2nd gen 4runner compatible front axles

541 Views 12 Replies 4 Participants Last post by bdatud4x4, 2 mo ago

The.Jesus

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Hey all, recently bought a 92 4runner with a 22re, 5 speed. Wanting to SAS it but I can't seem to find a dedicated thread that has all of the axles that will work with the 2nd gen. Well my brother was telling to me to get a 6 lug axle from a chevy square body (I believe this is a dana 44). Can't find any information anywhere on whether or not this will work. And I'm not too sure how to be able to tell what axles will be compatible. If someone could give me this information, or point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate that.

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Sean

· #2 · 2 mo ago

Well, depending on if you're planning to keep the transfer case....anything is possible.

I assume you're keeping the passenger drop gear driven 21 spline tcase.....which means you need any passenger drop front axle....unless you want to keep your 6 on 5.5 bolt pattern, then you're more limited. Yes, 1/2T Chevy axles will work...and be 6 lug. J truck axles would also work. Most are D44s, but there's also the somewhat weaker Corp 10 bolt. Newer 1/2T Dodge solid axles would also work...but many have less desirable CAD type front drive engagement. You can also run FJ 40, 60 or 80 axles from Landcruisers as well as Toyota minitruck axles (but they are 3" narrower than your front end....wheel spacers or custom housings are the work around). There are other 6 lug solid front axles out there, but those are the most common if you're narrowing down your choices to 6 lug and passenger drop.

Also, keep in mind your rear axle is going to be narrower than most of these fullsize options and you'll need to factor that into your build as well....either wheel spacer it to match or a new axle out back.

Personally, I wouldn't waste the time/money on this unless you're going 1Tons....but it all depends on your budget and how you plan to use the rig.

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NorCalJalopy

· #3 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

Depends, are you going to run the stock t case or rub duals?
* typed out before I saw Sean’s post.
I have a 92 4runner v6 3.0. It’s manual swapped with dual cases and an 85 toy front axle with the mentioned ifs hubs. I do have a pretty of set set of wheels but the rig is plenty stable and turns great.

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The.Jesus

Discussion Starter · #4 · 2 mo ago

Sean said:
Well, depending on if you're planning to keep the transfer case....anything is possible.

I assume you're keeping the passenger drop gear driven 21 spline tcase.....which means you need any passenger drop front axle....unless you want to keep your 6 on 5.5 bolt pattern, then you're more limited. Yes, 1/2T Chevy axles will work...and be 6 lug. J truck axles would also work. Most are D44s, but there's also the somewhat weaker Corp 10 bolt. Newer 1/2T Dodge solid axles would also work...but many have less desirable CAD type front drive engagement. You can also run FJ 40, 60 or 80 axles from Landcruisers as well as Toyota minitruck axles (but they are 3" narrower than your front end....wheel spacers or custom housings are the work around). There are other 6 lug solid front axles out there, but those are the most common if you're narrowing down your choices to 6 lug and passenger drop.

Also, keep in mind your rear axle is going to be narrower than most of these fullsize options and you'll need to factor that into your build as well....either wheel spacer it to match or a new axle out back.

Personally, I wouldn't waste the time/money on this unless you're going 1Tons....but it all depends on your budget and how you plan to use the rig.

Trying to keep it fairly cheap while at the same time building it 'correctly' in the sense that I'm willing to spend some extra money to fortify the axles so they break less. What is a toyota minitruck? Not necesarrily against having to switch lug patterns as the tread on my current tires are just about gone, is just an expense that would be nice to save. What are the advantages of switching transfer cases? Or going to a dual transfer case? What are the consequences of having a narrower rear axle compared to the front? how does this affect the way the truck will handle?

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Sean

· #5 · 2 mo ago

NorCalJalopy said:
Depends, are you going to run the stock t case or rub duals?
* typed out before I saw Sean’s post.
I have a 92 4runner v6 3.0. It’s manual swapped with dual cases and an 85 toy front axle with the mentioned ifs hubs. I do have a pretty of set set of wheels but the rig is plenty stable and turns great.

Personally, I'd LOVE to build a 2nd Gen. Probably my favorite body style of 4runner.....great frame too, but I have a 3rd Gen I've owned since new and the 3.4L is a little less of a dog so that's what I'm going with....

What's funny is that I said I probably wouldn't do it unless I was going tons.....and I'm going Fj80/Tundra rear for now (only b/c I have a 1T buggy already and 2 more builds starting). The Runner will be more of a family wheeling trip that I can drive 8-9 hours to Moab/Colorado rig than hardcore rockcrawler.

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Sean

· #6 · 2 mo ago

The.Jesus said:
Trying to keep it fairly cheap while at the same time building it 'correctly' in the sense that I'm willing to spend some extra money to fortify the axles so they break less. What is a toyota minitruck? Not necesarrily against having to switch lug patterns as the tread on my current tires are just about gone, is just an expense that would be nice to save. What are the advantages of switching transfer cases? Or going to a dual transfer case? What are the consequences of having a narrower rear axle compared to the front? how does this affect the way the truck will handle?

