Toyota axles in a Jeep WJ

[cruiseroutfit]

A few things to know...

Front axle shafts,
40, 60, 70 series and SFA minitruck short side axle shafts are all interchangeable.

The 40/55/60/leaf sprung 70 yes, the SFA minitruck is shorter yet and is not compatible with any of the Land Cruiser vintage.

Swapping to a left side drop would be no harder than doing a knuckle cut and turn. Nearly every springover Land Cruiser has had this done and it it well documented. Just swap the knuckle balls side to side

You also have to notch the housing for the ring gear and cut and rotate the front diff cover and move the drain plug. All pretty minor compared to the work of a cut/turn, but things to consider none the less.

 

[lowenbrau]

The 40/55/60/leaf sprung 70 yes, the SFA minitruck is shorter yet and is not compatible with any of the Land Cruiser vintage.

Thanks for the correction, Kurt.

 

[jeepboyd]

rock krawler makes the bracket for the rear and i think teraflex makes one that will work however both would use two uppers (triangilated) the krawler arms mount in the factory locations in the unibody. just a thought

 

[Fergie]

If I might make a suggestion then? Start a notebook on the vehicle and always keep it in the vehicle. On the vintage race cars that I worked on we used 5 subject spiral bound notebooks. Any page or print-out that needed to be added to it got stapled in. Much more secure than a 3 ring.

Each subject was some aspect of the vehicle. Service part part-numbers, wear part sources, sketches of proposed modifications, tune-up specs, carb jets & trans ratios for different tracks, laps times or at least number of laps run, atmospheric conditions of each track day, etc.

Totally agree on only using unmodified, off the shelf wear parts. I don't understand why more folks don't do this.

I actually started doing this about a month ago. I got tired of always hunting for tool sizes, quantities, etc.

I dunno...maybe a I just need to quit beating around the bush and get me a 60/62...

 

[ntsqd]

I just need to quit beating around the bush and get me a 60/62...

Fixed it!

 

[DaveInDenver]

I just need to quit beating around the bush and get me a 60/62...

You'd be driving a truck fixable in just about any place on Earth.

 

[Root Moose]

I dunno...maybe a I just need to quit beating around the bush and get me a 60/62...

Personally, I think an FZJ80 would be better. Closer to the creature comforts of a WJ and bullet proof while being just as supported.

$0.02

 

[AndrewP]

The FZJ80 would be a decent choice but I still think stuff for the FJ40 or FJ60 will be more available almost anywhere worldwide.. The later 70s and the 80 do share that oddball high pinion front diff, which would be my only hesitation about the 80 series drive train. Electronics are an issue too, and in that regard, the FJ60 shines. There are no electronics except in your stereo.

Maybe I'm missing something on Jeeps, but even if you had Land Cruiser axles, and available spares, what about the rest of the stuff on the truck? Outside of NA Modern Jeep spares will be few and far between.

Just take a Land Cruiser-If it were me, I'd get a nice FJ60, rebuild all the systems, and go. It's affordable, tried and true, with parts and knowledgable mechanics almost everywhere on earth. The ultimate "bush taxi".

 

[DaveInDenver]

Could a low pinion 8" diff work in the front of an 80 series in a pinch? Those are a dime a dozen anywhere there's more than a couple of Hilux trucks and those are pretty common, too. Heck, most people can't give away 4 cylinder third members it seems. I have junk to build up a couple 4.10 ratio ones myself and I'm far from a real hardcore hoarder.

But the advantage IMO for a FJ40/55/60/62 is that the diffs swap FR to RR and that'll keep ya going. Same as a solid axle Hilux, front can be used in the back if you need to keep moving.

 

[Fergie]

The FZJ80 would be a decent choice but I still think stuff for the FJ40 or FJ60 will be more available almost anywhere worldwide.. The later 70s and the 80 do share that oddball high pinion front diff, which would be my only hesitation about the 80 series drive train. Electronics are an issue too, and in that regard, the FJ60 shines. There are no electronics except in your stereo.

Maybe I'm missing something on Jeeps, but even if you had Land Cruiser axles, and available spares, what about the rest of the stuff on the truck? Outside of NA Modern Jeep spares will be few and far between.

Just take a Land Cruiser-If it were me, I'd get a nice FJ60, rebuild all the systems, and go. It's affordable, tried and true, with parts and knowledgable mechanics almost everywhere on earth. The ultimate "bush taxi".

You statement there really got me thinking. It was difficult enough to find a radiator when mine blew in Death Valley, other parts are just as failure prone and hard to find outside of a dealership.

