for anything stronger/better? Rumor has it this is pretty much the worst tranny a toyota can have, and since I'm looking at an '83 that has this tranny ( https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=179741 ), I'm going to play Curious George and see what other transmissions, if any, can be swapped with the L52 to provide a better, stronger, more reliable component. Anyone done a swap?
Can I swap the L52...
- Thread starter babyfood1217
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
You can install any trans that was mated to a 22r in there. When I built my last crawler I installed a 22re/w56/top shift case into an 80 pickup, I used a budbuilt dual crossmember because it allowed me to have adjustability. The crossmember made for that application actually attached to the frame rails using ford u-bolts so if I was to do an engine swap with a different series tranny and a stock case I could have just slid the crossmember down to where it tightened up on the t-case, and tightened up the u-bolts. It also worked whether I ran duals or a single case which is nice in case there is the chance you will be upgrading to duals. Not sure if I'm correct or not but is that trans a 4speed? I just typed all this crap up and forgot that (I THINK) 83's came with the first 5 speed (and a weak one at that). If it has a 5 speed you should be able to bolt a new tranny in etc.
http://www.budbuilt.com/new/dual_cross_members.html
Mine was the BBUD, made for swapping to later style w56 etc. Seems like a lot of cash but stock crossmembers are kind of weak (especially the mounts) and it would be more of a pain in the ass then it would be worth to move the stocker back. I loved mine, they are beefy, alot of guys on pirate say that they smash really easy but mine put up with tons of abuse including the full weight of the truck on it several times, and it barely scratched.
Another option would be Front Range Offroad Fab, they design theirs so that you weld the mounts for the crossmember in wherever you want, but if you are not a welder and don't want to pay, go Budbuilt. BTW this will be one of the best improvements you will ever make to your truck, I wouldn't waste any time with anything other than a w56 or an r151, seeing as you are already making some changes for a 5 speed.
Also I don't know if it matters but when I did mine I used the slave and master that were designated for my tranny by part number.
http://www.budbuilt.com/new/dual_cross_members.html
Mine was the BBUD, made for swapping to later style w56 etc. Seems like a lot of cash but stock crossmembers are kind of weak (especially the mounts) and it would be more of a pain in the ass then it would be worth to move the stocker back. I loved mine, they are beefy, alot of guys on pirate say that they smash really easy but mine put up with tons of abuse including the full weight of the truck on it several times, and it barely scratched.
Another option would be Front Range Offroad Fab, they design theirs so that you weld the mounts for the crossmember in wherever you want, but if you are not a welder and don't want to pay, go Budbuilt. BTW this will be one of the best improvements you will ever make to your truck, I wouldn't waste any time with anything other than a w56 or an r151, seeing as you are already making some changes for a 5 speed.
Also I don't know if it matters but when I did mine I used the slave and master that were designated for my tranny by part number.
Last edited:
Beatdown is totally right, I have an '83 and before I knew who to ask I put in two of those integral bellhousing turds, but then something awesome happened. I saw this featured truck in Petersens 4wor that had a marlincrawler setup, so I called contact number at the end of the article, not really knowing what to expect, but I asked anyway and the guy I was talking to took my number and said he'd call me back. 10pm saturday night my phone rings, Marlin calls, answers every noob question I could think of, then explains where to find a w56, how to move my Xmember, & how to do the whole swap with without making a dime off of me. That was years ago, but if I buy a toy part from some one else, it's because Marlin doesn't sell one. 1-559-252-7295 Chunk the L series & get a W56 all the cool kids are doing it
Yeah, like I said in that thread the 83 tranny is a POS.
Best bet would be a W56 which came with the 22RE's.
The later ones (90's) mated to a forward shift t-case, but IIRC the earlier ones (85+) mated to a top shift case like you have in your 83.
I swapped a later W56 (W56-D) for the G52 in my 4Runner last spring.
As for x-members, BudBuilt, no question. I've have a dual case one in the Runner and a single case one in the p/u and they take a beating with no problems.
I feel your pain babyfood. I have an '83 also and the tranny is starting to go out. So everyone says to swap it out. What if it's not in your budget to do that? Will rebuilding it help? I figure....it went 165,000 miles before this, with the current tranny. Marlin crawler makes rebuild kits that aren't too expensive. Will it hold up once the bigger tires go on?
I've heard rebuilding a tranny is much more involved than rebuilding a motor, so I hope you're up to it.
Search Craigs List for a tranny; they're available for a hundy or three. Also, if you find a replacement far away, they can remove it from the bell housing and ship it that way, to keep costs down. Then, you just have someone put it in you're housing, and you're good to go.
Search Craigs List for a tranny; they're available for a hundy or three. Also, if you find a replacement far away, they can remove it from the bell housing and ship it that way, to keep costs down. Then, you just have someone put it in you're housing, and you're good to go.
Wancho my L52 that came in my '83 lasted for a long time too, even after I lifted the truck & got big tires. The guys at the transmission shop that I kept exchanging L52's with think that I killed them by pulling trailers and overloading the truck. If you don't exeed the weight rating of the truck too much another L52 might get you by for a while. I think that highway driving is way harder on trannies than trail play.
How much were your exchanges? I think it'll be ok for awhile. 1st gear isn't too bad, but 2nd, 3rd, and 5th are bad. 4th though is great. If the rest were like that it would be awesome. But, you might be right, I do mostly highway miles. Plus, I just replacedthe u-joints and that's when it started sounding worse. Probably extra stress now that there is no play in the driveline. I'll keep an eye on it. Thanks.
I get transmissions from Nogalitos gear in San Antonio, and as long as your core doesn't have a countershaft hanging out of the side of it, you can exchange for about $300. They even let me exchange an L52 for a W56 one time. 4th gear is direct so it will be the last to go. I popped three L52's in a row, and if I had known how easy it is to move the Xmember & get a w56 in there I would have done that first. Downsides are if you don't like to weld on your frame, you will have to buy an after-market Xmember, & you will need to change driveshaft length alittle bit. Upside is with your bigger tranny you can put in a gooseneck hitch & tear up something else.