4x4 Conversion or Purchase?

The downside to not being able to do this yourself is when you have a problem your pretty much at the mercy of the shop that did it

Another thing what is just a days work to some is a nightmare to people having never done something

 

How much spare time do you have to work on such a HUGE project?

Do you want to spend more time building it? Or spending more time enjoying it?

How much patience do you have (aka troubleshooting skills) in order to diagnose issues / problems that will come up after the conversion is complete? Cuz ...there will be issues and you will have to diagnose.

Just saying... When, you can buy a 4x4 without self-inflicted headaches to deal with and you can be on the trails enjoying it the same day.

 

The thing here is you have a 4C engine. You will suffer lack of power, just cause of that you should sell.

 

i promise it's just bolting and unbolting. Literally, the hardest part was swapping the transmission which that in itself is about $850 at a shop. Totally doable even though it may seem daunting! It really was too easy, plus it was a good learning experience for me

 

PERSONAL OPINION WARNING!!!!
Having done it, its about 98% Planning and 2% doing. I am not a mechanic by trade, all I know is from some trial and lots of ERROR. (see not tightening brake caliper bolts) It was VERY easy to do with the right tools (nothing special just some Hazard Frought extensions) and ALL parts standing by ready to go in. Myself and two friends did it in about 4 hours. I absolutely positively do NOT recommend having a shop do it. I have lost faith in ALL auto shops. Most probably wouldn't touch that job with a 10 ft pole anyways.

That being said, I had a V6. If I were you I would sell and buy a v6 4x4 Unless your going to make a full crawler with 5.29 gears and solid axles.

 

Get a V6 if you want 4x4, you'll appriciate the extra power for the added weight of the 4WD system.

 

I would also go this route. SAS is ideal, parts are readily available and you can really buy some quality hardware to do it right the first time.

 

Except a SAS is going to cost 3 times as much and definitely gonna be pricey for a shop

 

Thanks everyone for your input, appreciate it. I've come to the conclusion that I will be purchasing instead of converting, main reason being I would really prefer having a V6 instead of the current V4.