Toy minitruck is the (well, in the US anyway) 79-85 Toyota Hilux front axle.

Nothing wrong with 6 lug....

The gear driven case you have is a FANTASTIC case.....there are all kinds of upgrades/support for them (I'm personally a HUGE fan of Marlin Crawler from way back when).

What is your planned use? Dual cases are great for rockcrawling and with a 22re, it's even good for most recreational wheeling in that it gives you lots of gearing options, and makes the most of the small amount of power the 22RE makes.

No real consequences.....looks a bit odd.....but will actually generally track better with a wider front than rear axle on most vehicles. Might be a bit harder to pick lines, but you'll get used to it. I think it's only an issue in terms of appearance if you go with a 67" wide WMS to WMS fullsize truck axle (or cut down long side...common mod to make it around 65") and run the rear 58" axle (WMS to WMS) that is under your 92.

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The.Jesus

Discussion Starter · #7 · 2 mo ago

Sean said:
Toy minitruck is the (well, in the US anyway) 79-85 Toyota Hilux front axle.

Nothing wrong with 6 lug....

The gear driven case you have is a FANTASTIC case.....there are all kinds of upgrades/support for them (I'm personally a HUGE fan of Marlin Crawler from way back when).

What is your planned use? Dual cases are great for rockcrawling and with a 22re, it's even good for most recreational wheeling in that it gives you lots of gearing options, and makes the most of the small amount of power the 22RE makes.

No real consequences.....looks a bit odd.....but will actually generally track better with a wider front than rear axle on most vehicles. Might be a bit harder to pick lines, but you'll get used to it. I think it's only an issue in terms of appearance if you go with a 67" wide WMS to WMS fullsize truck axle (or cut down long side...common mod to make it around 65") and run the rear 58" axle (WMS to WMS) that is under your 92.

Wanting to do some rock crawling, not anything crazy. Mudding, and going in the snow. As well as taking it on trails. Basically the whole shabang. I assume even if I get a passenger drop axle, I'll still be able to upgrade to a dual transfer case.
Sorry for all of these probably obvious questions. Pretty new from this incase you can't tell lol. And I appreicate the replies.

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Sean

· #8 · 2 mo ago

The.Jesus said:
Trying to keep it fairly cheap while at the same time building it 'correctly' in the sense that I'm willing to spend some extra money to fortify the axles so they break less. What is a toyota minitruck? Not necesarrily against having to switch lug patterns as the tread on my current tires are just about gone, is just an expense that would be nice to save. What are the advantages of switching transfer cases? Or going to a dual transfer case? What are the consequences of having a narrower rear axle compared to the front? how does this affect the way the truck will handle?

EDIT**Shit, I think newer Dodges are driver drop Sorry for the bad advice.

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Sean

· #9 · 2 mo ago

The.Jesus said:
Wanting to do some rock crawling, not anything crazy. Mudding, and going in the snow. As well as taking it on trails. Basically the whole shabang. I assume even if I get a passenger drop axle, I'll still be able to upgrade to a dual transfer case.
Sorry for all of these probably obvious questions. Pretty new from this incase you can't tell lol. And I appreicate the replies.

Yes, you can upgrade to a dual or put 4.7:1 gears in the case you have (to replace the factory 2.28:1 gears....but hold onto the factory ones b/c you can do both duals and the 4.70 gearset later if you want).

If you want to rockcrawl....make sure you get f/r lockers. That's the best money spent (well, I'd argue one locker, then a crawler gear set/box then the 2nd locker....but YMMV).

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The.Jesus

Discussion Starter · #10 · 2 mo ago

Sean said:
Yes, you can upgrade to a dual or put 4.7:1 gears in the case you have (to replace the factory 2.28:1 gears....but hold onto the factory ones b/c you can do both duals and the 4.70 gearset later if you want).

If you want to rockcrawl....make sure you get f/r lockers. That's the best money spent (well, I'd argue one locker, then a crawler gear set/box then the 2nd locker....but YMMV).

sounds good, I'll do some looking into that. And a little bit confused, are the chevy straight axles passenger drop?

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Sean

· #11 · 2 mo ago

The.Jesus said:
sounds good, I'll do some looking into that. And a little bit confused, are the chevy straight axles passenger drop?

Yes....no driver drop that I'm aware of for the Chevy. 1973-87 IIRC in 1/2T 4x4s. They'll be Dana 44s or Corp 10 bolts.

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bdatud4x4

· #12 · 2 mo ago

Look for a Jeep Wagoneer F/R axle set, if I remember right the will be the correct width. I ran a set under my 90 toy P/U for a few years.
Read the Toyota Faqs and Bible sections, you will get a lot of info from there and you might just find your answers to up coming questions

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bdatud4x4

· #13 · 2 mo ago

bdatud4x4 said:
Look for a Jeep Wagoneer F/R axle set, if I remember right the will be the correct width. I ran a set under my 90 toy P/U for a few years.
Read the Toyota Faqs and Bible sections, you will get a lot of info from there and you might just find your answers to up coming questions

I remembered 🤦‍♂️ that my axles came out of a Scout II not a wagoneer.

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