Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

Yeah starting at 4.56 sucks

 

I've got 5.29s with 37s and the 3.4, love it!

 

I had 5.29's and a 7MGE. Wanted twin turbos for it but kept blowing up rear ends with the power I had.

 

Is anyone else running the Trail Gear 3 link kit? My friend owns a shop and is installing it for me and he should be done this weekend! Then he still has to make me a new front bumper though.
and I am going to have to lift the rear but I pretty much ran out of money doing the front. So for now I am going to do the rear basically as cheap as I can until I can do it properly. So Im thinking just blocks and longer shocks. Any other ideas for lifting the rear somewhat cheap?

 

For cheap Under $300ish (including a kit w/shackles, etc), defintley Chevy 63s. Few bucks for labor. Good, cheap.

 

First build I actually see with TGs 3 link kit. It seems like it is turning out good. Gotta get the front done first and dialed in before you do the rear, so that you know what the final ride height will be.

I agree with ToyRd04. Chevy's 63"s are your best option. I wouldn't do blocks in the rear if you plan on doing any real wheeling.

 

Thanks guys! And we are going to get the front dialed in before we do the rear.
And I wheel the shit out of my truck which is why I am doing the SAS. Sadly though I don't spend much time on here reading about builds and just learning valuable info...
So I just found this thread https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-chevy-63-leaf-spring-swap.377756/ and http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/toyota-truck-4runner/20665-63-chevy-1-2-ton-spring-swap-faq.html. Are these only for 2nd gens or is it the same for a 1st gen also?

 

The second link you posted is the bible. It has all the info you need.

 

Chevy 63s are probably the cheapest thing I did to my truck. Super simple, great flex and good weight capacity.

 

yeah great rear spring though i need a lift spring so i have to ditch the super lift 63's i have and order deavers one of these days.

 

Are these link kits really any cheaper than purchase everything ala carte from ruff stuff or Barnes and building it your self? You still have a shit ton of fab work ahead of you getting the brackets in the right spot on the frame and axle.

Just curious in case I ever get a wild hair up my ass to link something someday.

 

Most of these "cheap" link kits come with cheap hiem joints i shopped and bought all FK joints. The steering came with cheap joints and they have all but fallen apart. Replaced with FK forged joints and haven't looked back

 

I think it is cheaper to source the parts for a basic kit from ruff stuff or barnes. Artec also has bad ass parts.

But then again, can't deny the fact that TG has really come up with some cool ideas for the toyota purists. For the guy that starts from scratch with zero parts, wants to stay all toyota and does not want to spend the time trying to source each individual part separately (which can be time consuming and overwhelming); their full kits make sense.

 

If you can't figure out the tube diameter of your axle, how tall of a bracket you need and cant search a website for 45mins without screwing that up, then you should not be anywhere even remotely near thinking about a link suspension. Nothing Toyota specific to some axle and frame brackets.





The above reasons are why I went leafs LOL

 

i did a leaf build then a linked build and my next build will be leaf for the simple fact that it's easier and still performs fairly well off road.

 

I've been thinking of Tacoma replacements lately and I always had a soft spot for the 4th Gen runners. IF I build one of those I would probably link it, but that's realistically 5+ yes down the road.

I hear ya on leafs though.

 

I thought it was because you are a cheap bastard

I was referring to everything TG includes in their full kits (axle housing, 3rd member, oil pan conversion, frame plates, etc.). It is nice and convenient that a vendor has all those things put together already.

Figuring out how to do the link suspension is certainly nothing brand specific.

That's interesting. Wouldn't you say that a 3 link might be simpler to setup than the 4 link you have??

 

Well yeah thats obviously the number one reason!

 

I think it could be cheaper getting everything on your own if you know exactly everything you need and how to do it.

I know a lot of people love talking shit on people who get stuff built for them instead of building it themselves. But I don't learn from reading stuff on forums. I learn by getting it, such as this 3-link, so I can see the whole thing in person and see how it all works together. By the time I build my next truck I will trust myself to build it on my own especially since I will be doing all the maintenance on it and fixing anything I break off-road. But for now I prefer to get a kit!

 

Or you can buy a crappy kit and end up rebuilding everything your self...