Interior Retrofit

I wonder if it is possible to retrofit the 2Gen interior with a 3gen's. Is there a third party somewhere that will sell spare parts for current tacoma's aside from obvious OEM wheels etc.? I feel the 2gen is where its at (for my taste at least) for looks and engine modification low rpm torque for off road. Test drove the 3gen auto and it has no a$$ down low. Call me a dreamer... but just imagine the following together:

 

Good luck man. I'm sure it can be done if you spend enough cash

 

Lol, Just about the best answer you'll ever find. Just not my cash.

 

By the time it was all said and done I'd imagine it will have been cheaper to just trade for one... but this is intriguing...

 

Given the cabs are practically identical, hypothetically you could probably gut a 2nd gen completely and then install a full 3rd gen interior. Your issue becomes all the dash instruments, gauge cluster, HVAC stuff, etc. I highly doubt all that stuff just plugs in just like the 2nd gen.

Anything can be done with enough time and money. My grandfather knows the guy who retrofitted an entire raptor interior into an old model Ford bronco.

I'd be more interested in swapping out B/C pillars from gray 2nd gen ones to the black 3rd gen. That and door panels. All that shit is expensive tho. I did have the idea to swap the driver/passenger seat side plastic for the black 3rd gen stuff since they appear identical, shit was $60 per piece. No thanks. And anything off eBay or a wrecked part out is going to be beat up or scratched in some capacity.

 

I like where your going..But i also like the simplicity of the 2nd gen interior as in less fancy electronic shit to break. But upgrading vents and losing a lot of the silver trim wouldn't bother me one bit.

 

Not worth it! Just buy a 3rd gen!

 

Shhhhhhhhhh! If you ruin all the good ideas we won't have any awesome threads to read.

 

Better yet, buy a 3rd gen, swap the engine/drivetrain from a 2nd gen and supercharge that bitch!

 

I am the most boring taco owner on tacoma world. Bone Stock... Scan gauge, brake controller, fiberglass topper, bed mat, and weather guards. Now when it comes to crazy mods.... I build other vehicles. The next one on the list is a 1955 ford pick up with a cummins 4BD. I figure I can get 25mpg, all mechanical for wrenching. The front end of a crown vic police interceptor damn near bolts up perfect, so brakes, steering, etc are all there. I use my taco for day to day and get amazing resale with minimal investment. If you want to go crazy, build something crazy. The taco is what it is, don't try to make it something its not. I think the mechanics of your swap would work. The wiring and electrical would be the train wreck.

 

As stated before, it would be easier to take a 3rd gen, yank the drive-train, and retrofit it with a 2nd gen setup. The dimensions of the cabs are different as well as the shape, so the 3rd gen dash would be really, REALLY hard to shoehorn into a 2nd gen cab and make it have a tight fit.

 

NEW THOUGHT! Would it at least be possible to get seats out of a wrecked 3gen and swap them into my 2gen? Provided the side airbags are still intact... Does anyone know if they bolt in? The new 3gen interior is similar in size right?

 

I have wondered this before. One dude on here put frs (gt86) seats in his taco. Don’t see why third gen seats wouldn’t fit.

 

Also on my mind is the airbag placement and function. Since they did make changes to the 3gen interior...

 

I plan on installing 3rd gen seats sometime in the future, but I don't have to worry about airbags. I'd rather spend $500+ on complete new seats than just covers. I'm confident (not positive) that they'll bolt right up since it's the same cab and there's no reason for Toyota to have changed that. If for whatever reason the mounting holes have changed, I'm sure I can easily figure out something between my old seats, new seats and Lowe's. When the time gets closer maybe I'll try to find a local 3rd gen owner to let me test swap.

 

Follow up?

 

This is pretty sweet. I’m curious how it came out as well