Speaking of Trans identification...I just got an 81' t-case and what is believed to be an 83' 5-speed trans with t-case in trade for some tires on rims. I'm looking all over this Tranny and I have no idea how to identify it. Any hints?
Since I am a Toyota Truck Tech Master as proved in my previous post (:bull crap:), let me share with you a simple way to identify between a L50 and a L52..
1) Remove nose cone. 12mm bolts.
2) Check the part number on the Input shaft's bearing.
The L52 will be either a 63/32N, B32-14UR, or a 032-2 C/3. This is the wider bearing (L52) that was offered starting in 11/82 and until 11/83, however we have seen a couple L52s in 84 model trucks (amazing discoveries).
yeah, but wouldn't it still be better than the stocker L43 i have? makes a LOT of noise in reverse(been doing it since i got mad at somebody cutting in front of me in the gas station line, dumped the clutch in reverse 
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Oh yes, the L50/52 series is a much better transmission then a 4spd, especially the L43 4spd which is the first 4WD manual transmission Toyota ever made.
It is noisiest in reverse because the reverse gear and reverse idler gear are both a spur / straight / parallel-toothed cut gear, whereas all of the other gears in Toyota's 4WD transmissions are all Helical cut gears. Helical gears are quieter + stronger, but cost more to manufacture. Also you might have noticed that you can not engage reverse while moving maybe +3 MPH, that's because Toyota also saved cost by not adding synchros to reverse gear.
Here's the difference between helical and straight:
