i know 1st generation had the best looking model....but what would you prefer carb or efi?? 4cyl or 6cyl?? any ideas?

 

4 cylinder EFI all the way, 85-88.

 

'84 has carb and solid front axle. '85 has carb or EFI, solid front axle. '86-'89 has EFI only and IFS. '88-'89 has the option of v6.

 

x2 for 4 cyl and efi

 

22re ....and a turbo...

 

The best combination for 4Runners is 1985 w/22re and 5spd.

 

bingo

 

Let me elaborate on that a bit,

1985 = solid front axle which is way better than IFS (Independent Front Suspension)

22re = 2.4L Fuel injected 4cyl (indestructible motor with none of the carb drawbacks)

5spd = 5 speed manual transmission good because the auto's are pigs and the 5 speed is a strong transmission.

 

awesome thanks a lot....now its hard to find the 4runner...some are very pricey and ok...

 

nice yellow 4runner!!! its very RARE.....1985 solid axle is better than IFS...cant find a solid axle but i hope im just gonna get IFS soon....thanks for the advice!

 

haha its a repaint

 

1999 w/3.4 and 5 spd.

 

That is not a first gen lol!

 

the straight axle is not "better" than IFS. Its just a different form of suspension. with either suspension you have maintenance and failures.

 

i just got an 88 4runner v6 5speed in great shape with 167k on it. for 1800 you just gotta keep looking and youll find a the right one for you.

 

SFA is definitely better and much stronger for off roading, but IFS is better for on road.

 

I disagree, unless you have a damn F-toy and you're climbing cliffs I see no need for a straight axle. there's tons of members on here ( including myself ) with a locked IFS front and are plenty capable offroad.

 

I'm just going to say, find the best shape vehicle you can(body, frame...) the rest can be changed to whatever suits you.
I ended up with 2, and one was a total mess!

 

Ok. If you are going to do any real off-roading SFA is the ONLY way to go. IFS is good for minor trails and the street, thats it. IFS gives you barely any travel. Locked or open diff you want all the down travel you can get. Up travel is ok, down travel is just one of the many things that separates the built rigs from the pavement pounders.

Now as for 1st gens, what are you looking to use it for? Each way you can build it has its advantages and disadvantages. for example i have one of the 1985 EFI SFA 5-Speed 4Runners on 37's, Longfield Chromo Shafts, Birfs, and Hub Gears, dual T-Cases, Lincoln Locked in the rear, etc. It is a built crawler and will go anywhere i point it. NOT a comfortable DD.

Now, if its a crawler your looking for send me a pm. My 85 is for sale.

 

I am dual locked with IFS also, but there really isn't a debate whether a SFA is better for offroading. People don't spend thousands on a SAS to not gain off road ability. SFAs are much much stronger, especially when you have a locker up there. CVs will never be as strong as a solid shaft because they have a joint that makes them inherently weaker. People bust CVs all the time on the trail in normal 4x4 because the CVs can't handle the torque. Add in a locker and it increases the stress on them by a lot.

That said, I'm locked in the front and I am very careful when and where I will use my locker (mine's an ARB so it's selectable) because they are easy to break. Wheeling on IFS is still fine and gets the job done, but a SFA will always be better.

Another reason SFAs are better off road is because when you lift a tire off the ground, the full weight of the front end gets transferred to the other side that is on the ground (like a teeter-todder) which means you have more down force on the other tire and that will give it better traction. On an IFS rig, when you lift a tire, it doesn't put all the weight on the other tire like a SFA does because they are independant of eachother.