Taco Axle Swap??????

AZ89LONGBED · 10-11-2008, 05:26 PM

Well, I am taking a break for today from assembling my LCE & EB motor, and I have been dreaming a bit on e-locker swaps.

Could I Swap in an entire Tacoma e-locker rear axle, run wheel spacers (up front), and be ok? Would the overal wider rear Taco rear end affect handling if I didn't put spacers on?

Just a few ravings of a mad man.

On another note, I have pulled out the old motor & re-installed new mounts, assembled the motor, and will drop it in tomorrow! Woot!

Matt16 · 10-12-2008, 02:46 AM

The Tacoma axle is wider than the pre-95 axle, but yes you can do so. It's probably easier just to install the e-locker third after modifying you current housing. Here's a link with the info you need to retrofit a e-locker into your current axle housing.

http://www.4x4wire.com/toyota/tech/electric_locker/

AZ89LONGBED · 10-13-2008, 12:47 PM

Since I will be doing this swap in my driveway just replacing the entire axel housing would be easier for me, vs welding & grinding, etc.

The spring perches should align according to info I searched on here, but the driveshaft flange compatibility raises concern. Do I need to do some drilling or need machine work to make my driveline compatible?

ocdropzone · 10-13-2008, 01:06 PM

Order a Triple Drilled Flange from some like Brian at Wab-Fab.org

that should fix your drive line capatibility question

axle width:
Toyota Rear Axle Widths:
55" wide, '79-85 4wd trucks/4runners - 6 Lug
58" wide, '86-95 4wd trucks/4runners - 6 Lug
56" wide, '79-95 2wd Trucks - 5 Lug
60.75" wide, '95.5-'04Tacomas/4runners

wheel spacers will only be needed up front, 1.25" spacers would be the best IMO...

Is this a 2WD or did you get a match gear set for the front too?

AZ89LONGBED · 10-13-2008, 01:18 PM

I'll get a matching front 3rd, did some of those tacos come with the 4.56 or only the 4.30??

ocdropzone · 10-13-2008, 01:27 PM

Not sure about the Taco Rations, thought I had a link book marked but not finding it. Personally I would pop the third out to verify the Ring gear tooth count just because it would suck to buy another third member off somewhere like craigslist that you can't return...I had the elocker on my old (and missed) '05 Tacoma, be sure to get an e-locker skid plate for it, about $50-75..very cheap protection for the locker motor.

How about the wiring for the E-locker?
ORS has a good one (down towards the bottom of the page)
http://www.offroadsolutions.com/harnesses.html

olharleyman · 10-13-2008, 02:28 PM

Good info I was thinking the same thing for my sas 93runner but will the spacer work for the 85 solid axle?

AZ89LONGBED · 10-13-2008, 05:16 PM

OCD-- What is the price on that flange?

ETA: Nevermind, I found the part on wabbitt-ito's website.

RatLabGuy · 10-13-2008, 07:29 PM

I'm alsmot positive that the spring perches are NOT in the same place, at least I know thsi to be the case w/ the 80s Runners. i just installed an E-locker into my '89 (gen 1) Runner, and did not do whole axle swap for this very reason. Plus, I wanted 5.29 gears so it needed to come out anyway.

if thsi is teh case, then the total; amount of work is more than just swapping teh third. Keep in mind also the Taco rear is intended for 16" wheels,.don't think 15" will fir, so unless you oddly have 16s already, you'll have to change wheels. Plus you'll have to re-do all teh brake plumbing so the new stuff liens up w/ old; e-brake line, etc etc. But... couldn't you get rear disc brakes this way? that's a bonus.

The axle mods really are pretty minor. I did all the mods in a Saturday. What took longer was doing the wiring... lots of good writeups on it though.
IDK about you, but moving around an axle is a serious pain. I chose to leave teh axle attached and do all te hwork under my truck. The key is, get that sucker jacked up as high as you possibly can (e.g., 12 ton jackstands) so there's enough too to sit up under it; then it's easy doing the welding, drilling, etc.
The welding literally took 5 min;a few passes on 2 spots. Grinding for about 90 seconds. More time spent on prepping, climbing in/out etc than actually doing anything. You really only have to "move" (e.g., drill/tap) 2 of the holes (the ones on the side for the long studs).

tc · 10-13-2008, 08:13 PM

Ebrake is on the other side IIRC, perches don't line up, wider width, all kinds of stuff to fab to do an axle swap compared to drilling a couple holes for a thirdmember swap ... no brainer to me.

