Sell it or conversion?

[Brans Freestyle]

Ok here's the situation im in:
I've got a '97 2wd xlt, now I really want to start getting into off roading and all of this, but since I've got 2wd, I need to move up. Here's what I'm thinking...

Right now it bluebooks for about $14,000, but of course thats never what you can get for it. Plus I've got a dent in the side fender that I need to take care of, so I'm thinking i can get about $10,000 for it, 63000 miles, no other damage than the dent and in perfect working order. So one of my options would be do sell it and buy a first gen x with 4wd, since ive seen them on auto trader around where i live for 5000-8000

My other option would be to try a 4wd conversion. From I've read, I need to basically get a whole new front ... everything for the suspension that will effect the tires, and also a tcase and most likely some tranny work. and since I've got a 2nd gen with the ifs, this would make it harder, i think...

So this is what it comes down to, sell the truck I have right now and then buy a 4wd one, and hopefully with any leftover money I could mod it straight from buying. Or try to do a 4wd conversion, which since I am in auto shop in my school I have access a complete shop + people who know a ton about what theyre doing...

What should i do?

 

[Alec]

Well, if you want to do the conversion, it wouldn't be that hard. Things that come to mind offhand:

Switch your tranny tailhousing to 4wd
Get a manual tcase (avoids computer hassles)
get 4x4 driveshafts
get the front diff from an IFS 4x4 X
get the front axles, spindles, and hubs. I think with the manual tcase you could use manual hubs, not sure.

Everything should bolt right up

 

[Alec]

...Or you could just go big and do a Solid Axle Swap = big lift and fairly big $$$.

CoryL wants a late model to engineer a SAS kit. You'd have to get the truck to him (Kentucky) and leave it for a month, but it would be really cheap.

 

[jimbo74]

cory is doing an sas with a dana 30 on robb's truck

 

[elemenopee]

Originally posted by Brans Freestyle
Ok here's the situation im in:
I've got a '97 2wd xlt, now I really want to start getting into off roading and all of this, but since I've got 2wd, I need to move up. Here's what I'm thinking...

Right now it bluebooks for about $14,000, but of course thats never what you can get for it. Plus I've got a dent in the side fender that I need to take care of, so I'm thinking i can get about $10,000 for it, 63000 miles, no other damage than the dent and in perfect working order. So one of my options would be do sell it and buy a first gen x with 4wd, since ive seen them on auto trader around where i live for 5000-8000

My other option would be to try a 4wd conversion. From I've read, I need to basically get a whole new front ... everything for the suspension that will effect the tires, and also a tcase and most likely some tranny work. and since I've got a 2nd gen with the ifs, this would make it harder, i think...

So this is what it comes down to, sell the truck I have right now and then buy a 4wd one, and hopefully with any leftover money I could mod it straight from buying. Or try to do a 4wd conversion, which since I am in auto shop in my school I have access a complete shop + people who know a ton about what theyre doing...

What should i do?

HEY!! I'M LOOKING TO DO THAT SWAP.. we could swap stuff.. sound cool??? where are you from??? im going from 4x4 to 2x4 for suspension reasons.. i wanna lay frame..

 

[Brans Freestyle]

haha just what I was looking for. I live in southern california though, so shipping would be a pain in the ass.

And one more thing, I tried a search on manual tcases, but couldn't find what I want to know ... whats the difference between auto and manual? I don't think its like manual shifting (keep in mind I dont know squat about tranies ...) and whats the diff between manual and auto hubs?

 

[Alec]

It's all about you doing it or the parts doing it themselves. The auto tcases are computer controlled, and the auto hubs are computer/vacuum controlled. You want all manual stuff so you don't have to mess with the electronics. The manual Tcase will either have one or 2 levers depending on the model, and the hubs will have to be locked by hand (getting out of the truck to lock them).

 

[DarkFox1]

kbb for $14,000? you must have relativley low miles.. KBB only shows my truck being worth $10k at the most, 9 if I judge it harder on its condition.

it sounds like it'd be EASIER to just buy another, and certainly less painful on your knuckles.. not sure about the wallet tho, unless you can find a dealership or something taht will swap even with you.. and I know thats pretty unlikley there. since the 4wd is "worth more" to them I'm sure. more parts=more value, thats how they see it hehe. My guess is you'd be paying about the same either way, either for parts on the 2wd, or for the difference between the value of the 2wd/4wd

 

[taxx]

If you decide to keep it do the solid axle swap. You can get away with 6 inches or so of lift. It will be cheaper than gettting all the front end parts for a second gen. SAS is not htat $$ if you can do it yourself. And if you wait a month or two cory will have a kit for doing the swap so it wont take much engeneering.

Other option get a trail rig and keep the X. I know alot of people running trail rigs with less than 2k in them. One guy with only $600 in his sami. Granted they look like hell, but hey its a purpose built vehicle.

If you decide to put the IFS parts under there (why?) look for people around here that are doing an SAS on theirs and get their parts used for cheap. If you wait several months mine will be availible too. But really, if you do it do it right the first time. don't mess with the IFS.

 

[JDraper]

Buy a trail rig cheap and keep the X. I got this one for $800. Lift and lockers coming

 

[CoryL]

Why don't you and "elemenopee" just trade vehicles?

 

[Brans Freestyle]

Yea that wouold be a good idea, but we live on the other sides of the country. And it looks like doing the conversion would cost a lot of money, especially for some of those good tcases. I think i may part with my current truck and look for a 1st gen, if i cant find somewhere do get the parts i would need for cheap, and by cheap i mean pretty free ... lol

 

[elemenopee]

uh oh.. hah.. might be changing my mind on this 4x4 to 2x4 swap... cuz i might have found a cheaper project pickup to work on for a "toy"...

 

[Brans Freestyle]

yea it looks like im ganna scrap the swap idea ... seems like way too much money to do it, and just part with my current x and buy a first gen 4wd.
all i have to do now is find someone to buy it, or a dealership that will do a trade in, which is unlikely...