1995 Toyota T100 Manual Transmission Swap
Ethan Rabideau, 01 June 2025
This project is a terrible Toyota T100 I found on the cheap. It has a poorly functioning automatic transmission, which I intend to swap to manual. It was constructed in the later parts of the year, and has OBD2 engine management, as well as 4WD, and a 2 inch lift on the front. It also has a rear seat. All T100s of this time came with bench seats.
The transmission is an awkward situation, as the T100 requires a passenger-side front axle driveshaft drop, and the larger 1996+ Tacoma input/engine shaft. However, Toyota made no other vehicle with that combination. For sourcing parts, I had to source an input shaft from a 1996 Manual 2WD Tacoma (which I obtained by cutting one up into 8 pieces with a sawzall in a junkyard) a Passenger-side drop 4WD R150 transmission (which I obtained by purchasing a non-running 1990 4Runner) I also needed some miscellaneous internal transmission pieces (thrust washers and the like), which, after extensive research, I sourced new (aftermarket) for a 1988 Jeep which purchased their transmissions from Toyota during that time.
The steering column, shift lever, pedal assembly, clutch hydraulics/electrics came from the 4runner. Manual locking hubs (better for the manual) were sourced online, I cut the access holes myself with a combination of drills, files, and a skilsaw.