ETC

Junkyard Gem: 1986 Toyota Van conversion

Yes, even Toyota Vans got this treatment during the 1980s.

View 15 Photos
Toyota's LiteAce van was sold in the United States as, simply, the Toyota Van. It was a small forward-control van with a sturdy-but-low-powered four-cylinder pushrod engine, and most American van/wagon shoppers didn't quite know what to make of it. This one, unusually, has been given the conversion-van treatment; I photographed it in a Phoenix wrecking yard a few months back.



While Chrysler made U.S.-market minivans with manual transmissions through 1995, these are rarer than two-headed snakes; most Toyota Vans sold here had automatics as well, but perhaps one in 10 had a five-speed. This van is one of those.



I don't see many of these vans with under 200,000 miles on the clock, so this one must have been parked for years at a time.



It wouldn't have been suitable for hauling a family of nine in comfort, but three or four people could have done some nice camping here (prior to the junkyardization of the interior, of course).



The engine is a 1.8-liter pushrod four making 77 horsepower. The engine lives in a doghouse between the front seats, in true forward-control van style.



It's a wagon when you want it and a van when you need it!

Share This Photo X