I have seen a ton of them chopped, but i think you actually loose space that way. the bed isn't that big on the runner to begin with when you cut it in half by moving the door forward it seems like the bed is like 2 feet long, where as If I actually used a truck bed, it would be a bit more work, and make the rig a little longer, but the bed space seems like it would be a lot more worth the chop. Then I could also move the axle back a bit to give more room for tires instead of chopping the doors, but it would still be about the same as a truck length is originally if I am thinking right. I think it would more work, but it would be a lot cleaner, and functional.

As far as the 5 speed. I have seen the 3.0 with the fivespeed to about 20MPG, which is about the same as the 22, and although it would be nice to get a pre 86 and drop what ever the hell I want in it. it seems like once you get to the trail it is more about gears than power anyways sure a 454 in a toyota is cool as hell, but it doesn't really seem necesary when you are crawling rocks or tight trails like what I see most of, and if you gear in the axles I don't think I will break as much . At least in my very newb opinion If all else fails for 500 I could just steal the the entire 5 speed cluch, and ... drop it in my DD throw the auto in there drive it to pull and save and I got a free 5 speed swap, or even clean it up, and sell it for more probaably just depends how rough it is. for some back assward reason auto 4runners actaully seem to go for more don't ask me why, and both with a 3.0 are worth more than a 22. resale valeues are F-ed.

As for the tux, I just need to find a powder blue ruffled shirt to wear with my white tuxedo, and call it good, haha.
I should probably get that taken care of some day what kind of tux and crap thought, or am I asking the wrong person on that one?

Dude I think you found the right girl for you. I could totally see you with his and her toyota wheeling machines that would be sick, or you could just chop her yukon, sas it, and you could just fit more kids in it in the future

 

I think if you put a full bed on the 4 door runner it will be long. i mean my truck is 112 from the factory and IIRC the 3rd gen trucks are 122 with an ex cab, which i think is what yours is at now also, if you add a foot and a half roughly to get a decent bed to fit it will you would be talking 140 inches and my fullsize chevy ex cab is like 144 or so IIRC so that is long!!

You got to think how much bed you really need? i mean enough for an ice chest camping gear and tools is about all you need, and build a tire carrier and you will be golden.

as for the tux dad is getting sized today so cait will know the style she/I want and can tell you. should be funny to see dad in a tux...lol

I personally think you are trying too hard to make that runner more than it is. personally if it was me i would buy the 500 dollar runner put a 4.3 in with the 5speed and do either a toy SAS or full widths and make it a trailer rig, wheel the piss out of it and trailer it home. Then sell your white one for good$$$ and buy something like cait's yukon that has plenty of room for your musical equipment and can tow the toy and still get better milage than the runner. i mean caits consistantly gets 18 around town and that is bone stock!! my truck gets 21-22 on the HWY and it is still stock and quiet sitting on some 33x11.5's and still got 12-16 towing the yota!! i mean i like your runner but it is not going to make a good tow rig! oh and BTW her yukon turns sharper than my 84 toy did!!!

 

A tow rig is not going to happen, at least until I move out. I am going to be amazed if dad even lets me get away with having 2 trucks without ripping my head off. I really don't think I am going to be wheeling that hard to need it yet, either. I break the stock , and go from there, when it starts getting un streetable then I will worry about it, but I'm looking at 37 12.5's max as the driving level grows so will the truck, and then I may need to worry about a tow rig. I have thought about a Yukon, or Burban or something, because of the extra space, power, and milage really. It would be fun to have a v8, especially if I am going to buy another 2nd gen to wheel. That is kind of the initial reason I was looking at cherokees/ 4runners becasue I wanted it to be wheelable, but if it is going to be a DD I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. I guess the only thing holding me back, is that I have spent enough time on this truck to not really want to get rid of it. Not logical, but I guess that is the way I roll. It is a beast in the snow to though, it showed the hell out of the colorado, and a lot of other trucks on the road, dad almost lost his bumper a few times this year, but the runner sits a lot higher.
In all honesty if go through with the 2nd gen wheeler it would be a good idea to look for a Yukon turn it into a larger version of my current runner, and forget about the engine/ transmission swaps, I bet you could sqeeze a few more MPG out of teh Yukon, and I would be sitting in the same place milage wise with a bigger truck more engine to play with, and somethign to pull a trailer when the runner can't hit the street. But then I do have to deal with the problem of making a Yukon or a suburban not look like a mom mobile.

As far as the bed on the runner I know mine is REALLY noticably shorter than the 86, but I know the 86 is literally the same length as a blazer when parked side to side. I need to do some messuring, but you might be right. It would be rad, but at the same tiem after rolling it the first few times even with a cage the bed is going to be mash anyway.

