(Yet another) 2wd to 4wd conversion? 2005 T4R SR5

[jmoleary]

I'm looking at upgrading my 2wd T4R to 4wd but haven't found alot of great information on it. After looking at the numbers, I need to spend about $3K to get out of my car and into a 4wd runner on top of the payments I've already made. I'm planning on 'taking' that $3K and putting it towards slowly getting the necessary parts on this swap.

I've been lurking this forum and other off-road forums for ideas and suggestions but I haven't figured out what the best route for this is. My T4R is still my daily driver and will be for a good couple of years.

IFS? SAS? OEM 4x4 swap? What parts do the 2wd and the 4wd models share and what will I need? I haven't really found a good source with bullet points of information, just oodles and oodles of everyone doing it there own way.

Any help pointing me in the right direction is appreciated! Help me grow into a capable 4Runner and not a road queen!

 

[eskimochaos]

You need a different transmission The A70F is what you need, you have the E.

You need a transfer case, you need electronics, you need a diff, drive shafts.

More than 3k.

dont waste your time or money. trade in and trade up

there was someone who tried to do it on 120, their wallet dried up real quick and it was never finished

nobody else has attempted this.

 

[Whitey13]

Don't waste your time/money. If you want 4wd, sell your truck and but a factory 4wd.
You will never come close to replicating the factory 4wd if you DIY.

 

[eskimochaos]

I seriously lol at these threads. A little common sense goes a long way.

Sas @ 3k is a wet dream let alone the 4wd conversion.

 

[BlairB]

You can actually do an SAS for relatively affordable, especially if you do your own work. Relatively affordable and cheap are very different though, I think you could do it for under $3k, but you would have to be wise and shop around.

I would personally not look at converting it IFS 4wd, so many factors that would cause such a hassle. Stick with what is simple, SAS.

Here is a thread on this same topic that is about 20pgs long now. Enjoy the reading .

converting a 2wd to IFS 4wd - Toyota 120 Platforms Forum

What Croz recommends is what I would do if I was in that position. He has made his SAS, so he speaks from experience.

or...keep your trans, run a divorced case (choose whatever you want), cut off the IFS, get a Dana 44(not expensive used) or Toyota solid axle, spend a couple bucks on a good steering box ($300), coilovers that fit in the wheel wells, ...

...have a highly capable and cool rig.

...none of the above parts are expensive, it CAN be done without spending a fortune. Especially if you have some fancy IFS parts to sell and offset some cost.

sorry, but you guys opened the can of worms by looking at 4WD conversion options. This is a viable and worthwhile option. You have to consider all angles when looking at a project like this.

 

[BlairB]

Don't waste your time/money. If you want 4wd, sell your truck and but a factory 4wd.
You will never come close to replicating the factory 4wd if you DIY.

You can make something FAR more capable than factory 4wd and it would not be that difficult.

 

[Whitey13]

Telling someone that SASing a DD 4th gen is simple and affordable is untrue and terrible advice.

 

[BlairB]

Telling someone that SASing a DD 4th gen is simple and affordable is untrue and terrible advice.

It is a more affordable than other types of 4wd swaps and it is simple by comparison. Go reread what I wrote, I said affordable and cheap are different. It is simple b/c there are only so many needed parts and it has been done before without issues, an IFS 4wd conversion has a long list of unknowns and far more little odds and ends parts needed.

Also, the 3 guys that have done it thus far say they still drive great and for many it is their DD.

He asked a question, I gave my two cents about 4wd conversion.

 

[SkylineGTRracer]

If you want to be serious about converting you 2wd to a 4wd sas than I would look up LCE (LC engineering) They have made plenty of stuff of this nature to older toyotas.

 

[mysticz]

Blair already posted the link to the 2wd conversion thread we started.

For me I am going with IFS conversion but with some not so conventional style.

My setup

A750F transmission swap
FJ manual transfer case with either twin stick mod or a special linkage setup.
Front diff from a V8 Runner ( no ADD) So I will run full time 4wd.
OEM CV axles, bearings, spacers and bushings.
Front & rear stock 4Runner drive shaft's modified.
ARB front air locker.
4:56 gears swap front & rear.

This way you will not need any 4wd ECU or ADD connectors.

Keep tabs on that thread for updates.

 

[mysticz]

For some of us a trade in or trade up is not practical.

With all the money and time spent on mods.

For me I hit 95k mark which is way to high to get a reasonable price for.

Originally was going with a SAS but decided for what I need it would not be practical and plus I would never fit in my garage.

So the only logical way I could get 4wd is IFS, this way I can keep all my mods in place and continue to build up my mods.:surfer:

 

[FourEyedWilly]

I think in your situation, the truck would be down far too long unless you have access to another car for an extended period of time. A 2wd/4wd swap is not a weekend project or even a month project for the do-it-yourselfer.

I might consider a different approach and go with a Total Chaos suspension system, invest in a good winch, a rear ARB Air Locker and have a dual purpose rig. I've been over the Rubicon twice in 2wd drive vehicles and was made a believer that a little suspension travel and a good driver can get through quite a bit. And, when they got stuck (twice only) out came the winch.

For the record, the first 2wd was an M38A1 that dropped it's front drive shaft at the dam and the other was a dune buggy. The dune buggy made the Rubicon look silly and like a highway. Heavy right foot!

arty:

 

[Whitey13]

It is a more affordable than other types of 4wd swaps and it is simple by comparison. Go reread what I wrote, I said affordable and cheap are different. It is simple b/c there are only so many needed parts and it has been done before without issues, an IFS 4wd conversion has a long list of unknowns and far more little odds and ends parts needed.

Also, the 3 guys that have done it thus far say they still drive great and for many it is their DD.

I think you are very mistaken about what the 3 guys you are referencing spent on their swaps and the work that went into them.
What is relatively affordable to them may not be reasonable to someone else.

 

[BlairB]

I think you are very mistaken about what the 3 guys you are referencing spent on their swaps and the work that went into them.
What is relatively affordable to them may not be reasonable to someone else.

I am not trying to argue, I know how much some of them spent and it was more than lots of guys cars are worth, but there were not doing the "budget" SAS. They put in new top of the line axles front and rear and completely redid the rear geometry. That is not what I am talking here.

And I used "relatively affordable" because it is exactly that, relative. If you are sure you want to convert your truck to 4wd, SAS is a very good option to look into, that is all I am saying.

Clearly, you (nor I) will not be doing it anytime soon.

 

[Whitey13]

agreed.

 

[json1990]

Tacoma to 4runner

I have a wrecked 4wd 2011 Tacoma, can I take the 4wd parts from that to convert my 08 4runner from 2wd to 4wd