes and a turn signal is on.  

with the lights on and brakes on the yellows light up. Not the red. 

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I want to know why some Tuffy devotees call it the Tuffy setup when many of these little Toyota motorhomes came brand new with single super-wide L60-14" Firestones on the back, along with Gabriel Hijacker air-shocks.  But in your case Derek - perhaps you are being droll.

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On vacation, in a foreign land, in his Sunrader. Say what you will he had style.

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Wow, well I guess that is indeed style. Thank you for the update, despite his sometimes strong opinions, he was always so quick to offer his help.

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