4WD swap for SEMA could use some input...

C

caractere

New member
I know this is a touchy subject so let me give you the back story. I've been building SEMA projects for years. My father in law has always been my wingman on EVERY build, yet I was never able to get him to Vegas for the show. Regretfully he lost his fight with cancer last year. He really wanted my wife and I to have his 2003 4Runner V8 2wd. My promise was that we would take it, BUT we would build it for SEMA so we could get an aspect of him to the show. We live in the mountains so a 4wd conversion is a MUST! We already lifted the truck with a Toltec Boss lift. What do you recommend to do a 4wd swap? Parts, factory, aftermarket...

I have a rendering to share if you'd like to see it.
 
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At this point, it'd probably be easier to just buy a 4wd vehicle, and do a complete drivetrain (or even frame + drivetrain) swap if you've got to keep the same chassis.

Then sell the 2WD one after you're done.


I'd think buying individual components would be more than the slight value hit of buying a 4WD one and reselling it as 2WD.
 
I'd love to see a rendering as well.
[MENTION=64685]TOY2G[/MENTION] has some great insight on the conversion.
 
I would like to see a rendering, plus perhaps chat at your booth at SEMA. We always set up in the south hall, so let me know where you end up getting a booth and I will swing by.

As far as the 4x4 swap, it is so much easier than you might think. Buy used OEM for the Transmission, transfer case (don't just buy the t-case, because it will not come with the adapter to bolt to the transmission), 4X4 ECU, 4x4 V8 Gauge Cluster, transfer case to ECU harness (has to be cut out of 4x4 donor) Center Diff Lock switch, 4x4 selector switch, front diff, transmission cross member, front drive shaft, and rear drive shaft. Expect to pay 1100-1500 for all these parts unless you have a hookup.

Then buy new CVs, drive flanges and front bearings.


Once you round up all the parts, the swap takes as long as a tranny swap and a lift kit (about a day). Nothing is complicated. If you find a good donor 4x4 V8 to get the parts off of, you should snag the center dash trim...otherwise you have to cut a hole for your selector.

I did my swap several years ago and a friend of mine (and member on this forum) owns the truck now. People do not know its not a factory 4x4. When I did mine it cost about $3k all said and done, but now with so many avail and you have more time than I did to wait on parts I bet you could get it all hammered out for less than 2k. I dropped big money on a couple things just to get the swap done.

If you have a paid off 2wd and you want a 4x4, take your time, collect the parts as cheap as you can and then spend the weekend swapping them. The dash is wired for the 4x4 slector, 4x4 gauges, and center diff lock switch. It's all plug and play. You don't have to do the new Custer but it's only $150 on eBay and it gives you your 4x4 lights and stuff.

Now, post some renderings of what you plan to do and get to parts hunting. I suspect one day in the not too distant future, this swap will drop south of $1k and more people will start doing it. It will blow your mind how easy it is.
 
So I'll be taking it off road but nothing to gnarly. 2 key items. Transfer case. Do I go looking for an OE transfer case or an FJ? In regards to the front diff, do I need to find out out of a v8 4Runner or is there one better that will work? For that matter the same goes for the trans too.
 
caractere said:
So I'll be taking it off road but nothing to gnarly. 2 key items. Transfer case. Do I go looking for an OE transfer case or an FJ? In regards to the front diff, do I need to find out out of a v8 4Runner or is there one better that will work? For that matter the same goes for the trans too.
Click to expand...

you could do a manual swap at the same time
 
caractere said:
So I'll be taking it off road but nothing to gnarly. 2 key items. Transfer case. Do I go looking for an OE transfer case or an FJ? In regards to the front diff, do I need to find out out of a v8 4Runner or is there one better that will work? For that matter the same goes for the trans too.
Click to expand...



For the T-Case (if you want the swap to be easy) you will want the V8 Full Time Transfer Case.

As far as the front diff, you just need to make sure the gears match. And BTW, that little "Y" shaped mount on the front diff is Sooooooo hard to find by itself. So be sure to grab it when you get the diff.

Best bet is to find a salvage yard with a V8 4x4 and take all you need at once. If you are comfortable with it, you can snag the CVs and both spindles so you don't have to buy any new parts.
 
TOY2G said:
For the T-Case (if you want the swap to be easy) you will want the V8 Full Time Transfer Case.

As far as the front diff, you just need to make sure the gears match. And BTW, that little "Y" shaped mount on the front diff is Sooooooo hard to find by itself. So be sure to grab it when you get the diff.

Best bet is to find a salvage yard with a V8 4x4 and take all you need at once. If you are comfortable with it, you can snag the CVs and both spindles so you don't have to buy any new parts.
Click to expand...

It appears reading thru here that the t-cases are problematic. I thought about doing an FJ case.
 
caractere said:
It appears reading thru here that the t-cases are problematic. I thought about doing an FJ case.
Click to expand...

There are many people who have experienced a leak on the sector shaft. If you are mechanically inclined you can split the case and swap the seal and be done with it for about $5.

I have an FJ T-Case from when I did my swap. I thought I wanted to go with part time 4wd, but in the end the undertaking would have been quite substantial. Not only would I need to bring a shifter through the floor, but I would have to figure out how to tell the 4x4 ECU to listen to the speed sensor, and shaft position, but ignore the 2wd mode. I went with the V8 case because I wanted OEM.

now if you decide to do the FJ T-Case, please keep us posted, I still have mine and may consider swapping it into a 4th gen in the future.
 
Glad someone else is thinking of making this swap. [MENTION=64685]TOY2G[/MENTION] thanks for all your insight for this swap.

I have a V6 but I assume it's all the same process, just different P/N's because of the part time 4x4?

I started making a list of P/N's for each 4th Gen year to broaden my "year" search for a salvage 4Runners. I started the list by finding salvaged 4Runners VIN's and entering them in the site Toyota Parts Deal which checks compatibility based on VIN's.

I also used Toyota Partznet because they show the diagrams of the 4Runner. Pictures are worth a 1000 words.
 
sigepbiker said:
Glad someone else is thinking of making this swap. [MENTION=64685]TOY2G[/MENTION] thanks for all your insight for this swap.

I have a V6 but I assume it's all the same process, just different P/N's because of the part time 4x4?

I started making a list of P/N's for each 4th Gen year to broaden my "year" search for a salvage 4Runners. I started the list by finding salvaged 4Runners VIN's and entering them in the site Toyota Parts Deal which checks compatibility based on VIN's.

I also used Toyota Partznet because they show the diagrams of the 4Runner. Pictures are worth a 1000 words.
Click to expand...

You have part time 4x4 and with that you have a few options, you can find a salvage 05+ Tacoma, 03-2015 4Runner, 07-2014 FJC with your same drive setup and pull all the parts from one donor vehicle. The only part that may not fit is the cross member. Because all of the above vehicles came optioned with a 4.0 Part Time electronic shift 4WD you should have no problem finding your parts. I suspect you may be the first person to pull it off in the $1k price range. Us V8 guys are very limited on parts and the used parts cost a little more.
 
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