_RaStA_RoCkEt_

Hello Powerful and Omnipotent Y.T.!

I'm both pleased and saddened to report the acquisition of a 1985 Toyota Solid Front Axle!

Pleased: because I've wanted to S.A.S. for a long time!
Saddened: because my bank-account.... oh... my bank account!

Anyhow, fiscal mournings aside, I've got the desire to make the project work, albeit over a long period of time... 1-3yrs is my timeline... so don't hold your breath for the build thread.
...but there will be one!

I DO, however, have questions for you all!

After looking through this sub-category of the forum for some time, and really liking a few of the rigs in this category, I'd like some info on ideal gearing (you'll see, NOT the 'is 4.88 the best hurr durr' question), essential advice for rebuilding my VERY abused and rusty SFA, and ideal components to pick-up for what I'm trying to get out of my S.A.S.

My ideal Set up:

I'd wanted to S.A.S. for the SIMPLICITY of the Maintenance, in comparison to the I.F.S.
Additionally, I'm wanting to keep the suspension height FAIRLY CLOSE TO STOCK. I'm thinking 4'' MAX.
I don't want a HUGE wheeler, but something I can still do 70mph in, and get better flex out of off-road without worrying about C.V. joints and the like.

So, my introductory questions are:

1) Who should i get what from? It seems like Trail-Gear is the best 'bang for the buck' IFS eliminator kit, and it comes with a Knuckle and Wheel bearing kit for the SFA, which is certainly an essential. What else should I know 'bout these kits?

2) Is there such thing as an 'Open-Dif' S.A.S.? I am a poor S.O.B., and was wondering if, to save some bucks, I could just take my SFA and bolt it up if the gearing is the same as my 4.10 rear? Or, is this foolish?

3) Best advice for keeping the suspension install looking/riding as close to a stock 83-85' Truck as possible? I'd heard that using 86-95 Rear Leafs in the front can help accomplish this, but since I'll need the whole IFS Eliminator kit, I figure maybe this isn't the way to go. Any advice here?

4) What do I need to know about this project? 'Tricks of the trade' and all that. Any 'Huge Mistakes' to not make? Anything I MUST do? I'm sure anyone who's done a modification this serious has some serious insight to go along with it. Anything's appreciated, even if it's 'Rasta, you're dumb'. I'm interested in what you think I should do here!

Thanks so much for considering these questions, gentlemen! (and ladies, wherever you are!) I look forward to completing this project, and learning a heck of a lot more about my truck's final drive and suspension in the process!

-Rasta Rocket

osv

I would first clean the outside of the axle housing, then disassemble it, and see what you have... if the axles don't pull out easy, the housing might be bent... does the housing have armor on it already?

you can keep the rig fairly low, with large tires, by cutting/bending fender sheet metal, and moving the front axle forward as far as possible when it's installed.

gearing would depend on tire size... I can tell you that a true 37" tire/5.29 gear combo on my rig has an odometer reading that is within 3% of what mapquest says that the distance traveled is... so it runs just like stock tire size/gearing does.

I would pick a tire size that you aren't going to change, and build accordingly; a rig that's built for a 35" tire will take more work to fit a 37" tire... 35" tire is one of those break points.

the flip side is that a 37" tire is a really good compromise for navigating rocks on, say, the rubicon trail... it's a big difference over a 35" tire.

since you aren't in a big hurry, and you have a garage that the truck can sit in, you could also do this piecemeal, with used parts and such.