Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

I'm taking notes. lol. Just saying that the "Driving with a locked front sucks" Won't necessarily be an issue.

 

Good point though, the last time I wheeled with you with selectable lockers they were broken and stuck open the whole time, so you will probably have that going for you again LOL

 

Wasn't my fault. New to me rig and shitty wiring. We fixed it though.

@Snowy your locker wiring is decent now and they work. You're welcome.

 

That was a fun day of not wheeling! :Flipoff2: Between you and Gideon I have lost my faith in aftermarket electric lockers actually working!!

 

I think Gid's was confirmed as a manufacturing defect that has since been fixed. Mine was dumbass installer error, just like everything else on the truck. Atleast the Tcase swap worked flawlessly.

 

That was funny, the entire truck being wired in series off the aux lights

 

Fucking insane. Tim's an absolute hackjob.

 

Score! I did rip out all the center console switches and just shoved the wiring up under the cupholders. Pretended I didn't see it.

But really, if it were me building a third gen 4Runner with your goals in mind for non tons and 40's and on a reasonable budget, I'd do it like this:

Rear:
-FZJ80 FF Rear with a Spartan and 5.29's. Should be easily sub $1000

Front:
-Source an FJ80 front donor axle for brakes, knuckle balls, and outers. Plus you can sell the HP8 to fund your 9.5 diff.

-Have a Ruffstuff driver drop, 9.5 center housing built and cut down yourself for a 63" WMS
-Reuse your knuckle balls, knuckles, spindles, wheel bearings, and brakes from the donor axle
-RCV shafts
-Build a 5.29 third with a spartan.

 

Or just shave a c&c ff14b and run a front d60

 

Is a ruffstuff axle like that custom or am I that bad at googling?

4WU makes a fabbed housing in either 63 or 66 that takes a 9.5 housing... but that's all I've found

 

4WU sells FROR DA. Go straight to the source..

 

RS housing are great, but you will need to do some elbow grease to get things rolling.
FROR DA might be the best choice since they're able to supply everything you need.

just my .02

 

https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/LC95HOS.html

Also, run the $170 RHD steering arm and GM 1 ton y-link steering like I do.

 

So order this and then cut it up to put the diff where I need it?

 

Are their axles actually built nice? Evrey part I have ordered from them (firewall plate, arp hub studs and brake lines) has been the shittiest quality I have ever seen. The brake lines leaked like crazy, the hub studs fucking stripped, and the firewall plate didn't match any bolt pattern on my firewall and the seal housing didn't even fit in the center hole. The parts made trail gear look like an aerospace company.

 

I can't speak about the little stuff like that but when I had my bare axle housing built, I spoke with both RS and DA. I actually want to run RS housing BTW. But TBH, RS is clueless and helpless on piecing a functioning axle. I asked questions regarding bla bla bla and their response was you'll need to search that on your own, all we do is built the housing. Makes sense but you should have some knowledge you can provide to someone like me. On the other hand, when I spoke with DA, he was able to provide information to what and where I need to complete the axle. For me, it's the little things that will either break or make you.

Don't get me wrong, I use plenty of RS parts and have visit their warehouse in Loomis, CA.

 

A year ago I thought the same thing. Wanted to keep it all Toyota, kinda like a "how it should come from the factory" sorta build. Keep it clean, simple, don't go too overboard. Met a few guys who built something similar, said they wished they had just gone straight to tons from the start. Too much money dumped into axles that can never be greater than 30 spline. I started doing more research on one ton axles, did the math, and discovered that in many cases they can be more budget friendly than Toyota axles, and stronger, with much more room to grow when it comes to upgrades. Decided to go with 99-04 SD60 axles. After a year of collecting parts, planning, and building, I'm glad I'm going this route.

 

I tried to talk him into this too, but @Kerleyfries is a masochist.

 

Yea but you don't get the satisfaction of knowing you spent 3xs the ammount for weaker and harder to find parts.

I had the same revelation you did. Im happy with my setup now, and wanted to play with toy axles a bit, but seeing the amount of coin people dump into axles to keep it all Toyota is quite comical.

If reliability drops, or if I get the itch for larger than 37s, they are coming out for sure