Let's see your FJ case swap

I'll sleep when I'm dead

 

Well that's no good. I like to hit the trails as often as I can.

 

............

 

Herro Greg

 

Best modification I've done to my truck. Feels like a real truck now!

 

Anyone pretty good friends with Wyatt over at Rock Solid Toys?

 

I met him once and led him down some trails

 

Where did you get those carbon pieces?

 

www.carid.com

 

I’d like to see some pics of the stock fj shifter coming through the console as I want to use single shifter

 

Manual or auto?

 

Auto
Thanks

 

like this? https://www.rocksolidtoys.com/single-post/2018/05/16/2WD-to-4WD-Conversion-for-2005-to-2015-Tacoma

 

On the hunt for a low mileage tcase and it seems all the recyclers im contacting are lying about the milage. Now im leaning towards a 5th gen 4runner tail vf2a since these will generally be newer. Are there identification marks on these cases?

 

Tagged you in a post in the AZ classifieds, one of the members who now lives in CA is selling a brand new one...

 

WOO! I just dove in!

Ordered an FJ case from the LKQ ebay store. It's a 2013 with supposedly 26k miles. $285, but shipping was another $175. Total was still under $500 so I'm happy.

I tried looking for a newer 4runner case but there's so much misinformation out there regarding interchange. So many sellers claim the cases they are selling fit both lever shifted and dial actuated 4runners. The case may indeed bolt up but it may not have the proper actuation you need.

Now to decide on what to do with the front dif... I still kinda like the locking hub conversion.

 

I would consider what you will be doing with your truck. If you truck will be a rock crawler hitting some gnarlier trails, I'd stick with the OEM setup. If you're looking to save some CV boot wear and use your truck on milder trails or long cross country trips; the locking hubs may be a good option.

Think about this one, you break that "custom CV" for the lockout hubs you are up the creek without a paddle. From my understanding that outer birfield is a custom machined 1st gen setup which are even weaker than the 2nd gen setup so I'm not sure how well they'll hold up to the heavier trucks, bigger tires, and more HP. You'd have to carry a custom CV spare with you at a rather hefty price. Also, the bearing assembly is now one from a 1st gen so you couldn't borrow your buddies 2nd gen spare if yours takes a dump. Personally, I like being able to get off the shelf parts if it's a matter of getting me home in the middle of nowhere.

Another way to figure out if the setup is right for you is to just do the math:
Lockout hub setup is $1000, plus source a aisin manual hub kit (call it $200) = $1200
A used OEM CV can be had for ~60 from a local junkyard.

So you could break 20 CV shafts to "break even" (no pun intended) from buying manual hub kit.


For gas savings, according to AAA the national average gallon of gas is $2.83 a gallon. Assuming a tacoma gets 16 mpg; and let's make a gross assumption that it gets you a 1 mpg better gas mileage so 17 mpg.

Your cost savings would be:
2.83/16mpg - 2.83/17mpg = 0.18- 0.17 = 0.01 cents per mile savings, that's right you save 1 Abraham Lincoln for every mile you drive, woo hoo!

Divide 1 penny into $1200 and you'd have to drive almost 120,000 miles before you break even for the cost of a manual hub setup! That doesn't even include the cost of maintenance over time with the manual hubs if they ever need a rebuild.

So, if you plan on keeping your truck forever, maybe a manual hub setup is right for you! I'm not saying anybody does a mod to save money or even get any money out of their vehicle because of better resale value, etc. Most people modify their vehicle because they enjoy being unique; for the coolness factor, I like manual hubs. And to the main benefit of the manual hubs is to reduce wear and tear on the CV axles and gain MPG, but if you do the math like some nerdy engineer like myself is into, then you'll realize you won't be "saving" any money by doing the manual hub conversion

Personally I went with the FJ differential tube; no ADD actuator, no maintenance over time, and combine that with the manual FJ case and you have a bombproof reliable setup for your 2nd gen at a reasonable cost.

 

Things like this is why you are still my hero...

 

Holy shit. Excellent post.

 

You bring up a lot of great points there!

After thinking about it a bit, I guess the cheapest and easiest route for the front dif is to add a switch for the ADD. I really like the FJ tube for the simplicity though. I’d like to do that eventually. Maybe I’ll gather parts over the winter.

From what I’ve read, the mileage gains from the locking hub conversion is negligible. And I don’t like the idea of spending $1200 for weaker than stock parts that are not easily replaced.