 

ok so i was wrong about your wheel base:
*From the factory manuals:
1979-83 short bed 101.77 *
1979-83 long bed 110.24 *
1984-89 4Runner 102.95 *
1984-88 xtra cab 112.20 *
1984-88 single cab short bed 102.95 *
1984-88 single cab long bed 112.20 *
1984-88 double cab real short bed 112.20 *
1990-91 4Runner, 2 door 103.3
1990-95 4Runner, 4 door 103.3
1989-95 short bed 103.3
1989-95 long bed 122.5
1989-95 xtra cab 122.5
1995.5-04 Tacoma 105.3 and 121.9
1996-92 4Runner (taco based) 105.3

looks like you are 9" shorter than my truck and the 86 longbed. but i would not go over 122 in wheel base, or it will start feeling really long on thiose tight trails especially when you go bigger tires and get to start worrying about rubbing tire on leaf springs with toy axles.

could poss put a runner chopped cab on an ex cab frame and bob the ront and rear of the bed to fit it...would not be 6' but still a bed....

I am thinking i am just going to graph on an extra extra cab on my 84 to get a back seat and a place to keep the dry camping gear dry adn store my beer!!
something like this( dont laugh at my horrible paintbrush skills, i have people that do the drawing for me usually....to think they let me design power plants.....lol):

 

i just realized your build thread is two pages longer than mine and i am near done and you havent started...hahaha kind of ironic dont you think?

 

wow way to kick me while I'm down. It kind of turned into way more of information gathering than a build thread, and now that I figured out what I want to do, I can't afford it so it doesn't really help. I am really pissed about it, but I think wheeling is getting shut down for at least this summer. If I stretch for cash I could probably get a truck, but I wouldn't be able to pay for gas/inssurance to drive it after next month when I go back to school anyway. I am going to be taking 18+ cedits both semesters of all the capstone pain in the ass classes so I will be back to working like 4 hours a week, at like $12/hr that makes for some killer checks. I started a truck fund though, I'm hoping to find something this winter, when all the slightly rolled trucks start showing up for $200 then start really building next summer once I don't have to worry about school schedule and tuition money EVER AGAIN. Dude this College crap is Bull!!!! I'm on break and it is still keeping me down.

 

i will let you wheel my truck if you come visit! i finally got to drive her and man!! i got an extra room too... just saying... well time to get back at it

 

I need to make it up there some day, but I think I could buy a truck for the price of the plane ticket to check out yours. I guess I need to just find a rig next summer and have it moving before the big wheeling trip next summer.

 

that could be true, plane tickets up here are crazy expensive! maybe when i come home next we will ahve to go for a drive in the runner. my truck isn't going right now i got to get to work on it but i got to finish a friends truck first...can you say 95 chevy with one tons? it is sweet!!

 

sounds good if I get the HG done. I had to break my truck with AC the week it keeps breaking, talk about bad timing.

 

so is this project ever gonna get started...?

 

Yes and no, but the build has changed a lot.

The 94
Staying streetable(4.3 won't qualify for smoge where I live) so sticking with the 3.0
It's getting a 5-speed
magnaflow 50 series
high flow cat
ISR mod
new head gasket being done at the moment.
and I need to finish gettign rid of that Chrom crap(only the bumpers are left)
heated seats remote start and all that other cush stuff

instead of the SAS and lift I looking for a new trail rig
84/85 4runner
it's getting a 4.3 advanced adapter to 5 speed
or eventually a 327, 700r4, 205 combo with 1 tons eventually.

36-37 TSL's
high steer
aussie in the rear
e-locker front
4.88 gears in both
chevy leafs in the rear with toy rears up front
+ fender trimming for low COG
rhino lined interior half doors and a soft top

A blown head gasket, tuition and a lot of other ty events lately have killed my budget, but it will happen ASAP, as soon as wallet startes agreeing with my wheeling plans more.

 

try getting married and buying plane tickets to come down!!! cost me 1300 bucks for this next visit alone!!!

and if you only plan on 36-37's then one tons are really overkill, i mean i beat on my stock toy axles with the intention of breakingthem when i bought the one tons and i couldn't do it. one tons arent required for anything under 40's IMO. and the skinnier track width can help you in places!

Man i wish i lived closer to come wheel with you and help you with your truck!!! keep looking for mechanical engineering jobs down there!!!!

 

I think 40+ tires go into the eventually category as well. You do need to move back down here just think about how much more you could do to your truck when you save like 5000 on plane tickets a year.

 

tell me about it, it is getting to the point where it is cheaper to drive! it just takes a week to drive.... i cant wait to get my truck all dialed in!! give me a call and i will tell you the story of how she went on her maiden voyage!

BTW have you found a 5-speed yet? i know a guy who knows a guy who got one for free i might be able to pick up free and ship it down.

 

Nope I still need one, shipping it would cost more than buying one though wouldn't it? That would be sick though.

 

i will look into it. what are they going for down there?

 

I have seen a few for around $300 for the trasmission and transfer case, but they don't pop up to often. I keep checking pull and save so I can pull the whole assembly with the pedal and all, but no luck so far, seem to find a lot of autos but not to many manuals. I am trying to solve my mileage problem though my legs are almost to the point I can bike to work, just have to start waking up ealry enough to try it.

 

i know a guy that has some 5-speed 4 runners i might be able to find you the pedals and stuff.

 

so any work on this bud? what is the next step? 5-speed? 3.4 swap? 4.7 swap? what. any parts i should be looking for?