What would you do?

[ajordan1975]

I'm torn on what to do. I got married last year. Got a 8 year old daughter out of it and now we have a 6 month baby boy. The wife and daughter love to go wheeling and as soon as my son is old enough i plan to start taking him along also. My dilemma is i have a standard cab 85 p/u. I love my truck, it work how I want it and don't really want to give it up, but need more room for the family.
So my question is...... Should I keep the p/u and add a back seat, cage, etc? Build a 4runner w/ parts from the p/u? Sell the p/u and by an already built 4runner?
Thanks for any and all advice and ideas.
This won't be happening any time soon but just been thinking about this for next year.

[emsvitil]

Get a 4runner for the wife and keep the pickup..............

[Gixxer Jon]

Convert it into a 4runner :bigthumb:

[ajordan1975]

Get a 4runner for the wife and keep the pickup..............

That would be nice but no need for two rigs.

[TacoRunner]

What about a body swap???

[Rocksurfer]

Here's what I did, my 1st rig was a standard cab and as my family grew I found the need for additional seating. Being sneaky I bought a 4Runner and told my wife it was for her, slowly but surely the 4Runner was built to better the truck so that I had no choice but to wheel it. Kept them both I did and in fact bought another truck and built it too, you can never have enough backup rigs.

[ajordan1975]

What about a body swap???

I've considered that, but not really sure I really want to do that. I think it would be just as easy to build another.

[ajordan1975]

Here's what I did, my 1st rig was a standard cab and as my family grew I found the need for additional seating. Being sneaky I bought a 4Runner and told my wife it was for her, slowly but surely the 4Runner was built to better the truck so that I had no choice but to wheel it. Kept them both I did and in fact bought another truck and built it too, you can never have enough backup rigs.

That would be awesome, and she would go for that. However once I say it would be hers she wouldn't let ne forget that it's hers.

[Rocksurfer]

Not only did mine remind me but my fellow club members used to tease me about having to bring the wife's grocery getter. If you can get away with it go for it.

[Toymin8r]

That would be nice but no need for two rigs.

That's what I'm doing.   You don't have to get it done all at once.  Just buy a 4runner and start building it slowly.  By the time your son is old enough to wheel you will have it done. 

[Shamb]

 I'd either make it a 4 seater (would be the cheaper option probably since you like your rig) BUT unless you plan on putting some kind of cover on it your little one won't have ther comfort of heat/air in the cab... not sure if that's a concern for you but it was for me.

If not that route then i'd just sale it and get a built 4runner, much easier and quicker getting back on the trail. You know how it is, you'll spend $10k building a rig yourself that you can purchase already done for $5k...

[superyota]

I'm torn on what to do. I got married last year. Got a 8 year old daughter out of it and now we have a 6 month baby boy. The wife and daughter love to go wheeling and as soon as my son is old enough i plan to start taking him along also. My dilemma is i have a standard cab 85 p/u. I love my truck, it work how I want it and don't really want to give it up, but need more room for the family.
So my question is...... Should I keep the p/u and add a back seat, cage, etc? Build a 4runner w/ parts from the p/u? Sell the p/u and by an already built 4runner?
Thanks for any and all advice and ideas.
This won't be happening any time soon but just been thinking about this for next year.

I'm in the same boat you are.  except for I just had my first baby,  and looking to fit more than just my wife and myself in the reg cab 85 now.  I thought about the 4runner boddy swap, but too much work for my likeing.  I'm going to cut the back of my cab out, extend the exo, and mount a bench in the bed with a walk through cab.  i've seen a few pictures on the board of it done and it looks really clean. 

[ajordan1975]

I'd either make it a 4 seater (would be the cheaper option probably since you like your rig) BUT unless you plan on putting some kind of cover on it your little one won't have ther comfort of heat/air in the cab... not sure if that's a concern for you but it was for me.

If not that route then i'd just sale it and get a built 4runner, much easier and quicker getting back on the trail. You know how it is, you'll spend $10k building a rig yourself that you can purchase already done for $5k...

Yep. There would be a aluminum cover on the back cage for some shade for the kids. Would like to a canves top also to keep it dry if I convert to a 4 seater. having the a/c, heat is nice. A 4 door runner would be easier for loading them up though. Problem is it's tuff to find a 4cyl second gen.
We will see what happens. Like I said it probably won't happen till next year. Gota wait on the tax return.

[ajordan1975]

Also been thinking about throwing in the towel for a little while. Living in Houston w/ a rock crawler is hard. Takes 5 hours or more and atleast 500 bucks to go wheeling for a weekend. I love wheeling but it's getting harder and harder to go out.
If I do throw in the towel I want to get something like this! http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/2550880294.html
It's smoething I could use everyday in the concret jungle of Houston.

[Shamb]

your in luck, he only wants a dollar for it!   

yea making that into a rat rod would be pretty cool. I picture something satin black with red/white pin stripes.

[Tallchevy]

I had the same problem 5 years ago when I had a 1st gen. My buddies were going wheeling and I wanted to go. My wife said I can go if I take our 4 kids with me cause she had to work. I said I need a 4Runner to do that, can I buy one? She said I don't care and I bought a 1st gen 4Runner the following weekend and built it using the parts from my 1st gen. I loved my 1st gen but love my 4Runner more.

[rockin86runner]

thats what i woulod do a body swap or find a stock runner and put all the goods into it i lik my runner my ex and hr kid always loved going and the cage made me fell way saffer cuz we flopped with the kid in it befor but she was yelling doi it again...lol

[chim]

 Justify buying a 4runner with the fact that you will part out the pickup after swapping parts therefore recovering new money spent

[Tallchevy]

Justify buying a 4runner with the fact that you will part out the pickup after swapping parts therefore recovering new money spent

That's what I did with mine 

[rockin86runner]

or you could put all the stock parts back on ur truck and still kep the pick up running