It may be old tech but Help!! with 65 fj40 hubs/axle swap

[blue bomber 88]

My friend has a 65 fj40 with front brakes converted already to disc unknown possible mini truck solid rotor? It had 6 spline and birfield and warn hub. Want to go to asin hub and 30 spline cv. Birfield is 9 3/4" I know the spindle is different but what spindle and hub should I use with this knuckle calaper and rotor setup? Or is my buddy sc%w@d?

 

[dmaddox]

pretty sure his axle housing won't work.

 

[GarageRat]

IIRC the housings aren't quite the same and the thirds from the early 40s are 6 spline so later axles will not interface. Probably easier to pick up a set of later axles and go from there. I believe it's 69 and later as far as fine spline carriers.

 

[e rock]

I really wish people would stop saying that you can't convert the ball-and-claw axle housings. Mine's been working just fine with a mini-truck swap for years.


Blue Bomber: If you guys can't identify what's already there, you're going to have to post some pictures to get some input. What you've described is a motley mix. It sounds like someone tried to do a mini-truck swap but didn't want to grind on the end of the axle housing to fit the bigger birfield in there so they used drum-brake birfs? And if he already has coarse-spline birfs, someone already swapped out the 10-spline side gears in the diff to 30-spline.

Post some pictures.

 

[Living in the Past]

I agree it sounds like a motley mix. The non-vented rotors confuse me. The mini truck had the non-vented rotor but those didn't start until 79. I think the early (76-78) disk brake birfields had corse spline hubs. The larger style with 30 splines started with the 79 model.

 

[Poser]

I agree it sounds like a motley mix. The non-vented rotors confuse me. The mini truck had the non-vented rotor but those didn't start until 79. I think the early (76-78) disk brake birfields had corse spline hubs. The larger style with 30 splines started with the 79 model.

All solid axle mini truck rotors were non-vented.


When Toyota changed to disc brakes on the 40 series in the USA, 08/75, they changed to the larger, 30 spline outer as well as the larger spindle and wheel bearings, different wheel bearing hub, etc.


There is not a disc brake axle from Toyota that floated over here from Japan under a 40 series that was course spline.

 

[Poser]

I really wish people would stop saying that you can't convert the ball-and-claw axle housings. Mine's been working just fine with a mini-truck swap for years.

What are you using for an inner axle seal?

Post some pictures.

Great idea! Next time you have your front axle tore apart, please do so!

 

[e rock]

What are you using for an inner axle seal?

Great idea! Next time you have your front axle tore apart, please do so!

The stock mini-truck inner axle seal fit right where the brass inner shaft bushing came out of. It's been a while since I did it, so I don't recall the details of the seal. I do recall that I wasn't expecting to be able to use it and had ordered some other seals out of the book at Napa based on measurements of the bushing. It turned out that the stock seal fit and is considerably more robust than the skinny little seals I ordered.


You've asked for pics before, but I haven't had it apart since I put it together the first time a few years ago. Hopefully I will in the next couple months, and I will definitely take pictures.

 

[Poser]

The stock mini-truck inner axle seal fit right where the brass inner shaft bushing came out of. It's been a while since I did it, so I don't recall the details of the seal. I do recall that I wasn't expecting to be able to use it and had ordered some other seals out of the book at Napa based on measurements of the bushing. It turned out that the stock seal fit and is considerably more robust than the skinny little seals I ordered.


You've asked for pics before, but I haven't had it apart since I put it together the first time a few years ago. Hopefully I will in the next couple months, and I will definitely take pictures.

Sounds good.


I know that there is a thread in the FAQ concerning this topic, but I do not remember it ever being resolved as to what was used to seal the axle housing after the bushing was removed from the earlier drum brake axle housings.

There was a cat in Central America that was talking about some machining that needed to happen in order to make a seal work, and I did not ever see the thread get updated after that.

I am pretty sure I have an old ball and claw front axle-housing sitting someplace around the shop. If I get a chance this weekend, I will see if I can knock the bushings out of it and install the inner axle seal that is used on the 1969 and later front axle housings.

 

[blue bomber 88]

brakes.

Thanks for the input. I just had shoulder surgury so i was't as clear with all the detail . Once again the housings are 65. It has the 30 spline inners and 6 spilne outers. My questions..... What is the magic combo to work?I realize the spindle won't work with the 30 spline cv. I would like to use the asin hubs. What hub and spindle are required to work with the solid rotor. Thanks in advance.......pain drugs are kickin' in ................

 

[e rock]

Thanks for the input. I just had shoulder surgury so i was't as clear with all the detail . Once again the housings are 65. It has the 30 spline inners and 6 spilne outers. My questions..... What is the magic combo to work?I realize the spindle won't work with the 30 spline cv. I would like to use the asin hubs. What hub and spindle are required to work with the solid rotor. Thanks in advance.......pain drugs are kickin' in ................

30-spline inners and 6-spline outers is the stock combo for drum-brake axles (post- ball & claw). They would have had drive plates from the factory, but most had hub locks installed at some point, be they Warn, Selectro, whatever. There were no Aisin hubs for those outers.

I think the confusing part of this is that you have disk brakes with solid rotors, which would seem to indicate that you have mini-truck brakes, which would require the appropriate knuckles and spindle. My guess is that you already have the correct spindle for the bigger birfield and Aisin hub. As you've probably read, the mini-truck birfield is slightly larger than the drum-brake one, which requires some minor grinding on the end of the axle housing to get it in. I suspect that whoever did the swap chose to use the smaller birfield and the Warn hub to avoid doing that grinding.

I'm not sure if the combination of parts I'm imagining would all fit together, but I don't see why not. The outer axle stub would be a bit short I think, but it would probably work.