I have a 1980 toyota longbed 2wd i dont plan on putting too much money into this and i dont wanna make it into 4wd but i do wanna make it more offroadable. Not like hardcore just to drive and play untill i get a 4x4. Now i was wondering for a 2wd what tires should i get? I am thinking super swamper tsl or ssr tsls? they are small enough to for my truck lol. I dont do crazy 4wheeling in my lil truck at all but i do play with it as you can see in my pics. I just wanna buy tires i already lifted it ( mostly ) and got the jeep wheels i need for the bigger tires. And my other question is should i swap the engine for a 22r? i have a 20r in it right now it does perfectly fine but i kinda want a lil bigger engine for those bigger tires maybe put a lil more power down. THANKS GUYS!

 

Hands down, the best mod you will ever do is a locker in the rear differential.

 

I don't know that much about 20r's but just looking at the hp specs between the 20r and 22r you're only talking about 4 hp, not sure about the torque but I can't imagine it's that much better. If your engine now is running well I wouldn't mess with it for no more power that you would be gaining. Your money/time would probably be much better spent on a gear install if you do the aforementioned locker to help with running the bigger tires.

 

what kinda locker should i get? my dad has a detriot in his 89 it works amazing but i am not wanting to spend 800 bucks on one part for that truck. i dont think i need to geat it down at all?? i could get a used 3rd member or rear axle from someone that had like 488s or somenthing?

 

Slam it, throw some 20s on it. :O

 

um no im not going to do that, i hate lowered trucks thats a discrace to me.

 

Heh I was kidding. I actually saw an 93 ext cab 2wd that was painted construction orange, on 20s and slammed about 4-5 inches..... he had to modify the wheel wells in the bed and weld them higher on the bed to fit the tires... heh. I was like wtf.

 

yeah thats great for some people but i am an outdoors man i hunt i fish i love to wheel so to me having a lowerd truck is just retarted. I dont like the fact that i own a car and a 2wd truck as it is but i am going to work on my 2wd untill i get a 4x4 i wanna make my lil truck a mini wheeler lol

 

throw you a lockrite in teh rearend, or aussie or jsut weld it, cut and trim teh fenders if needed, and throw you some 30s in there

 

how much do them run? could i get a detriot for my truck?

 

How much driving on the road you gonna do? If alot dont weld it.

 

Lock the rear will help the most. Lowering the tire pressure on the rear tires will help with traction. 25lbs will make a difference offroad and you can still drive on the road at a good speed.
You might want to invest in a highlift jack. You can use them as a come a long and raise a wheel to put stuff under it if you get stuck. A shovel and a pick axe are also handy on occasion.

 

here's some good info on lockers:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f31/locker-faq-43572/

i wouldn't mess with the engine, especially if you're planning on getting a 4wd sometime down the road. that's just me. i lifted my 2wd to make it look good, maybe do an exhaust later to make it faster, other than that i'm saving for a 4x4 trail rig. with the money it sounds like you might end up spending you could probably buy a decent truck that only needed a few repairs. just my 2 cents.

 

Some would say that slapping big mud tires on the back of an old 2wd would be discraceful too. Or atleast the most "white trash" thing you could do.

If you're really wanting a 4wd, why not clean up your truck and save (instead of what you're doing), and keep watching the for sale ads for an old 4wd? I see them all the time for about $1000 that would best suit your desires for wheeling.

 

Where are you at in OR? I've got an aussie locker in the rear of mine

 

im in portland and thanks for the info guys and im not new to wheeling i just dont have a rig to wheel myself been going out wheeling with my dad and some of my friends for years now but thanks for your help and as far as the 1000 4x4 i am sure there are some out there but i am not going to buy a truck i dont want. What i mean is i want either a mid 80s meaning 86 or older toyota, or a 1st gen i am probably going to buy this guys truck i know he has 3 toyotas a 81 a 89 and the 80 he is holding basically for me. lol i dont mind the newer ones but i dont wanna hassel with the already problematic ifs, id rather start from scratch on a platform that i know i can build up. and i prob wont put much money into my truck. It comes down to xmas lol cuz around then i might have the money to get a 4x4 if not ill wait for taxes lol either way i am getting a toyota 4x4 prob that 80 but thanks i am going to read up on lockers.

AND 91 um is that a air locker? and is it good still maybe later down the road i can work out a deal will it bolt into my dif???

 

If you're going to be getting the 4x4 sometime between Christmas and whenever you get your tax return, why spend any money on the 2wd? Just save that money for the 4x4. Any mod you do to make it more capable be it tires, a locker or gears is going to set you back a few hundred bucks.

 

well i been thinking and slept on it all i want to do is get the body lift for it and WHEN i HAVE to get new tires for them i might as well go with the super swamper ssrs cuz they are only 120 a piece i was quoted the cheapest street tire i can get for that truck was i believe 80 bucks so ill just piece it togther. But in a way your right. I just like to work on my vehicles and make them better then what they were stock lol so this is what im doing for my lil toyota.