2nd Gen Tacoma Prerunner to 4wd Conversion

[Green Gorilla [Veteran Member]]

Before I begin, this is just an overview of everything that was done. I can, and probably will, go into more detail in following posts.

I've had my 2007 Tacoma for several years now. It has done nearly everything I have asked of it and overall has been a great truck. From the factory it had a 2.7L 4 banger with a 5 speed manual in the Prerunner (2wd) package. For years I have always wanted a 4wd Tacoma with a manual transmission. My parents purchased this truck for me in 2012, and it had everything I wanted except 4wd. It wasn't long after this that I discovered that it had a frame that was nearly identical to a factory 4wd Tacoma. You may be wondering why I didn't simply trade in my 2wd for a 4wd. The short answer is that I wanted to do this conversion to prove all the naysayers on the internet (Tacoma World) wrong. I've seen threads on there where people like me ask about this conversion, and most people reply back with very negative and discouraging comments. The long (and logical) answer is that Toyota did not make very many 2nd gens that were 4wd with a 4 cylinder and 5 speed manual. On top of that, I wanted an access cab with manual windows and manual locks. I think I found around 5 in the southeastern part of the US. The closest one I could find that didn't have tons of miles on it was in Alabama, and they wanted about $17k for it. My truck only has a $9K trade in value, so I would have been down $8k, and that doesn't include the associated fees and sales tax. Here is my parts list:
- [x] transmission, 52k miles, $700 boot hill, Denver, CO
- [x] fj cruiser transfer case from an auto trans, 16k miles, $250 lindsey auto, Booneville, MS
- [x] front diff, 72k miles, $400 Robbins auto, Charlotte, NC
- [x] cv axles, $200 rockauto
- [x] front hubs, seals $400 marion bumper2bumper
- [x] ADD switch, $150 rock solid toys
- [x] drive shaft mods, new u joints, $440 Jackson Powertrain
- [x] 4x4 crossmember, $230, Natchez Salvage, mid state welding, Clinton, MS
- [x] front driveshaft, 110k miles, $100 lindsey auto
- [x] clutch kit, $150 amazon
- [x] transfer case bolts, drive shaft bolts, $50 Toyota
- [x] transmission rear seal, $2 rockauto
- [x] transmission mount, $40 rockauto
- [x] drive shaft flange, $70 yotamasters
- [x] gear oil, $90 advance auto 2.3 quarts of 75w90 GL4 for transmission, 1.1 quarts of 75w90 GL5 for transfer case, 1.6 quarts of 75w90 GL5 for front diff
- [x] dowel pins, $10 home depot

These prices include shipping and taxes where applicable. All of my large parts were found using Car-Part.com. This is a very good database that salvage yards across America use.

I purchased an FJ Cruiser transfer case that came out of an FJ with an auto trans because it has a manual shift lever as opposed to the Tacoma's electronically actuated transfer case. Aside from having to cut a hole in the floor, it bolts directly in place of the stock transfer case in 2nd Gen Tacomas (2005-2015) with an auto trans or a 5 speed manual. This is a worthwhile modification for factory 4wd Tacomas and simplifies 4wd conversions in prerunners. This modification can be done for trucks with the 6 speed manuals as well, but the input shaft from the 6 speed transfer case (22 splines) must be swapped into the new FJ case in place of the FJ transfer case input shaft (23 splines). ***The transfer case out of a manual transmission FJ will not work. It is set up for AWD and has a differential in it.*** If anyone has questions about this, Wyatt at RockSolidToys.com is a great person to ask. His email address is posted there.

The front diff went in first, followed by CV axles and wheel bearings.
Everything bolted in like it was factory.






I purchased the wheel bearings/hubs as a complete assembly from Marion Bumper2Bumper. The guy that owns it specializes in assembling bolt on wheel bearing/hubs by pressing the hub into the unit bearing. He does this for newer model Toyota and Lexus trucks and SUVs. He uses Koyo bearings and dorman spindles. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of this before I installed them.

Next was the transmission. I had Noah (81 CJ5) helping me with this. The old 2wd transmission came out relatively easily.

