Solid Axle Swap - '93 4WD 4-Runner 3.0L 3VZ-E and 5-Speed?

[4Cruisers]

I'm contemplating selling my '93 4-Runner in a year or so. It's a white 4WD with 3.0L 3VZ-E, 5-speed manual, and 31X10.5R15s on OEM alloy wheels. Body is in decent shape. Purchased used at Sauter Toyota in Santa Fe in January 2001, with ~144,.000 miles at that time. I'm the second owner. The dealer determined it hadn't had the head gasket recall, so that was included in the price. They discovered the block was warped so they also installed a brand new Toyota short block, also included in the price. I also had them do a valve job and timing belt replacement. It now has ~285,000 miles.

I recently decided it was time for a timing belt replacement and complete tune-up, etc. My son and I are finishing up the work now. We used an Aisin timing belt kit with Mitsubishi belt, Aisin water pump, new tensioner, and idler bearings (OEM supplier parts); adjusted the valves; rebuilt the power steering pump with a new Toyota gasket kit and air control valve; installed new plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor; performed an oil and filter change; had the radiator flushed and pressure tested, installed a new thermostat and gasket, and replaced the engine coolant. It also has new tires.

With all the recent work, I was thinking it might be a good time to install an All-Pro Off Road solid axle conversion. I really like the solid front axles on my four Land Cruisers. If my son and I do all the work, I was thinking I might get my money back out of the cost of the conversion, especially here in the local market. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.

 

[old87yota]

I am by no means a Solid Axle Swap expert, but if you are planning on selling the 4Runner in the near future, I would probably just leave it how it is and let the next owner decide how they want to build the 4Runner if they choose to do so.

 

[yotadude520]

I agree with Jake. Sure SAS a rig does increase the value quite a bit, however I don't think it's worth it to do it just for the sake of getting more when you sell it.

I'd say if you're merely toying around with the idea of selling it, and you want a fun project I'd say go for it. You know the benefits and it would be a fun thing to do. Who knows maybe you'll keep it afterwards!

I would give the Trail Gear IFS eliminator kit a good look over, I had one when I was going to SAS my truck and I picked it since it was the most complete kit on the market at a great price. If you have any questions on the SAS you can ask me!

 

[BlueCruiser84]

I'm contemplating selling my '93 4-Runner in a year or so. It's a white 4WD with 3.0L 3VZ-E, 5-speed manual, and 31X10.5R15s on OEM alloy wheels. Body is in decent shape. Purchased used at Sauter Toyota in Santa Fe in January 2001, with ~144,.000 miles at that time. I'm the second owner. The dealer determined it hadn't had the head gasket recall, so that was included in the price. They discovered the block was warped so they also installed a brand new Toyota short block, also included in the price. I also had them do a valve job and timing belt replacement. It now has ~285,000 miles.

I recently decided it was time for a timing belt replacement and complete tune-up, etc. My son and I are finishing up the work now. We used an Aisin timing belt kit with Mitsubishi belt, Aisin water pump, new tensioner, and idler bearings (OEM supplier parts); adjusted the valves; rebuilt the power steering pump with a new Toyota gasket kit and air control valve; installed new plugs, wires, distributor cap and rotor; performed an oil and filter change; had the radiator flushed and pressure tested, installed a new thermostat and gasket, and replaced the engine coolant. It also has new tires.

With all the recent work, I was thinking it might be a good time to install an All-Pro Off Road solid axle conversion. I really like the solid front axles on my four Land Cruisers. If my son and I do all the work, I was thinking I might get my money back out of the cost of the conversion, especially here in the local market. Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.

That sounds like a bad idea. That’s a ton of work that you WON’T be able to charge for. If you have 4 land cruisers think of all the work you could put into them rather than a 4runner you would sell.

 

[KLF]

There's no way you'll get your money back, unless you had ALL the parts sitting in the garage now for free. It's a lot of labor, and you'll find stuff to fix. You'll have to totally rebuild the axle, which is a lot of $$ just for the parts.

A SAS would be like trying to sell a house with a swimming pool in the yard. Some people will want it but most buyers won't.

 

[4Cruisers]

Thanks for all the input, I think I'll focus on finishing my '71 FJ40 build. Later on if I want to tackle a more rock-crawling capable vehicle I might use my '84 FJ60 as a start, I've always thought about lifting it, installing a locker, and bobbing the rear by a foot and a half, maybe even a crew cab short bed pickup variant something like this:

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My '84 is already the correct color to match .