Aloha ladies and gentlement,
I just wanted to see if anyone here had built up a Tundra for crawling, turned one into a truggy or used bits of a late model Tundra for a buggy build (particularly interested in the 10.5 rear and even the front IFS if someone was feeling brave) . If you have gone this route, how did everything hold up? In particular, did you have problems with the unit bearings, the rear 36 spline axles, and if anyone has used the IFS front end for a little crawling, how did the front ring and pinion and shafts hold up? Did the aluminum clamshell diff flex and cause any problems for you?
If some or all of these questions have been answered please point me in the right direction and accept my humble apologies as I have been off in the Jeep world for the last year or so. I did a few searches and found a build or two using the first generation Tundra, but missed a major second gen build other than Camburg's Baja style setup over on race-dezert.
For background, I was getting ready to build up another Wrangler, added up the cost
of another Jeep, an LS swap kit plus a donor engine and transmission, and new axles and thought 'there has to be another way to do this.' So I shifted to looking around for a donor truck for axles, a transfer case, engine, and transmission to swap into a buggy. I was looking at F350's and 2500 HD chevrolets when my better half asked if we could build a Tundra instead (she is a smart lady). So, I did a little reading and I am thinking this could be fun - the Tundra comes with a 10.5 inch ring and pinion out back, 36 spline axles, nice large brakes on the 5.7L trucks, a 380 hp engine with a factory supercharger if we get bored, a 6 speed auto, and the ability to drop into any Toyota dealer for spare parts if any of the above break. That last part is the bit that got me really excited about a built Tundra/Tundra Truggy/swapping of Tundra bits into a buggy. While I only broke one thing on my Jeep during a year of wheeling due to quality aftermarket parts, great advice from friends who helped me install the parts, and semi-sensible use of the skinny pedal, I watched more than a few friends spend a lot of down time waiting on aftermarket replacement parts that were hard to source. I would love to be able to hit one dealer or a local auto parts store to get replacement parts like axles, brakes, bearings, etc.
I realize that aftermarket options are somewhat limited but the parts that are out there look good, and again, I would like to use as many Toyota parts as I can. Some of the things I would look at though would be 4.88 gears from Nitro to keep the engine happy with 37's; ARB or Auburn lockers; and a few suspension pieces from Total Chaos, Camburg, or Icon with King, Fox, or Icon coilovers for the front and shocks and an extra leaf or two out back. If anyone has gone this route and really wheeled their truck (JV, Harlan, etc), or if you have used a few Tundra pieces in a swap or buggy (in particular I am keen to hear about the 10.5 rear and the IFS diff up front) please give me a shout!
I just wanted to see if anyone here had built up a Tundra for crawling, turned one into a truggy or used bits of a late model Tundra for a buggy build (particularly interested in the 10.5 rear and even the front IFS if someone was feeling brave) . If you have gone this route, how did everything hold up? In particular, did you have problems with the unit bearings, the rear 36 spline axles, and if anyone has used the IFS front end for a little crawling, how did the front ring and pinion and shafts hold up? Did the aluminum clamshell diff flex and cause any problems for you?
If some or all of these questions have been answered please point me in the right direction and accept my humble apologies as I have been off in the Jeep world for the last year or so. I did a few searches and found a build or two using the first generation Tundra, but missed a major second gen build other than Camburg's Baja style setup over on race-dezert.
For background, I was getting ready to build up another Wrangler, added up the cost
of another Jeep, an LS swap kit plus a donor engine and transmission, and new axles and thought 'there has to be another way to do this.' So I shifted to looking around for a donor truck for axles, a transfer case, engine, and transmission to swap into a buggy. I was looking at F350's and 2500 HD chevrolets when my better half asked if we could build a Tundra instead (she is a smart lady). So, I did a little reading and I am thinking this could be fun - the Tundra comes with a 10.5 inch ring and pinion out back, 36 spline axles, nice large brakes on the 5.7L trucks, a 380 hp engine with a factory supercharger if we get bored, a 6 speed auto, and the ability to drop into any Toyota dealer for spare parts if any of the above break. That last part is the bit that got me really excited about a built Tundra/Tundra Truggy/swapping of Tundra bits into a buggy. While I only broke one thing on my Jeep during a year of wheeling due to quality aftermarket parts, great advice from friends who helped me install the parts, and semi-sensible use of the skinny pedal, I watched more than a few friends spend a lot of down time waiting on aftermarket replacement parts that were hard to source. I would love to be able to hit one dealer or a local auto parts store to get replacement parts like axles, brakes, bearings, etc.I realize that aftermarket options are somewhat limited but the parts that are out there look good, and again, I would like to use as many Toyota parts as I can. Some of the things I would look at though would be 4.88 gears from Nitro to keep the engine happy with 37's; ARB or Auburn lockers; and a few suspension pieces from Total Chaos, Camburg, or Icon with King, Fox, or Icon coilovers for the front and shocks and an extra leaf or two out back. If anyone has gone this route and really wheeled their truck (JV, Harlan, etc), or if you have used a few Tundra pieces in a swap or buggy (in particular I am keen to hear about the 10.5 rear and the IFS diff up front) please give me a shout!
