Converting to 4x4?

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greenGIANT

New member
I'm wondering what is involved in making my 1999 SR5 into a 4x4 with intake snorkel fancyness!

I wouldn't be doing the work unless is SUPER simple.. I have no focus for a project like that.. But I kind of want to run my Runner in the mud..

I would also like those rain guards for the windows..dunno where to grab em though..
 
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I hope you know that converting a 2WD to a 4WD is not considered a 30 minute plug-n-play job. It's not SUPER simple. If you don't have the patience for that, I'd suggest selling and getting a 4WD. Shops will charge you up the wadzoo for that kind of labor, at which point, you'd have been a lot better off just buying a 4x4.

The "rain guards" can be found on ebay as vent shades. Search that.
 
greenGIANT said:
I'm wondering what is involved in making my 1999 SR5 into a 4x4 with intake snorkel fancyness!

I wouldn't be doing the work unless is SUPER simple.. I have no focus for a project like that.. But I kind of want to run my Runner in the mud..

I would also like those rain guards for the windows..dunno where to grab em though..
Click to expand...

:corn:

this could be fun
 
greenGIANT said:
I'm wondering what is involved in making my 1999 SR5 into a 4x4 with intake snorkel fancyness!

I wouldn't be doing the work unless is SUPER simple.. I have no focus for a project like that.. But I kind of want to run my Runner in the mud..
Click to expand...

Yeah, it is NOT super simple. Not only that, it's pricey as hell to do too. Personally, I would sale the 2wd and buy a 4wd.

Although, here's a guy who did do the swap:
http://www.yotatech.com/f88/project-im-swappin-2wd-4wd-screw-tradin-114989/. (He's no longer on YT, but the info is there to give you an idea of what's involved. I don't believe it says how much he spent, but IIRC, it was somewhere around $7-$9 grand. Don't quote me on that though, but it was a good bit of money.)
 
Clemsonfan15 said:
If it's costs 7-9k I would buy a new used 4runner for sure.
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Neliconcepts ride is built like a tank though also. You could get off quite a bit cheaper I'd imagine by going to a stock set-up, but it still won't be super simple or cheap. Better off selling the 2wd and buying a 4wd. Or even buying a locker for the rear axle, some decent mud terrains and learn how to wheel and you may be surprised at what you can do.
 
trd_4runnin said:
Or even buying a locker for the rear axle, some decent mud terrains and learn how to wheel and you may be surprised at what you can do.
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In the rocks, he'd do well with that locker, but in the mud, he'll be in trouble with just 2WD.
 
True, Blake did go all out on his conversion. I would think if you went with a more stock setup, it would be in the $5K +/- range.

I forgot Iceman601 on UY.com did a 4wd conversion too. He went with a stock 4wd setup. You could PM on UY and find out how $$ it was for him to convert:

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=4399.0


Oh and here's the rest of Blake's buildup in case anyone missed it:

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=1278.0
 
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There is no reason to do all that work if you are not building a custom offroad machine unless you can do most of the work yourself and get hooked up on the parts too. It sounds to me like you should just go buy a 4x4 and save a lot of time and money.
 
Guys, this dude has said nothing about drivetrain mods, he said he wants to convert using "intake snorkel fancyness". What does that mean?
 
yeah, but using 'intake snorkel fancyness.' It sounds like he just wants to fit a snorkel so he can drive through mud and water without ingesting crap, and that he thinks that mod will make his ride more capable like a 4wd.
No one in their right mind would ask if doing a 2wd to 4wd conversion is SUPER simple as he said.
 
Good point, i'll ask him. :D Hey green giant are you in your right mind or are you really looking for an easy 4WD conversion?
 
For everyone I thought maybe with using a 4x4 Tacoma for parts I would be able to get something going. I'm not a mechanic, but I have been a VW owner for many moons...and I hate to take my car in for little bullshiz.. I get around in the garage I guess but I wouldn't take on a project like this without the help of someone in the know. 5-6k isn't bad if it includes suspension upgrades? But forget it anyway..

In reality my 4Runner is damn nice and I don't think I should do a bunch of custom diy work to it and possibly end up with a problem truck I become obsessed with. Plus for screwing around in the mid out here (no rocks, maybe some little slick hills) I'm better off getting my hands on an old Bronco and chopping that up to make it lighter.

I live in Miami, FL. It's pretty marshy out in my area and when it rains it floods. So I'm still interested in setting up a snorkel, but my original post was geared towards 4x4, figured I'd mention everything else and not post 5 threads.

How do you guys feel about leveling a 2x4 like mine? Does it impact performance..

techno said:
yeah, but using 'intake snorkel fancyness.' It sounds like he just wants to fit a snorkel so he can drive through mud and water without ingesting crap, and that he thinks that mod will make his ride more capable like a 4wd.
No one in their right mind would ask if doing a 2wd to 4wd conversion is SUPER simple as he said.
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lol.. you assumed way too much. In fact you thinking that I thought a snorkel would provide some sort of 4x4 performance is ridiculous almost offensive. hah..
 
Hehehe, well thats a relief. The first sentence in your original post was vague to say the least.
Have you considered getting some mud terrain tires just for playing around?
 
techno said:
Hehehe, well thats a relief. The first sentence in your original post was vague to say the least.
Have you considered getting some mud terrain tires just for playing around?
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I have alloy rims that have that weird logo that some toyota rims have? and it has some pretty chunky tires on it now.. At least an inch of tread on them. My worry is the soft mud down here.. anything heavy or 2 wheel drive tends to get stuck..

I found the in channel vent shades, and I found some camo seat covers I want..

My driver carpet is sort of grimy already, it looked way better 8k miles ago before I started using it..

Do you guys suggest a heavy duty carpet?? I would love something I can spill something in, or drag in water/mud and not worry about the real carpet then I can just hose it off...

What about a cargo liner of the same type of specs???

I didn't see much on ebay and the stores I found are a little overwhelming - they have like one or two brands and crazy prices..
 
An inch of tread? Awesome, then your set for tires, maybe a rear locking differential would suit you.
As for carpet/mats, I have Highlander heavy duty rubber floor mats and a Husky rubber cargo liner. My wife dropped a full can of coke the day and the p/s front floor mat contained the whole lot.
 
I have the pricey catch-alls myself but I think huskys would suit your purpose better. I can vouch for their soda trapping abilities too. I dropped one of those excessively large drinks from a fast food place in my friends truck and his huskys held it all the way through town :p
 
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