Stopped by the nearby St. Vinny’s the other day and this luminous Nippon Denso-stein was the first thing I noticed. Unfortunately this isn’t the Official Curbside Classic Classic Car Lot, or I might have driven home in it.
I’m guessing ’81 since I had one years ago and the front clip looks the same, but it’s certainly in that vintage. The similarities to my ’81 end at the cab roof, regardless.
Sunroof? Moonroof? Periscope portal? Not sure what to make of it. The second “window”, however, looks very familiar.
Found this picture of my 85 Faux Runner for reference. The dealer (natch!) told me that Monaco Coach had chopped the back window out and placed the fiberglass shell on it, hence the title. I sold it to a friend before a move a few years ago, and he’s still not certain what the exact story is. Whatever the truth is, it deserves a write-up of it’s own…
There are quite a few chopped-up 80’s Toyota trucks around Eugene, but this one is my ostentatious favorite.
My first thought was that it started out life as a Toyota-based camper, then someone sawzalled the back section off to replace it with a pickup box.
Either a camper or a U-Haul, there was a time U-haul was renting these dually hi-luxes with a box van section on the rear.
The duallys that U-Haul rented came from the factory with the dual wheel set up that did not use the standard version front wheels. Plus these extra cab conversions were done on new trucks it wouldn’t make economic sense to send one that had been retired from U-Haul to get a stretch job that cost more than the price of the used truck.
It thought the extra cab was homemade.
Nope there was a company that cranked those fiberglass extensions out. Back in the day you would see lots of them in CA. Note how nicely the body lines are continued and how they work around the vent.
There was more than one company building these: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-capsule-1977-toyota-cortez-sleeper-cab-pickup/
Put in a big block V8 and have a sleeper sleeper?
There was a company in CA that used to do conversions like this though the ones I saw a lot of were 4×4, in fact my brother had one for a while.
This has an aftermarket dually conversion like you can buy from JC Whitney based on the fact that it still has the stock front wheels.
I’m guessing this was done by a conversion company using a Toyota commercial chassis. I don’t think they would have wasted the time converting an old U-Haul by the looks of the custom cab back and those flares on the box. Maybe the same people that made the FauxRunner by the looks of that window. Too bad you didn’t look closer at it. There’s always some clue as to whose handy work this was assuming it was done by a professional. Like some type of ID or trim plate in the door jamb or under the hood.
My Faux Runner had a logo on the back that somewhat resembled the M in Monaco Coach, which is nearby. Before this latest economic meltdown there were a few other large conversion facilities around as well. So it was likely a local job.
This is definitely not a commercial chassis as it has the base model front wheels not the ones used on the factory dully.
The factory dually prior to 1984 retained the normal wheels up front and used special reverse rims for the rear. From 84 to the end of the line in 92, a revised version of the reverse rims could be used interchangeably front and rear. (I have an 88 with these rims).
The puzzling part is that the long wheelbase dually (138″) was only made in the second iteration. Before that the WB was 112″. (This shorter WB could also be had in 84-92 duallies). The WB in the subject appears even longer than 138″, which suggests that this has a home made extension frame and (probably) the rear axle and fender flares from a Ford or Chevy.
These were conversions, made by several different companies. They were quite popular before extended cab truck became common. They cut and spliced the frame. They were very popular in CA in the late seventies-early eighties. I did a post on one: http://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-capsule-1977-toyota-cortez-sleeper-cab-pickup/
Not home-made, not a U-haul conversion, not a factory frame dually.
A little research shows a company named FabCo in So Cal was one of the common converters, though most of theirs seem to be the 4×4 versions. As I said earlier my brother had a later model version for a while.
So I noticed that “Norm” and “Eric VanBuren” made comments on the Toyota Dually..
First off….Toyota NEVER made a Dually, it was a Sub-Contracted Company out of California that made to Conversions FOR Toyota. New Toyota’s were delivered and Converted.
Yes, Toyota made the Heavy-Duty Frame (1-Ton – Which had 6-Leaf, Leaf Springs)…..but we’re sent to Cali for the Dually Rear-end.
Second off…..These trucks DID come with stock size wheels in the front, AS WELL AS the “Dually” Front Hubs. They were BOTH an option.
Just like they BOTH came with 4-Cyl. OR 6-Cyl. Motors.
And if anyone wanted to put a Dually Rear-end in a Stock 2wd pick-up…..it’s a Bolt-in….,Minus the Leaf Springs.
I have one personally that I converted to a Dually. Rear-end Bolts right in with the 2wd Leaf Springs…..(But obviously E-Brake, Etc. Is different)
That side window would be from a conversion van wouldn’t it?
I will have to upload the photos I took of a Landcruiser 75 that had been stretched to become a crew cab with room for a long tray on the back
Check out the Ferrariesque faux intakes on the dually flares.
Wow, this is awful. The rear view reminds me of….
Faux Runner. Hmm…
It looks like it’s ready to tow a 40′ fifth-wheel triple-axle somewhere, LOL! Maybe it has a 20:1 final drive ratio so it can reach 20 mph with a tailwind!
Saw a heap of Nissan versions similar to these (mind you without the crew cab extension) in LA the otherday, unfortunately I was driving so couldn’t get any photos
What is the rear track width on that ???