FrenchTacos 2003 4WD Conversion

Man that sucks. Almost made off with a perfect swap

 

Yeah in a way it does suck. But then again, it reminds you that when you buy used parts you do not really know what you are getting. So the more information you know about the vehicle/ used parts the better. This transfer case was sitting in a guys wrecking yard. So no history. Its a risk you take. Also, the fact that I did all the work makes it so that I'm comfortable swapping it out if I need to. I dont see it as something worrisome. (other than being stranded lol!)

I see you are in down south in Ventura. Taco parts aren't cheap for me in the bay area. Unsure about where you are but maybe a little bit cheaper.

 

Seems like you could buy 2 or so used t cases for the price of a new one, hopefully one of the two would work lol. I havent really researched local prices down here for parts, ive bought everything online or through stealership, but i would imagine they would be a bit pricey considering its a yota

 

Hey so I'm starting to piece together my swap, the first thing I'm looking to get is cv axles. I'll have to get them online, haven't had any luck with CL or local junkyards. What types of hubs do I have to get? Some are for the auto disconnect and others aren't. Also, would a refurbished set be a safe bet? I can get them for $40 a piece if I get refurb

 

Hmmm. Any hubs from a 3rd gen 4 runner or first gen taco.

It depends on what system you wanna use. I went with manual hubs because someone local had some. Also because I didn't want my CV's constantly spinning when driving even in 2WD. I do recommend the manual hubs. Don't have to deal with the actuator on the front diff.

I wish I had the time to explain the differences but its all in the forums and on google. Just gotta spend the hours learning. Its not difficult. Just takes time. You can start your own thread posting info and links to information you think might help people. Itll help you document your ideas too.

 

Sorry for late reply i got busy and forgot to check TW. Ill try to buy a group of parts all from the same truck before getting things here and there. Possibly have a supplier in the future, just need the $$

 

Its either tons of research online to piece everything or making it easier on yourself by buying a lot of stuff together.
Either way works though.
I couldn't find a whole swap at a price I thought was reasonable in a package deal.

One thing that was tedious was making sure I had every single piece of hardware. When you buy parts left and right they usually don't come with the bolts and stuff. So tracking down parts diagrams to get everything took a while.

 

Ok so I have all my front end parts ready to put on this weekend but I have one thing I'm unsure about. I've been watching videos on people dissassembling manual hubs and for all of theirs there was a little c clip that snapped into the end of the cv axle inside the hub but when I put my cvs into the hubs the little notch for the clip doesn't stick out at all and the cv is all the way in so did toyota just do this for their early models?

 

Bummer, for some reason I didn't see this post till now.
Mine uses the c clip. Do u have a picture?
Is there a notch on the CV but you're saying it isn't visible when fully inserted?

Is there a hole for a washer and bolt?


Congrats on getting all those parts, especially manual hubs.

 

I have a pic, another guy on here said its a bolt with a washer which is the only thing that'd make sense

 

Have you looked at parts diagrams? I recall seeing bolt and washer on one of the parts diagrams I went through.
I can't help out much since mine had the clip. But like I said I do remember seeing bolt and washer in one of the diagrams I saw while i was searching for hub stuff.

 

I looked at a few schematics but I couldn't see anything pertaining to retaining (lol) the axle but it has to be that bolt and washer because the axle doesn't stick out enough for a clip

 

I can't remember exactly why its needed. I mean I don't think the CV can actually slide out. I saw somewhere someone said it was to not screw up the hub. Wish I had more memory because I did look into this issue for a while as well. Keep searching the internet.

 

I'm sure I could drive it and it'd be fine but I have other cars I can drive so I'm not gonna chance it. It's kinda funny reading this thread and the advice you gave me in hindsight, and is pretty true especially the part about getting all the little nuts and bolts haha. You sure were right tho I had a great time doing it and feel even more proud about my truck

 

Update:
Over 12k on the swap and it still works great.
Only issue I'm having is with the transfer case.
It has a hard time shifting sometimes. I think I'll be on the lookout for a new one just in case.

 

Glad to hear this. I'm in the process of locating all the parts to do the conversion on my '01.

 

I've decided I'm 100% keeping ABS. Probably will have to rely on a machine shop to press the 4WD hubs out of my 4Runners spindles and into my abs ones.

 

Yeah I hate the ABS on the truck but I just felt that it was best to keep.
Have someone do the bearings if you get spindles with non sensor hole.

 

Did you have to change the throttle body?

 

No you don't.
Can I ask how you came up with that?