Who knows their rear axles??

I am planning on centering the rear axle in my landcruiser. This will require a minitruck rear axle housing and axle shafts. The Idea is to chop the ends of the mini housing off, and slide them into the landcruiser's housing after chopping off it's ends (landcruiser axle housing is bigger diameter).

I would like to use the shafts from an IFS truck, and end up with a slightly wider axle, but I think the IFS truck rear housings are a little bigger diameter, and won't go inside my landcruiser's...

So does anyone know if an IFS truck's rear shaft/bearing/flange will bolt up to an '85 or older minitruck housing's flange correctly? Is there anything I would have to change/ swap to get the IFS shaft mated to the earlier Housing?
Also, I saw an '87 IFS Turbo truck at a wrecking yard the other day... would it's rear shafts be the same as all the other IFS trucks? I know the diffs are unique to themselves in turbo trucks, as are the trannys, but how 'bout those rear shafts?

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Mark...

Mark W said:

Yes.

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Mark...

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Sweeeeet.... someone already pulled the shafts from the turbo truck and left them. Less work for me if they are still there!
Thanks!

There Is A Thread In The Hardcore Section, That Has Done The Same Thing.

Full_M3tal said:

There Is A Thread In The Hardcore Section, That Has Done The Same Thing.

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I believe there are a few threads about this floating around in here. There are even some links in the FJ40/55 tech's FAQ. I was just looking for some cut and dry answers. Most of the build threads don't mention much about parts interchangeability.

All the 8" Toyota rear axle shafts are the same diameter, 4cyl, V6 or turbo.

I had a 1980 truck with a rearend just like what youre talking about. It had the cruiser housing center section with the minitruck outer axle tubes stuck in and welded.

The minitruck shafts worked just fine in the cruiser diff.

On the other hand, another buddy just used a complete mintruck rearend. I think he might have had to move the spring perches, but I think the break lines and everything else worked. The cruiser diff is a little bigger, but not by much. He had a hopped up 350 and hd no durability issues whatsoever. I think he was even using a 4cyl 3rd member.

The V6 thirds have a 4 pinion diff and a stiffer housing with more ribbing ect. Some recent opinions from the timber crawler sect on the coast are that the 4cyl 3rds allow a little more give under severe load and actually break gears less than the V6 thirds while hacking on it. Either way they're all good setups. If you don't have any expensive lockers and gears in your cruiser rearend I'd just use the minitruck rear straitup. Ring and pinions are also a bit cheaper which is nice! Wheel On!

I would just put an IFS mini axle in it and call it done. That is a lot of work to have a ring gear 1 inch larger in diameter and a center housing. Not to mention you have to change the springs perches for spring over anyway. And depending on your cruiser axle an FJ60 axle iirc is the same width as an IFS rear axle so you wouldnt be gaining much there aside from your ring gear.