It seems like some of you who have paid to have this done are paying around 2500 to 3k? what is the benefit to cutting and welding verses buying an 84 or 85 for cheap and swiching the cab/bed over?

My 88 4runner engine is about done and I want to put a 7M-GTE engine in it but cant because of the IFS <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/oink.gif" alt="" />

How do the Solid Axle front ends work on the freeway with 31" or 33" tires?

any info or advice would be greatly appreciated <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

The advantages of putting a SAS into a later model IFS truck go beyond the newer body style. With the IFS trucks, you already have the right steering box for the highsteer system so that's one less thing you have to worry about. To achieve the same set up that most SASer go and using longer springs, you have to cut off the spring perches of a factory solid axle truck anyway and start over. The IFS trucks also have a wider stronger rear axle housing and come with more powerfull motors. Even the later model 22REs has more power than the '85 22REs. Then factor in that swapping cabs and beds is probably much harder for most people, especially if the working space is limited.

One advantage to going with a factory solid axle truck is that the frame is humped higher at the front end which allows for the use of lesser lift springs.

Either way some fabbing has to be done to achieve the same thing. The IFS trucks just have nicer features and are usually in better condition.

The solid axles drive just fine down the freeway. Plenty stable. The only differences are the noticably decreased handling since most us don't have a front sway bar.

Of course, one other "benefit" of the early frame is that since you are putting the new steering box on, you can put it where you want (like as far forward as possible) to allow for moving the front axle more forward for added tire clearance at the firewall. And the benfit of the high arch in the front frame section is that you can run w/ less lift and still have room for high-mounted steering components to fit.

how pronounced is that compared to yor old ifs?
cuz i'm thinking of putting the stock ifs setup on my rear
minus t bars
too much room and work compared to other springs
but i wonder if the properties of the t bars make for the
'handling' package of the ifs
(less compression on body roll?)
(ok, they dun compress, it'd be spring 'torque')
i took off my sway bar, it has very little effect on cornering
but wuz wunnering if i'll need one on the rear with independent rear suspension...

IFS and 7m just requires modding the oil pan and pickup tube apparently - I'm planning to do the swap to my 88 and keep the IFS

http://www.supracharged.com/other_trucks/tobin/4runner/index.html

" Problems with this swap was that it is still IFS, no body lift, and A/C is required. The 7M conversion is a little more difficult with these obsticles.

The first was the IFS and 4wd. The differential is in the way of the oil pan and oil pickup tube. In oder to keep funtional 4wd, a modification is required. This modification required cutting a section of the oil pan out and welding in a flat plate in it's place.

But now the oil pickup would not fit inside the oil pan, and it had to be relocated. I thought about moving it to the rear of the motor, and create a deep sump like on the 22R. There were two problems with that.

First you would no longer be able to run a crossover pipe for the exhaust.
Second, the pickup tube would be very long and heavy, and the support bracket for the pickup tube would no longer give proper support to the pickup tube. I may look into that in my next swap. So I just moved the pickup tube a little closer to the drivers side of the motor."

Looks minor

I think that you have to look at the end product. If you buy lift springs, gears, locker, and crossover steering for an 84 or 85 you spend almost as much as doing a solid axle swap on a later truck. There are benefits to the solid axle frames (as noted) but the majority of these trucks are carb'ed and you still have to deal with issues like the steering box.