Step one, remove leaky axle and toss aside...

Step two, install freshly sealed axle complete with a few extras...

Step three, spend no less than an entire afternoon and late into the night chasing leaks in the brake system...
:cry:

Lots more pics here

Installed an e-locker with 5.29 gears, will be putting another one in the front soon as part of a SAS. Also installed a full-floater disk brake kit from Front Range Offroad, sweet setup but out of the box not compatable with the u-bolt flip kit I got from AOR. Ended up putting the old u-bolts back on for now, and I'm currently working on a solution to allow use of the flip kit. Also gotta decide how I'm going to route the wiring for the locker and get that in place as well as setup a breather line. Once I get that done it'll be time to test out the locker, but no 4wd until I finish the SAS.

 

Seems like a long way to go to fix a couple of little leaks.

Seriously, that will be one heck of a machine when the SAS is complete. That full floater makes it seem like you expect to break axleshafts. Its not a Dana 35, its a Toy 8". Its not that easy to break.

BTW, is that exhaust legal in WA?

 

Little!?!? You should've seen the gear oil splooge out of the lug holes in the brake drum when I took off the driver's side wheel. More oil came out the lug holes than out the backside of the assembly, still not sure how that was happening as I haven't bothered to open it up yet. Just doesn't seem right...

I'm going to be running a 223:1 crawl ratio when I get my duals in, so every little bit extra helps. That and most of the regular disk brake conversions have one common problem, axle shaft play which without a residual valve will result in increased brake travel from the pads getting pushed back in. This setup has no play in it at all, it rides on a set of front wheel bearings so everything is nice and snug. I've already noticed quite an improvemnt in smoothness as the old axle has at least one toasted bearing in it. Also another nice feature is the integral parking brake, which most disk conversions leave out alltogether. If anything my most likely break now is the hubs, I have two spares though and I'll be picking up a pair of plain drive flanges as well for additional spares.

In WA the exhaust only has to go as far back as the back of the cab. I've crushed the end of the tailpipe a few times when I had the stock style system. It's a little noisier in the cab with it this way because it echos off the roll pan of the bed but it's safe from trail damage.

 

Shane,
Did you do the conversion on an 86' rear axle or use a newer axle for the Toyota locker? I was originally thinking of an electric locker for my truck but figured I was too lazy to do the conversion and nobody on the forum had an answer to what work was needed to use a newer axle assembly in a 90' truck. Right now my truck is a daily driver so I have to fit all my work into the space of 3 or maybe 4 days off in a row before it's back to work.

 

It's an '87 housing, same mods apply. If you want to use one of the newer housings you'll have to rework the spring pads. The Tacoma frame I believe is a bit wider (could be wrong), and the 4runners obviously use coils so those have to be changed out. I honestly think it's easier to just mod the older housing. Do what I did, snag a spare axle out of a parts rig and build it in your free time. When you're done sell the other axle to recoup your costs. Then you'll have more time to work on getting it swapped in. My swap took a long time cause I had a lot more happening and had problems getting the new brake lines to seal up, but it was still only about a day and a half. If you're just doing the e-locker and have a spare housing modified and ready to go ahead of time and don't have any other issues like bad seals or bearings, it's easily a 2-3 hour job at a relaxed pace. Undo driveshaft, brake lines and e-brake cable, unbolt backing plates from housing, pull axle assemblies out of housing, remove u-bolts and shocks, remove housing and replace with new housing with third member already bolted in, install u-bolts and shocks, install axle assemblies, hook up brakes and bleed (the brakes, not you ), hook up the driveshaft and you're done and back on the road. Only thing left then is the electrical and you can tackle that the next weekend or whenever.

 

Makes sense. Somehow I never thought about just using a second older housing. May be a good summer project for me before my fall expeditions. Also, as far as bleeding goes, with my truck being from the rust belt, I'm sure I'll be bleeding long before I get to the brakes. Good luck on working the kinks out, and maybe I'll run into you on the trails in WA sometime this fall.

 

I've got the same situation with my truck, I don't need gears, but I want an ARB. So, how much did the axle cost you and where did you get it?

 

Helped a friend with parting out a wrecked truck, the axle was basically payment for helping. Typically a complete stock IFS (aka "wide") rear axle goes for around $250. The diff on the other hand was not cheap, I went with new and had to get it regeared.

MNBOY, if you make it out this way post in the trip planning forum. There's lots of stuff to do out here, and we have a large gathering in the works for the first weekend of August.

 

So what do you suggest, I get a axle, redo the seals and bering my self and get an ARB installed cheaper. Or, just take my truck to a shop and then do everything that way? I can do the seals and berings, minus getting them pressed off and on, myself.

 

Did we ever get a verdict on wether or not Tacoma rear leaf perches are in fact farther apart than IFS mini truck spring perches? I've heard both that they are wider and that they are the same. If they are the same that would make a complete Taco axle almost a bolt on E-locker axle. You may have to monkey with the lower shock mounts since Tacos have Left side fuel tanks.

 

It'll be cheaper in the long run, as all you'll need to shop out is the locker/gear setup. Take the third into them and that there will save some labor since they don't have to pull it and reinstall it. And as I mentioned, getting a complete axle (for an e-locker install) to do the job doesn't cost anything if you sell the leftovers as another complete axle. If all you're doing is an air locker, then pick up a used third member and get that setup. Then swap it in, no mods to the housing required at all.

No firm answer on the Taco width, I've been told the same thing. It's wider. It's the same. Shocks would be done either by reusing the original stock u-bolt plates, or building custom mounts. The downside is typically the only place to find those newer axles is the junkyard and they're pretty damned proud of them. There was a complete 4runner axle for sale in my area recently, they wanted $2400 for it...

 

I think I've seen complete 4runners for sale here for $2400.

 

Lemme rephrase that...

There was a complete 3rd gen 4runner e-locker axle for sale in my area recently, they wanted $2400 for it...

 

Knew what you meant, just teasing a bit. What made you go with the E locker over the ARB? I know my own reasons but was wondering what you based your decision on.

 

Replacement parts for the e-locker can be had at any Toy dealer on fairly short notice. The e-locker is a stock diff designed specifically for being locked, not a drop in setup. If the wires get ripped off the housing the locker doesn't unlock, an ARB will. There's more reasons but those are probably the most compelling to me.