Pickup to 4runner
 

Has anyone ever converted a pick to a 4runner? I have seen plenty of 4runner to pickup conversions but non of the other.

Put a topper on the back and call it good.
I've seen a few of the 85-88 body pickups converted to 4Runner using the 4Runner removable top.
I don't know about in New Mexico, but up here in Canada, the pickups are worth a lot more than a 4Runner.

My plan is to cut out the back of the cab and the front of the bed to make a walk through conversion. After that I want to add a 1st gen 4runner roll bar and a bikini top to it. I dont want to add a 4runner top or a camper shell. My only issue I can't get sorted out is how I should join the bed to the cab. Dropzone suggested taking excess metal and screwing it to the bed but I am worried about body flex. If other people have done this I want to see how they closed the gap between the cab and bed.

Why not just get a 4Runner? Your pickup is probably worth as much as a 4Runner.

4runners are few and far between here.

As someone more than qualified to answer, I hope you'll find my answer useful and that you consider heeding this following suggestion.

UNLESS you already have a SHORT wheelbase pickup (i.e. standard cab/ short bed) it is completely worthless. Then you would need to purchase a donor frame AND a donor shell. You can get away with a pickup frame, but it require the relocation of 6 body mounts... AND a 4Runner fuel tank. For more information regarding pickup-to-4Runner through actual body swapping, please type my username in the search bar along with keywords like "swap" "4runner" "frankenyota" etc.

As far as cutting the back from the cab? Well... Winnebago, amongst another company who's name currently escapes me, used to convert trucks to 4Runners up until the introduction of the 1984 1/2 4Runner.

(Remember, the 4R was NOT introduced until halfway through the 1984 truck model year, so there IS such a thing as conversions done on 1984 year trucks called 'Trailblazer' but that died fast.)

Anyway, unless you're utterly gifted in SHEET metal fabrication, cutting straight, and basically keeping it professional... it's going to turn out like crap. No joke, this isn't meant to be insulting whatsoever. I have no idea where your skill level is at. BUT, 80% of the time these types of scenarios (cutting and modifying) don't turn out as good as they do on paper.

My 4Runner project did turn out ok in the end, with several debuggings along the way, BUT in the end... I miss the old XtraCab truck just as much.

Cheers to your endeavors, but remember... the money you DO NOT use on this project can go to tires, lifts, etc.

You live in New Mexico, not Alaska. :) I'd say spend a few hundred dollars on the flight and find you a 4Runner. Might even try posting up for trade on here. Probably some folks with a 4Runner that would like a pickup. If you've got a good condition rust-free pickup, I bet you'd get some good interest.

Mine has some rust on it but light surface rust. I can get about 2000 for my truck now, the problem is most people around here want 4000 for thier 4runners. I am ok at sheet metal work but I have several people here that have the skills and equipment to pull this off. Xtraslow do you have any pics of your work?

Winnebago did Trekkers and Griffin did TrailBlazers...the 4Runner name did not originate until 1984.

OP-you could find some ideas in the Pirate 4x4 'Walk Through Cab' Thread in the toyota forum...

I looked through that thread Dropzone. I just can't seem to figure out how to deal with body flex when joining the bed with the cab.

Bonds-

Sorry man, I just checked out the ol' thread myself and can't figure out why the pics are no longer there... I've always stuck with two basic sources to upload my images... either photobucket or MySpace has failed me.

Griffin... that's right. I would've never known about the Trailblazer, but I persuaded afriend into buying one a few years ago. Idiot neer registered it, so it got towed. Go figure he never had the dizznero to bail it out. It had an emblem on the dash saying Griffin with RV-type socket lights in the rear and a missing rear bench.

Anyway BOnds- I've switched between multiple computers since the original swap... I could probably dig up a pic or two, but it's easier to just throw a shell on the pickup or trade for a Runner. I claimed the "scarcity" excuse at the time ONLY because I was SFA. NOw I"m IFS, but thats what happens when trucks get stolen.

When I bought a shell for my truck, there was an rubber accordion seal I got from the Camper place that allowed me to remove my entire back glass, along with the front glass of the shell and seal off the cab to the bed area to make it a pass-thru. It worked well with a gap if about 2 inches with plenty of play for shifting and twisting of the body.

Check out the following link:

http://www.accordionboot.com/camper-shell-to-cab-seal