Making my truck 4x4

People trade vehicles they owe on every day.

 

Well not everyone has a need for 4wd.

My 5 lug is perfect for how *I* use a truck right now.

 

or he can sell it to Vroom, Carvana or Carmax, and order a 4x4 from a dealership selling at msrp. (yes there are some out there).

 

Procedure and cost would be very similar if he uses an FJ t-case.

 

Use an FJ t-case and bypass the need for changing any of the electronics. Should be able to swap to a 4WD transmission without any issues from the computer (the transmission is exactly the same except for the tail housing and output shaft). This is pretty much the path that most 2nd gen conversions have gone.

 

Given enough time and money anything is possible. For most of us it makes more sense economically to just sell or trade the current truck and get a 4X4. But if you're able to do the labor yourself and aren't in a hurry to do the job you MIGHT come out a little better off financially.

As long as you're not upside down on value trading isn't a bad way to go. If you got a good deal on it and can sell/trade and have significant equity for a down payment on the next one I'd consider it. Only you can decide if you can afford a higher monthly payment, and probably for a longer term. But it probably won't be much different than it would be if you had bought a 4X4 in the 1st place.

If you can't sell/trade for enough to pay it off and have money left over for a down payment, I'd wait until you can.

 

Do you truly need a 4x4 truck?

 

I did the 4x4 conversion with FJ tcase on my Prerunner over 5 years ago with no problems at all. I did alot of mods to the truck before I started and didnt feel like trading it in for a 4x4 and starting from square one again. I can tell ya that I enjoy my truck alot more. Depending on your mechanical skills and time it's a nice project to take on. Not for the faint of heart though.

 

I ask the same thing about people who buy any trim other than the TRD offroad

 

@Brian422 @pdaddy

 

sell it for more than U paid

buy a decent 4X4

 

If it's about money then what if OP pays off the truck, saves money after its paid off and just do it that way? Idk much about the conversion other than its expensive, time consuming, and can be difficult to source parts sometimes.

 

Yes very possible. I have a 2012 prerunner 2.7 double cab that is now 4x4. I have a list of what is needed in my signature. If your truck is built on prerunner frame you can do the swap if its built on the 5 lug frame then no. It cost me $2,800 to make the swap and i could have done it cheaper than that but i chose to get all low mileage components which drove up the price. My truck is fully built and all in Ive only probably spent close to 42k on truck. I got it for 21k with only 40k miles on it. Any v6 your gonna buy with low miles is going to start at around high 30's. so by the time you get to where my truck is you've already spent another 20k on top of the v6 asking price for a low mileage 4x4 truck., where as mine is done and built at the purchase price of a stock v6 truck. That being said yes the power is not there but really just depends on what you need the truck for. I've got 2k extra pounds of weight on my truck bigger tires fully loaded and RTT. 5.29 gears is the only way my truck is drivable at this point. yes i cant really drive truck in D on inclines anymore but i don't really care lol. Even if you boosted your truck your still in it for significantly cheaper considering you can and want to put all the work in yourself. Id say if you want something you can keep for a long time and means a lot to you then i would go for it. Its a great experience and you will learn a lot. @pdaddy has the best tutorial on TW ive seen. Its for a v6 but its literally the same as our 2.7. You can get the list of parts you need for your 2.7 from my signature. Hope this helps man.

 

cant believe no one has asked this yet. Is it a pre-runner (6 lug) or is it a 5 lug?

pre-runners have the same suspension as 4x4 models and are MUCH easier to convert to 4wd per the threads linked above. If it’s a 5 lug the suspension and running gear is different and a conversion would take a lot more fab and not be worth it at all.

edit @Brian422 beat me to it while I was posting.

 

just said that lol

 

we posted at the same time…

 

i posted before you

 

Yes super easy. Just takes time. 95% bolt on

 

Cause he said it was a 3rd gen and I don’t think any 3rd gens came as 5-lug.

 

fair enough. I Didn’t realize 3rd gens didn't have a 5 lug option. Now that you mention it explains why I’ve never seen one in the wild.