Given the huge following for these small Toyota trucks, I’m guessing this one won’t be around long given the price. If it were closer to me I’d be going to pick it up rather than writing it up. The 1974 Hilux is listed here on eBay with bidding beginning at $1,000, but a buy it now of only $2,000. This is one case where I wouldn’t bother with the week of waiting and bidding–that buy it now looks good to me. Unfortunately for me, it’s waiting for a new buyer in Chicago City, Minnesota.
I think the first photo represents the truck as it is now, and these others are “as found.” I’m not sure of that, though, and frankly I’d be happy with this little truck either way. Given the numerous dings, dents and scratches it’s obvious this truck was used as a work truck, and I’d be very surprised if the 63,000 miles showing aren’t at least 163,000 or more. The thing is, it doesn’t matter much with these little workhorses; they just don’t quit until they rust into nothingness.
Speaking of rust, there is some of course, being an early Toyota truck you’re almost guaranteed that. However, it’s all manageable, and quite frankly I’d be buying this truck to use, not to pretty up too much.
That’s not to say I wouldn’t perform some hometown behind the barn hammering and perhaps some welding as well. Follow that up with a $799 paint job at the local discount chain paint shop and you’ll have a work partner for a long time to come.
The bed actually looks surprisingly solid, although we don’t get to see the bottom of it. Usually by this point there are holes through the sides at the bed floor. The seller tells us it’s from Montana and that contributes to the lack of rust.
The interior is just what it looks like; a cosmetically challenged but intact interior that you can hose out after you’re done working. We unfortunately don’t get to see the engine, but we’re told it has a new (remanufactured) carburetor but still needs some tweaking to get it to run perfectly. I’d like to be the one fiddling with it–how about you? Anyone else need a small truck?
What year did these have the long bed as an option ? Doesn’t appear to be a SR-5. Four or five speed ? 20r engine ?
Longbeds came out in’74,SR5’s in ’75 (shortbed only).
Five speeds in ’75,as well as the 20R.
Send me a number or email . I’m interested.
Used to own one of these back in 1980 with a built sbc in it, fast and fun as hell to drive.
73 was the first year for the long bed, and the 5-Speed and 20R were introduced in 75 to North America. Love Toyota. I own two of them. One a 87 4Runner with the 22RE and 165K orginial miles.
I have a few myself… Awesome trucks..(cars too).
a 350K mile 87 4 Runner, Rock Crawler, exo cage, lockers…
a 290K mile 97 Landcruiser, FJ80, w the twin lockers, slight lift..
245K mile 98 Corolla
95K mile 05 XRS.
Its hard to believe I’ve driven all those miles… and that doesn’t include the classics and several other Toy trucks I’ve owned over the years…
I’d love to grab one like this and toss in the 22R-E I have sitting in the garage.. along with the 5 spd and the extra rear…
I have a 1974 with 22re 5spd.Sure is fun to drive.
I have one of these, though mine is a 1973.
There are a LOT of subtle differences between these and the 1978’s, which are the last year of this body style. On this truck, the cab is smaller, the rear marker lights are above the bed, the pillar vents are smaller, windshield wiper washer nozels are in the hood, not the vents ahead of the windshield. The heater is different, but only slightly, the gauges may not have markings for KPH depending on where it came from, later ones had both MPH and KPH. The side marker lights have wider aluminum trim, the tops of the doors have a trim piece, the interior door handles are chromed metal instead of colored plastic, and there are various differences in the center consoles if it was a bucket seat truck or bench seat truck. The head liner and sun visors have a slightly different pattern vinyl fabric, and the 18R engine is totally different than the 20R that came later and ran for many years through various toyota models. Unsure if a 20R will drop right in. I don’t think it’s much that needs to change if it won’t.
These are good trucks and are very easy to work on. They rust out in the floors, rockers, lower rear corners of the front fenders, and the A pillar top and bottom because apparently toyota didn’t spray any paint up inside the pillars. You can still get fenders for them if you look around, though for whatever reason driver side fenders are harder to find. Someone on ebay sells the rubber and misc plastic pieces, and I just saw the other day a dash cap can be bought. You glue it on. The vinyl dashes are unobtanium these days as far as I know. I have one uncracked one out of the like, 10 of these trucks I’ve owned or parted out.
I’m actually going to be cleaning up the three trucks I have, and the racks and racks of good used parts I’ve saved over the years. I figure I’ll list it on here and ebay, see if it goes in one big lot. If anyone needs parts, my email is my user name at gmail.com. :)
$1000 is a great price. These trucks are a ton of fun to drive. They’re slow, rattly, but they’re so very basic and no frills that they’re just a hoot to scoot around in.
I see these often around east LA, maybe to other parts of the country this looks like a great find, to me this just looks like another 500.00 dollar truck, or the truck that belongs to the guy that stops by my shop to pick up scrap metal.
This looks like a ’73,as ’74’s had the plastic front end
painted body color.
I had a ’72-1/2 that was my first “real car”,& drove it
everywhere.I hated that 18RC “valve burner four”,& swore I’d
NEVER buy another Toyota truck,until I drove a ’76 SR5 Longbed.
These had very limited legroom,& we added more to
mine by adding more foam rubber to the seat,as well as shimming
the front mounting bolts.
I love these old Toyotas,but wouldn’t buy any built before
1975.
If it has a new carb, what kind of tweaking and tuning would make it run perfect? Point gap? I don’t really see why this is such a deal at 2K when there are no bidders at 1. A rusted out fender looks like rust to me despite the sellers claim that there is barely any.
I am more of a Nissan/Datsun guy if talking imports but these are HIGHLY sought after in Portland and Seattle. This would sell in a heartbeat. I have worked on and flipped a few and the demand is very strong but all the good examples are long gone. Despite the damage this will sell. This is the Holy Grail of what a affordable small import utility truck should be. Its always amazed me that automakers dont try to replicate these today. I realize there is reasons but man, If you came out with a bunch of these, and the comparable Datsun trucks of this era they would sell like hotcakes.
Had a ’76 SR5 in college in the ’80s. Fun little truck, but very loud and rattly. Not a tire shredder, but never really felt underpowered either. Sadly, it did not survive being loaned to my roommate for a day. Somehow he managed to destroy the engine. I wanted to keep it and drop in a new engine, but my mother would have none of that. I think she envisioned it ending up as unwanted yard art.
This one is too far away for me, but I’d love to have another one.
Wow, this thing is a cob…😨
A kid from grade school got one new from his parents for his high school ride….puke green….and he always pulled in the HS parking lot with ZZTop blasting….think they were about $2200 new in 1974….
My mom bought a 1974 similar to this a few years after my dad died, after selling his 1972 Chevrolet C10 (that was a mistake). Buying the Toyota was a mistake too, I think it had been abused and not a very good truck. Later traded it for a 1978 GMC Sierra Classic. After I moved away from home and got married, I bought a used 1979 Toyota SR5 long bed. It was a great truck, just with bucket seats didn’t work too well after two sons came along.
Send me a number or email . I’m interested.
I have the ’74 with an 18R engine, totally different from the 22R, got the Pertec electronic ignition to replace the points, front disc brakes from a ’75 bolted right in (the original dual cylinder drum brakes totally fade when driving thru deep water and are no fun to work on), 4 speed manual trans, 1st gear is very low but not granny low so it can jump off from a standing start, I wanna change to a W56 5 speed, 4.11 rear gears.
My son can sell it when I die.