Thoughts for 4wd

Currently have a RWD SR5 2007 and trying to think of the best cheap way to make it a 4wd without doing a solid axle up front and doing a bunch of welding. Ive been looking for 4runners for parts to piece the 4wd together but to no avail ive found nothing. Looking for ideas or websites so i can find items to get a good pricing or to salvage from a scrap yard. Anything would be a great help!

 

Welcome aboard. I like to use https://www.car-part.com to search salvage yards near me

 

With it being an 07 you prolly can find a buy one for less than the amount of work it would take.

 

Not true at all, especially if the OP does his own work. Stick with your 2018 in the 5th gen section, kthxbye.

@Squatchunter, The swap would be a little labor intensive and not something you would want to farm out. You need to do the work yourself to make it cost effective.

Get the front axle from a 2nd or 3rd gen Tacoma or any 4th gen 4runner with a V8 if possible. It's a direct bolt in either way. If you get the Tacoma axle, get a new pass side axle tube for a V8 4WD 4Runner to eliminate the disconnect on that side. Same if it's a 4WD V6 4Runner axle I believe. You can buy standard front CV axles either OEM or parts store remans for a 4WD 4runner. Just make sure the front gear ratio matches what you have in your rear axle. Pretty sure you don't have to change the knuckles but I could be wrong.

Next, you need a transfer case from an automatic FJ Cruiser. The one from a manual will NOT work at all. If you can get the transmission from the same vehicle, great, otherwise you can get one from a 4Runner, again, preferably a V8 variant. The FJ transfer case is a direct bolt on to any of the 4WD 4Runner transmissions.

Lastly, you will need to have driveshafts made to fit. Stock 4Runner or FJ Cruiser driveshafts won't fit. Find a good driveshaft shop and they can tell you how to measure.

Install is straight forward, no welding required except to modify the FJC tcase shifter. You do have to cut a hole in the trans tunnel for the shifter and fab a cover plate for that but that's not a big deal.

All in all, doing the labor yourself, you could probably do the swap for around $2500, rough guesstimate. Might be more if you have to do a gearing change on either axle.

Check this thread out as he did exactly what you are wanting do do -

 

references an ‘03 V8 so there are likely significant differences but there may be information you can use.

 

I must of butt hurt you somewhere but its ok plenty salty nuts on here.

OP never said he was doing his own work. Yea parts alone $2500 maybe. But time is worth something as well.


PS : I don't even have a 4R anymore kthxbye (who the f talks like this?)

 

You will turn that solid truck into a money pit, if you try to stuff it with some transfer case. Trade it in for an older 4WD 5th gen or a 4WD 4th gen.

 

The V8's all came with full time 4wd, so there are probably some significant differences. That said, the Limited also comes with full time 4wd, so some things are probably interchangeable.

 

I honestly think you're better off finding a good 4wd 4Runner and then selling your 2wd to recoup some money. Unless you just really want a project, I don't see this being worth the time and effort.

Just my opinion.

 

If you wanted a locker, that would be different. What you want is too much work and no guarantee it will be done correctly. Save yourself from all the stress. Plenty of people who would love to buy your 4th gen. Sell it and get a 4WD one. 2WD trucks are fine to a lot of people, I owned a couple.

 

Lack of knowledge here. Yes, the 4th gen V8s had full time 4WD. I have one. The FJ transfer case bolts onto the transmission just fine and works just fine. I know this because I have done this. 50k miles on the swap from the full time case to the part time FJ case. Front axle is still the full time 4wd axle. Works just fine.

Again, more 5th gen people that don't really know what they are talking about. I'm sure you are all trying to be helpful but your all just giving poor, misinformed advice on a subject you don't have experience with. This would have been more helpful when he was actually buying the vehicle in the first place.

 

What did I say that was incorrect?

 

Again, misinformation with a lack of knowledge. My money pit has cost me less to modify, maintain and own than your 2023 you have listed. And it's far more capable than you truck as they both sit. Again, some people enjoy doing modifications that others would say are a waste of money. The OP has a known vehicle with a maintenance history that he knows well. Sure he could sell it but being a 2WD, they aren't worth what a 4WD variant is. All depending on the market and region of course. It would cost him more to buy a 4WD truck, even with selling his, since the 4WD pulls a premium. And then there's the vehicle maintenance history that he won't know. He could end up spending even more on that as things are discovered.

You all are very narrow minded when it comes to modifying vehicles. Think outside the box.

 

Good points. I agree now.

 

"significant differences". I already covered that. V6/V8 have basically the same drivetrains between them. You are making assumptions without doing your homework on the subject.

 

I didn't realize that the OP was planning on using the full time 4wd drivetrain. I must have missed that.

 

He didn't state whether he was or not. I listed the simplest, most cost effective means of him accomplishing the swap from 2WD to 4WD. It involves using a full time 4WD axle with a part time FJ Cruiser transfer case. That makes the truck work just like any other manually shifted 4WD vehicle.

 

That does make sense, since you wouldn't need to worry about the ADD.

 

Exactly. That was one thing I suggested, eliminate the ADD using either a fulltime 4Runner passenger tube or, I didn't mention that the FJC also had a full time style tube since they don't have ADD either, or at least one of them doesn't. That might be just the manual FJCs since those came with full time tcases. Which won't work for the swap as the tcase bolt patterns are completely different, along with the output shaft sizes.

 

You should sell it and buy a white 5th Gen Off-Road 4x4 with a regear and Magnuson S/C

 

Since we’re on the subject of 4wd swaps, does anyone know if the transmission crossmember situation is as easy as swapping out the 2wd for a 4wd one? Or are they located in different areas front to back? When I AWD swapped my Tacoma, I had to move the location for the mount forward a little

 

Should be just swapping them. 2WD and 4WD have different shapes but use the same mounting locations. You also need a 4WD mount as the 2WD one wont work on the 4WD trans.

Per this post -

 

Thanks, that makes things way easier vs modifying the crossmember. Everything is basically bolt up for the 4Runner minus the floor modifications for the FJ cruiser shifter. Super easy if you can wrench and swap parts yourself

 

I’ve been driving and modifying cars for 30 years. In all my years, the consensus is it’s cheaper to sell the 2wd and buy the 4wd. 4th gen t4r’s are everywhere. I almost pulled the trigger on a gen 3t4r with 130k miles and a v8 for $13k. There are still diamonds to be had.

Or if he really wants capable, sell it for a 100 series Land Cruiser.

 

Have you priced out 4WD 4th gens recently? Especially the V8 variant? I've also been buying, selling and modifying cars and truck and motorcycles for 30+ years. I stand by my argument that it's not necessarily easier to do the swap but it is cheaper as long as you are doing your own work. Again, he has a vehicle he knows the recent history of and not an unknown with potential issues. Where is this consensus coming from? Also, there are no 3rd gen 4runners with V8 stock, so that was either a typo or you are talking about a modified 3rd gen that was V8 swapped and therefore might justify the outrageous price of $13k. That's not a diamond to be had, that's a nightmare to avoid.

 

yeah, I meant to say 4th gen t4r with the 4.7. I just bought a 5th gen t4r sr5 in 4wd for $15k. I’m a big fan of any Toyota truck.

 

13k for that is crack pipe. A coworker recently picked one up with 160k for 6,500. Brand new tires and very clean. GX470s are still cheaper than that as well.

 

It’s about perspective….

For most of us, we don’t possess the skills & tools, or the time and the patience to do the work and the cost of buying something I want just makes more sense.

 

a clean t4r with the 4.7, 130k miles and no rust, 4x4 is a bargain for under 15k.