AZ89LONGBED · 10-14-2008, 10:57 AM

yeahp, that sounds like the 3rd swap is easier all things considered. But dang, it sure sounds like an easy idea, and it did say somewhere that I searched on here that spring mounts did line up... Anyways, thanks for all of your input.

10-11-2008, 05:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
AZ89LONGBED Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Flagstaffrica, Land of Trustafarians Posts: 114	Taco Axle Swap?????? Well, I am taking a break for today from assembling my LCE & EB motor, and I have been dreaming a bit on e-locker swaps. Could I Swap in an entire Tacoma e-locker rear axle, run wheel spacers (up front), and be ok? Would the overal wider rear Taco rear end affect handling if I didn't put spacers on? Just a few ravings of a mad man. On another note, I have pulled out the old motor & re-installed new mounts, assembled the motor, and will drop it in tomorrow! Woot! Last edited by AZ89LONGBED : 10-13-2008 at 01:33 PM.

10-13-2008, 12:47 PM	#3 (permalink)
AZ89LONGBED Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Flagstaffrica, Land of Trustafarians Posts: 114	Since I will be doing this swap in my driveway just replacing the entire axel housing would be easier for me, vs welding & grinding, etc. The spring perches should align according to info I searched on here, but the driveshaft flange compatibility raises concern. Do I need to do some drilling or need machine work to make my driveline compatible? __________________ 89 Longbed PU with lots of AZ pinstriping My DD build begins with an LCE shortblock, EB street/RV head & 268 cam, LCE header, Magnaflow cat, LCE cat-back & some TreadWright 235-75R15. The future: E-locker(s), 33x10.5's or LT265`s, t-case gears, BJ spacers, OBA of some sort, sliders, skids...

10-13-2008, 01:06 PM	#4 (permalink)
ocdropzone Contributing Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX Posts: 2,819	Order a Triple Drilled Flange from some like Brian at Wab-Fab.org that should fix your drive line capatibility question axle width: Toyota Rear Axle Widths: 55" wide, '79-85 4wd trucks/4runners - 6 Lug 58" wide, '86-95 4wd trucks/4runners - 6 Lug 56" wide, '79-95 2wd Trucks - 5 Lug 60.75" wide, '95.5-'04Tacomas/4runners wheel spacers will only be needed up front, 1.25" spacers would be the best IMO... Is this a 2WD or did you get a match gear set for the front too? __________________ ~Robb '81 Trekker SR5 B4Runner Build '89 Tercel Project POS Gas Saver TREKKER Forum LINK TO ONLINE FACTORY SERVICE MANUALS All Toyota Website Search Engine Wheel Responsibly, Don't screw it up for others... Last edited by ocdropzone : 10-13-2008 at 01:07 PM.

10-13-2008, 01:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
AZ89LONGBED Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Flagstaffrica, Land of Trustafarians Posts: 114	I'll get a matching front 3rd, did some of those tacos come with the 4.56 or only the 4.30?? __________________ 89 Longbed PU with lots of AZ pinstriping My DD build begins with an LCE shortblock, EB street/RV head & 268 cam, LCE header, Magnaflow cat, LCE cat-back & some TreadWright 235-75R15. The future: E-locker(s), 33x10.5's or LT265`s, t-case gears, BJ spacers, OBA of some sort, sliders, skids...

10-13-2008, 01:27 PM	#6 (permalink)
ocdropzone Contributing Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: PDX Posts: 2,819	Not sure about the Taco Rations, thought I had a link book marked but not finding it. Personally I would pop the third out to verify the Ring gear tooth count just because it would suck to buy another third member off somewhere like craigslist that you can't return...I had the elocker on my old (and missed) '05 Tacoma, be sure to get an e-locker skid plate for it, about $50-75..very cheap protection for the locker motor. How about the wiring for the E-locker? ORS has a good one (down towards the bottom of the page) http://www.offroadsolutions.com/harnesses.html __________________ ~Robb '81 Trekker SR5 B4Runner Build '89 Tercel Project POS Gas Saver TREKKER Forum LINK TO ONLINE FACTORY SERVICE MANUALS All Toyota Website Search Engine Wheel Responsibly, Don't screw it up for others...

