UPDATED - Now with Twin cases and triple sticks "El Taco Diablo" 4x4 swap and B.S.

Why? Money is already spent... Water under the bridge.

 

It was hard to really tell how much I spent since I was doing a part out on my 4Runner during the conversion. I could've kept better track but since my truck is my daily I just wanted to get it back ASAP. I stopped taking pictures and documenting things as much towards the end.

Had some cold wet morning bike rides to cross country practice and class. Then the week I finished it got warm and the sun came out.

 

My swap came out to roughly 1600 in parts, 300 in stuff like fluid and hardware, and a space to work as well as help from my dad. Overall came out to 1900 up front, but I still need to sell my 2wd trans, which I can get 400 or 500 out of since it was in very good shape. Being realistic, if I got 400 from my trans, the whole build would come out to $1500. Going the "just buy a 4wd truck" route, I would've gotten probably 8k for my prerunner and spent 10-11 for a 4x4 of a similar year and condition. Tack on all the money I've already spent on my truck, and the 4wd conversion came out to be very worth the effort imo

 

Totally agree that the conversion is worth it. If I add mine up, I'm sure I have close to 3 grand in to mine. But I've done things like buy an entire rear drive line, where a lot of people just have their existing DL cut down. I'm replacing a lot of seals most people don't, and U-joints. I also bought an entire new set of spindles and did gussets, added twin stick etc.

All in all, the drive train is going to be in near new condition when I get done, plus I will know a LOT more about it, which I think is valuable knowledge when on the trail etc.

And at the end of the day, I've owned this truck for 14 years. No intention of starting all over with a different truck.

 

I needed a wheel bearing pressed in, so my wife and I put the steer knuckle in the basket of our tandem bike and rode it to the machine shop. LOL

 

That's f'n epically awesome!

 

Its a 1960,s Roll Fast. We got it off CL for 200. I even have ugly maching hoodies. Its like ridding a bike with a trailer. The turning radius sucks, LOL

 

The bike is bad ass... But the story about you and the wife riding to the machine shop with a spindle in the basket is even bader ass.

 

All of the U-joints (except Cardin joint) have been replaced. New Carrier Bearing set, torqued and staked.

Need to pick up the nuts, bolts, and washers (to attach Cardin to flange) from the dealer tomorrow. The order came in today.

 

So... This arrived today. This one makes me nervous.


I don't enjoy the thought of doing transmission work.

 

Figured I'd post this for anyone reading this, that was wondering. The way I ended up doing the U-joints is set it up like this. (Pull out all the snap rings on the bearing cups before you start)


That socket on top is a 20mm the socket. The one on bottom just has to be big enough to allow the bearing cup to fall out when you beat on the top socket... Wail on the top socket with a hammer. Once you get the top bearing cup in the middle of those yokes the bottom cup will fall out and you can normally get that side of the U-joint out of the yoke. Do it again on the other side of the U-joint and the whole U-joint is free. Putting them back in, just put a 20mm on to and set the bottom on another 20mm and give it good hard taps until you can see the groves (on the inside of the yoke on the bearing cup) to put in the snap rings.

Now... The Double Cardin joint is a different process. The U-joints in that are replacable, but it's a pain in the ass.

 

Well, the shift kit went better than I thought it would.

The instructions pretty much explain everything. You just have to read through them a few times to understand what they are trying to say.

Started out by Identifying my transmission (the kit covers 4 variations)


Mine happened to be Valve Body #1

Here's my VB

 

Here are the instructions that applied to my trans.

Page 2

Page 3

Page 10

 

I started with page 10.

The kit required removal of the springs in the big end of my accumulators. And replacement of the springs under the accumulators.

Before

After

 

Then I moved on to the valve body.

The bolts on the VB are not all the same length. I (half assed) mapped out where the bolts go, in relation to the VB.

 

Be careful when you open it up. There are a few things that can fall out. I had it flat on the table and lifted the top side off carefully. Nothing jumped out at me.


I had the VB on a towel to catch springs / balls that could fall out.

 

Had to drill these holes out with included but... It bearly removed any material actually.

 

Everything is ready to go back together. But I'm ordering new VB gaskets tomorrow. These are very brittle... And I'm hoping I'll never be this far in to this trans again.

 

I also ordered Transmission fluid tonight, so it will be here before next weekend. The plan is to make this swap happen next weekend.



That shit is EXPENSIVE!

Red Line D4 ATF - Quart (Case 12 Bottles)

$194 Red Line 30504 D4 Synthetic Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) - 1 Quart (12 Pack)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VTLJBE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mdryCb2RQMNTE

 

I went with Toyota ATF and thought that was expensive.