Tacoma Double cab TOYOTA solid axle swap (1 Viewer)

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Tacoma Double cab TOYOTA solid axle swap

okay so I am starting a solid axle swap on my double cab Tacoma using a toyota mini truck front axle and a Turbo transfer case mated to the stock 5 speed. I will be tearing out the rack and pinion steering and replacing it with an I.F.S. steering box to connect up to the solid axle steering arms.

I have not seen anyone do a Toyota axle sawp yet under a Tacoma (anyone?!) so I figured why mess with a D44 when the Toyota axles are more than stout enough to do this swap?. after alot of planning I am about to embark on cutting up a perfectly good suspension to go retro with the solid axle.

Do you think the techs @ the dealer will warranty (yes it still has some warranty left) anything on the solid axle?!!;) it will be funny when they see it and are confused about the whole setup, I did speak with the service department @ my local delaer and the drivetrain will be covered for the remainder of the warranty. I need to buy a new digital cam to start taking pics (my old one became a casuality of too much egg nog over the holidays...:doh: )

wish me luck, there is no turning back now.... (I cut off some of the brackets tonight)
 
Our tech, Joe has a Tacoma with a 80 series axle under it. Also helped a friend with a 2nd one. Used to have a Dana 44 and ripped it out.

See here http://www.homegrowninc.us/?c=whips&w=spitwad and lots of other pics on the site.

dsc00214.jpg


You can also buy a Diamond axle with the 80 hipinion and 80 outers. Easier and stronger to work with than a housing that has to be stripped and cleaned up.
 
The reason no one uses a mini truck front axle is that it's 5" narrower than the rear. Just go with a Diamond or the tried and true Dana 44. No point in re-inventing the wheel.
 
Solid Axle

Use an 80 serie axle under it.
The picture is from a Hilux D-Cap 2004 I did 2 years ago, the LC.80 suspension system works just fine,
Picture 036.jpg
 
I second that. Use an 80 series axle, of a full custom from Diamond. The mini axle is infact 5'' narrower than the rear on a taco. You would have to use some hella wide wheel spacers to make it work, and they would prob. give you problems IMHO. The diamond is going to be your best bet as far as getting the exact width to match the rear. Are you adding a crawl box to that 23 spline case? Hope this swap works out for ya, and keep posting, I have been researching my SAS for a little over a year and a half now, and am still gathering parts little by little. GOOD LUCK!:cheers:
 
I would like to do this too and thought about an 80 axle but wouldn't the drop be backwards from what you would need? I could swear my tacoma was a drivers side drop...

Would an 80 Xfer case bolt up? no wait I want to keep the stock rear axle... hmm
 
Transfer case is a Drivers side drop on my 01, how could I use an 80 azle?
 
Tacoma Double cab TOYOTA solid axle swap

okay so I am starting a solid axle swap on my double cab Tacoma using a toyota mini truck front axle and a Turbo transfer case mated to the stock 5 speed. I will be tearing out the rack and pinion steering and replacing it with an I.F.S. steering box to connect up to the solid axle steering arms.

I have not seen anyone do a Toyota axle sawp yet under a Tacoma (anyone?!) so I figured why mess with a D44 when the Toyota axles are more than stout enough to do this swap?. after alot of planning I am about to embark on cutting up a perfectly good suspension to go retro with the solid axle.

Do you think the techs @ the dealer will warranty (yes it still has some warranty left) anything on the solid axle?!!;) it will be funny when they see it and are confused about the whole setup, I did speak with the service department @ my local delaer and the drivetrain will be covered for the remainder of the warranty. I need to buy a new digital cam to start taking pics (my old one became a casuality of too much egg nog over the holidays...:doh: )

wish me luck, there is no turning back now.... (I cut off some of the brackets tonight)

I was going to ask the same thing. I thought all Tacos had driver's side drop like the 90 series.

see red above, the turbo transfer case mates to the toyota 5 speed making it a passenger side drop.
 
The double cab never had the option for the 5 speed, This would involve alot of custom work... alot more than a bolt on
 
have a diamond housing made, but have the diff on the drivers side, thats how to make an 80 axle fit the taco easily.
 
ok, while diamond's are super sexy :p they cost around 5k...
 
Sweet I did not realize they were somewhat affordable, can you get it exactly reversed so you can use off the shelf 80 axle shafts but reverse the side they would go on?
 
They will build it to your specs, they could do that for you no problem. Friend of mine has two diamond housings under his yota pickup, very nice stuff. The front is an extra wide mini housing, the rear fits a LC third and uses custom 35 spline shafts :grinpimp:
 
Wow sounds cool, if I were to try and do this in a fast cheap and reliable way would leaf springs or a link suspension be the best (I am on ttora but like your opinions :p no I have not asked this stuff over there)
 
If it were me I would use all mini truck stuff except for the inner axles, those would be 80 series to give you the width you want. That way you can run standard knuckles and standard hysteer. Link it, or leaf it, but know that before you order a housing, they make the housings different to support the different loads more efficiently. Leafs will be easier, and I like the simplicity, but links sure do ride smoother...
 
If it were me I would use all mini truck stuff except for the inner axles, those would be 80 series to give you the width you want. That way you can run standard knuckles and standard hysteer. Link it, or leaf it, but know that before you order a housing, they make the housings different to support the different loads more efficiently. Leafs will be easier, and I like the simplicity, but links sure do ride smoother...

exactly. except leaves can be made to ride pretty nice too. same end different means.
 

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