Need opinions for my pig, 3 speed or 4 speed?

[motomodz]

Knowing what parts I have, what combo would you go with LC_Hamma?

the cluth disc was toast!

As far as off-roading, hope to take it up to Rausch Creek once a year but that is really all the wheelin this thing is going to see

Is this rig a weekend DDer? Sure would be nice to idle over obstacles at Rausch Creek rather than popping the clutch & lurching forward cuz you don't have lower gearing, possibly ending up the clutch. I've seen used SM420 plate adaptors & AA adaptors floating around in the classifieds for under $200.00. Ask anyone whose done the conversion if they regret it. You won't find a cheaper alternative to lower your gearing as this upgrade provides

Increasing daily drivability is more important to me than lowering gearing based on the kind of use I anticipate for this rig. Also, I am not a full blown purist but, since this rig is very rust-free and thus far all original and unmolested, even if I don't keep it 100% original, I do want to keep it with all Toyota components, at least for now.

The 3 speed flywheel that I had was in much better shape than the 4 speed one so, I decided to get that one turned. I already have the 3-speed pressure plate, clutch and T/O bearing brand new in the box so will probably use all those parts. I still need to use the 4-speed bellhousing, right?

As of right now, I am 99% sure that I am going to upgrade too the 4-speed trans but I am going to look into the total cost of swapping the 3-speed transfer case onto the 4-speed trans so I can retain the vacuum controls for the 4wd / Hi-Lo on the dash cool and have the slightly better crawl ratio of the 3-speed transfer case.

Does anyone have a good steering column for sale w/out the column shifter attached or can mine be modified to remove the column shift lever?? If it is not possible to mod mine or too costly, I may just leave the existing column in it for now but putting the feelers out there. (pm me pics / price)

Thanks for everyones advice! I knew I could count on getting some great info from my fellow pig-faithful here on Mud! First update and pics to be added to build thread soon!

-Lee

 

[snailwagon]

After I drained a couple of quarts of water out of my 3 spd, I put in a 4 spd. Still shifted good.

I kept the 3spd transfer, mainly because I didn't have a 4 spd around. I didn't spend too much on the transition gear and rebuild kit (might as well replace the bearings, at the least the gaskets). I was able to retain the vacuum shifter. I'm not really home when it is light outside, so no pics.

On the vacuum part, the hoses have to be extended a few inches and have a very severe bend when extended. Make sure to use kink free vacuum hose. and if your diaphram has never been replaced, now is a good time to spend $10 on one. Now the hi-low linkage needs to be lengthened, as well as the driveshafts. I just had my drive shaft shop lengthen the linkage 3.4-3.5". I also had to drill new holes and relocate my stock skid plate. While at it, remove the pin under the dash on the high-low lever to enable 2wd low.

The modification of adding a syncro trans is well worth it. The column shifter is not hard to remove and the column does not look bad with it gone. There is some stuff under the brake MC and the steering wheel that have to be removed. My 69' had the clutch slave cylinder mounted on the same side on the 4spd and 3spd, so I didn't have to change that. The parking brake and speedometer cables were also long enough.