Installing a Currie Ford 9" in a Tacoma

This is why I shy away from anything with custom machined or propitiatory parts aside from inner axle shafts. Long term serviceability is always my first thought...offroad specific companies and products come and go over time and it sucks to get stuck with oddball stuff.

Just went though it with something as simple as chromoly hub gears. They were oddballs made in 2006 and I couldn’t figure out why my new outer gear wouldn’t play nice with the old inner. Compared it to a stock hub and realized they were machined a different thickness than anything available today.

 

By the time you pay the premium for a used housing, clean it up, truss it, probably warp it etc, your better off picking up a new housing. Trail gear housings can be had for around 600 with there sales but I personally like ruffstuff cause of their customer service. 31 and 35 spline I’ve seen broken with Toyota stuff but that’s typically the driver doing things they shouldn’t and binding stuff up rather than the motor/power breaking parts

 

I know we’ve talked extensively about this before but my rear axle is all off the shelf parts besides the hubs (unlikely to break) and inner shafts. All the third pieces I can get at most o Reilly’s and all seals bearings are standard stuff. Front axle is even simpler as it uses off the shelf inner and outer shafts and same for the gears and hubs. Was a little more money but no custom unit bearings, shafts etc. makes it easier to source parts and carry spares as well when everything matches front to back.

 

Nice looking fab 9 from Currie !!

This is my 9" Ford from Quick Performance i had built for my Camaro and capable of supporting 1500hp

It has chromemolly tubes with big bearing ends and braced to increase structural integrity . Two center sections , one for street use and the other for drag racing . Both have Yukon lightweight housings Billet pinion supports , Billet yokes and lightweight Billet full spools set up for 35 spline axles and each have 3.89 gears

The only difference in the center sections is one has a soft gear set up for drag racing with a Transbrake

 

I figured the bearing pocket and bearing were probably custom for this but that’s awesome if they aren’t.

 

I think I worded that poorly. I used to own an FZJ80 and the ABS system was so miserable to bleed and useless with 35s that a lot of guys ended up just deleting the whole ABS system. I was one of them...and I just sold that truck last week.

Separately, I also own a '13 Tacoma which I am long traveling and would like to put a Ford 9 in into, but still maintain the Toyota speed sensor and ABS.

No reply from Diamond yet...I probably need to call them instead of email but haven't had a chance yet.

 

Interesting.. I called Currie a while back (maybe October?) about a rock jock D60 for my 2nd Gen, and they said they pulled it temporarily to improve the brake mounting as it wasn't quite plug and play and they wanted to fix that. They said it there was no ETA but that it was coming back. I noticed the other day it was back listed on the website with an order button, but the link to it was still missing from their main page. Edit: just checked and now I am not finding the page..

I have the Rock Jock D60 on my FJ which I plan to sell minus the complete third which I will swap to my 2nd gen. It is wider for +2 long travel and I do not plan to go long travel on my Taco..

 

????? Dana 60s don’t have a removable 3rd member.

 

Ok, so my terminology is probably wrong I guess.. This is a high pinion d60. You buy the housing and axles and supply your own carrier, gear etc

Here is the text from Currie's website when it was available:
The RockJock® III high pinion rearend assembly for the 2005 and up Toyota Tacoma includes the complete housing with the 65-45-12 ductile iron housing center, AR400 heat treated bottom skid plate allowing the axle to slide over rocks easily, 3" d.o.m. steel tubes, 5/16" thick heavy steel diff cover, yoke (1310/1330/1350 optional). Unit features custom housing ends that accept the stock Tacoma brakes and allow for all factory drum brake hardware to bolt back on. Housing also features leaf spring pads mounted for an easy bolt-in installation. Also included are the Currie performance forged alloy 35 spline axle shafts that feature the stock Tacoma wheel bolt pattern, wheel studs installed, factory Tacoma axle bearings, bearing retainer rings and oil seals. All you need to complete this unit is a high pinion Dana 60 ring and pinion gear set, Dana 60 35 spline carrier of your choice, center section bearing & set up kit, labor to set it up and your Tacoma's drum brake hardware transferred over. Assembly labor of this unit is included in the price! NOTES: this unit does have or include shock mounts, nor does it accommodate the factory sway bar! See our shock mount and universal Antirock® sway bar offerings.

 

With the setup labor, are you really saving anything by removing your carrier and ring & pinion and selling the rest cheaper vs, selling yours complete and buying all new for your new build?

Dana axles aren’t fun to set up. I’m about to setup a front high pinion Dana 60 right now.

 

Well you would probably be right, my only saving grace is my neighbor is a retired race car builder and machinist. He used Dana 60s in his race cars and I am hoping to enlist his help, COVID willing. my ARB locker and gears will run me quite a bit if i were to start over(something like $2k?). My wallet already hates me. If I can get a complete rearend to put back in my FJ(brakes and all), my D60 housing and axles I will sell will be set up with rear disc brakes as well so maybe it will still be enticing for someone running +2 LT.. I really like the rock jock vs the other options available, so hoping they bring it back.

 

As was already said, all Currie does is take some custom machined axle tube ends that match the OEM bearing mounts and then make the axle shafts to the specs you need for the carrier and length you order. Dynatrac is still offering their tacoma housings........

It would be a lot of work but it might be possible to:

contact Dynatrac and see if you can just buy the bearing flanges
get whatever flavor 9" housing with the size tubes you need
weld the bearing adapters onto the axle tubes
order custom axles with the specs you need

 

Good luck with that is all I’ll say. Especially with koh around the corner..

 

The only part of the fj80 abs system you’d be using is the wheel speed sensors. In fact I bet the Tacoma wheel speed sensor fits in the fj80 axle so you don’t even really need those.

 

Long story short, I thought I was going to have to pull apart the D60 in my old F250 to fish a nut out of the carrier and I was not looking forward to figuring out how to make my own spreader tool and deal with it...Thank goodness for a really strong magnet on a long stick lol.

 

If you need 1 in the future, you can get the spreader on ebay for about $80. I just bought 1 to set up a 60 and it’s an amazing amount of steel. No way I could make it for that price considering materials and time.

 

Doesn't look like Currie makes this anymore, is there another setup you'd recommend?

 

Dynatrac seems to be the best bet right now, but they have a 6 month lead time due to supply issues.

ProRock 60® Axles for Tacoma (dynatrac.com)

I have a quote from them for $5300 for a complete assembly for a custom width. Instead of a 65.6" you can get a 67.6" or a 69.6".