[Cruiserdrew]

I don't know where to start, so here are some random comments.


If your axles you bought were set up and run in a truck, then a cut and turn will be more complicated then you think. Ideally, you will want to cut the perches off, and weld on new ones that give you the pinion angle you want (I recommend pointing straight at the t-case). With that done, then rotate your knuckles back to avheive the proper caster. You need to know what geometry is built into the perch/pinion relationship now before you can really plan your attack. So, get the old axle out, swap the new one in under the spring and see what it looks like before cutting or welding anything. You may decide to use your existing housing since the stock pinion angle is better than a stock FJ60 pinion angle.

Your comment about the longfields is not clear. Do you mean the inner axles are stock and the birfields are longfields? Exactly what Longfields are they? If they are early generation (ie not ChromeMoly) then they are not much stronger than stock. Ideally, you want 30 spline Longfields with the new CroMo inneraxles. It's called the "superset" on the Longfield site.

Cheapest, easiest and least esthetically pleasing option for the shocks are the Ford towers. They work great. They are super strong. Did I mention they are cheap? Like $30 cheap. I have them on my FJ40 and literally installed in 1 afternoon. I used 4x4 Labs shock hoops on the FJ60 because they are beautiful and look like wheelwell art. A bit of a splurge, but really, really nice. I think PismoJim has Allpro hoops and they work well and look OK.

The "fancy" rear shaft is likely a double cardan shaft. That's really great, and a major bonus of your purchase, but it means that the pinion must point exactly at the t-case output or you will get vibes. My guess is that you will need to reweld the perches on the rear to achieve that geometry and then have the shaft sized properly for your truck. Go out now and make sure the bolt patterns on the shaft match the existing ones on your truck. If they don't, then that's one more extra step you will need to consider. That rear geometry is VERY important, and you need to decide whether you want to run a standard shaft or a double cardan shaft before you get going. In my opinion, a DC shaft is desirable as it allows you to rotate the pinion up and out of harms way. It's only 2-3 inches but it's very beneficial in terms of the number of rocks your shaft hits.

The frame to axle housing brake soft lines will be roughly 25 inches in the rear and 22-25 inches on the front. On the front, I relocated the "t" fitting to the top of the differential, since otherwise it gets in the way of the perch. That has the added benefit of moving it closer to the mount so the line can be a little shorter. Then you need to make and flare new hard lines to run to your caliper soft line mounts.


Your steering linkage needs some thought. Did the stuff you bought come with tie rod and drag link? If not, remember that the Allpro kit *I think* uses 80 series tie rod ends for both the tierod and the drag link, so you'll need to plan accordingly with new linkage of the proper length and threading. Also, the taper of your pittman arm will be wrong for 80 series ends so it will need to be reamed to the proper taper.

You will need all new spring bushings unless yours are new. You really can't afford any slop now that you'll be way up in the air. MAF has lot of choices depending on the shackles and pins you plan to use.

If you get a good pinion angle up front, you won't need a front track bar. If the pinion is flat, that gives a very awkward lower u-joint angle which gets worse under load(pinion rotates down under load). That's why IMHO you want to start with a good pinion angle.

What are you going to do about the front backing plates? Keep them if you want to run the hardline from the junction down to the caliper.

In the rear, you'll need to watch out for the e-brake cable. It tends to get tight with that much lift and you need to extend the mounting brackets to improve the geometry. How do you plan to hook up the e-brake to your disc brakes? Personally, I like the FJ60/62 drum brakes and you may consider staying with stock to make the whole e-brake thing easier. This will sound like heresy, but doing the spring over in the rear is really easy, so to keep things simple at least consider using your existing axle, welding new perches to the top and swap in the ARB locked 3rd member.

Ruffstuff's track bar bits are really great. I've used them on my 40 and I'll do the same on my 60. Just remember, that the track bar can be done later, so save your energy and get the rest of it right first. The track bar will mean you need a new rear crossmember to weld the shackle end to, so lots more fab work and I'd save it for a separate project.

The stock FJ62 skid plate is a joke. If you really plan to wheel this truck, which I assume you do, then a new skid plate needs to be built and installed to protect those expensive aluminum bits (tranny and t-case) in your drivetrain. FC Fabrication makes great ones and can integrate the track bar mount into it. SO save that whole part of the project for later.

Sorry for the long post, but I have just gone through all of these issues in the last few weeks and it's still pretty fresh. I wish I could come down and help because there is still more info you will need as you go through this. Don't expect to do it in a weekend. I did it in 4 days only because I've done it before and kind of knew what to expect. Your toughest problems will come from things you didn't even consider at the start. Read Chicago's long build thread-there is a ton of great info there even though it's like 37 pages. Good luck, it's going to be great.

One last thing, for technical experience, Ross Kuzma is a very smart dude, and can help with a lot of real time questions. He's part of the Trail Crew and a good guy to know.