Prado 90 Solid Axle Swap

[jasonMartins]

Hello Guys
After breaking my IFS on my loved KDJ95 Prado for the billionst time (ok that is not true but almost ) i have to admit that IFS is simply way too weak for me.
the best decision would be to buy now a 80 series, BUT.....
i love my prado very much and i moded tons of things on it to have it the way i like it. So i realy start to think about to throw 80 series axles under that car...

it sounds easy but i know that it won't be easy at all. First i would love to keep the full time 4WD, so the front driveshaft is sitting on the wrong side. Further i have not yet any idea what i have to mod on the chassis to fit the Solid axle...
so about the challange with the Driveshaft there are 2 solutions:
1. Mod the axle housing to have the Diff on the LHD side
2. Mod the Transfer case to have the driveshaft on the RHD side

i currently prefer solution 1 but it might still not be that easy, what do i need to do with the panhard rod if the diff is on the other side? can i simply turn the housing around? i think no? the endpoints need to be switched over right?

but solution 2 might also be a nightmare cutting the housing in 2 pieces, rotate it and weld it back together might sound easy but i guess it will also be a huge pain in the ass....

maybe someone here already did a SAS and can give me some advice?

thanks for your help.
jason

 

[renago]

Personally I don’t think it si possibile, or very difficult , just for 1 reason , 80 series is a frame car ,Prada is a chassis car .
all anchor Point of axels ,transfer case are radical different.

 

[JDM Journeys]

Personally I don’t think it si possibile, or very difficult , just for 1 reason , 80 series is a frame car ,Prada is a chassis car .
all anchor Point of axels ,transfer case are radical different.

There are major differences for sure, but the Prado is most definitely a ladder frame, not unibody/monocoque.

What are the differences in width between the tracks on the Prado and the 80? Seems like the 90 series is a lot narrower? Anything can be achieved with enough money and metal, but I'm not sure I'd be going this route. Have you checked out the latest IFS offerings in the aftermarket? There are some very beefy options out there now for 4runners which should also work on the Prado. Check out Dirt Every Day's 4runner build where they put a 2003 on 40's!

If you're stuck on a solid front axle, I get it, but might be good to look at all options first...?

 

[John Young]

I can attest to the fact that the Prado 90 is a framed vehicle. Pls see this post.

I recall thinking about whether it would be possible to go to a solid frame vehicle. I don't see why you could not flip the front axel off of a suitable 40/60/80 upsidedown and weld on all the bits again. Or is there camber built into the 80 axel...I can't remember.

Another avenue would be to look at earlier Toyota pickups to see if any SR5's from the 80s had solid front axels. Maybe some of those have the drive on the left side.

Good luck on this and pls keep us apprised.

 

[jasonMartins]

Thank you guys for your help

Absolutely, all land cruisers, even the newest prados are Frame vehicles....

the little problem is, that i have not yet found a suitable axle with a acceptable wheel track. the 80s has a axle width of 1595 mm the 70s series has 1485mm and the prado original has 1535mm... i am currently running on wheel ofset of -25mm that ends with a wheel track of 1585mm so i currently think the best solution would be the 80s axle with wheel offset 0, but that would lead to swapping the rear axle too because having 2 different wheel offset sucks or i could go with spacers at the rear but spacers suck also....
Thank you for the hint about the SR5 Hilux, they all have the diff on the right, but maybe the wheel track is closer to what i look for...

 

[jasonMartins]

the SR5 Hilux has the same wheel track as the 70s series but leaf springs....
for the moment i think the most suitable way is the 80s axle with offset 0 and spacers in the rear....

 

[1998prado]

the SR5 Hilux has the same wheel track as the 70s series but leaf springs....
for the moment i think the most suitable way is the 80s axle with offset 0 and spacers in the rear....

Ever make a decision?? Would love to see a sas 90

 

[John Young]

Me too. I'm hip deep in a 90 right now. And I keep thinking about that upper ball. I'm curious what keeps breaking for you. My 90 will not be as serious off-roader.

 

[1998prado]

My 90 prado has an A343F transmission, which was shared by both 80 and 100 series. The prado has a transfer case that routes the front drive shaft to the passenger side (RHD) but the 80 & 100 route their drive shafts to the driver side. Since they all share the same transmission shouldn’t the other transfer case simply bolt on? Allowing your outputs to align properly to your axles?

 

[TheBussman]

My 90 prado has an A343F transmission, which was shared by both 80 and 100 series. The prado has a transfer case that routes the front drive shaft to the passenger side (RHD) but the 80 & 100 route their drive shafts to the driver side. Since they all share the same transmission shouldn’t the other transfer case simply bolt on? Allowing your outputs to align properly to your axles?

you cant use the 80 or 100 transfercase but you can most likely use a early 90s 4runner or pickup transfercase with a right side drop.

 

[1998prado]

you cant use the 80 or 100 transfercase but you can most likely use a early 90s 4runner or pickup transfercase with a right side drop.

What makes those tcases unusable?

 

[TheBussman]

Pretty sure the spine count and bolt pattern is different. Also you don't want an offset rear output on a 90 anyway. The early 90s 4runner transfercase has a centered output like you would want.

 

[tmxmotorsports]

Just get up with @TRAIL TAILOR he can make you a whole axle housing and probably has some insight on what your gonna need.

 

[1998prado]

Pretty sure the spine count and bolt pattern is different. Also you don't want an offset rear output on a 90 anyway. The early 90s 4runner transfercase has a centered output like you would want.

I was trying to imagine swapping for 80 axles front and rear. I would think there’s got to be a version of this that works though? If the same trans was used in the 80 and 100. Maybe some adapting required though..?

 

[TheBussman]

I was trying to imagine swapping for 80 axles front and rear. I would think there’s got to be a version of this that works though? If the same trans was used in the 80 and 100. Maybe some adapting required though..?

sure that's possible too although more difficult. It's not the same transmission as the 80 but it does have the same code and ratios i think. you could take apart both transmissions and swap parts around to get it to work or use a 80 transmission and your bell housing should bolt up to it, and use the 90 torque converter. The 90 has more in common with 4runner pickup and Tacoma even though they have different gear ratios this a340 instead of a343. Not sure what's in the way of a right side rear driveshaft, could be a fuel tank or exhaust system.

 

[1998prado]

Yeah obviously the drive shaft clearancing would be the next thing to address. Could using the tcase out of a 70 prado be an option?…

 

[1998prado]

So I’m trying to make up a little comparison diagram between potential options and configurations, but it can be challenging to find all the possible combos of trans and tcase on 90 series, 70 prado, 2nd gen surf, 80 series and 100 series. Here’s what I’ve found so far, maybe the collective expertise here can help fill in the blanks