FJ60 axles under the FJ55

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MiniPigg

MiniPigg

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Ok.. I have brought this up in the past.. etc... have read write ups.. etc... etc.. etc.

I havent been on much lately... what I wanted to do is see how many people have already gone this route. It is time for me to put the 60 axles under the pig. I am trying to get this project tied up before it starts to get really cold out.

So if you have already done the conversion or are in the process of doing it.. I am interested in seeing how you did yours and photo's if you have'em.

thanks
 
My '76 got the treatment, I LOVE IT. I went with Proffits front outboard kit and 4x4 Labs steering with a 60 box. This truck is a dream to drive, all my friends are pissed I let them drive it! I love the look with the extra width of the 60's axles and 36/12.50 on 15x8's- no problems with stability in the mountians. Feel free to ask questions
 
Sorry gotta resize some pics, no time right now, soon-just this one for now!
(diff. tires/wheels in this pic.)
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interesting timing as i'm getting ready to do mine,,, was waiting to decide if i was going coil over or not. decided to stay leaf for a few reasons. mine is to get away from the 2" BS wheels i have been running, hard on bearings, rebuild front every other year, getting tired, getting old,,,, oh soo old and tired. ;)
 
I did it too and it was one of the best mods I ever did to my 55. Same setup as hicruise's, FJ60 box and axles, luke porter arms and links. Proffitt's shackle reversal kit. Search my name and there is a good writeup about it. Only took about a day for me to do too. Hardest thing is measuring frequently and remembering to mark your previous spring hanger locations before you cut them off. I resused the front hangers and left my setup shackle forward but would recommend a shackle reversal at hte same time for anything that is sprung over.

OK searched, here is the link:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=97102&highlight=60+axles
 
Per PM:

Hope these pic's help? I wanted to keep the shackle in front, I guess because I like the theoretical pressure=traction idea and not a DD. Could have fabbed the mounts but time is $. Nothing evolution changing, but I really do like my pass. side U-bolt setup (stock 60/2 setup); some people bend a U-bolt- to me, this design just takes out the extra bends?

I wasnt SOA so of course DS's were adressed as well as steering, all of which will depend on the application. I moved the whole spring forward just a little- then the mock up and move. SOA springs get even flatter so I set my (anti-inversion) shackles angle where i felt I would get the most movement, with out bind - think compression vs. extension and make a happy medium.

Its not complicated, just time. the rearend is a walk in the park. All the add-ons: steering, power-steering, hi-steer, shocktowers, shock mounts...ect... just add time. If I had all the parts even after doing it before, it would take me a long weekend. I think we all know how a 2hr job becomes a 8hr job. Let me know how it goes and open to questions
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I'm not sure which offset you talking about? For wheels, I went standard offset with a 1/4" spacer for now. This winter I am going to completly rebuild and mod the axles- 4Runner calipers, bearings/gaskets, trusses, gears/ARB's, then POR-15; and make the rims fit correctly. Hows you project going?
 
Oh, wrong offset. In my first set of pics you can see the outboard hangers from Proffits (check thier website). You could also cut off your orig and reset/brace at the wider offset I guess, its all just a matter of preference? (I think DieselCrusierhead did just that?) But the front diff is too far over, not to do anything-the hangers do need to be widened somehow.
 
hicruise55 said:
Oh, wrong offset. In my first set of pics you can see the outboard hangers from Proffits (check thier website). You could also cut off your orig and reset/brace at the wider offset I guess, its all just a matter of preference? (I think DieselCrusierhead did just that?) But the front diff is too far over, not to do anything-the hangers do need to be widened somehow.
Click to expand...

Measurements from the old hanger and the location of the new hanger... center to center is supposed to be 1.5 inches. I think I am just going to manu some metal plates that are the correct diameters and weld the hanger onto it and bolt it into place to test the accuracy prior to doing any welding. If that works then I will weld them into place and finish er up... gotta get this done before first freeze.
 
no,, what it benefits is longer bearing life cause you dont have to run the spacers or offset rims to get the width, also if you have drums its a double plus, it can also be a plus if you want the 3:70 3rds. its one of those mods that i dont think is worthy of the cost for a shop to do it, but if you have the axles or get them super cheap and can do the work yourself ts a nice upgrade.
 
Well I finally have the axles out... sold them already..... and now am starting the conversion. I am going to make some metal plates that have bolt holes matching that of the FJ55 frame where the original hangers are. Then I will go out 1.5" eye to eye on the plate. Those will bolt into the original hangers and allow me to set things up. I think thats the easy way of doing it.

On the outside of the plate where the new hangers will be staged I am also going to drill some other holes so I can set the hangers back to accommodate the longer springs from the rear of the FJ55.
 
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