Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

You can also do a three link with just coils springs and shocks. The ride will be much better than a leaf sprung ride will be and if you have coil overs you can have adjustability right on the truck.

If your going to drive it on the street as a daily driver you should really consider a three link.

 

Very true, the 3 linked front rides great! I have zero regrets on doing a link setup over a leaf sprung. There's so much adjustment and small things you can do to tweak the suspension to set it up just right.

 

Good idea man. I'll make that happen for sure. Any other components aside from the output shafts that could help the structural integrity of the T-case?

Thanks for the feed back on that man I appreciate it. There is going to be no expense spared on this for the exception that after crunching numbers this weekend and thinking about the use this truck is going to get I won't go 3 link. I would rather start right out of the gate with chormo 30 spline's than stock.

How is your steering with the ARB engaged? Any issues with air lines clearing obstacles? I've been looking at the hydro assist but not 100% that it will be necessary for my given application (more exploring than going out of my way to crawl over the moab).

 

It's tougher than a non-locked front end, and binds a little, but that is what is great about a selectable locker, if you really need to turn, you can turn the locker off. With a non selectable up front, steering can be difficult. No problem with the air line, it is on top of the diff so no issues there.

 

I twisted the splines on the rear axle shafts at the same time I broke the output shaft. Funny things is..I didn't feel like I was bound up. Anyways, might as well upgrade your axle shafts with some chromo shafts

At the time I was pushing 39.5 krawlers with single 4.70 case, 4.88 gears , r151f trans(don't be jealous) and a 3.4L v6 swap. Now im running a double tcase

 

Tired of cv boots blowing on 2" of lift. tired of being afraid of wheeling hard as i dont have a tow rig to get me home, i think its time to start lookn for an axle, leafs, and other misc parts....

 

Cv boots? I wheeled with no cv boots for 1 year. Meh

 

Meh..mine are always torn from running over stuff..need a custom fabbed cover

 

I purchased the extended CV boots from all-pro awhile back and never had problems since I had them. do they still make them?

 

That's what I have..but I went bushwhacking through some sage and whatever else it was..

 

yeah they still make them. i tried running with a blown missing boot on passenger side (for a month and a half), finally changed when driver side axle had about 1/4" of play on the outter joint. so im back down to 2" of lift in the front thanks to settled springs from bumper, and we will see how long it lasts. in the meantime im on the hunt for an axle to clean up/rebuild. have not figured out much more yet though.

 

Yeah, IFS gets old.. but so does spending money on a SAS rig. I'm over $30,000.

 

Nice, prepare for carnage!

 

Thinking of relocating my shocks through the bed. I thought this might give me the best/most flexible shock options down the road, especially length of shock travel if I want to SAS. Good or bad idea? Should I just / \ ?

 

They do allow for better flex per say... but less stability on road.

 

If I go through the bed, I would probably go straight up (or slightly back?)to get the most dampening effect from the shocks. /\ if I keep it under the bed.

 

The way i look at it, labors free. im looking at parts. I know a few solid axle toyotas (79-86's) buddies so hopefully i can get some knowledge there as well. ill just be doing leafs. d44 seems like the best, but then again i suppose a d60 would last longer simply because its stronger.

I currently have some saaaaag on my front coils, thanks to my bumper. it looks goofy having 2" in front, and 4" in the back of lift.... now one could go spacers or yadda yadda but bleck.

Ive been on trails that i wish i could of been locked in the front, and at the same time hate hearing the groaning cv's. i know that that is my weakest link right now. so its time to cut off the old shit, get some leafs, and get to work. Ive wanted to go further on trails, but have not for fear of breaking and not having a tow rig for getting home. for me the only part im unsure of is the steering, ive done almost everything else (leafs/breaks/measuring/cutting/welding/grinding/grinding/grinding/grinding) so feel a little confident.

while i dont plan to use it as a dd when this happens, what kinda highway mileage can i expect assuming everything is lined up?

 

Eric wouldn't know anyting about this ^^^ his truck "can't" do the road thing...

 

Yes!!! It does continue to be expensive but hey...you can't take it with you

 

That all depends on the shocks you use and how they are valved.