2005 tacoma prerunner to 4x4 conversion

Ok everyone, add this to the list of prerunner to 4x4 conversions.

Me and my wife are going to be doing this conversion on her 2005 DCSB tacoma.

Been doing research for a few weeks now and have started getting my parts list together.

So far I have a front driveshaft and just ordered my front diff (mounting brackets and ADD actuator included)
Working on finding parts as cheap as possible without getting just parts.
So far my biggest struggle is finding out if the A750F is interchangeable between all models in the same year range, I have not been able to find any concrete info saying yay or neigh about this question. But I have found that the price seems to be inflated for used ones if the transmission came out of a tacoma.

Going to be using a transfer case from an fj cruiser AT (manual shifted tcase) Not planning on doing the twin stick mod as I dont see a use for it as we have no front locker and no plans of putting one in her truck. Also someone correct me if I am wrong but having the ADD actuator manually controlled would basically allow you to run 2wd lo as well by running in 4wd lo with ADD disconnected, only difference I see is that the tcase will still be powering the front axle but won't do anything since both sides won't be hooked up.

One more thing I need some clarification on is all the threads I have read, everyone buys a 4x4 transmission member then chops it up. Why not chop up the trans cross member that is already in the truck? If you chopping it up anyways you can do whatever you want with it and should be able to modify it to work for the 4x4 trans mount.

So far on my parts list I have:

Front differential w/mounting brackets

Front driveline

ADD actuator

ADD wiring harness and switch

Mounting hardwar, bushings and new seals for front diff.

A750F transmission

AT fj cruiser transfer case

CV axles x2

4X4 front hub/wheel bearing x2
Seals and grease caps for these hubs

Custom exhaust

Custome trans mount

Custome rear driveshaft

Other than lots of small hardware peices that I have a list for from onother thread from someone who had done this conversion.
What am missing?

 

Good luck to you,but it would be easier just to sell your 2005 and buy a newer 4x4 Tacoma for a lot less hassle.

 

Is going to be a fun project. Take your time and shop around on Craigslist for part out Tacoma.
Yes you can your chop up your tranny's cross member.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/prerunner-to-4x4-conversion-parts.594436/

 

I’m in the same boat
I bought an inchworm adapter and rear 4x4 tranny tail housing to retain my transmission and not buy another transmission

Reason why they say get a 4x4 rear cross membe is that the 4x4 sits leveled (flat) and the 2wd sits higher


Or you make your own like many have before

 

This is said in every thread about this conversion but I am a mechanic and have been in the field for 14 years and this is kind of project is just fun for me. plus with trade in value or selling and buying 4x4 model I would end up spending thousands more than doing this conversion.
Also I like the idea of having manual Tcase wich I would not get from buying a 4x4 Tacoma.

 

Thanks for looking out. Dont think it would be worth it after shipping costs. Local LKQ auto salvage has parts I need for similar place without shipping charge.

 

• A750F
• 2003- 2004 Toyota 4Runner (4x4)
• 2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma (V6 4x4)
• 2005-2009 Toyota Tundra (4x4)
• 2004-2009 Toyota Sequoia (4x4)
• 2007- Toyota FJ Cruiser (4x4)
• 2009 Toyota FJ Cruiser (Canada V6 4x4)
• 2003-2007 Toyota Land Cruiser 100-series (4x4)
• 2003-2009 Lexus GX 470 (4x4)
• 2003-2007 Lexus LX 470 (4x4)

From wikWikipe

 

So I see the inchworm adapter plate to make the a 750e into an a750f costs just as much as a used transmission. Has anyone that has done the prerunner to 4x4 conversion ever checked to see if the tailshaft of the a750e could just be cut down 1.5 or 2 inches to make the 4x4 extension housing work workout an adapter? Just more food for thought. I found a used a750f for 290 at local LKQ so as long as it is still available when I get my tax returns I'll be getting that and after or during trans swap I will investigate this idea if it hasn't been before.

 

Lucky 07 PreRunner to 4x4 Conversion
Tranny arrived yesterday. I took gamble on a 2006 unit with under 100K, but had damage to the bell housing and pan... the plan was to use my existing bell housing and pan on the a750e currently in the truck to make the a750f whole. I only paid $350 for the tranny, plus $150 to ship from WA to TX. The gamble paid off, but not how I was expecting.