I installed a new clutch kit while I had the opportunity



The new transmission went in pretty easily (my dad helped out here). However, this is where I had to have my local fabrication shop modify my new factory 4wd transmission crossmember. The crossmember mounts are different between a prerunner and a factory 4wd Tacoma. Compared to a factory 4wd, the prerunner mounts are an inch higher and about 1 1/2 inches farther back. The crossmember had to be chopped down 1 inch. I also had a mounting plate made so that the I could move the transmission mounting bolts forward. I only have one picture of this right now so I'll need to post more pictures of it later. This was the most difficult part of the conversion.


While the crossmember was being welded, Noah and I installed my new transfer case. I had to cut a hole in my floor for the shifter to come up through.


1st/2hi


1st/4hi


1st/4lo


All fluids used were full synthetic 75w 90 from both Lucas and mobil 1.
After the crossmember was installed in its final modified form, I installed the front driveshaft and drove the truck to Jackson Powertrain in front wheel drive to have the rear driveshaft modified. It had to be shortened about 12 1/2 inches and have a slip yoke added as well (pictures of this coming soon as well). The final step was installing a switch to operate the ADD in the front diff. This was purchased from Wyatt, and operates independently of the ECU.

I still have a few small things to finish up, mostly the interior since there is another shifter coming up through the floor. A custom shift boot will have to be made. I'll be happy to answer any questions.

[mynewtoy82 [Veteran Member]]

nice write-up

[Brake Weight [Veteran Member]]

Loving it. There's a few conversions over on IH8MUD. Not as much traffic there, but not as much hate either.

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Yep. No hate here. I don't understand why anyone would try to talk you out of what you've done, aside from it sometimes being more cost-effective to buy a truck that is factory 4wd. But as you said, you couldn't find one with the features that you want.

What's next? SAS?

[Reserector [Veteran Member]]

Loving it. There's a few conversions over on IH8MUD. Not as much traffic there, but not as much hate either.

There's more traffic than you may think. Google will find this and index it. People will search and find it, and it will help them immensely. After a while, the post count on how-to threads climb tremendously. People are viewing, even if they are not replying.

[Green Gorilla [Veteran Member]]

Thanks guys! No, I don't think SAS is in the future, as cool as it would be. From what I have read, this conversion is a direct bolt up for first gen Tacomas and can be done for around $1000 if you shop carefully. I hope that some more people on the internet will see how I did the crossmember (once I actually post the pictures that is...). I had a hard time finding a crossmember design that I actually liked


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[Brake Weight [Veteran Member]]

The manual shifter vs. the push button is worth it a new transfer case if you don't have one. I like that much better.

[Green Gorilla [Veteran Member]]

Yeah I'm very happy with the fj case so far. In fact, i got it for less than the price of the tacomas transfer case actuator


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[81 CJ5]

Told you we should have done a sas....


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[Green Gorilla [Veteran Member]]

More pictures of the crossmember for anyone out there looking into this swap.

First, I had to get a factory 4wd crossmember. Once I got it, this happened:



I had this section cut out so that the mounting surface would drop down 1 inch.

I had this plate fabricated as well so that I could have the transmission mount exactly where it needed to be. I had Noah tack weld it in place once we had the mount bolted to the transmission and the crossmember bolted up to the frame. This insured that the mounting surface was in the correct forward/backward position since it had to be moved forward approximately an inch and a half.


This is the stock transmission mount for a 4wd. I had to cut a significant portion of the plastic horn off so that it would fit down into the rest of the crossmember. Also important to note, I turned this mount around to where it faces backwards as compared to a factory 4wd. This moved the bolt holes where it connected to the crossmember back about a quarter inch towards the center of the crossmember while still bolting up to the transmission as normal. It doesn't sound like much, but I just wanted to keep the plate from sticking out too far.



This is the final product. I cut out two slots so that I could access the front two mounting bolts for the transmission mount.




The factory weld seams were reinforced where the cutting had compromised their strength. It has held up pretty well for the entire week it's been installed