1999 4Runner SR5-Baby Beast 2

owyheerat

Adventurer
I got the control arms from Toytech.

They are okay. I had to remove the bushings and weld in factory ones because they squeaked so bad, so I'm not sure if I'd recommend them.

If I remember correctly, the front was 200 to retube longer, and the rear was 150 as it only needed to be cut down. The rear needed a new slip yolk though, so it was a bit more expensive, and why I can't remember exactly what the price was. It was in the ball park.

Balancing is crucial and was done as part of the lengthen/shorten. Any good driveline shop should do that as part of the procedure.

Thanks for all the info, it helps a lot. Do you know anything about Inchworm? Would they be a good / better option? Do you have 2.28 or 4.7 gears?
Has this mod caused any problems with your vehicle? Have you broken CV's or any other parts?

Durwin
 

AxleIke

Adventurer
Stock gears in the tcase. I have an inchworm transmission adapter and wish I'd waited for Marlins. Marlin was out of stock due to machining issues, so I went with Inchworm. Their transmission adapter fits about 8 models of trucks so it has tons of holes. This means you have to try to plug up all the non used bolt holes with set screws and silicone, and that makes it leak. It's taken me many tries to get it to seal. Really pisses me off.

There is a common misconception on the inter webs that lockers and gears will cause IFS to explode. This is completely backwards. The skinny pedal breaks things. Low gears and a front locker mean that I can get through obstacles with almost no throttle, which in turn keeps the CVs and front diff happy.

My current issue with the dual cases is the shifter. I have used a stock shifter base, Marlins, and Inchworms. All of them have leaked really bad. The tcase is not over full, but without silicone, at about 45 miles an hour, gear oil just pours out of the thing: around the handle. My solution has been to install a breather on the tcase (from the factory the shift handle is supposed to be the breather), install a breather on the shifter base plate, and completely fill the shift ball with silicone, put it back together and then coat the top and sides in silicone, and then silicone the boot on.

It's evidently a common problem that none of the companies seem to be aware of, despite numerous threads on the interwebs.

Mostly the advice is to install the breathers and then just deal with it leaking. I can't stand leaks, so I'll let you know if the second breather (installed today) does the trick.
 

owyheerat

Adventurer
Can you explain, 'stock gears in transfer case'? I thought there were only 2 options; 2.28 and 4.7 gears. I'm talking about gears in 'dual' case.

Did you buy a 'built' dual case, or did you buy a kit and assemble yourself?

Keep us updated on leak. I can't stand them either.

Thanks

Durwin
 

Trophycummins

Adventurer
Can you explain, 'stock gears in transfer case'? I thought there were only 2 options; 2.28 and 4.7 gears. I'm talking about gears in 'dual' case.

Did you buy a 'built' dual case, or did you buy a kit and assemble yourself?

Keep us updated on leak. I can't stand them either.

Thanks

Durwin
Stock toyota gear drive tcase gears are 2.28. 4.7 would be aftermarket.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 

AxleIke

Adventurer
Can you explain, 'stock gears in transfer case'? I thought there were only 2 options; 2.28 and 4.7 gears. I'm talking about gears in 'dual' case.

Did you buy a 'built' dual case, or did you buy a kit and assemble yourself?

Keep us updated on leak. I can't stand them either.

Thanks

Durwin

Yup, just as Trophycummins said, 2.28. Sorry for the confusion.

I cobbled my dual case together from various places. I got a Marlin MC09 adapter second hand, and bought the inchworm transmission to transfer adapter. I bought a 23 spline turbo truck transfercase and used the low range gears from that to build the dual case. As with the adapter, at the time I ordered the stuff, Marlin did not have any 4.7:1 gears in stock. I find the 2.28's are good enough for most things. I put all new bearings into the case.

One other thing I do not like about the Inchworm adapter (and something I will likely address whenever I pull the transmission and transfercases next) is that they do not allow for the factory bearing retainer clip to be retained, meaning the bearings can move slightly, and this causes excess drivetrain noise. I don't know if other manufacturers have a machined spot to keep this retainer. They should if they don't.

So far, the second breather is working well. No oil yet. Going on a long trip this weekend, so that should show a leak if there is going to be one.
 

owyheerat

Adventurer
Yup, just as Trophycummins said, 2.28. Sorry for the confusion.

I cobbled my dual case together from various places. I got a Marlin MC09 adapter second hand, and bought the inchworm transmission to transfer adapter. I bought a 23 spline turbo truck transfercase and used the low range gears from that to build the dual case. As with the adapter, at the time I ordered the stuff, Marlin did not have any 4.7:1 gears in stock. I find the 2.28's are good enough for most things. I put all new bearings into the case.

One other thing I do not like about the Inchworm adapter (and something I will likely address whenever I pull the transmission and transfercases next) is that they do not allow for the factory bearing retainer clip to be retained, meaning the bearings can move slightly, and this causes excess drivetrain noise. I don't know if other manufacturers have a machined spot to keep this retainer. They should if they don't.

So far, the second breather is working well. No oil yet. Going on a long trip this weekend, so that should show a leak if there is going to be one.

AxleIke, can you give an update? Did you get the leak fixed? Are you still happy with the gearing of your dual case?

I think I'm going to take advantage of Low range offroad black friday sale, and order an Inchworm assembled dual case.http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/toyo...hwormgear/built-tacoma-double-case-setup.html

Marlin is still out of stock, and Inchworm is less money.

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving
 

AxleIke

Adventurer
Update is that the leak was fixed by stuffing the entire shifter full of silicone and then reassembling it and putting it back onto the tcase. The breather did not work at all. Very happy with the gearing.

I think the bearing in the MC09 needs to be replaced, so I hope to get to that soon. Its a bit noisy. Just haven't had a lot of time.
 

owyheerat

Adventurer
Update is that the leak was fixed by stuffing the entire shifter full of silicone and then reassembling it and putting it back onto the tcase. The breather did not work at all. Very happy with the gearing.

I think the bearing in the MC09 needs to be replaced, so I hope to get to that soon. Its a bit noisy. Just haven't had a lot of time.

Your build continues to inspire me. I just installed a crawl box, thanks in large part to your build. I'm working on fabbing a tcase crossmember and putting finishing touches on center console mod. Thanks for your help and info.

I am currently running Bilstein shocks on all 4 corners, with Tundra coils up front and OME 861 coils in rear. I don't mind the ride...rides like a truck. Also, mine is not my DD, and if it were smoother over washboard would be nice. But I have already replaced 1 of the (leaking) Bily's up front, and while I was under the 4runner working on dual case install, I noticed that one of my rear shocks is leaking:(

So my question, I'm considering upgrading my suspension. Can you please give an update on your Icon's? Would you buy the same thing again? I know you had some initial dissatisfaction, hopefully that all got resolved.

Thanks

Durwin
 

Forum statistics

Threads
186,050
Messages
2,881,416
Members
225,825
Latest member
JCCB1998
Top