Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

Theres plenty of people who are scared to do that!!

 

I would go 60 routers, that way you already have them when you blow up your diff and want to upgrade to something stronger. I would look for an fj62/60 axle, they have the 9.5" r&p and dont have the fzj80 yuppie overlander tax applied to the parts.

I like that you are thinking dana knuckles. As cool as some of the toyota parts are, the turning radius on them totally blows ass compared to an open knuckle design.

 

I had a Spidertrax 609 housing, knuckles, and Currie Hi 9 third with a detroit for the front that I let go because I figured I wouldn't want to go much bigger than I can with the IFS

For the rear I don't think it's worth going to the 60 spindles... the 44 spindles aren't the weak link as it is and even the 30 spline 44 outers would be plenty strong. We'll see how many shafts I break I was fine with the factory rear for a long time and can't help but feel like breaking the shaft that I did was a fluke given the secondhand nature of the setup but who can say

Wasn't even going hard, just going up a rocky incline right at Top of the World in first gear, the front rolled up no problem and the rear popped the shaft while trying to go over

 

It's a real concern depending on how tall the driver is and running a driver drop case. Tacoma and 4Runner seat rails are basically on the floor, so if you have to raise the floor at all, you have to give up headroom...Which if you're over 6' tall, can be a problem. Building a floorpan strong enough to support the seat and make it level can be an annoyingly big challenge too with the space constraints.

^This if you're going to go open knuckle, just get the 60 outers. Literally no downside to the bigger knuckle aside from having to source 6 lug hubs if you aren't changing the rear.

If I ever build a front axle to replace my current one, it will be 9.5" Toyota center with Dana 60 outers.

 

Apparently I read your post too quick and didn't realize that you were talking rear axle.

I mean if it was given to me, I'd run a custom housing with an 8" Toyota center and 44 outers but I sure wouldn't pay any money to set one up or swap it in if I was already on a stock Tacoma housing. That would be a bunch of extra work and money for no gain. If you're worried about Toyota axle shafts, just swap in chromos and call it a day...They are beef stock.

 

yeah, my dumbass already bought it and swapped it in.

Never had any real complaints about my welded factory rear but I thought I was making a good move at the time.

 

I'm in the same boat. My truck works great as it is and isn't going anywhere...But if it were stolen and I had to start completely over. I'd build a 2wd second gen pickup with an aluminum LS/Atlas and ton's/40's. Keep it light and simple as possible. Weight is a way bigger deal than most make it out to be in the world of 7500lb second gen Tacoma's/FZJ80's so I'd shoot to be around 4k lbs ready to wheel.

 

14 bolt rear, just did wheel seals but realized I left this part of the old seal installed on one side. Is it gonna fuck up the new seal?

I pulled the shaft, spring clip, key, and spindle nut and was gonna take it out.

After liberal use of a brass punch and dead blow to the back of the hub I can't get the hub back off to remove it

 

Answer is yes it rubs on the back of the seal

 

Wheel seal? Nah, within a year those bearings will be trash anyway. Welcome to wheeling with big boys. Rear might last longer, I wouldn't worry.

 

I would normally agree but this is for the GFs CCLB horse hauler tow rig

 

Whole new front end, refreshed rear. Hope the engine and transmission lasts her another 350k

 

Hmm, tough call then LOL. Those should last forever. I can't imagine that other rubber seal piece causing problems though... It's just rubber like the other seal. Eventually it might wear away just enough so they stop rubbing and it won't be a problem anymore.

 

If she's wheeling this thing...


Why hasn't she told me?!!

 

The factory 2 piece wheel seal gave up the ghost and the whole pass side brakes, fender, leaf spring, and exhaust are covered in gear oil


Looking at all this started with me investigating one of the front unit bearings going bad when she noticed a noise has spiralled out of control as I've dug up all these other issues

 

Lol, the fun of discovering new things.

 

If you were building a front from scratch would you go driver drop or passenger drop?

I am thinking I would prefer to go pass drop because I could switch to a gear case and 4:1s without having to mess with a doubler setup.

 

Pax drop. More factory solid axles with that option out there, which means less likely to have to go to a custom housing which means cost savings.

You could in theory flip any axle but it's not really advisable if you are new at fabrication and dont have the tools. I did one because I had an assload of money sunk into my lefty and doubler setup that I would never recover selling it, but would not do it again. I still dont think I did it right, it looks like I have positive camber, but the axle shafts fit in there and it doesn't leak.

 

Agree, pass drop. Just more selection out there.