I know people say that 6 cyl toy rears are stronger than 4 cyl. rears. I have a 90 pickup that im looking to put 4.88 gears in. Can I swap 3rd members from any toyota rear 86 and up or does it matter if the 3rd came out of a 6 cyl rear?? I have received a few pms about stock 4.88's from a 4runner but as far as i know the 4.88 was only in the 6 cyl. vehicels. Will these swap right in ??. Any help would be appreciated.

4 cyl and 6 are NOT interchangeable

what would i have to do to put a 4.88 front 3rd from a 6 cyl 4runner into mine??

4cyl and 6cyl/turbo diffs are perfectly interchangeable. It takes a little finesse to get the larger ring gear into a 4cyl housing. you can notch the housing or just "walk" the thing in. 8" 3rds are the same, front or rear, from 79-95.

Now I saw your last post
what would i have to do to put a 4.88 front 3rd from a 6 cyl 4runner into mine??

If its a V6 truck, that means it is IFS. IFS thirds and 8" thirds are NOT interchangeable. IFS gears are 7.5".

If its a V6 truck, that means it is IFS. IFS thirds and 8" thirds are NOT interchangeable. IFS gears are 7.5".[/QUOTE]

Are you referring to an IFS equipped truck rear third? If so, I don't think that is correct. I am pretty sure they are the same as any other toy third. correct me if i am wrong.

jon

Here is a tip.

84 - 84 rear is a 4 cyl 4rd it has fewer fins.
86 -87 the rear is widened 3 inches
88 -89 the rear is now optional for the 6 cyl and 4 cyl 3rd

Personal experience.

I had a 4 cyl third from an 85 rear axle I removed to have 4.88 gears and a locker installed. I placed the 3rd in the front of my 85 housing. I have taken this same 3rd and it now currently resides in the rear of my 88. the housings and motor mounts for 88 - 89 use the V6 components. I learned about the mounts from trying to swap out my 4 cyl engine the rear 3rd fits into the rear axle housing with no issues. just count the number of fins to verify your third.

If its a V6 truck, that means it is IFS. IFS thirds and 8" thirds are NOT interchangeable. IFS gears are 7.5".

Are you referring to an IFS equipped truck rear third? If so, I don't think that is correct. I am pretty sure they are the same as any other toy third. correct me if i am wrong.

jon[/QUOTE]

no, i mean the front IFS third. da frunt one!

his last post said something like "how can I put Front IFS 4.88s into my rear axle" which of course cannot be done.

yea sorry i wasnt very clear on my answer...carry on :flipoff2:

let me clear this up.....my truck is a 90 4 cyl 5 speed.....can i put in the 3rds from a 95 4 runner that was a 6 cyl.....front to front......rear to rear?? i guess you wouldnt necessarily call the front a 3rd but can i put front from 6 cyl in front of mine and rear to rear if that makes any sense?im looking to get 4.88 gears in mine as cheap as i can..i know that 4runners with auto 6 cyl come with factory 4.88's .

the rear bolts right up

the front will work but you have to take off the ADD unless you have autolocking hubs then its the same

let me clear this up.....my truck is a 90 4 cyl 5 speed.....can i put in the 3rds from a 95 4 runner that was a 6 cyl.....front to front......rear to rear?? i guess you wouldnt necessarily call the front a 3rd but can i put front from 6 cyl in front of mine and rear to rear if that makes any sense?im looking to get 4.88 gears in mine as cheap as i can..i know that 4runners with auto 6 cyl come with factory 4.88's .
Man you're messed up...

You cannot swap gears front to back on your truck, period.
You CAN swap fronts for front and rears for rears with any 86-95 truck or 4runner. You can also swap rears with any 79-85 truck, but not fronts.
You do NOT want to swap in factory 4.88 gears, they are totally different and have no aftermarket support, and replacing the gears is terribly expensive.

You DO want to buy some nice new 4.88 normal gears from Randy's, with some install kits, and pay someone to properly setup both differentials.

Or, you DO want to find someone selling a complete front axle assembly from their SAS, with 4.88 non-factory gears, and any rear 3rd with non-factory 4.88 gears. This is the cheapest option of all.

I never said anything about swapping a front to a rear....i just need to be sure a FRONT from a 6 cyl will interchange with the FRONT of my 4 cyl. and REAR from 6 cyl. to REAR from 4 cyl.....how bad are factory FRONT 4.88s because I just bought a factory setup. I will only be running 33's with a 5 spd.

All 4 cyl and v6 THIRD member are interchangeable in SOLID axles. regardless of year. IFS front diffs arent thrid members, so they are their own little category. 4 cyl has less ribs on the housing and v6 has more ribs on housing and is SLIGHTlY stronger. V6 diffs have larger bearings. OK heres the key, The thirds will fit in any 8" front or rear housing, but the carriers arent interchangeable from 4 cyl to v6. READ FAQ all the information is there.