Matthew's Jade Green 4x4 Conversion. (and other upgrades)

Where did you end up splicing into inside the glove box?

 

I thought i posted a link to that thread. See below for more info on how i spliced in. So far so good on the hack.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...-light-after-a-j-shift-4wd-conversion.624354/

 

A little work done the last few months. I am planning to switch out my front Tundra brake lines to solid lines but no time.

In the meantime. A hidden hitch has been added.



Build thread here. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/hiden-winch-well-sort-of.645807/

Repainted the front hood to stave off rust from the failed clear coat.

Rough sand, Grind out the chips with rust started, fill them, primer, sand and paint. I tried to use pre-mixed rattle can paint but one can was not enough so i will have to re-do it. This is the warm up for the roof which is getting bad.

 

Hey man where did you snag your axle tube from? I’ve been lookin around for one but can’t seem to find one

 

I got mine from a fellow TacomaWorld member. He was parting out a 96 Tacoma so i got all of the manual front axle parts as a lot. I agree these are a challenge to find but they are out there. You may want to check with Toyota dismantler's. That is where i got my J-shift Transfer Case and it worked out. You can also use a standard unit and permanently lock the selector. There are a few threads on doing that. I almost went that route.

 

Gotcha. Yeah I don’t mind locking an ADD unit. I just haven’t been able to find an axle tube at all. I’ll keep looking. Thanks for all the info in your thread

 

Thank you for putting this together - I'll be tackling the swap soon on my 02 with donor parts from an 03. (trans, case spingdles, axles, front diff, front and rear driveshafts, wire harness, and interior shift cover). If it came with wire harness I shouldn't have to tackle all the additional wiring you did correct?
This is going to be a task for me but I'll be getting some help from a friend who did his 99 Tacoma and a relative who's a technician, but will try and tackle most parts other than the trans/transfer case at my home. Wiring looks to be the biggest tackle IMO, but I could be overthinking it.
Where in SoCal are you located and would you mind if I messaged you if I have any issues?

 

Regarding the harness you may want to talk with some of the other guys on this forum. I purposely avoided that and only did the dash light which is little more than a simple hack.

It sounds like you are going with a 03 ADD into your 02 ADD. I am pretty sure the trans in the 03 is the same as the 04 and different from the 02. (Kick down cable vs. electronic controls.) You will need to sort that out and that probably includes more than the wiring and computer. @BartMaster1234 can probably share with you what you need.

I am in Orange County. IM me if you need to.

 

If the donor truck is a v6 Auto 2003-2004, there is one big issue. Those transmissions do not have a kickdown cable. You’ll have to swap valve bodies since 03 and 04 is electronic.

 

Man that part isn’t cheap. So my 02 is not electronic, only 03-04?

 

Only 2003 and 2004 v6 engines had the ETCS-I system. If you had anything older you’d have to swap the valve bodies.

 

Found this on a previous forum, looks to be that the 02’s had the same ETCS-I.
When I searched valve body on toyotapartsdeal.com the 02 and 03 parts look to be the same too. Is there a way to check this on my truck: ie you guys have a photo of the 03-04 valve body so I could compare?

 

If you have a transmission cable on your throttle body you don’t have the ETCS-I.

 

Quick update. a few years down the road and the 4x4 work still works fine. I am only doing light trail work but all is OK. I probably use it 3-4 times a year.

Still have a clunk in the rear end when i go over uneven surfaces. (Like speed bump with one axle at moderate speed) Not the drive shaft. Not a loose suspension. I keep thinking axle bearings but keep reading that they do not clunk when they go bad and i do not have alot of axial play there. (FWIW i have OME 5 leaf's with stock rear end & 5100's)

Installed some JBA upper control arms. Blew out by OEM ones somehow in a year. I am sure it was my fault as my lift is under 3". Anyways. Sort of happy with them but man do they creek. Super annoying. Have greased them twice to no avail.

Otherwise just driving it daily.

 

My OME leafs clunk a ton when they get wet. Then they quiet down when dry. I’ve replaced my ubolts twice since installing them. Just seems to be part of the deal with them.

 

Thank you for the insight. In this case i am totally dry. It is a pretty hard clunk like metal hitting a stop. Tends to be more when i am turning left into a driveway or going over a bump with my passenger side tires only. Something that is putting the truck into an lateral motion or offset suspension.

The creek is for sure the day i installed the JBA's. It is a urethane sounding creek.

 

JBA's UCA's suck... my Deavers are only quiet when wet.

 

Update. The Creaking was because i used the wrong grease. After cleaning them the creak has lessened but still there. I just ignore it.

 

@mjhenks - well written and visuals are perfect. Thanks for keeping up with the documentation throughout your swap. I've found quite a bit of good info in your updates.

 

My Pleasure @Area51Runner. Pleased to say that lately i just drive the truck with little issues. Just turned 200K miles. Some nagging things but nothing i am activly wanting to work on.