Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

I was browsing the other day and came across this little treat being marketed for second gen Tacos and FJC's

http://www.rcimetalworks.com/05-15-Tacoma-Rear-Differential-Skid-Taco-05-15-7.htm



What a colossal waste of $300 and ground clearance that only late model truck guys could see as a "problem" that needs fixing. I get shaving a drain plug to make sure that it doesn't loosen up but this seems a bit...much. I literally laughed outloud when I realized that people actually run them. I'm forever impressed with vendor's ability to get expo guys to just shake a credit card at their truck.

 

aka "Diff diapers"

 

Why grind the diff plug off, weld on a square of 3/16 and replace one stud with a bolt, when a $300 skid will do.

 

Theres a vendor on here that sells them as well. People go nuts for them lol. Only thing I like about them is it wont let the seal on the diff pop and leak gear oil everywhere but ill weld a piece of 1/4 to the bottom of the housing and overhang to the bottom of the diff to act like a skid before I buy one of these lol.

 

I’ve never had an issue with breaking the seal but I’ve got some bolts in the lower half of both thirds that might help.

Lunchbox in front and ARB in the rear is my preference with just one selectable. When I was in Moab, the front would ratchet and I could open the rear up to corner really tight.

 

My new front axle I used the bolts put in backwards and then put the bottom 2 bolts in so it can drain. Hope that helps.

I'm E locker rear, Detroit front. Wish they where both selectable though. It works how it is. I put it in 2wd when 4wd isn't needed and don't go full lock trying to climb something.

 

I’m SFA with hydro assist so...

There isn’t a much stress on it anyway when it ratchets so it’s not hurting anything. My Detroit will even ratchet cruising around woods trails.

 

I do not have ball joints, u-joints, or a track bar.

Any bind from a front locker during a turn is way less stress than what you are putting on it crawling or climbing.

 

Leaf sprung Toyota axles don't have ball joints, u joints or track bars hahah

 

Mines far from a 2000+ Jap truck since has a 80s based Toyota SFA.

80s Toyota SFA use birfield axle shafts instead of u joint axle shafts (although there was a kit at one point to make them a u joint but don't think theyre any stronger), use king pin type steering (steering arm has a pin that goes into the knuckle into the house that spins a bearing that rides on a race (think that's how you explain it lol?)) so no ball joints, and leaf springs don't require a track bar.

Somebody else may be able to describe it better but that's how I see it all in my head lol.

 

Yup chromo birfs that are stronger, roughly equivalent to the strength of stock d60 stuff.

Heims on what the steering? I use fj80 tre's as here in the Midwest heims get gummed up pretty quickly.

 

Didn't have a problem with stock birfs but went to chromos as well for 37s. No heims at all for me either. Tie rod ends last longer and are more street friendly. And give me the most uptravel lol.

 

Another FJ80 tie rod end guy here. No noise, low maintenance, long life...checks a lot of boxes for my lazy maintenance schedule.

Unrelated note, I’m contemplating going to stickies. Is anything worth looking at beyond Krawlers or Treps?

 

I think they make general grabbers in stickey, I think the sx's come in a stickey as well.

 

Most guys on this side of the forum run 37s or larger. But we also have the dents and rock rash to show for it lol

 

Apparently the Goodyear stickies are good...or so people say. 'Cause their regular compound seems to have a bad reputation.

Heim joints are so much cheaper these days. Tie rods probably last longer though.

 

Surprised nobody has posted the rock slayer build of the 3rd gen tacoma

 

Wonder how well built it is.... I know he had to pay out the ass for sure.

 

There’s a reason most people run 3 links up front instead of 4 links on Tacoma’s... Plus his IG captions make me so irritated that I want to go throw puppies and kittens off a bridge. They are completely unintelligible...seemingly written by a 12 year old girl.

 

. I’m trying to figure out how these 3rd gen guys get so much money to have shops build these trucks paying about as much as the truck cost in Fab work.