4x4 conversion option?

I just came a cross a decent deal on an 1995 forerunner with an automatic transmission. Mileage is reasonably low and its a 4x4. I was curious if I could potentially make a 4x4 conversion package for my truck with this cars parts?

I have a 2001 tacoma 3.6L automatic

This is a 1995 forerunner limited edition 3.0L automatic

Is this possible or worth the trouble? What should I be checking to verify that the parts may or may not be compatible?

 

@BartMaster1234 has done the conversion and might be able to answer that

 

Here are the only pictures that I have so far. Honestly, the car is in pretty decent shape. The drivers seat is a dumpster fire though.

 

Unless it was free, not worth the effort.

 

The 4Runner has a passenger side transfer case and that is the opposite side as the Tacoma trucks would have. It’d be easier to source parts from something closer to your truck year.

 

Different generation, so that would be a complicated swap. You want a 1996-2002 4Runner.

 

No you couldn’t use any parts in that. 1995 is the last year of the 2nd Gen 4Runner, what you need is a 3rd Gen 4Runner made from 1996-2002.

 

Understood. Thanks for the info guys. I had just came across it and the idea struck me. I’ll keep my eyes open for a newer model.

So from 1996-2002 automatic trans and 3.4L engine. What else would be important qualities to look for in finding the easiest match?

 

Gear ratio of the transplant front diff needs to match your existing rear diff.

 

What do you want, push-button 4WD, ADD, J-Shift, or Manual Hubs?

 

Push button would be nice but I also don’t want to get killer complicated with the swap process. So my thoughts were to initially keep everything as simple and plug and play as possible while leaving room to make performance upgrades in the future. What’s the popular opinion on the most plug and play desirable/durable setup ‘swapwise’?

 

Pushbutton 4WD with ADD is the most difficult swap. Easiest is J-Shift Transfer Case with Manual Hubs. That swap is the most popular with zero wiring and zero vacuum systems involved

 

Do you have a thread of your swap so I can see some of the details of your experience doing this? How’re you liking everything today? Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

 

Find an auto 4x4 truck so the driveshafts are the right length.

 

I just found a whole wrecked truck that’s 3.4L auto just like mine except it is obviously 4x4... waiting to hear back on the gear ratio.

 

I’ve been working on a write up for the past two years I just never finished it haha.

I’ve had 0 problem after two years and 20,000 miles. If I were to do it again I would buy a remanufactured torque converter because that cost me a $1,000 shop bill after it was found warped and defective.

 

Will this make a good conversion donor? Here’s a picture of my door tag and the forerunners.




Thinking about buying the whole car and just putting my 2WD components on it and reselling the forerunner as a 2WD to get most of my money back.

 

Find a Tacoma if you are trying to do a 4x4 swap in a Tacoma. As others said, the 4Runner, while they have similar front suspension and the same motor, I don't think the transmission and tranfer case are a direct bolt on like they are between a pre-runner and 4x4 Tacoma.

 

Do you know of any threads that detail what you’re talking about here? I thought the trans and stuff were exactly the same. I’d like to read up on it a bit more. It’s tough to search for something that specific on such a popular topic.

 

Anything is possible with enough and but it's acceptable practice to make life as easy as possible for this type of work and start with parts for the correct vehicle. That way, all your crossmembers, drive lines etc line up and you don't have to fabricate anything.

Here's some reading I found from a quick search.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/prerunner-4x4-convert.84306/

I'm sure if you bug @BartMaster1234 enough, he'll get off his ass and finish his write-up, lol