Hey guys - I did some searching and I didn't find the answers I was looking for... so I joined the forum and am going to ask the question here... If I just didn't see the post I was looking for, please let me apologize in advance and please post links to the threads I was looking for...

I love my 3rd gen 4runner with the v8, but it's still too nice for me to rock crawl with (and my wife drives it half the time anyway), so I'm in the market for a new vehicle to build. That brings me to my next question... Which toyota gives me the best platform from which to build looking at strong frame and drivetrain perspective...

I plan to build a capable, but reliable street legal wheeler. I envision 40's, SAS, D60's, 4 link front and rear, roll cage, winch, great articulation, etc when I am done. It won't all happen at once, but it will happen.

As for my experience. I used to have a cherokee - hence the questions about a strong platform - the cherokee was anything but that... I had fun in it, but it wasn't made for real abuse because it wasn't made out of real metal... just flimsy tin.

Thanks guys for the help!

 

84-95 Toyota 4Runner/Pickup

Welcome to Yotatech.

:wabbit2:

 

You have a V8 3rd gen 4runner? Why do dana 60's and not just stick with the stock yota axles? They are pretty strong stock and will pretty much hold up unless it has a motor swap. The question comes down to what body style you like, it sounds like you are pretty much going to change everything so it shouldnt matter what year it is.

 

I second that motion - 84 to 95 pickup/4runner

 

i'd honestly bump that up to 86-95... either way you're going to SAS it so might as well have the correct steering box.

 

Steering box is cheaper than a SFA.

:wabbit2:

 

yeah if you start out with a SFA pickup or 4runner, your already halfway there. with the 22re and stock toyota axles I wouldn't want to run over 37 in tires....Regear to 5.29's and you'll roll around just fine.

 

not when he wants to run D60s... new axle either way.

 

He was visioning. I was being realistic

:wabbit2:

 

I want to go SFA because I've done the IFS thing in the area I'm at and then I had my SFA cherokee and I liked that much better. I may use stock toyota axles... but seeing as I can do D60's and I'll be half way there with the front one, I might as well upgrade the rear while I'm there.

Thanks for the tip on the steering box... I figured this, and will probably add the PSC steering assist as well.

Why the 84-95 trucks?

 

What's wrong with my V8 3rd gen 4runner? I'm not going to crawl it yet...

I want stronger axles because I want to run 40's and I had already been told that 37's are about as big as I should go with the toyota axles... this is just a personal goal of mine...

As far a motor swap... chevy 5.3L ?? Maybe in the future... but not now.

 

I am not saying anything is wrong with a v8 3rd gen 4runner, I was just asking to be sure it wasnt a typo and you didn't mean v6, what kind of motor does it have? Or are you meaning a 4th gen 4runner which came stock with the v8? Unless you have got a lot of money, I would look to something that is going to get the job done for the kind of wheeling you are looking to do, before all of the spendy mods. We all like to dream of where our trucks will be one day, but wheel them they way they sit now.

 

so basically your just gonna have a toyota body after all the mods? if thats the case then just go by what you think looks the best.

 

Whats wrong with a 79-83 pickup?

 

30 years old, small cab, weak transmissions. Worn out


OP: look at an 89-95. French the front spring hanger so you keep it nice and low.
Street legal on 60's is gonna be a wide challange

 

95.5-00 single cab Tacoma. Stretch the WB to about 110.
The 95.5-97 single cabs have the v6 option. So you could go with a turbo r151 and a yoga case(s) and run a passenger drop front.

 

I like that idea. But the r151 is about as rare as a 3 peckered billy goat around here.

Id start with a 89-95 22re 2wd pickup. Cheap because its a 2wd, and the front of the frames have more clearance than the 4x4 frames so you can get it nice and low. But you are looking at a new tranny, tcases(s) etc. ....

OP: There is a billion ways to build a billion different trucks. Build one that suits your needs and the trails you like.

 

Thanks for the help. I will be building one that suits me and what I want to do... My original question was not what should/could I do with the vehicle I purchased to build, but which one to purchase. Are there any benefits from having a 4runner chassis vs a tacoma or the small tundra chassis.

I'm not talking about a debate over SUV vs Truck - boring! What I want to know is about weaknesses in the frame design and build... I'll take the best all around platform from that aspect and then build what I want...

 

Just thinking, I would believe the 4Runner body and frame would be more rigid over a pick-up due to the body adding stiffness to the frame, but on the other hand, the pick-up format will allow the frame to flex a bit more before doing damage to body panels.

 

thanks all for the information - I appreciate you all chiming in. I am going to be looking at 89+ ext cab tacoma's. Ext for the bit of extra room and 89+ based on what you have all said + my own research.