i have a 1990 toyota 4 runner and a 1994 toyota pick up and i need to seel one. the other i am gonna build to wheel with. the 4runner has the 3.0 and a automatic but the transmission is blown and i havent had a chance to replace it yet (tho i do have the transmission) and the pickup i am in the middle of a head gasket job on a 22RE. i am trying to weigh my options on what would be a better truck to wheel. either one is gonna get a solid axle swap and set up for rock crawling. i was leaning more towards the truck then the 4runner but i am open for opinions and reasons behind which one. both of htem have similar rust issues... not to much rust on either but some on each. so what do you guys think??

 

go with the truck for wheel'n

 

is the truck manuel and if i say truck

 

yeah go with the truck. easier fix and less poo to break. and its a pickup if ya need to haul any poo around...

 

as for the body style, i like the 4 runner better...more room to put stuff

but for the drivetrain, i think i'd prefer the 22re w/ 5 speed over the v6 auto

or if there was some way to put a 5 speed in the v6 runner, that would probably be my choice. its all up to your preference, sounds like they both need some work

 

id say go for the truck

 

I am going to say 4Runner. It has more room for people/gear for camping and excursions. You can sleep in the back. You can swap a manual tranny in it, easily (I did). While swapping the tranny you can add a dual case setup. You can sell both auto trannies and pay for the 5-speed and part of the duals. If you don't like the 3.0 power, you can sap in a 3.4. The sealed beam headlights provide a great platform for a HID retrofit. At the very least, nice, semi-built 4Runners are rare around my area. Maybe I'm just in love with my 4Runner.

 

They both have the same wheelbase... so there is no argument there..(truck is reg cab right?)... I really like the wheelbase... as I have wheeled a runner and p/u with the exact same mods... the 4runner does better in some things due to the weight distro.... The pikcup in other becuse its lighter...

When my kid(s) get old enough I am going to build a 86-89 4runner to wheel, I will want a 22RE auto.. its going to be a trail rig only so not too worried about power loss with the auto on the street, and the auto provides more control, espically with crawler gears..

If your building a trail rig the hp isnt a huge concern, unless your building a rig for mud bogging....

It all comes down to how many seats do you want to wheel with, and do you want an auto or a stick... the work to SAS and a 56 or 63 leaf swap will be the same.. so no help their either...

What about selling the one that will yeild the most cash for the others build?