Ok I have a 94 pickup with 22re. 4x4. I was interested in a SAS. Well I ended up getting a complete 1985 Sr5 with a 22re. So is it worth cutting out the axle for the 94? Or should the 85 just. Get built up instead? Any ideas?

 

I would suggest doing the 85 as it is already set up with it. Do you have the skills,time and funds to do a project like the 94? I know it sounds like just moving the axle from one truck to another, but there will always be things that come along that you werent expecting.

What is your past mechanical and welding experience? If you are good in both and want a 94 solid axle I say go for it, but really look thru threads and get all of the advise you can before starting.

 

ya got two different trucks there, man. a 4dr station wagon, or a 2dr original SUV with removable cap.

do you have kids you gotta load into a back seat?
do you need the security of a non-removable top?
are you of that alien-breed that always says in their '4Runner for sale' ads, "never removed top"?

two completely different vehicles, one leaf sprung at all four corners, and one coils in rear, and your concern is a solid axle vs. independent front axles?

or do the letters SAS just make you tingly inside? cuz if you buy the 85, it's only SA. no 2nd S for you!

here's an easy way to figure it out if you still haven't drawn a conclusion in response to my wise-ackery above: do a google IMAGE search for the two different trucks. look at about 30 pictures of each model. i bet your heart will draw its own conclusion w/o your mind interfering with overanalysis (as mine frequently does, hence the advice)

good luck!
Tj

 

Tj, I'm loving the "4dr station wagon" remark! Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks of a station wagon with a lift everytime I see a runner with a winch. Although judging by his picture and post, he has a pickup, not a runner.

Eric, factory solid axle trucks are getting harder to find in decent shape. I think its a shame when someone cuts up a useable truck so they can have the axle under their newer truck. Keep the drive alive!

On a slightly related note, when driving I only wave at 85 and older yotas. The other don't count as "real" toyotas in my books. Join the ranks of the real Toyotas!

 

Well sometimes the axle is the only thing worth saving. And not everyone is as lucky as others to find an 85 that could be a bearable DD. On the other hand, I see what you are saying. If the 85 starts and runs and can pass smog, I would say use that as the wheelin truck and keep the 94 and as a DD.

 

Well the two trucks I have are both 2 dr pickups. The reason i got it was because i could not find an axle, but got the whole truck for 500. Now even if I keep the 85 , i would need to put new springs on it for flex (longer ones).

 

that's better than spending thousands and weeks to put it on your 94

 

Yeah I like what your saying on that. The funny thing is on the 94 I put 5.29 gears on it and the 85 has the AC lol. I was not expecting to run into a deal like this lol

 

Your right about that

 

If I had the chance to get a solid axle with the truck still attached to it, and it ran? Meet my new wheeler. . . . But if the truck isn't worth saving then that's another story.

 

sell the 94 and put the money into the 85. an 84-85 truck in any shape in a rare beast keep it alive!!!

 

If you sell your 94, DIBS, depending on how much east coast rust it has. . .

 

ac in an offroad rig! bonus!!! keep em both, wheel em both. if thats not an option pick one and sell the other, but i agree, dont cut up an original 85 just for the axle. a factory sa will have more clearance and flex than a sas would.after all the frame and axle in the 85 were designed by the factory to work and fit together. as far as building up a rig for flex and travel beyond stock , you will need springs , shocks etc. no matter which truck you choose.rigs are a constant project that evolve as your needs and time allow.that all i can say.

 

aw jeez, i spaced. i always have 4Runner on the brain.

well that makes it easier tho. front axles are available separated from junk trucks already. don't remove the one from an '85 that could be a drivable truck.

make sure you check craigslist frequently, i've seen toy front axles available cheap, complete hub to hub. that'd be your best bet for the 94. check car-part.com too!!

 

x2 dont waste a usable yota! both sa and ifs have their plus and minus points. i know i have wheeled both.

 

How so? The frames are pretty much the same as everyone else in the world had straight axles under their 86 and newer trucks but us. If a SAS is done on the 94, the axle will most likely be pushed further forward allowing more clearance at the pinch weld area and will have the more sought after IFS rear axle which is wider. The steering will be much better then the push pull system and the springs will flex much better then stock front 85 springs. Actually, a 2wd truck that is SAS'd will actually perform better then either truck due to the frame clearances, you would be able to keep the truck lower and tuck everything in closer.

With that out of the way, either way you go is going to cost money, time and work. It all comes down to mechanical and personal preference.

 

in the sas set ups ive seen with about 4 inches of lift the frame seems to ride pretty close to the axle and can bottom out alot easier than a sa set up with the "same" amount of lift. the arc in the frame is greater on a sa truck allowing more clearance. as far as the pinch weld goes i have cut them out on both styles and welded in flat sheet metal and problem solved.or just move the axle forward on the sa set up.lets face it to get any huge flex your looking at alot of parts and money on both set ups.i personally happen to like the ifs,not saying i dislike sas or sa, built right they work fine for me it just takes alot of thinking and looking at the front and rear susension as a whole . besides the ride quality keeps my wife happy,and that keeps me from going nuts. LOL! ive built them all and will again and again. run what you brung and enjoy it! i agree with you its all personal preferance, they all serve the purpose, some like to say i did that and some like to say mines a factory axle.

 

well i did a closer look on the 85... the frame is nothing but pitted rust. with some rot. i would keep te 85... i think it would be alot of work to fix the frame..i really do not want to messup a rumimg truck. i will post a pic of it soon

 

Sorry this is wrong. The frames are different and there is for sure differences in the front of the frame specifically.