Propane, Dual Transfer Cases, Full Hydro Steering... This Toy Is Built to Wheel

Josh Baumgarten’s 1983 Toyota pickup is exactly what happens when you take a first-gen Toyota and turn it into a proper rock crawler. This isn’t some weekend warrior build - we’re talking about a full-blown trail machine sitting on 40-inch tires with enough low-end grunt to crawl up a wall.

The truck started life as a trade between Josh and his buddy Jacob, and over the past year, Josh has been systematically turning it into something special. The most recent addition is the Trail Gear six-inch ram full hydro steering setup with six shooters, and honestly, once you run full hydro, there’s no going back to fighting a steering wheel on the rocks.

For those who haven’t experienced hydro steering, think of it like a tractor. Your steering wheel isn’t physically connected to the tires through traditional steering linkage. Instead, it controls hydraulic pressure that moves a ram connected to your steering. You can turn those massive 40s no matter what kind of bind you’re in, and you won’t throw out your shoulder doing it.

Under the hood, that reliable 22RE is still chugging along, but here’s where things get interesting - this truck doesn’t run on gas. Josh is running a Got Propane conversion kit, which means he’s got propane tanks mounted in the bed. The beauty of propane in a wheeling rig is that it doesn’t care about elevation changes or steep angles. While a carbureted gas engine might start cutting out when you’re pointing straight up a ledge, propane keeps feeding consistently. You could literally run this thing upside down and it wouldn’t skip a beat.

The axle setup is pure Toyota - front and rear Toyota axles with 4.88 gears and Detroit lockers at both ends. Bobby OG built the front axle shafts, which is solid choice for reliability. Those 40-inch Iron Rock bias plies are mounted on 15-inch Total Metal Innovation beadlocks with quarter-inch inner and outer plates. Iron Rock bias plies have a cult following in the rock crawling community for good reason - they’re sticky, they flex well, and they’re built to take abuse.

But the real magic happens with the drivetrain. Josh is running dual transfer cases with Trail Gear twin sticks and 4.7 gears in the rear case. This gives him an insane amount of gearing options - two-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, high range, low range, and then double low when you really need to get technical. That rear case with 4.7 gears compared to the stock 2.28 means he can keep his RPMs up to avoid stalling while keeping wheel speed incredibly slow and controlled.

The difference between single and dual case setups is night and day when you’re crawling. With just one transfer case, you’re constantly fighting between stalling the engine and going too fast over obstacles. Dual cases let you creep over stuff at walking speed while keeping the engine happy. You can literally put it in double low and walk alongside the truck as it crawls.

The whole setup rides on a Trail Gear skid plate with anti-vibe transfer case mounts, and there’s a Marlin Crawler adapter handling the dual case connection. Everything fits together clean, and even at full flex, those 40s aren’t rubbing anywhere - that’s the mark of a well-planned build.

Josh’s next priority is getting a cage built, and he’s smart to go with an exo-cage setup. The first-gen Toyota cab is pretty tight to begin with, and an external cage will give him way more room while keeping things safe. He’s planning to have Justin Zubich handle the cage work, which is a solid choice for quality fabrication.

For power upgrades, Josh isn’t planning a full motor swap. Instead, he’s thinking about adding a turbo to that 22RE and playing with the propane injection. It’s a smart approach - the 22RE is bulletproof reliable, and a little boost would wake it up without adding complexity.

The truck is sitting pretty with those fresh Iron Rock tires and clean beadlocks. The red interior seats add a nice touch, and that bank of shifters tells the whole story - this is a purpose-built crawler that’s ready for serious trail work. The Trail Gear hydro steering reservoir is mounted low and clean instead of poking up through the hood like so many setups.

This Toyota represents everything that’s great about first-gen builds. It’s got the reliability of the 22RE, the simplicity of solid axles, and enough low-end gearing to crawl up anything. The propane conversion adds that extra reliability factor that serious wheelers appreciate, and the full hydro steering means Josh can actually enjoy long trail days without his arms falling off.

You can check out more builds like this on the BackyardBeaters YouTube channel.

This truck proves that you don’t need the latest and greatest to build something capable. Sometimes the best approach is taking proven components and putting them together right. Josh’s Toyota is going to be crawling rocks long after the flashy builds are broken down on the trailer.