my neighbors buddy bought a landcruiser front axle with drum brakes on it. I'm wonder how similar this axle is to the toyota truck SFA. I have an 84 SFA that I'm going to sell to him if I buy this 85 4runner I'm looking at on sunday but incase that doesnt work out I'm trying to help him figure out what his best option is.
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landcruiser front axle questions
- Thread starter J_SIN
- Start date
T_MADD1
Well-Known Member
You can put truck knuckles and shafts on FJ axles.
Thats what I have on my samurai.
1972 fj40 axles
toy truck knuckles and brakes
trailgear flanges
30 spline longs
Thats what I have on my samurai.
1972 fj40 axles
toy truck knuckles and brakes
trailgear flanges
30 spline longs
WHITE TRASH1
fruit stripe
Same 55" width between all fj-40's and mini trucks but the early cruiser junk is 6 spline weak garbage of the highest degree. Toss that crap and either swap in a later 40 axle or mini truck. Straight swap either way.
WHITE TRASH1
fruit stripe
Drum brakes are the biggest clue but although it's retarded to swap them ONTO an axle it is still a possibility.
PUll a hub dial, if it is a course spline birf toss it in the scrap bin.
PUll a hub dial, if it is a course spline birf toss it in the scrap bin.
WHITE TRASH1
fruit stripe
Ouch... There are some guys out there that dig the origonal stuff but not many.... Pretty much useless IMO unless he converts EVERYTHING but the housing, 3rd and carrier... The shafts & birfs are crap, drum brakes... nuff said. and the ring & pinion are junk too... If you've ever heard of weak cruiser pinions snapping off now you've got the chance to look at one in person. :haha:
landbruiser1
Well-Known Member
An old cruiser axle with drum brakes isnt worth $200... Its not a bolt and go thing either, cruiser are SUA. so you will have to do a SOA and cut and turn the knuckles.
T_MADD1
Well-Known Member
I guess I did kind of give you some bad info. It is doable but not as easy as throwing it under you truck(if thats what it's going in).
Unless you have a spare set of mini knuckles on out and some mini shafts laying around, I'd use a truck axle also.
I think if you got some after market gears with a fine splined pinion and flange, aftermarket mini shafts, mini knuckles, brakes, and hubs. Then you shave the housing, turn your knuckle and redo the perches, You would have an axles that's superior to a truck axle
.
With the time and money invested into that axle, you could also have about any other axle sitting under your junk(ask me how I know).
I've done everything on the list above except upgrade my R&P and shave my housing.
It actually has been wheeled hard over the last 8 yrs. on the course splined pinions without failing. I think high horsepower in a heavy 40 is what makes them go snap.
Unless you have a spare set of mini knuckles on out and some mini shafts laying around, I'd use a truck axle also.
I think if you got some after market gears with a fine splined pinion and flange, aftermarket mini shafts, mini knuckles, brakes, and hubs. Then you shave the housing, turn your knuckle and redo the perches, You would have an axles that's superior to a truck axle
.With the time and money invested into that axle, you could also have about any other axle sitting under your junk(ask me how I know).
I've done everything on the list above except upgrade my R&P and shave my housing.
It actually has been wheeled hard over the last 8 yrs. on the course splined pinions without failing. I think high horsepower in a heavy 40 is what makes them go snap.
64FJ40
Well-Known Member
Just to clarify what WT said, assuming it's a stock drum-brake axle (I have no doubt that it is), it will have 6-spline outers (and 4.10 gears in case he didn't already know).
Pull off the knuckle. If it's got birfields, that's a good thing because it means that you can pull those weak birfields out and put on truck ones. In that case, everything from the birfield/knuckle out from a disc-brake truck (or 79-90 Land Cruiser) axle will bolt on. Steering will have to be addressed since the arms are different, but if he's starting from scratch anyway, that's not a big deal. Maybe not worth $200, but not a horrible deal either if it's otherwise in good shape.
If, on the other hand, it's got ball-and-claw axles, he's got more work ahead. That means it's pre-68 and he got ripped off. He'd need the inner axles from a newer (69 - 84) FJ40 or FJ55, along with the differential side gears (or locker) to match. Then all the later stuff mostly bolts up. There are still a few other quirks, like the third member retaining studs are smaller than later years, etc.
It definitely has a coarse-spline pinion. Technically, it's a weak point, but so few of them actually break on sanely-driven rigs that I wouldn't be in a hurry to swap it out.
Pull off the knuckle. If it's got birfields, that's a good thing because it means that you can pull those weak birfields out and put on truck ones. In that case, everything from the birfield/knuckle out from a disc-brake truck (or 79-90 Land Cruiser) axle will bolt on. Steering will have to be addressed since the arms are different, but if he's starting from scratch anyway, that's not a big deal. Maybe not worth $200, but not a horrible deal either if it's otherwise in good shape.
If, on the other hand, it's got ball-and-claw axles, he's got more work ahead. That means it's pre-68 and he got ripped off. He'd need the inner axles from a newer (69 - 84) FJ40 or FJ55, along with the differential side gears (or locker) to match. Then all the later stuff mostly bolts up. There are still a few other quirks, like the third member retaining studs are smaller than later years, etc.
It definitely has a coarse-spline pinion. Technically, it's a weak point, but so few of them actually break on sanely-driven rigs that I wouldn't be in a hurry to swap it out.