There was more damage to the unit than vendor described - input shaft was beat up since it wasnt protected by the bell housing, the shift shaft was cut off short with no threads to attach shift linkage, it appeared that previous owner was running Royal Purple, and one of the bolt holes on the bell housing side was damaged - looked like the unit had been dropped hard. I was ready to return the unit and pissed b/c I would have to pay return shipping.

After closer inspection of the 750e and 750f, I decided to swap the tail sections. 8 bolts and the a750f tail is off and it bolts right up to the a750e, making it an F. It also appears I can do the tail section swap while the tranny is still in the truck and I have the peice of mind of using my current tranny which has no known issues. This is a WIN in my opinion.

I shopped around and found you can buy a brand new tail section from Toyota without bearings and seals for around $360, add bearings and seals and its over $400 before shipping. So although I paid $500 for a used tail section, I learned a new way to tackle the tranny requirement for prerunner conversions.

This weekend will be the twin stick procedure for the FJ case, ordering a one peice driveshaft from local shop today, picking up crossmember from lkq, and tranny mount from a-zone. Still need to fab a new Y-pipe and modify the x-member, but I'm getting closer to finish.

Here's a few pics of the turd a750f and the tail section I pulled from it.


check with Lucky[OP]

 

Thanks. I have asked him about that already, he didnt end up doing the tail housing swap. He realized the tail shaft was too long and ended up buying an A750F transmission

 

FYI... if you go with the 4x4 Transmission. RockSolidToys has just made the transmission cross member for the 2wd to 4wd conversion. They should be releasing this week or next. I have completed the 4x4 conversion myself and I will be doing a write-up once I get more photos. If you have any question feel free to message me.

Also, for Transfer case you can get the 4runner TC. They're the same as the FJ. Just make sure it came off an auto tranny 4x4. I've attached the parts list I used for my conversion. What's not on the list is the screws to mount the TC to Transmission. Also, TC breather and Diff Breather.

 

http://mississippi-mud.com/thread-20326.html

Here's my conversion thread (different site though ). I posted several pictures of the crossmember on there if you plan on fabricating it yourself. I've been hearing rumors for a while about the RST conversion crossmember. I'm sure it will be a quality product. Wyatt does really good work.

 

On there instagram page you can see the cross member. It's very nice. Professionally CNC'ed.

 

@Kennyluu611 thanks I'll check it out!

 

If you're going to start out with the FJ case, just get the FJ front differential and scrap all the electronics. No need to buy something and install from the get go that's going to give you problems later. You can check out the parts list in my thread here. I understand some people want the ADD to disconnect for 2low mod, but if you twin stick and do the FJ cruiser front differential tube you get the same results with tons more reliability.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-deleting-add-system.427258/

 

I had thought about this and the thing that stopped me is that the fj front diff that does not have the ADD in it only came with the manual transmission and the manual trans FJs have 3.91 gears. My prerunner have 3.73 gears to o would either have to price it together for extra money or re-gear it for extra money. And with this being said as well, the front digs with the 3.73 stock gear have a thinker ring gear making that part of the internals a little stronger. I'm not planning on running anything larger than a 285 tire so I don't see the need to rehear the truck anytime soon. Also having the disconnect in the diff means less turning force required to spin the front tires, saving fuel. Maybe minuscule fuel savings but over the years it can add up.

 

For what it would cost you could just keep your current truck and leave it as is and go buy a 2nd truck with 4X4 for very little difference.

 

From my research and parts list the whole project is only going to cost $1500-1700, not sure where I would get a reliable 4x4 for that much, not interested in jeeps Cherokees, plus the then there is extra insurance and registration costs with having another vehicle.

 

I received my front diff last week and finally got around to unboxing it and checking it out. The outside of it is rusty and gross being it came from NY but seals look good and internals that are visible look perfect. Good gear lash and has newer bushings at all 3 mounting points! Also came with an ADD actuator and it is fully functional! Pretty good score. Paid $250 including shipping for the diff with all mounting brackets and ADD actuator included.