you cant argue with the 85 4runner.

first year fuel injection/last year straight axel

which means they are strong as tanks and get better gas miage then its carburated brothers....and they are way cheaper then something brand new if thats what you looking for

 

The only thing that keeps the '85 EFI 4Runner from being a grandslam out of the park home run hands down no holds barred winner is the open rear diff IMO. I can even say that while I currently hate my '85 EFI 4Runner due to motor problems.
If and when Toyota comes out with a very strong, long travel non-torsion bar front suspension I would surrender and say something newer could be better.
Otherwise, it is hard to beat the solid axle, the plenty torquey little EFI 4cyl (that is once you get into low range in the tranny, I think they are generally geared way too high for good offroad performance), the never say die transmission and an incredibly sturdy GEAR driven transfercase.
Another great reason, you can find the 85's for around $2500-3,000. A '99-2003? Think anywhere from $14-24,000 more! You really want to spend that much just to get something bone stock? For the price difference, you could build a monster '85 Runner :eek:
Unfortunately, it looks like I will wind up having to give up mine. Baby on the way and 4 doors are going to be something of a necessity. I have still have hopes of doing a swap to a 3.4l and sticking a solid axle under a '90's thereby fixing what Toyota did wrong with them in those years. In an incredibly bizarre twist, my wife suggested I just part out my '85 and use the front end for the swap. Frankly, I think she is just tired of my :cry: and wants to move on to something else

 

Hmm, I don't agree with this statement, although I can understand why you might think that. I personally have run all these options on one vehicle, including LSD's single lockers, IFS, solid axle. The solid axle was the single most significant improvement that I made so far. Except for mud where traction is more critical than articulation, the solid axle is by far superior. But, that's just my opinion.

 

You know, one point that was sorely missed in this discussion, which is about which is the best for offroading, noone discussed body damage potential. The 85 is more maneuverable and I believe significantly narrower, making it a better offroad choice for NW trails that tend to be very tight.

Stuff like this http://207.202.208.243/faithwheelers/121402_evmov02.htm
or this http://207.202.208.243/faithwheelers...2_cap00026.htm
requires body protection. A slightly wider vehicle will end up like this. http://207.202.208.243/faithwheelers...2_cap00027.htm

The 85 is narrower than my 2nd gen 4runner, but I'm not sure how a 3rd gen 4runner compares to an 85 Bronco

 

Right, but the original question was which is better stock. When you SAS'd you did everything to make it flex well. Do completely stock SA runners flex well? I don't know, but I'd bet they don't flex nearly as well as yours.

Steve

 

A stock set up is not going to flex as well, but it'll still kick the pants off an IFS for articulation. The solid axle has proven itself over IFS in the slow NW type wheeling, and rock crawling, but hte IFS is superior for fire road, baha style wheeling and is certainly more suitable for onroad driving.

It sounds like we've got a good challenge. We need to take a 00 with e/locker and an 85 out on a somewhat challenging run and see who does better.

Here's another tid bit on what makes a better offroad rig. If ya get to a tight or difficult spot that risks mechanical or body damage, which truck is more likely to get through. The one with a driver who has $30,000 or more invested or the one with a driver who has may $5,000 invested... If you won't go somewhere because the rig is so new then it doesn't matter how good it is. I ran into that problem when my 2nd gen was new, worred about every scratch that I might get, let alone a dent or two.