1983 Knuckle Rebuilt Kit recommendations

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John Staton

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Oct 23, 2017
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101
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The Woodlands, TX
Well, I knew this day would come eventually. Started leaking gear oil on the passenger side so obviously my inner axle seal is failing so its time for a knuckle rebuild. Luckily, my daughter is dating a very talented mechanic who only works on classics and he is chomping at the bits to tackle this for me. I see a lot of different kits out there, and wanted to ask the group what they recommend. Any to avoid??
fj60Axle.webp

FJ60Dec24.webp
 
Any of the MUD vendors will have Japanese made kits, some from Terrain Tamer. They are all good. You will probably need to buy the Marlin seals separately, unless you find a kit that includes it. Do you need bearings, too? Koyo vs Timken?

Cruiser Outfitter (cruiserteq.com)

Cruiser Brothers (I think their website is TerrainTamer usa now?)

I know Mark's Off Road includes the Marlin seals, if you ask 818-953-9230 @65swb45

You can still buy the front Axle Overhaul kit from Toyota 04434-60012/15 but it's $200 vs $75 ish or less aftermarket.
 
Any of the MUD vendors will have Japanese made kits, some from Terrain Tamer. They are all good. You will probably need to buy the Marlin seals separately, unless you find a kit that includes it. Do you need bearings, too? Koyo vs Timken?

Cruiser Outfitter (cruiserteq.com)

Cruiser Brothers (I think their website is TerrainTamer usa now?)

I know Mark's Off Road includes the Marlin seals, if you ask 818-953-9230 @65swb45

You can still buy the front Axle Overhaul kit from Toyota 04434-60012/15 but it's $200 vs $75 ish or less aftermarket.
I dont know if I need bearings, but I would assume it is best just to replace everything you can once you open her up so looking to get the most complete kit possible. I didn't think to get some of these trusted shops on the phone....I have purchased from many of them over the years. I should call Valley Hybrids...they did a great job on my H55 upgrade and really walked me through it.
 
you definitely should replace the bearings while it's taken apart. Gonna need a 54mm socket. A medium-sized brass drift will help with getting the cone washers out. Moly-B grease, lots of paper towels for the clean out of the hubs. The rest is done with standard tools.
 
If you've got over 100K miles on original wheel bearings, it's cheap insurance to replace. Mine looked fine at 200K miles, they're very large bearings, but it's a messy job anyway. Cleaned and greased the old bearings and stuck in a HD freezer bag and carry as emergency spares.
 
We would love to help @ Cruiser Outfitters. We have an all-Japanese kit with parts from OE manufactures such as NOK, Koyo (JTEKT) and more. We include more parts and step by step instructions in our kits too! We've been selling and installing these kits for over 30 years :cool:


Additionally, we have any and every 'while you're in there' part and tool you may want or need. The 54mm hub socket, spring scale gauge for setting pre-load, knuckle alignment tool, birfs, shafts, drive flanges, etc... everything.

Let us know if we can help!
 
We would love to help @ Cruiser Outfitters. We have an all-Japanese kit with parts from OE manufactures such as NOK, Koyo (JTEKT) and more. We include more parts and step by step instructions in our kits too! We've been selling and installing these kits for over 30 years :cool:


Additionally, we have any and every 'while you're in there' part and tool you may want or need. The 54mm hub socket, spring scale gauge for setting pre-load, knuckle alignment tool, birfs, shafts, drive flanges, etc... everything.

Let us know if we can help!
Thanks....will reach out very soon....
 
Do yourself a favor and pick up an air hammer with a flat-head hammer bit if you don't already have one. I found the cone washers to be absolute nightmare to get out using "conventional" means. But a half-second blast of the air hammer on the outside of the hub around each cone washer instantly popped them out.
 
Don’t beat on the outside of the hub at the cone washer taper. Please
 
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