Swapping a 00 5 Lug Cab to 02 4x4 Frame?

Hey everyone, hoping you can help shed some light on my latest money spending endeavor.

Currently have a 2002 6 lug v6 5 spd 4x4 extra cab that has had rust repair on the upper portion where the windshield is mounted. The repair is ok thus far, but replacing it has been on my bucket list for a while now.

Came across a 2000 5 lug 4 cyl 4 at extra cab in the same color in pretty good condition for a great price and am wondering what would need to be modified in order to get it swapped onto my 6 lug.

I know the front end is different and would like to keep the 2002 style if possible. For those who have experience/knowledge with cab swaps, what are some things I should look out for?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

 

I’m not sure of the years, but I know @Blackdawg installed a 5 lug body on a 4x4 truck. If I remember correctly, there were some subtle differences but nothing major.

 

Would have to cut a hole for the 4WD gearshift?

 

It'll bolt right on is the good news.


The cab is exactly the same. Things that you'll have to cut out is the hole for the Master cylinder for the clutch. This is easy since the stamp is there for it already its just not punch out.

You'll need to make the hole for the shifters about 3'' longer to allow the Tcase shifter through, super easy. Only "hard" part is tac welding the rear bracket that holds on the shifter boots. But really not that hard you just need a welder is all.

The front fenders will NOT be the same. The 4wd fenders have a 1.5'' flare compared to the 5 lug fenders. So keep your front fenders.

The other difference you'll have is the core support will be different. That's due to the different grill setups toyota had for the 3 facelifts. 95-97, 98-00, 01-04. So the head light mounts will be different. Honestly if you want to keep your 02 front end, buy a new core support from Rockauto. Drill out the spot welds on the new cab and bolt in the new core support. You'll have it all stripped down anyways for the swap so it'll be easy to do it then. Then your whole front end will swap across easy and can be. Make sure you use your hood and your fenders though for it to line up.


It'll be a lot of work especially if you want to swap the interior to keep the 02 interior. That is what I did. You can check out my build(Frankenstien's build) for more info, link is in my sig. Back then I didn't do write ups as good but you can see photos of me doing it.

 

Thank you for this! Exactly the info I was looking for.