Now i've heard some people say that its easy and all you have to do is put a 4x4 front axle in and install a transfer case and 4x4 shifter, and your done, then other people have said that the frames are different, so i want a definitive answer on this, i'm eventually going to do either way, i just need the funds, and i know some of you are going to say to just by a 4x4 truck, but i like projects and like my ranger that (knock on wood) has no problems.

 

well doesn't anyone have any idea about this

 

Is the 4x4 axle your putting in going to be from same years as your truck? if it is, you shouldn't run into the frame being different. the only way a frame would be different is for Extended cab or Regular cab i believe. or if it was 98 and above.

 

yeah and thats what i would imagin, and yes i would look for one from another 89 4 cylander

 

for your year the whole front frame is different it involves alot of cutting and welding to get it right you would be better off SAS'ing the truck and swapping out the 2.3l for something else that would be easier to mate the 4x4 trans on there is 4x4 2.3L but its specific trans and very rare

 

first youd need to swap the engine cross member . then on the transmission you would have to swap a tail housing off of a 4wd one onto your 2wd one

 

alright thank you, how would an SAS help, just curious, not being a dick

 

SAS is fewer moving parts, fewer things to deal with, less stuff to break.
Its just a better off road application because you can build it exponentially stronger than an IFS setup.
Depending on how you set it up, it could be an infinitely easier install too.
I'm SAS'ing mine for a conversion in a couple of years, and I never once thought about going for IFS for those reasons.

 

well thank you guys for you imput i'm def going with an sas do you think one off a 83-85 toyota four banger truck would fit cause i sould get both axels for little to nothing from my buddy

 

no, you need a front axle with the differential on the driver side. and non of the axle flanges would fit so you would need custom drive-shafts.

if you want to seriously look into SASing there is TONS of info about it in the SAS Section on of the Suspension forum and also in the project logs. Read through ALL the logs and learn as much as you can. Then start collecting parts.

 

yup will do thank you guys for your imput and any added info will be welcome