begginer

Converting the 2wd to a pre-runner would be far easier than swapping the 2wd to a 4x4, a lot less work, a lot less money(depending on which way you went), and no welding. I would think you and a buddy would have the body lift, ball joint spacers and springs done in a weekend. Changing out the rear would take more time and cost more, but it wouldn't need to be done at the same time. The links that 4Crawler posted should give you an idea of prices for the 2wd lift. A locker for the rear would run between $200-800 depending on which one you chose, an Ausie(full time/always engaged) would be on the low end, and an ARB(air actuated) or Toyota Electric locker both of whuch are selectable(engage them when you need them) are on the high end, you could also choose a limited slip for around $500. If the 4wd 3rd member will work in a 2wd, you have a good chance of picking one up geard and locked used. Another mod that would help the 2wd Pre-runner on the trail would be to install a 4wd tranny and transfer case, this would give the benefit of being anle to use low range on the trail, without much modification, other than cutting a second hole in the floorboard and mounting up the 4x4 tranny x-member.

2nd gen 4x's can be picked up cheaply, the '86 I bought for $350 needed an interior, other than that it ran fine. However the '86 X-cab I picked up for $600 needed a new engine, hood, door, windshield, interior, paint, etc. You can also find a diamond in the ruff. I picked up this '86 4-Runner for $1k(I made the roof rack and installed the lights). The previous owner was told that it needed an engine rebuild(by a Pepboys tech) because the #4 cyl. had zero compression. All it was was a tight valve, with a valve adjusted everything was fine. The interior was in poor shape, needing new paint on faded plastic, new carpet for the rear, a realling good steam cleaning, etc. I only put about $300 into it to get it to look like new again, I then turned around and sold the Runner for $4500.

3rd gen's like this '91 22re X-cab can be found for around $1k, though they trend to be in pretty poor condition. The bed and fenders were well dented, the interior had'nt been cleaned in about 10 yrs(it was a farm truck), and the engine needed repairs. I wasn't concerned about the dents, since I am turning it into a flatbed trail truck, and it took less than $200 to fix the engine. Normally the 3rd gens if needing engine work and the rest is good tend to run about $2k here in CA, you might be able to find them cheaper in your erea. You can also find first gen and 2nd gen straight front axled rigs that are in need of repairs, but they tend to sell for more than their IFS counterparts, because the SFA are more in demand and there are fewer of them left than the IFS rigs.

If you are willing to do a rebuild, you can have a good looking truck for far cheaper than buying one, though it takes a lot of elbow work and some time to get them looking good again. In any case even having to replace an engine it is still cheaper than doing a 4wd conversion. Even with the '86 X-cab and all it needed, I still haven't put more than $800 into it.