If I got a LC, I'd do a diesel swap of some kind, I can't live with the 10mpg that they reportedly get.

I wouldnt mind an FZJ80 for the airbags and such, but need to convince the wife that the 60/62 is safe enough without them.

Who knows!

 

[ntsqd]

FWIW any of the modern (i.e. smog legal) gasser swaps are getting far better than 10. I'm looking to double that with my swap, though I suspect that I'll fall a little short. The combo that I'm thinking to use has done 50% better in a larger, taller, and heavier vehicle using the same axle gears and a slightly shorter and wider tire than planned (285's vs. 33-10.5's) while pushing ~75 mph (required speed for ideal engine rpm). Part of my plan is to go to 4.11's to bring the ideal cruise speed down to something more reasonable, which should help in several ways.

 

[AndrewP]

10mpg is really pessimistic, though that's about what my FJ40 gets with it's tired 2F. My FJ60 is my mileage champ, and I can get an honest 15 mpg on highway runs. I did even a little better (17) coming back from Pismo last year. That truck is not a bad expo truck as it has an OME lift, a 5 speed, 33 inch tires and 4.11 gearing.

I just got an FJ62 with an eye toward a manual tranny swap. I'm thinking the fuel injection, plus manual tranny should get me into the high teens for fuel mileage.

Still, decide honestly what you want, and what you plan to do. If you never leave the USA, stay with the Jeep and Dana axles (though I've seen a bunch of broken Dana 35s-if I had a Jeep, they would go immediately). If you are leaving the Americas, a Land Cruiser would be a better choice.

Good luck with whatever you build. IMHO just building for the sake of it is a legitimate end in itself. You always learn something.

 

[Root Moose]

I'll echo AndrewP: if you are not planning on leaving North America stick with the Dana stuff.

If you can't find a rad for a WJ in Death Valley what are the chances of finding one for a FJ6[0,2]?

Now to play devil's advocate.

FZJ80 vs FJ6[0,2]; where are you going that you can't get spares for a FZJ80? Antarctica? Even then...

Sure, the pure numbers might be higher of the older stuff but the 80 series has been pretty much every where and is still what is currently begin sold/used (As with 70 series). I think to pick a 60 over a 80 because of spares availability is biased for the sake of being biased.

Now, if you want a 60 series because it has less electronics, is simpler, is a touch smaller, whatever, have at 'er. But again, be realistic. If you aren't taking this rig where buggies normally tread I think it is a bit of a disservice to yourself wrt comfort, etc. Yeah, we are all "he-men" and can put up with a lot but if you are really going to be putting in 12+ hour days driving for days on end you'll be glad to have the coil suspension at the end of it.

Don't get me wrong, I love both platforms to death but at this point the 60 series is old. Hell, so is the 80. I really don't think you are giving anything up with a 80 over a 60 except for the "coolness" of driving something that looks and behaves retro.

But, what do I know? I drive an XJ. LOL

 

[Fergie]

I'll echo AndrewP: if you are not planning on leaving North America stick with the Dana stuff.

If you can't find a rad for a WJ in Death Valley what are the chances of finding one for a FJ6[0,2]?

Now to play devil's advocate.

FZJ80 vs FJ6[0,2]; where are you going that you can't get spares for a FZJ80? Antarctica? Even then...

Sure, the pure numbers might be higher of the older stuff but the 80 series has been pretty much every where and is still what is currently begin sold/used (As with 70 series). I think to pick a 60 over a 80 because of spares availability is biased for the sake of being biased.

Now, if you want a 60 series because it has less electronics, is simpler, is a touch smaller, whatever, have at 'er. But again, be realistic. If you aren't taking this rig where buggies normally tread I think it is a bit of a disservice to yourself wrt comfort, etc. Yeah, we are all "he-men" and can put up with a lot but if you are really going to be putting in 12+ hour days driving for days on end you'll be glad to have the coil suspension at the end of it.

Don't get me wrong, I love both platforms to death but at this point the 60 series is old. Hell, so is the 80. I really don't think you are giving anything up with a 80 over a 60 except for the "coolness" of driving something that looks and behaves retro.

But, what do I know? I drive an XJ. LOL

Well, the discussion may all be for naught....0331 ring a bell?

 

[Root Moose]

Well, the discussion may all be for naught....0331 ring a bell?

@!*#!

Yes - mine is a 2001 so supposedly I don't have to worry about it (fingers crossed).

You probably already know but for the search... it is possible to swap a 7120 or 0630 head. Search NAXJA for details.