FJ arms

[spooky1]

Will fj steering arms bolt up to pickup truck axles?

 

[cavemancaleb]

yes, 1985-1989, fj60 and 62.
As fas as i know the outers and knuckles are the same.

 

[pappy]

I think it can be stretched back to 1980 FJ60 and 1979 FJ40. Why?

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

I was under the impression that 75 + Cruisers used all the same outer axle stuff.... Till the 80 series anyway...

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

Nope the 75+ to ??? (I cant remember the year but pappy is surely right with 79) had a smaller 4 bolt pattern on top of the knuckles and not only will not work but suck. I put later year knuckles on my 76 FJ40 as an upgrade as well as the larger birfs. Which the knuckles I upgraded to where the exact same as ours on our minitrucks

EDIT: I should define suck.... The pattern being smaller makes it weaker and they had a tendency to back out as well. I even think the studs were smaller on the small pattern knuckles

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Maybe I'm thinking of the Birfields... Pay no attention to me....

 

[pappy]

Pretty sure it's 1979. I just did a disk brake swap on a buddy's BJ40. We used knuckle stuff from a FJ62. For the steering he used the arms from 1979. It worked with his older multi-link setup and TREs, and had the large pattern knuckle spacing.

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Pretty sure it's 1979. I just did a disk brake swap on a buddy's BJ40. We used knuckle stuff from a FJ62. For the steering he used the arms from 1979. It worked with his older multi-link setup and TREs, and had the large pattern knuckle spacing.

The large pattern knuckle came at the same time as the square bezel (so 79). The large and small pattern knuckles look very similar, but aren't interchangeable at all. Different diameter studs, different stud spacing.

There are very minor differences between the large pattern 40 knuckle, the 60 series knuckle, and the mini truck knuckles of various year, but nothing that makes them not work with one another. Our '79 -40 has one original knuckle, and one mini knuckle. You'd be hard pressed to tell the difference, and I don't think I even remember which side is which at this point.

Dan

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

Maybe I'm thinking of the Birfields... Pay no attention to me....

Just an FYI for the melon the older fj40 birfs are smaller as well. I had to clearance my housing to be able to slide a fj60 birf into it. I think the fj60 birf was the same as a mintruck birf but someone will have to confirm that. Not a big deal just an fyi as I guy tries to dig up spares. The older fj40 birfs obviously would surely work as a spare but you wouldnt want to pay top dollar for them and you can not visually tell the difference

 

[pappy]

I think the fj60 birf was the same as a mintruck birf but someone will have to confirm that.

Confirmed. They are the same.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

So the early 75-79 FJ40 Birfs will fit, but are smaller?

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

Thanks Pappy!

Since Pappy confirmed the FJ60 birfs are the same as the minitruck then yes sir the early fj40 birfs are slightly smaller than the minitruck birfs but will work. Again it isnt a huge difference but it does exist

 

[pappy]

So the early 75-79 FJ40 Birfs will fit, but are smaller?

As I recall there is another issue with them. I seem to recall the stub is either longer or shorter.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

I know the fj60 work perfectly in an early fj40 so pappy I am guessing that if the fj60 and the minis are the same which I thought they were and you confirmed we should be good to go. But I dont like guessing either. Maybe your thinking of the axles. As they are definately different. I was able to save the short side of the fj60 axle for my fj40 but the long side is longer as the axle is obviously wider. Something of the sort may apply to the minis but the outers or in this case birfs should be fine other than the strength difference

I have been wrong before so...... Heck I am married there is one example

 

[GarageRat]

75-79 birfs are oddballs that have a longer stub.

 

[4x4 Station Wagon]

I knew with it being two against one I had to have forgotten a step. You guys are right. I stole this info off of some of my saved data from the FJ40 forum

You can put the later birf (the shorter 79'+ birf) in the earlier axles that have the "long" hub, the birf will not come through the hub body enough to use the snap ring, so you can run a fender washer and bolt (with loctite) in the end of the birf to keep it from walking inward, of course a martack would do about the same thing.

But, you cannot put the 76'-79' birf in a later axle using the "short" hub as it will protrude too much...

Hope that is clear?

So in conclusion the older fj40 birfs are weaker and longer. It looks and sounds as though they could be modified to work as a spare to get you off the trail but I have not confirmed.