10-13-2008, 02:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
olharleyman Contributing Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: maryland Posts: 1,838	*Good info I was thinking the same thing for my sas 93runner but will the spacer work for the 85 solid axle?* __________________ 1990 4 runner 5 Speed Pro Comp Stage II 4" Lift 6" coils rear Aussie Locker front 5.29's Front And Rear 35 x 12.5 x 15 MT's Micky Thompson Classic II Wheels Super Charged 3.4 on the way 1993 SAS 4runner 22re 5 speed 4" front 5"rear 5.29's 35 x 12.5 BFG KM'S Dick cepek DC 1's 1955 Harley Davidson Springer Stock 1955 Hardtail Frame 4 Speed Kick Start Only Streached 5.5 gal. tanks 16" Ape Hangers 3" open primary 1998 Harley Custom Dresser 107 rwhp 139 ft.lbs.trq.

10-13-2008, 05:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
AZ89LONGBED Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Flagstaffrica, Land of Trustafarians Posts: 114	OCD-- What is the price on that flange? ETA: Nevermind, I found the part on wabbitt-ito's website. __________________ 89 Longbed PU with lots of AZ pinstriping My DD build begins with an LCE shortblock, EB street/RV head & 268 cam, LCE header, Magnaflow cat, LCE cat-back & some TreadWright 235-75R15. The future: E-locker(s), 33x10.5's or LT265`s, t-case gears, BJ spacers, OBA of some sort, sliders, skids... Last edited by AZ89LONGBED : 10-13-2008 at 05:26 PM.

10-13-2008, 07:29 PM	#9 (permalink)
RatLabGuy Registered User Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 37	I'm alsmot positive that the spring perches are NOT in the same place, at least I know thsi to be the case w/ the 80s Runners. i just installed an E-locker into my '89 (gen 1) Runner, and did not do whole axle swap for this very reason. Plus, I wanted 5.29 gears so it needed to come out anyway. if thsi is teh case, then the total; amount of work is more than just swapping teh third. Keep in mind also the Taco rear is intended for 16" wheels,.don't think 15" will fir, so unless you oddly have 16s already, you'll have to change wheels. Plus you'll have to re-do all teh brake plumbing so the new stuff liens up w/ old; e-brake line, etc etc. But... couldn't you get rear disc brakes this way? that's a bonus. The axle mods really are pretty minor. I did all the mods in a Saturday. What took longer was doing the wiring... lots of good writeups on it though. IDK about you, but moving around an axle is a serious pain. I chose to leave teh axle attached and do all te hwork under my truck. The key is, get that sucker jacked up as high as you possibly can (e.g., 12 ton jackstands) so there's enough too to sit up under it; then it's easy doing the welding, drilling, etc. The welding literally took 5 min;a few passes on 2 spots. Grinding for about 90 seconds. More time spent on prepping, climbing in/out etc than actually doing anything. You really only have to "move" (e.g., drill/tap) 2 of the holes (the ones on the side for the long studs). __________________ With 200+ billion electrical parts, the worlds most impressive machine is inside your own head.

10-13-2008, 08:13 PM	#10 (permalink)
tc Contributing Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 6,884	Ebrake is on the other side IIRC, perches don't line up, wider width, all kinds of stuff to fab to do an axle swap compared to drilling a couple holes for a thirdmember swap ... no brainer to me. __________________ Check out www.coTTORA.org to hook up with great Toyota 'wheelin' folks! Current - 93 4Runner: 3VZ 33"x10.50" no lift ARB F/R 96 Impala SS: My own personal cop car Previous - 89 2WD Pickup 22R, Fabtech "Ivan Dan" lift, 31x10.50, IASCA World Finals 4th Place Stop with the mods and get on the trail! Pix at www.4wheelingoh.shutterfly.com/action

10-14-2008, 10:57 AM	#11 (permalink)
AZ89LONGBED Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Flagstaffrica, Land of Trustafarians Posts: 114	yeahp, that sounds like the 3rd swap is easier all things considered. But dang, it sure sounds like an easy idea, and it did say somewhere that I searched on here that spring mounts did line up... Anyways, thanks for all of your input. __________________ 89 Longbed PU with lots of AZ pinstriping My DD build begins with an LCE shortblock, EB street/RV head & 268 cam, LCE header, Magnaflow cat, LCE cat-back & some TreadWright 235-75R15. The future: E-locker(s), 33x10.5's or LT265`s, t-case gears, BJ spacers, OBA of some sort, sliders, skids...

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