The World Needs More Toyota Chinook Overlandering Rigs
The Toyota Chinook looks like an amazing start for an overland build. Why don’t we see more of these?
With the overlanding craze in full swing, loads of enthusiasts are turning all kinds of vehicles into rigs capable of heading into the rough for the weekend — or longer. Early last month, I even stumbled across an Audi Allroad wagon that had gotten the treatment, and the results were surprisingly awesome. Seriously, even if you don’t care about off-roading at all, the pictures of the dog are worth the click alone. That said, after clicking around for a bit surveying all kinds of creations, I remembered the Toyota Chinook, and I came to a conclusion: the world needs more Toyota Chinook overlanding rigs.
For those unfamiliar, the Chinook was a compact camper vehicle built in partnership between Toyota and Yakima, Washington’s Trail Wagons Inc between 1971 and 1978. The base vehicle was a long-wheel base half-ton pickup, which featured loads of creature comforts, and at 29 miles per gallon on the highway, fuel economy that seems positively unreal. For a deep dive into the history of the Chinook, and a host of other vintage RVs, I highly recommend checking out the Tin Can Tourist site, which has an exhaustive history that’s great reading.
Now, the Chinook pictured above recently sold on Bring a Trailer sold for the princely sum of $50,000, but I figured there might be some other, more affordable options out there. Because while Bring a Trailer is an awesome place to look for inspiration, it’s not exactly a showcase for affordable project vehicles.
So because I currently have too many projects, and never miss an opportunity to add one to my mental dream-build garage, I went Chinook hunting. And honestly? It was pretty tough going — who would have thought it would be tough to track down stellar example of an RV that ceased production four decades ago? Nice to Own RV seemed to have a bunch of good ones, but all the ads were expired, which didn’t really bode well. But I kept at it, and while there weren’t tons of these old campers available, I did manage to find some candidates which might work for an aspiring overlander.
The first one I found was a 1976 model one is for sale on Shoppok. It’s located in St. George, Utah, and wow, does this baby sound promising. In contrast to every other Chinook ad — live or dead — that I found, the hero picture looks like it came out of brochure. At this point, I’m not entirely sure this isn’t a press image, and unfortunately, it’s the only one.
But the seller has apparently done a ton of work to this beast, including installing new rocker panels, upholstery, suspension, tires, and a deep cycle battery. The air is said to be ice cold, and there’s also a rear-view camera, a memory foam mattress, and Volvo seats for the driver and passenger. One of the first lines of the description seems to sum up this Chinook, “I had everything fixed that needed to be and up-graded everything else.” While pricey, it could be a good turn-key deal.
This next one I found is featured on Smart RV Guide, in Davis, California, and look to be decent. But while there are an impressive three pictures, there’s precious little info about the rig. Other than the $6,990 price, and the fact that it has just over 100k on the clock, and the fact that the listing is over two months old, there’s not a lot to go on. Of course, fortune favors the bold, so it couldn’t hurt to try to make contact. Fortune favors the bold.
Now, when you’re looking for weird stuff, you’re almost certainly going to find a lead in Portland, Oregon. That’s where this Chinook is located, and while it looks a little rough, at $2,500, the price might be right. Since it’s relatively brief, here’s the full description: “Runs. Needs TLC. Pretty good condition for it’s age. Mechanically cared for and maintained ( brakes, tires, radiator, alternator, suspension etc.) 20R engine, 15 average mpg. Classic rare vehicle. Could be cherry’d out inexpensively.”
If you were looking for a project, and you’re not far from Oregon, this could be a decent deal, though the cracks around the rear taillight give us pause. If there’s loads of body work that needs to be done, that could make a big dent in the old bank account.
Now, while I was poking around, I did find some promising threads on the forum. I was really excited about this one from Mach287, who’d purchased a Chinook and a 1984 long-bed 4×4 that he was planning to merge into a wicked off-road camper. There was also FLTLNDR’s project thread, but like the previous one, it appears to have stalled right out of the gate.
This Chinook thread, from member 83 was the best one I found. It features some good pics, but stalled out about six years back. So if you know of any Chinook builds underway, hit me up, as I’d love to showcase them on the blog!
Photos: Bring a Trailer, Shoppok, Smart RV Guide