Toyota Master Ace Vans

[bajajoaquin]

I know, it's a van, not a truck, but I figured there was more traffic here.

Anyone know much about the Master Ace vans? There's one for sale near by with a turbo diesel, 5-speed and 100k on the clock. It is supposedly titled in California.

What should I look for? Except for probably being slow, is it a reasonable daily driver? Parts? Service?

 

[tanglefoot]

Ooh, nice find!!

In the US they were called "Van" or "VanWagon" but we couldn't get them with the diesel. 4wd variants do have skid plates. The manual-transmission 4wds are very sought after, as they have 2-speed transfer cases. The 4wds with automatic transmissions only had single-speed transfer cases. Front hubs are either manual or automatic (the manual hubs are stronger and more reliable). Engine access is somewhat limited but its placement low in the center helps somewhat with COG and handling. Do leave plenty of following distance...I don't believe front crash protection is much better than the VW Transporter/Combi, and emergency stops can cause them to donkey-kick. Also be careful with the sliding door on the left side. If parallel parked, you'll be loading passengers and cargo on the traffic side.

The 2C diesel engine was found in many different Toyota models internationally, but none in the US--engine parts available is likely limited in the US.

Toyota Reference has a section for them, but only with the engines available in the US.

http://www.toyotareference.com/van

There are also some online communities devoted to them, such as:

http://www.toyotavanpeople.com/
http://www.toyotavantech.com/forum/

Sorry, I don't have experience with them, personally (although I wish I did), but I love seeing them.

 

[vicali]

My Dad had one as a company car back in the day, it was an 86 2wd cargo model with no rear windows.. Wiki

We called it the pocket rocket. It was fun to drive, I always thought it felt like driving my 86 pickup if you sat on the front bumper..
He hit a deer in it once, wasn't very fun.. plus another co-worker rolled his on a curve.. We used to take it camping and get to sleep in the back- beat a tent any day.

 

[squatch]

I saw a ad in a old Nat. Geo. And Toyota called it a Wonder Wagon. They are great rigs!

 

[SDDiver5]

I dont know much about them. I can, however, tell you that one of them left me stranded in the middle of the Jungle in Costa Rica. It made for an interesting night.

 

[Revco]

My grandma had two, my uncle had two, and I had a few friends that owned them. I always thought they were cool looking and would like to find a 2wd as a parts runner/daily driver. There is a 3rz swapped SAS van on YouTube, pretty cool.