3rd Member

[1979 FJ40ish]

1. I need to have the rear 3rd member repaired on my 79 FJ40 (3.7 ratio). Can I safely tow the chassis with the rear end on the ground with the 3rd member removed or will the axles come out of the tube?

2. Can anyone recommend a shop I can ship the 3rd member to for repair? The more experienced they are with a FJ40 3rd member the better. I live about 40 miles outside of Nashville, TN but I'm OK with shipping it anywhere in the US to get the repair done correctly.

 

[SW20]

Why not buy one off the front of a FJ40/60 (front because it is used less) and pop it in? If you can't do it yourself, I am sure a average shop can do it fairly quick. I only say this because I am a novice myself, and had a spare axel so I tried it myself. It is easier than it looks.

 

[1979 FJ40ish]

This is how I always get myself into trouble --- I'm not too concerned removing or installing the 3rd member but I don't have the experience or tools to do the actual repair.

 

[JackA]

You cannot tow it with the 3rd member removed.

 

[want2wheel]

What is your current 3rd doing? I am east of you If I can help any way. Rob

 

[1979 FJ40ish]

It's making an unnatural noise. When I push and pull on the flange there is slight movement in and out. I can also rotate the flange back and forth (left to right) a few degrees in each direction without the gears/tires moving.

I'm far from a expert on 3rd members but when I took the inspection cover off my first impression was that the gears looked, to me, to be in good condition. No chipping or signs or wear. When I look deeper into the 3rd member, where the flange is, there appears to be an "O" ring hanging loose around the "shaft" that goes out to the flange.

 

[Ronthebiker]

You cant tow it without the 3Rd member. Mine started to make noise due to the spider gears being shot and also the pinion bearings were pretty bad. I would take the 3rd member to get rebuilt by itself. They should charge you less if you bring them the 3rd member rather than the whole truck. I like to do all my own work but I will let a pro do the actual bearings. There is alot of skill and special tools involved and if youre slightly off that thing will blow the brand new $150 bearings out pretty quick.

Take it somewhere and have them rebuild it and replace all the bearings for sure and gears only if needed. Then just pop that baby back in. You could re install it in a weekend or maybe even a day if your quick.

 

[Michael B]

@1979 FJ40ish where are you located? I have a good gear guy here in Huntsville that has done a lot of work for myself and other club members.

 

[1979 FJ40ish]

I'm in Clarksville, TN about 45 minutes north of Nashville. I'm looking for a shop that has the experience and equipment to do the job correctly. I haven't found anyone locally that I'm comfortable with. So I expect I'll have to ship it.

 

[Rock40]

Your cheapest bet is finding a used FJ60 3rd member and just swapping it out. Shipping isn't going to be cheap on the 3rd that weighs close to 75 lbs. If you HAD to ship it, send it to Marlin Crawler in CA, they are VERY good and will guarantee all their differential work.

 

[B y r o n]

Contact Zuk.

 

[shawnfj40]

Full Floating axles are the only axles the do not depend on a diff to trap the axles.