1978 Toyota Chinook 4×4 Conversion

If, like us here at Coolector HQ, you’re ready for a road trip adventure and you’re in the market for the ultimate road warrior, you can call off the search because we might just have found it. This extraordinary looking 1978 Toyota Chinook 4×4 Conversion, which is going under the hammer with Bring A Trailer, is chock full of old school cool and has a brilliant vintage vibe which will be ideal for road-tripping down Route 1 or around America’s National Parks.

The 1978 Toyota Chinook 4×4 Conversion has a current leading bid of just $26k so you could potentially get your hands on this extraordinary looking machine for under the $30k mark which, considering its awesome road-trip potential, represents a great investment in our opinion here at The Coolector. Though released in 1978, it underwent its customisation job in the 90s to make it one of the coolest looking road trips / campers we’ve seen in some time.

In Search of Adventure

Any road trip adventure is improved exponentially if you’ve got the sort of vehicle that elevates the experience and, safe to say this ace looking 1978 Toyota Chinook 4×4 Conversion definitely falls into that bracket. It was custom built by a Toyota mechanic from Oregon in 1991. First built on a Toyota 4×2 platform, this Chinook has received components from a 1980 Toyota 4×4 pickup which includes the frame, suspension, front axle, and engine. The 20R 2.2-litre inline-four engine sends power to the rear or all four wheels via a G52 five-speed manual transmission and a dual-range transfer case.

This fantastic 1978 Toyota Chinook 4×4 Conversion from Bring A Trailer is offered with a binder which is filled with information about the build history and Chinook literature as well as an assembled Oregon title that lists the vehicle as a 1992 ASMBL with a newly assigned serial number. The outside of the vehicle was repainted Metallic Walnut during its initial conversion in 1991 and Chinook decals were obtained from Gary Lukehart, who is the creator of the Chinook motorhome, and they were installed at the Chinook plant in Yakima, Washington in the early 2000s.

Black-painted 15″ steel wheels with chrome hubcaps are wrapped in 31×10.5″ Wild Country Radial XTX Sport tires. The solid front axle was sourced from a 1980 Toyota 4×4 pickup, and manual front lockers have been fitted at the front wheels for a first class performance out on the open road. Suspension modifications for this build include a 3″ lift in the front and a 4″ lift at the rear, rear air shocks, and heavy-duty front and rear sway bars.

Vintage Interiors

The interiors of this classy offering boast custom upholstery on the door cards and the sun visors, and deep carpeting is used to cover the floors and the headliner to deliver the ultimate in vintage vibes throughout. Adjustable Recaro bucket seats with custom red “Chinook” embroidery were sourced from a 1985 Toyota Supra for a touch of authenticity.

A custom centre console and power windows have also been added along with a JDM dash clock, aftermarket auxiliary gauges and tachometer, an overhead-mounted CB radio and interior/exterior thermometer, an overhead control panel, and intermittent windshield wiper. If you’re planning a road trip and want to make it one to remember, this would definitely be our vehicle of choice here at Coolector HQ.