toyospearo

Is there some kind person in Yotatech land that can introduce me to swaping out my axels. I know next to nothing about this subject. I would like to learn as much as possible so I can do it myself. One problem I am having is after doing an extensive search through the archives of Yotatech I cannot seem to find a basic beginning tutorial. I am looking for advantages/disadvantages, reliability, cost, function etc.
THanks
D

AxleIke

Just to prepare you, most of the other responses will be, "If you have to ask, you don't need it."

Advantages:

Can be built stronger than IFS (however, most people "ghetto swap" and do not use stronger parts)
Better flex
More lift
Looks cool

Disadvantages

Cost
While not common, its possible to royally screw it up, and make the truck dangerous to drive

Reliability:

Depends. If you do a crap job, and don't rebuild the axle, don't use new parts, and can't weld worth a crap, then it'll be pretty bad

If you rebuild, and do it right, it will be very reliable.

Cost: Considering you are asking this question, I'd say you need a kit. So, 1100 for the front, 50-600 for the rear, depending on how much you care to source yourself. 150-300 for a front axle.

Add in for your tires and wheels you want to go with. Add in more for regear and lockers.

Function: Depends on what other hardware you put in. If you do not add any lockers, you will be more capable than an open open IFS truck, but not much else. Anyone with a rear locker will be able to get farther up the trail than you. Lockers and gears will make this more functional.

My opinion is that a SAS is not worth doing unless you are putting in Longfields up front, cromo axles in the rear, lockers, and gears front and rear.

A stock solid axle has the same breaking strength as IFS. Because a solid axle does not hit the "critical angles" as much as IFS, it is inherently stronger, but if you are going to spend all that money for the "function" then you should damn well put something worthwhile under the front end, not stock crap.

Anyway, good luck with the build.

tc

I was all ready to jump in with the "if ya have to ask" response, but Isaac explained it much better than I could! I would only clarify that the advantages listed are possible, but not guaranteed. If you have a good design and meticulous fabrication skills, you can get better flex. If you don't, then you can spend a lot of money to have the same flex as IFS for example.

There's a SAS forum on here... https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f152/

TOYOTA 1

dont forget about that lil 7.5" ring/pinion that likes to go POW!

tc

The difference in strength between the "7.5" and "8" inch diffs is negligible. You will find many weak points before the diffs become a serious concern with proper wheeling technique.

toyospearo

That would be an illogical and nonsensical response. Unless somewhere in some lab study someone (through the scientific method) came to the empirical conclusion knowing how to swap axels and why to do it is INBORN or INHERENT. I did a search on that too and ALL the research suggests it is learned.
I think we can agree swaping axels is not objective knowledge and therefore all of us had to start somewhere. My first step in building up my 94 began tonight and I appreciate the help.
Thank you!!

TOYOTA 1

bahh, a weak point is a weak point. when i used to wheel ifs, i broke more 3rds than axle's. what i noticed though, was that every time i broke my r/p, my wheels were straight. and every time i broke an axel my wheels were turned.

toyospearo

THATS PERFECT!!
thank you thank you
exactly the info I was looking for!
D

AxleIke

Well, I see you read the rest of my post.

However, it has nothing to do with INHERENT or INBORN.

Most people post that because there are 100's of 1000's of SAS's documented on the internet, an extensive FAQ section over on Pirate, all with cost associated, and many many threads where the debate over functionality vs cost and SAS vs IFS has raged for years and both span hundreds of threads on a multitude of bulletin boards.

I tend not to answer that way because thats me, but all of your questions are out there, answered in many different ways. Its all a matter of opinion.

I highly recommend contacting WabFab, a vendor on this site, and getting hooked up with a good kit. All you have to do is source an axle, and all of the instructions are detailed out for you. Experienced guys can do it in a weekend. I would HIGHLY recommend that you have a second vehicle available for your first attempt. You will want to take your time, and being rushed is never good.

TOYOTA 1

AxleIke

True.

Some folks, including you, have an issue with the front diffs. Most do not. Its a matter of tire size and terrain I imagine. However, most break CV's, call it quits, then cut off the front end.

a toy 7.5" diff is good up to 33's. After that, it becomes a significant weak point.

A toy 8" is good from 33 to 38. After that, it becomes the weak point.

If you want to run big tires and stay toy, you need either a tundra rear, or a 100 series LC diff. There is a group of guys out here who runs all toyota gear on their rock crawlers, and they are upgrading to the big diffs in diamond housings, since they shredded 8" diffs on a daily basis while wheeling.

AxleIke

Also keep in mind that the first line of my post was a WARNING to you about the rest of the posts, and what to expect when posting a question like that. NOT my own personal opinion.

TOYOTA 1

very true! how big are those t100/ LC diffs? aren't they like a 8.8" or something like that?

tc

T100 has the same diff as the non-TRD Tacoma - it's still an 8". AxleIke was referring to the 100-series Landcruiser, which uses something like 9-3/8" rear - the new tundra is even bigger, 10.5" I think, but haven't seen anyone uses those in builds yet.