dustboy said:
I fully agree with the above posts, but I'd add that the headache and money involved with a 4wd conversion would be likely greater than actually selling it and buying a similar used 4wd truck. Unless you'd done it 5 times before, a project of that complexity will doubtless have many unexpected pitfalls.
At any rate, you can still get some awesome places with that truck, maybe just use it until you can't stand it anymore!
figured id chime in on this one. 2wd can get you a helluva lot places, especially with a locker. is it as good as a 4wd?? no. but dont let anyone tell you that theyre worthless. ive explored all over the sierras and deserts with a 2wd dodge truck, no locker, and for the past 3 years with a locked tacoma. it did just fine. you have to use your head a little more, and work a little harder to minimize damage to the trail, but it will still you get there.
as for the conversion, as of 6 months ago, my truck has been 4wd. ive got a total of about $1800 into it, with manual locking hubs. to put that in perspective, the price difference between a new 04 prerunner and 4wd is about $2000. then add on another $1500 or so for the locking hub conversion kit. i did, for $1800, what would cost $3500, on a stock truck...essentially. i could have done it cheaper but i opted to pick up a few things at the stealership, for simplicity, rather than shop around. i also opted to have my driveshaft cut down rather than try to find one at a junkyard. ive seen people on ttora who have done it for as little as $1200/
the conversion itself is not that difficult. i did it in two days, basically by myself. i had a friend give me a hand getting the old tranny out and the new tranny and tcase into the truck. then i installed the spindles, diff, axles, wired up the tranny and tcase, installed driveshafts, and put on the interior plastics. while im not familiar with the 05+ trucks, i doubt theyre all THAT much different. if you mechanical aptitude, and a handful of tools, youll be fine. the hardest part, for me, was wiring the tcase actuator. it actually took me longer to do that than to install the mechanical parts. NOW, it works beautifully.