3rd gen 4Runner front diff in a 1st gen Tacoma

My rear end has a 8” 4:30 diff and the 4runner diff I have has a 7.5” 4:30 diff. Does the difference in ring gear matter here?

Will my 4x4 work and not nuke the transfer case with the two different ring gear sizes?

thanks!

 

Front diffs are the same between the 4R and Taco.

 

As Kwikvette said, the front diffs are the same--all 1st gen Tacoma and 3rd gen 4runner front diffs have a 7.5" ring gear. Only the ratio (4.30:1 in your case) matters when pairing front and rear diffs.

Apart from ratio, you also need to pay attention to the passenger-side extension tube. There are three variants: straight (for manual hubs), vacuum-actuated automatic differential disconnect (ADD), and electronic-actuated ADD. A 4runner diff will have one of the ADD types. Which one you need depends on the truck you're putting it in to. The tubes can be swapped between diffs fairly easily if needed.