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04 Tacoma Rear axle in a 2nd Gen 4Runner?

eacook1

Red Skull Member
ST4x4
Joined
Feb 25, 2021
Member Number
3550
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211
Loc
Temecula, CA
I recently picked up an 04 Tacoma axle complete drum to drum with factory e-locker.

Does anyone know if the E-brake setup and wheel cylinders would easily connect to my existing stock 4runner stuff? If easily swapped in it would gain be a couple inches of width and save me from modifying my existing housing for the e-locker. I just havn't had time to crawl under my rig and compare everything, hoping someone will have some knowledge of this swap.
 
Wheel cylinders sure.. Ebrake is a little different..

I think the biggest issue would be the 2nd gen is coils and the taco is leaf springs.
 
Wheel cylinders sure.. Ebrake is a little different..

But does you 2nd gen have stock rear suspension? I think the biggest issue would be the 2nd gen is coils and the taco is leaf springs.
100% different, sell it and buy a locker if that's what you're after.

That's the limit of my knowledge. For those smarter than me, will the elocker 3rd interchange since they came with a smaller R&P or do they still have the 96 cutoff?
 
Wheel cylinders sure.. Ebrake is a little different..

But does you 2nd gen have stock rear suspension? I think the biggest issue would be the 2nd gen is coils and the taco is leaf springs.

Right now, stock coils in the rear. I will be going leafs in the rear when I do my front SAS. I was planning to strip my current housing and set it up for leafs but after picking up the Tacoma housing it got me wondering if it would be easier to swap that in.
 
100% different, sell it and buy a locker if that's what you're after.

That's the limit of my knowledge. For those smarter than me, will the elocker 3rd interchange since they came with a smaller R&P or do they still have the 96 cutoff?

I am pretty sure every e-locker that came in a 4runner, or tacoma was an 8" and they all interchange, with a small modification to a non e-locker housing of course. And yes the third with locker is why I originally bought it.
 
Right now, stock coils in the rear. I will be going leafs in the rear when I do my front SAS. I was planning to strip my current housing and set it up for leafs but after picking up the Tacoma housing it got me wondering if it would be easier to swap that in.
If you're going to leafs in the rear then the taco housing will be much easier to use. Worst case you'll need to transfer the ebrake assy, which shouldn't be too tough to do.
 
Ebrake will be difficult to make work.

For how much those go for. Sell it and buy an arb.

The e-brake was my main concern.

A complete third with ARB on TG goes for about 2k. I bought this thing complete for $700 and it is freshly rebuilt with 5.29s so I need to make this work. I will just mod my housing to use this third.

Thanks for the input,
 
If you're going to leafs in the rear then the taco housing will be much easier to use. Worst case you'll need to transfer the ebrake assy, which shouldn't be too tough to do.

I some how missed your post. Is this a guess or have you done it?

I really just need to pull them both apart and see if I can make it work. I was just hoping it would be easy.
 
Anyone know if the spring perches on the Tacoma housing are the correct center to center width for my 2nd gen 4Runner, or would I have to move those?
 
I some how missed your post. Is this a guess or have you done it?

I really just need to pull them both apart and see if I can make it work. I was just hoping it would be easy.
I’ve done Tacoma on a 1st gen, but not your specific application. You might have to move spring perches but I don’t see why everything else wouldn’t be bolt in. If the brake soft line doesn’t match, and I don’t see why it wouldn’t, a custom line would set you back maybe 50 bucks at a local shop, assuming you have one. You won’t be able to use your existing axle hard lines because of the width increase, so that’ll be an issue if your new axle doesn’t have them.
 
Yes you can make it work.
Will need to move perches, replace some brake lines and and figure out ebrake.
But for what you'll be in it for I'd fucking run it.

100% this.

The e-brake is nothing, they are both cables pulled by levers mounted to the firewall. Take the lever&cable assembly out of your 4runner, set it next to a cable from a 2004 Tacoma, and figure out how to splice the two together. If you can SAS a truck you can make that work.

Chop the factory spring perches and shock mounts, they won't be in the right place nor will they work for your pinion angle anyway.
 
I forgot about shock mounts, but cut those fawkers off as well
I'm sure you can just buy new mounts if you don't wanna make tgem.
 
ebrake is super simple, the cables just need to be extended a couple inches on each side and cut the pivot point off the 4runner and weld it on the tacoma axle if it isnt already in the same spot.

when swapping ifs axles into the older toyotas i just use a small piece of flat stock(iirc 1.5" long hole to hole) with a hole drilled in each end to make the ebrake cable reach

fwiw i just recently got done working on a 01 tacoma and the ebrake setup looks almost identical to the older toyotas
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I can handle any fab to make it work but it may be easier to just modify my housing to take the e-locker. I’ll keep the housing for now and decide once I start the SAS.
 
ebrake is super simple, the cables just need to be extended a couple inches on each side and cut the pivot point off the 4runner and weld it on the tacoma axle if it isnt already in the same spot.

when swapping ifs axles into the older toyotas i just use a small piece of flat stock(iirc 1.5" long hole to hole) with a hole drilled in each end to make the ebrake cable reach

fwiw i just recently got done working on a 01 tacoma and the ebrake setup looks almost identical to the older toyotas

Wrong :flipoff2:

2nd gen 4runner (assuming he's talking 90-95) uses a totally different setup. More like a common domestic rig with 2 shielded cables running up to the frame.
 
04 Tacoma’s we’re 60.75” and I believe 05 and up are 65”.

My bad, I forgot that 04 was still first gen :homer:

I've heard those axles are weaker than the 86-95 rears though.....

Either way, e lockers suck. So I don't think either option is a good one.
 
Why do they suck? The price was certainly right.
The only issue I've ever had with the ~8 i've owned... one actuator went a little ugly at 165k miles... it gets used almost weekly. No other complaints here.
 
Why do they suck? The price was certainly right.

They're weak, the side gears are super thin and break easily.

Then you have all the little actuator pieces that can fail. If they do, it's stupid expensive to fix.

They're also slow to lock and unlock.

The one I put in my 1990 4runner was nothing but problems, ended up locking and unlocking manually for a while. Until it broke the side gear. It was cheap, but was a total waste of money.

The stock one in my 96 works fine. I'd never retrofit one again though.
 
They're weak, the side gears are super thin and break easily.

Then you have all the little actuator pieces that can fail. If they do, it's stupid expensive to fix.

They're also slow to lock and unlock.

The one I put in my 1990 4runner was nothing but problems, ended up locking and unlocking manually for a while. Until it broke the side gear. It was cheap, but was a total waste of money.

The stock one in my 96 works fine. I'd never retrofit one again though.
IIRC, a new actuator is about $100.

I've had way more problems with ARB's (which is still my favorite) over the years than I have elockers.
 
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