I have the Toyota 7.5" rear end....
it has a removal centersection from the front much like the Ford 9"
i am planning on changing my gears and installing a locker.. the locker i will most likely do myself and allow a shpt to d othe gears.... the problem im facing is i have never removed the diff centersection on an axle setup like this. i have removed axles with c clips fromt the rear with the diff cover removed on standard axles, but have never personally dealt wit hte toyta axles or the ford 9"

do i just remove the driveshaft, and then the centersection bolts and it will pull out? or what?

 

You have to pull the axleshafts out as well. Remove the brake line from the brake cylinder, undo the e-brake cables, remove the four nuts and pull the complete axle assembly out in one piece. Remove them fully, don't leave the weight resting on the axle seals as this will destroy them. Once the driveshaft and axles are removed the third member just unbolts and pulls out. No sweat.

 

you must remove the rear brake drums, unhook the rear brake lines, there are 4 (14mm) bolts on the backside of the of the backing plate, remove those. then your axle assembly with the brakes on it will slide out. slide it out about 8 inches. then remove the driveshaft and the bolts for the center section. then just slide the whole thing out.

 

do i need to remove the axle completely from the vehicle? or just enough to get the center section free? not 100% sure, but in resting the axleshafts on the seals? i have never heard of damaging the seals due to hanging the axle for awhile.... not used to toyotas though.....

 

What shop are you going to have do the gears? Rear End Specialties in Santa Clara came highly recommended when I asked around for my ARBs and gear setup.

 

I too, have heard to never let the axle hang on the axle seals.

 

not sure... might have friends of friends do it really cheaply.... i work in the automotive repair field, so i know someone who knows someone, etc....

 

You don't need to remove the drums, just pull the whole thing. It's really easy. I've never damaged the seals by letting the axles rest on them, but I too have heard that you shouldn't do it.. After you reinstall the whole thing don't forget to bleed the brakes.

 

just swap an 8" in there!

 

If you do it right and don't need to get it real high, you can just raise the rear end till the tires are barely off the ground. This way you can pull the axle and tire and all out as one and just rest the tire on the ground, instead of having it rest on the seal. This is only if you have enough room to get to all of it. I wouldn't recommend resting the axle on the seals.

 

swapping the 8" in there seems to still be too much work... and most 8" were only available in the 4x4 versions with a 6 bolt lug pattern... i have the 5... i know some rarer versions liek the 1 ton and such had them, but they are scarce around here.... and for my max tire size of ever going to be 33s, the 7.5" is durable enough for my needs

 

also im going to do an soa while i am at it.... i need the exta hieght... going to tack, then weld on the perches with as much angle as possible for a straight line from the output of the tranny and possibly do my own shock mounts (saw some on here like a cantilever setup using muffler clamps that someone sells) to allow the most travel out of the rear end..... i have extended breaklines for the rear right now... just havent gotten around to installing them yet.... might also be looking at making some custom type skids to protect the rear hard brake lines once i do the soa.....