Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

It looks just like your truck anyway!

 

Gonna go with a 14B under the truck when I eventually get the swap done. Is there any reason you can't or shouldn't set the pinion angle a little high at ride height/compression?

Thought it would help better protect the pinion and get a better angle during droop.

This pic made me curious

 

love this pic. mines gonna be like that only a D60 and full hydro.

 

Better to have a worse angle at droop than during 99% of your drivetime. It's may help a bit but might end up hurting you due to crazy vibes at hwy speeds. That angle doesn't look that bad, and you're hardly at full droop on both tires anyway..

 

Any body know if 1st gen tacoma transfer cases will bolt up to older style 5spds (w56). Thinking if possible to go this route so I could run the more popular, way easier to find and cheaper Ford 60 rather than GM 60s.

 

thats a no. but you can buy an atles transfercase

 

I was kind of figuring that just wanted to make sure. If I had the money for an atlas I'd just buy a chevy 60 and go full chromo on the toy cases.

 

Who the hell cares? It's their truck. Maybe it was easier to make a cut line around the fender flare than to make a nice template? Cut YOUR truck how YOU want to, chief.

One thing to take into consideration on link suspensions is that the pinion should point at the transfer case from bump to droop. Usually a longer upper link fixes this problem. The picture you posted shows a very short upper link.

 

with a front link set up if you point the pinion up you are changing your steering angles.. just one more thing to keep in mind high pinion axles help with that.

 

How often will you be steering at full droop?

 

i was meaning to make sure he has it set up right at ride hight. Like you said a longer arm will make that pinion do what it should at full droop.

 

Thanks for the help. Longer upper links brings to mind another question.

I realize there is no 'perfect' wheelbase length, but I've really liked the way my truck has performed with the wheelbase it has now (stock is 122" I think?) as opposed to what I've seen on vehicles with shorter wheelbases.

I know there's a few 2nd gens that are ~ 130" (Wyatt's being one of them IIRC) and seem to do just fine. I was thinking of locating the front axle as far as the front clip/headlights will allow, and leaving the rear where it's at (or slightly longer?)

Any reason I couldn't/shouldn't shoot for a longer wheelbase and/or longer links? From what I've read, longer links are more forgiving in the design and makes for a more stable ride/vehicle. If I shouldn't lengthen the wheelbase, can I make a compromise and achieve longer links by bringing the front and rear link crossmembers closer together (as much as the t-case setup will allow)?

 

steering will be your limmiting factor unless youre gonna go full hydro like i am.. youre gonna link front and rear??? i hear that makes a very flexy truck but takes away tons of streetabitly.

 

Sway bars and tuned coilovers (no air shocks) will make it very streetable

 

This^

Link'd f&r ftw. Freakin do it, Jon.

 

Ah, because the front clip/body mount gets in the way of the IFS steering box?

(Matt's)


And yeah, I'd like to link it. I like the maintenance and tunability of coilovers. If my fabrication skills are (I hope ) good enough to put together a 3-link front, why not link the rear?

But I guess like Chris said, if the streetability is crap, throw some sway bars on.

 

I'm sure if the steering box is the issue you can find a way to mount a forward swing box.

 

they thats always an option for sure.. i figured if my tires stuck out as far as the tip of my stinger im good. as far sway bars go well thats devils talk unless you get and anti rock those things are sick. im still gonna stick to 64 chev springs just cuz it's cheap and they still produce some killer flex.. My 94 was leaf in the rear with 56" springs and i got almost 2 feet of travel from full stuff to full droop. put a wider axle back there bigger tire side wall and longer soft spring and i cant justify the cost for 6 to 12 inchs more travel

 

Another stupid question, but that's what I'm here for.

Okay, I know you can get the most out of shocks that are perfectly perpendicular and as far out on the axle as possible.

I know that if you / \ the shocks you lose some dampening ability, but get a little more flex.

What if you l l the shocks but located farther inward on the axle? They are perpendicular again but is the dampening ability counteracted by extra leverage resulting from its inward mounting location?

I have a master's degree in MS Paint

 

The dampening will be reduced some along with stability.

Also DIY sway bars can be done fairly cheaply. I think you need torsion bars from a Nissan pickup (closer to frame width and same spline count on each end, Toyotas are to wide for toy frames and have different spline counts on each end) anyways I recently saw a thread on pirate about it.

Edit: I'd mount them as far out as possible. Of course tire clearance and the frame will limit it.