Are the 5-speed shift levers interchangable from a W56 to a R151?
I know the shift towers(housings) are different but what about the levers with the ball ends?

I have an opportunity to pick up a R151 trans but it does not have the shifters or the housings and I am wondering if the shifters out of my spare W56 will work.

-Chris

They seem to be compatible, at least between the L/G/W trannys I have shifters for as well as with the newer trannys in the Tacomas. I combined a W56 shifter base, some parts from an old L-series 4-speed stick and a Tacoma short throw shifter on my W56 gear box:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/ShortThrowTrannyShifter/index.html

There are a few minor differences in terms of how the shifter is held to the base and the spacing of the pivot pins inside the base.

Anyone else?

am i correct in assuming that all you had to do was scrounge the cup off a G tranny to be able to install the short throw shifter? i'd be interested in putting on in my '91...

The W56A shifter uses a bolted down retainer while the L-, G- and later W- shifters use the spring loaded cup. I had to get the spring loaded cup off of another shifter so that I could transfer it to the short throw shifter stick, which comes without such a cup. There was no way to remove the retainer off the W56A shifter without destroying the shifter and then it was going to be eqaully as hard to get it onto the short throw stick.

Then you need to build a spacer plate for the short throw. Since it is designed for a Tacoma shifter, the existing spacer does not fit.