I’ve always loved the fourth-generation Toyota 4Runner. Maybe it’s because that was the 4Runner of my teenage years but its simple, handsome design just hits home with me. Still, even I can admit that it’s beginning to show its age. Thankfully, off-roader and 4Runner enthusiast Dylan Bue has a solution: graft a third-gen Toyota Tacoma face onto the 4Runner. And wouldn’t you know, it looks stellar.
The Tacoma face-swap is one of many upgrades on Bue’s 4Runner. It has coilovers and custom J-arm long-travel suspension he fabricated himself, a crazy-wide track, massive BF Goodrich tires, and a roll cage, among other mods. However, the Tacoma face is the most noticeable now as it makes the old 4Runner look new again.
It all flows surprisingly well, especially since these designs were penned years apart and were never meant to be mashed up. The lack of a front bumper surely helps that as there simply isn’t as much to fit together. The bumperless front end also sports a winch right underneath the Toyota emblem, which looks kickass.
Why go through all the trouble of face-swapping a 4Runner? Bue tells us he loves the fourth-gen platform but never really liked the look of its front end. In his eyes, the third-gen Tacoma is Toyota’s best modern design, so he combined them. Additionally, he wanted something different. He wanted his 4Runner to be unique in the sea of “cookie-cutter” off-road builds. Having a TacomaRunner is certainly unique, I’d say.
Bue documented the face-swap process along with pretty much everything else on his Instagram (@bue_built). What started as a mostly stock 4Runner with right around 100,000 miles has turned into a wheeler that stuffs rubber way up into the fender wells. Impressively, he did all the work himself and as he’ll tell you, he doesn’t have any formal fab training.
With the massive differences in width, I’m not sure I’d want this mod on anything other than a dedicated off-roader. I definitely wouldn’t want to drive it every day but maybe that’s because I live in New Jersey. For a fun project that’s dedicated to life off the pavement, it’s an awesome look that makes his truck stand out on the trails. And since it’s not a plug-and-play swap, it might be the only one you ever see.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com