A prerunner to a 4x4...worth it???

I have a 1999 Tacoma ext. cab Prerunner V6 and i want to do a 4x4 conversion my trouble is i could earn 3000+ dollars this summer and sell the taco for 4000 then buy something much nicer, but im not sure. The other trouble is changing what the title reads if i ever want to sell it, Because right now it says its a 2wd not a 4x4.

 

It's not worth the headaches.

 

Convert it will find a beat ass 4x4 for 7k if you like your taco keep it and do the swap won't find a nice 4x4 with decent mileage for 7k

 

If this is your only vehicle I would say no!!

If you have the shop tools and Time!!! Quite a different story.

Funny how life keeps interfering with building your Truck at times.

 

I love my Tacomas as much as the next Tacoma owner, Save the money. It’s time to upgrade to a 2nd gen…I’m looking at going URD boosted and the Charger kit alone costs about 6 grand, to put it into perspective…Save the money for a 2nd gen or even the new 2.5/3 gen haha...When I casted my vote I was under the impress you are going to stay with a Tacoma just upgrade to a new generation. I'd rather own a 99 Tacoma Prerunner than a Chevy, Ford or Dodge 4x4

 

no

 

It can be worth it to make the swap on an older truck if

1. you've got more time than money
2. you've got access to enough tools
3. you've got access to all the parts from a donor 4x4 (buying new parts at retail quickly turns project into a financial bloodbath)
4. you're planning on keeping the truck a long time (it'll be hard to sell since most folk don't want to buy a frankenstein 4x4)

Sounds like you were thinking of turning a profit by selling it by arbitraging the difference between the pre-runner price and 4x4 price. In that case -you'll run afoul of #4. A truck you swapped yourself won't carry the full 4x4 markup and you'll have trouble selling it.

 

All of these things are true and valid points... I was wanting to by a Chevy Avalanche because i have found that in my area i can find a fully maxed out one with leather interior... The other thing is is that there arent really ever tacomas for sale here and when they are for sale its only for 24 hours or so before there bought.

 

Ya, most places I've looked tacos are harder to find and the price is a bit steeper. Personally, I won't buy someone's project vehicle no matter how much they guarantee me they know what they're doing. I find that if someone does a major conversion, and then sells, its because they f'd it up and want to offload it. If I'm looking for a trail beater it doesn't matter as much since I'm gutting it anyway. But for a DD, I have no interest.

Save your money, buy what you actually want.

 

I say convert it. The parts can be found for less than a grand, then you have money left over to play with. You already have a nice tacoma, theirs no reason to put yourself into debt with monthly payments to buy another tacoma. If you can get the parts cheap enough, you may even have enough cash to have a shop do the conversion for you. The conversion should only take about 2 days.

 

I've not driven a Chevy Avalanche and haven't been in one but it kind of looks like an SUV with a bed instead of a 3rd row of seats. If a truck with a small bed and a lot of extras is what you're into then get it. I just don't quite get it but then, I'm happy with a baby 2.7 4 cyl 4x4 truck that lacks everything but cup holders.

 

Don't bother with a swap. Those kinds of things are always more work than you think.
Depending on where you are, you can find a niceeeeee first gen 4x4 for $7000. $7000USD is like $9500~CAD. You could get a badass first gen taco 4x4 for $9500. You could get a TRD fully loaded with under 120,000 miles for that much here.

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...ck/1073666096?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/...ck/1073666096?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camion...te/1074651812?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camion...x4/1073299774?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camion...es/1069471580?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
http://www.kijiji.ca/v-autos-camion...00/1068173667?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Here you go

 

I did it... 6 years ago. Still have the truck, drive it daily, 222,000 miles - 50,000 since the conversion. Total cost (w/ re-gear x2, ARB locker x1) came in about $2,500. It took me 6 months to convert. Drove it during the week, wrenched on it during the weekend in my 2-car garage. Sourced used parts from across the country - Thanks Internet!

Still a great truck, completely reliable - I keep up on scheduled maintenance

I'd do it again in a heartbeat... Great experience.

I'd caution those with the 2.7 (which I have). There will be more 'customization' required than if you had the 3.4. The 2.7L 'pushes' the drivetrain 2.5" further aft than the 3.4 block. This requires custom-length driveshafts and modifications to the transfer case shift lever.

Taco Dell had a hand in the build - back when we were young men

 

Well the avalanche is a Chevy 1500 suburban hybrid. It can fold the rear seats down to have a 8ft long bed...not that Tacoma even really have a big bed... however the avalanche rides much nicer than a Tacoma (not that the Tacoma has a bad ride). Id really like to buy a second gen Taco if i could find one at a decent price.

 

first off, your never changing that title description so forget that idea, you will have to sell it as a frankenstien conversion when you sell it but it may not hurt the value much.

second, its not as hard of a project as you think but it is very labor intensive because you do need to keep just your body, engine, and frame and swap everything else with 4wd stuff from a donor 4wd truck.

lastly, unless you cant afford to sell yours and buy a 4wd, or you just love to spend all your spare time doing labor intensive time consuming long term projects, you are better off leaving it alone and sell yours then buy a nice low mileage 4wd taco and I suggest you start shopping now since it will take time to find a good one so be ready to pounce when you do find one and in the mean time you have yours to use as a DD

 

This is the kind of project where if you don't feel confident doing it without asking for a lot of help you probably shouldn't do it. Toyota's are easy enough to work on and this project isn't the hardest but you've got to have some experience behind you.

 

It comes down to a place to work !!

Tools to get the job done!!

The time to do this with no pressure!!

Let us not forget money $$$$$

Getting a complete donor vehicle buying parts one at a time always ends up being a nightmare at least for me.

Having another vehicle to drive that is yours not needing to depend on others to go hither and Yon !!

 

Here's a list of costs on parts +/-
You decide if that's too expensive or not

 

Although you won't get a title for a 4x4, you only pay registration and insurance for 2x. As for the 'Frankenstein' comments... I certainly don't consider as such, I only used factory toyota parts. Other than a non functioning dash light when 4x is engaged, mine is no different than a truck that rolled off the dealers lot.

 

Now if your like me you most likely won`t sell your truck.Except in pieces

I have run into a few issues finding parts and with insurance on cobbled together vehicles.

Insurance can get quite interesting if a insurance adjuster looking at the VIN and the truck in person is really no longer the same truck.

It just comes down when does it become a reconstructed vehicle.