Frame Compatibility

[JBarrett]

Ok, here goes.... I'm restoring a Toyota truck for the purposes of hunting, hauling, and part-time daily driver.

I'm very familar with the 84-88 trucks, and Tacomas.... but I'm not familiar with the 89-95 trucks.

I have the following:

1988 Toyota Xtra Cab w/3.0L V6 AT Frame: VZN66
1990 Toyota Xtra Cab No Engine/Tranny (used be V6 STD) Frame: VZN110

Will the body on the 1988 fit the 1990 frame?

I understand that the cab mounts may need to be moved .... I have a full service shop and welder (and experience) at my disposal. I might also mention, the cab on the 1990 is in terrible shape in comparison to the 1988.

My other question.... both use the 8" differential:

1988 - 4.10 / 2 Pinion
1990 - 4.56 / 4 Pinion

Can I easily remove the 3rd members as complete units and interchange them? I think I'd prefer to keep the 4.10's for fuel economy... if not, I'll keep the 4.56s on the 1990 frame and just put taller tires on.

Thanks in advance....

[fourwd1]

Are these 4WD?
The 4WD rear is 8", the 2WD rear is 7.5". But as long as they're the same swapping is fine.
And if both trucks are V6, they should both have 4 pinion rears.
And if the final build will have the auto trans, you want the 4.56.

If you have the skills and equipment you say, swapping the body is cake.

[JBarrett]

Yes, both are 4WD ... both have the same 8" axle.

1988 - G292 (4.10)
1990 - G254 (4.56)

Yes, the final build will include the AT tranny - the MT and engine are missing from the 1990. I will keep the 1990 gear ratio and likely run some 32" tires.

Thanks for the advise on that. However, it's still good to know that I can swap back to the 4.10 ratio though.

I actually did some research today, it looks like the '88 cab will NOT fit on the '90 frame. I understand the wheelbase for the '88 is 103" and the '90 is 122".

Doesn't sound like the cab will fit properly? Or are we just talking about moving some cab mounts? Personally, I really like the '90 cab better - but it's a bit more body work and missing the instrument cluster, rear window, and other miscellaneous interior parts.

Has anyone else tried mating a 3rd gen xtra cab to a 4th gen xtra cab chassis?



..... and yes, I have a heated work space with a 2 post lift, compressor, air tools, welders, etc .... and I grew up in a machine shop. ;o)

[fourwd1]

That doesn't sound right, like maybe one's a short bed and the others a long bed, etc.
I had all those dimensions in front of me yesterday, gotta find them again.
Check here for ADD info http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/add/

[JBarrett]

I'm going to manually measure the frames at some point this week. It would be easier to keep the '88 cab since it's complete... just lift it off... then move the engine / tranny to the 90 frame... and plop the '88 cab back on top.

Someone did a real crappy ghetto paint job on the '88 though. I'm going to put a 6' flat deck on the back. I'll take plenty of photos along the way.

Check out the information for 1989 (the first year of the new body style at http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/faq/.

A new, rounder body style for pickups became available in 1989. Only the pickups received the new body style, not the 4Runner. With this body style came a much improved interior, galvanized beds, and a longer wheelbase for longbeds and Xtra Cabs at 122". Shortbed and 4Runners kept the same 103" wheelbase as previous years.

[fourwd1]

[quote=JBarrett;3036443]I'm going to manually measure the frames at some point this week. It would be easier to keep the '88 cab since it's complete... just lift it off... then move the engine / tranny to the 90 frame... and plop the '88 cab back on top.

There you go,somewhere between a simlpe to easy problem.

[JBarrett]

* Crossing my fingers the frame will work *

[JBarrett]

Ok folks, I measured the frames today.... here is the skinny.....

A 4th Gen Cab (1989-1995) will not fit on a 3rd Gen Frame (1984-1988).

A 3rd Gen Cab (1984-1988) will fit on a 4th Gen Frame (1989-1995) with some exceptions.....

1. The rear cab mounts will need to be cut off of the frame, moved forward, and welded back on to the frame.
2. You will not be able to use a truck bed from either generation truck. You will have manufacture your own (flat deck, tube frame, etc.)
3. You might need a longer drive shaft manufactured.

I will let you know of any other problems we run across.

The key here is that the frames are different sizes, despite both being for an XTRA cab.

The 4th generation cab has a 122" wheel base (basically the same frame, but stretched) and longer rear leaf springs.

The 3rd generation cab has a 103" wheel base.

Thankfully - I'm converting the older cab to the newer frame and constructing a custom bed.