Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

Was going to make a paper gasket out of felpro material

 

I tried the grey permatex, then paper gaskets and finally went back to the right stuff, it's the only stuff that would even come close to sealing my duals.

 

I wouldn't use paper...Right Stuff all the way. It can make disassembly a pain later because it sticks so well but it's worth it to not have leaky cases.

 

Both generate their own set of headaches

 

Yes they do but I genuinely love both. The Tacoma for obvious reasons and the Ford just flat out works....especially when you look at new truck prices

 

Check muh build thread, but IIRC you should be in the 50" range. I can get you an exact later if you want it

 

I hear you. New tow rig prices are insane these days.

In regards to dual cases...it seems like most people have nothing but frustrations with these things. But they seem to work too.

 

I've had almost zero frustration with mine since putting them together...couple bumps getting it put together but it was me just not knowing what I was doing. I think the non-clocking style of the TG coupler makes a big difference in keeping leaks away.

 

I can only speak for myself but my problems were: I had a perfect leak free installation (super rare at the time, 2008) however I missed the step where you need to put antiseize or some sort of super good sticky grease on the coupler so it doesn't fret and strip. My coupler stripped out almost 1yr to the day after I installed it leaving work, 2 weeks before a wheeling trip. People at Marlin told me you were supposed to anti seize it, and I told them I referenced the zero instructions that are online or sent with the products. in their defense they got better with that. There is a lot of shop tricks you need to know that they don't tell you when you build them yourself. I told Jim at inchworm the same thing about his products and he agreed with me lol.

After that I stuck another taco tcase in it but never trusted it again and built the lefty and have been happy ever since. It leaks, gets super hot on the highway, and stinks like venting gear lube constantly, but it works when I need it and duals are hands down the best mod you can spend money on, way more bang for the buck than an SAS IMO.

It's like any mod, it really just adds more work and maintenance for higher performance off-road. I daily drove a dual cased truck for 8yrs, and besides the coupler stripping which was my fault, it's been drama free. Granted I have had them out of the truck 4 times and in those 8yrs and two of the times I had them taken apart.

 

I am in the same boat. i haven't had any problems with mine except the ball bearing popping out. I have learned to get more leak free, dont just put sealant on it and through it together and fill it with oil the same day. the last time i had mine apart, I put one section on with Ultra Gray and let it cure. then the next section and let it cure. and so on until everything was back together and fully cured before putting gear oil in. i havent had any issues with leaks since doing this. does it take longer? yes. but i rather take my time and be leak free.

also, i have had the best luck with ultra gray when it comes to leaks.

 

I do the same thing, let each section cure a while before dropping oil in it. Supposedly right stuff is cured and ready to run in 1min, I have never gotten anything bolted together that fast lol. About the only place mine leaks now is venting out the top of the shifter holes despite having a huge vent on it. Not even thinking twice about it since it just makes everything a bit wet and that's it.

 

Ok, help me understand. I keep hearing "I haven't had any issues with my duals with the exception of....." and then there's a list of issues .

The way I see it...A leak big or small is an issue, having to assemble/disassemble crap over again is an issue. Parts over heating, gear oil fumes, couplers stripping, ball bearings popping out...etc....those are issues!

Also, geez...one would expect that at the very least these companies would provide printed or online instructions about the "secrets" to properly install duals. That's just crazy. Good to hear you guys figured it all out eventually and made things work.

Nothing is drama free though. I'm having issues too with my Atlas. My speedo is not getting any readings from it. I thought I got the right connections for the speedo. It worked for a while, then stopped, and now is dead again

At least AA actually answers the phone and they provide instructions with their products lol

 

TG was super helpful for me when I put mine together and had to order a new output seal for the trans because I neglected to put the coupler on. I missed the part about reading the directions carefully and completing the steps in the correct order

 

well there is a big thread over on about the bearings that marlin uses in their crawl boxes that inchworm use to use also. that is literally the only issue i have with mine and i fixed it by getting a different bearing that just doesnt pop out a ball whenever it wants to when in a bad position.

Sealing up something is more user error in my opinion than anything. like i said, once i started doing it the way i have lately, i havent had any issues. i have not had it leave me stranded anywhere.

 

Build and install some duals from scratch, well hell any major mod, and not have problems then come back.

And this was 2007-2010 when this stuff was all new for tacomas. Both Marlin and Jim at inchworm were very helpful when I called and had questions. The surface area that needs to be sealed on these are huge, add some weird twisting from all the torque and length, of course they will leak a bit

If you wants stuff that snaps together without issue and no thought involved, go buy a tj or a jk.

If it makes you feel better my friend has had his atlas in and out of his grand Cherokee about 5 times.

 

I have to say that the few times I've interacted with TG it has been a positive experience. Purchased a power steering box that leaked from day one. Quick phone call, they took care of it under warranty and sent another one within a few days.

Glad it worked out for you. Not saying duals are bad. They are clearly a great mod. I was just highlighting issues that I've heard from so many people.

I think I read that thread a while back. That forum is dead now, and it is almost impossible to go through it now with so many stupid adds that slow everything big time.

Haha! But let me remind that you are the one who has said that if you were to do it again you would go the atlas route from the get start

Agree...any major mod will always come with a degree of headaches. It's the nature of the game.

I really tried joining the club with the dual cases. Paid for the damn parts IN FULL in advanced ($2,400). They promised to deliver the parts in 6 weeks. Six months later I was still waiting. No communication, no apologies, no timelines. What a huge blow, as my truck was just sitting there collecting dust waiting to be finished. Finally got my money back. Called AA and in less than a month I had the atlas delivered to my door...oh, and with instructions

That experience, along with all the "stories" I hear from people that have duals, totally turned me away from any desire to ever want to have toyota transfer case parts in my rig.

 

Yeah because I have tripled my salary since having to build duals and Lefty's out of junkyard parts, have a DD and a welder so I'll have the time to hack the floor out to get it to fit like I would want it to. Plus after all that self induced dual case mess, I now know how these things work like the back of my hand.

 

Need some input on pinion angle. Here's where I stand.

1.7degrees at the twas front output

0 degrees at the pinion flange

10 degrees of caster

I have caster alignment bushing in the knuckles that are currently maxes out. So I can take 3.5 degrees of caster out with those if I need too.

I'm planning on running single ujoints on the driveshaft.

My thought is that I need to point the pinion up a degree or two. Thoughts?

 

With single joints the pinion supposed to be perpendicular, right? Mines setup like that and I get minimal vibes, then again ive only went 20 or so with it in 4wd.

 

Right, they should be parallel, but that puts the pinion pointing down. That doesn't make any sense to me. lol