Ok stupid newbie tech question.
 

I just picked up a IFS rear end for my 85. Going to put it in when I put the OME springs on. But before then should I do the bearings? Everything looks good but... also are all IFS rear ends interchangeable part number wise or do I need to figure out what tear it came out of.

There is no 3rd. I am going to use my 3rd. The axle is dry but doesn't look like its been cleaned. I don't think it leaks...

I am going to turn the drums and throw new shoes just because.

I'm an advocate for changing the axle bearings. I assume with this IFS rear axle housing, you also go the IFS width axles to fit, and so you have no idea how many miles are on those axle bearings. Plus I would hope you are changing the axle seals...at this point you might as well spring for new bearings. You do have press the bearings on/off.

I will see what the local shop wants to press bearings. Have to go to the next town because I wont even talk to the in town guy. Wanted to charge my wife $120/hr to scan the codes when I was out of town. I told her where the OBD2 reader was she downloaded an app and easy peasy. Said his machine was $10,000. I went down and talked to him and he has a cheap Bosch plug-in model like you would by from auto-zone. And his "mechanic" was watching YouTube videos on how to change wheel bearings...

Edit. Its a complete rear end minus the 3rd. Will drive today and check on bearing prices and lead time for pressing them in. And yes you all have talked me in to doing what I already knew I should. Going to do bearings, seals, brakes/drums.

So I'm still a little in the dark here. Having only owned an 84 4runner decades ago and the 86 now, are the rear axles different widths? which is wider?

IFS axles are wider....
From Erik's Toyota Differential Page http://home.4x4wire.com/erik/diffs/#top

• '79-85 front axle~ 55.5", rear axle~ 55"
• '86-95 front IFS~ 59", rear axle~ 58.5"

So, what is wrong with the original rear axle housing? make sure the brake backing plates are the same or reuse yours, some have different e-brake configurations. and while you have it all torn apart you may as well do the rear brakes too.

There are at least 4 different ifs rears. v6 will have larger brakes, 4 cylinder smaller brakes. Some of the later ones had large holes in the spring pads, and 4runner 90 and newer had link brackets and coil buckets. Keep this info in mind when ordering brakes. shoes, wheel cylinders, hardware kits, e brake parts. You need to know what year and engine size the original truck was the donor axle came from.. I know this, because I have a ifs rear that I patched together with stuff I have laying around, and now need to remove a backing plate and swap on another when I noticed I had 2 different size wheel cylinders.

All the wheel bearings,seals are the same. Of course if you start getting into differentials that can be a different story.

The E-brake lever is jammed going in to the passenger backing plate. I have messes with it for 3 months and short of disassembly and finding the "replacement part" it is non usable. I have used every lube I can think of and heat. I can only move it with a BFH. So I am putting a wide IFS rear end in. Figure the best time to do this is when I put my new springs on anyways. I realize I might have to make a custom E-brake cable but thats not that hard...

Also having the bigger rear brakes will be nice. Then all I have to do is the IFS hubs with V6 rotors/calipers and master cylinder:dunno:

It is a V6 rear end based on the brake drum size. And the 3rd I will eventually be using are V6 3rds. Since the brakes are complete I hope it wont be that hard to figure out the replacement shoes...