I rebuilt the axle so that I would know the exact condition of the parts I would be driving on, and so that the new front end would not need any maintenance for many, many miles.  I did the work myself to save money, and just as important, so that I would know how to assemble the axle (I'd rather not learn while broken down on the trail!). 

The 1984 axle was chosen for its strength.  1984-85 Toyota axles are reinforced the entire length of the long tube (blue arrow in photo).  Earlier years were also reinforced, but not the entire length of the long tube. 

In 1986 when Toyota trucks first came with IFS, Toyota increased the rear axle width by 3".  Since my 1988 rear axle is from an IFS truck and the front axle is from a pre-IFS truck, there will be a width difference of 3".  To make up some of the difference, All Pro wheel spacers were used.

When it came time for the actual cutting, grinding, and welding for the conversion we turned to Foothill Off Road in Auburn, California.  Foothill is experienced in doing  Toyota solid axle swaps.  In addition to the standard leaf spring swaps, they have done a solid axle swap to Co-owner Josh Emrich's 2nd generation 4Runner using coil springs.

Foothill Off Road's leaf spring solid axle swaps start at $3000.  This price includes:

• Toyota front axle (fresh seals / oil) (stock gears and differential)
• Crossover Steering
• Front lift springs
• Long travel shock mounts w/ Rancho 9000 shocks
• CV front driveshaft
• Land Cruiser vented brake rotors
• Labor

Work began at Foothill first thing in the morning.  When I arrived we put the truck on their 30 degree ramp, so we could compare before and after RTI scores.  The truck ramped only 395, and had approximately 6" of wheel travel in the front.  By 8:30am the truck was in the shop and the wheels were coming off. 
 
 

Next the IFS parts that were bolted to the frame were removed.  Pitman arm, idler arm, upper control arms, torsion bars started falling to the shop floor.  Kevin then took out the torch, and started removing the factory welded IFS components from the frame.  Just after 10am the IFS (much of it still bolted together) fell to the shop floor.

In addition to the front axle work, we were also changing the suspension for the rear axle.  While Kevin was removing the IFS from the truck, Nick was removing the rear springs and u-bolts, as well as removing the powder coat from the frame where the new spring hanger was going to be welded.

56" long Alcan springs were chosen for the rear suspension.  Using this longer spring requires moving the spring hanger 5" forward on the frame. The spring hanger chosen was from a 91 Toyota p/u.  Since the new spring hanger is mounted lower on the frame it will be more susceptible to getting hung up on  rocks.  The shape of this hanger will help to keep us sliding over the rocks instead of getting caught up by them.

CORRECTION: (9/23/99)  We used Alcan's 52" long spring packs on this truck, which required moving the front mount forward 5".   The same application on a 89-95 pick-up requires a 56" long spring since the shackle mounts is farther back on those trucks.

When it was time to shut down for lunch hour the IFS was long gone, the frame had been ground smooth in the places the IFS used to be, and the new rear spring hangers were in place.  We headed out for an air conditioned restaurant... after all it was over 100 degrees in Auburn this day!

Upon returning from lunch Nick began installing the new rear springs and All Pro u-bolt flip kit. Since the existing shock mounts were on the factory u-bolt plates, new shock mounts (included with the u-bolt kit) needed to be welded to the axle.  To maintain proper pinion angle with the 56" long springs, extended shackles should be used.  We retained the 3" longer than stock, unbraced shackles I had been using.

While Nick was bolting up the rear axle, Kevin had started on the front spring hangers.  To improve our pinion angle and to give us more room for wheel compression, the front spring mount was dropped 1".  This was done by welding a solid 1" block to the bottom of the frame.  The front mount was gussetted with 1/8" steel plate.

Toyota V6 trucks have a box welded to the top of the frame that the motor mount sits on.  When the IFS is torched off, this box is left open.  For strength, and for appearance this box was welded shut with 1/8" plate. This plate also left us with a good flat surface for mounting the shock tower later on.

After careful measuring for placement, the holes for the shackle mounts were drilled.  The thick metal sleeves were then put in place and welded to the frame.  The shackles used for the front were 3" longer than stock, braced shackles.

With the spring mounts in place we were all set to install the Alcan front springs and bolt up the axle.  An All Pro u-bolt flip kit was also used on the front axle.  The u-bolts were too long (by design), so we trimmed them down to what we needed with a cut-off wheel.

Once the axle was bolted to the springs the brake calipers were put in place.  By using an FJ40 vented brake rotor we were able to retain the large IFS V6 brake calipers.  The backing plate that protects the rotor needed minor trimming, then the caliper bolted right up.

After bolting up the Marlin Crawler and Aqualu crossover steering components, and putting the wheels back on, we were ready to put the truck on the ramp to figure out shock mounting.  We'll look at these components closer next month, along with the finer details of all the components chosen for this axle swap. 

At the close of the day we put the truck on the ramp, took measurements for shock placement and went home.  The next day all that was left was to install the stainless steel extended brake lines, and take care of shock mounting.

Once optimal shock placement was decided the front and rear shock mounts were welded into place.  To accommodate the long travel of the Rancho 9012 shocks in the front, a shock tower from a Ford F-250 was used.  Normally a hole would need to be cut through the fender for such a tall tower, but since this truck has a 2" body lift, cutting the fender was not necessary.

With the shocks in place, the axle swap was complete.  We immediately took the truck out to the ramp to see just what it could do  ...the show was anything but disappointing!  The truck ramped 635 on the 30 degree ramp, and the  front end was getting 22" of articulated travel!