The 4xFordYota Franken-Fine Axles!

[J.Cole]

Nice. That should work out well. Are you doing custom brackets and links or sourcing from someone in particular?

I'm gonna do custom brackets that I'll draw out then have my friend cut them on his plasma table. Then for the links I want to get aluminum ones from Wide Open Design. Are you going to run the stock front frame section or cut it off at or around the firewall and build a new one out of 2x3?

 

[4x4toyotatyler]

I'm gonna do custom brackets that I'll draw out then have my friend cut them on his plasma table. Then for the links I want to get aluminum ones from Wide Open Design. Are you going to run the stock front frame section or cut it off at or around the firewall and build a new one out of 2x3?

I was planning on using the front frame section but plating it all in and reinforcing the hell out of everything while I'm down there. Angle iron on corners, flat steel along the sides, etc.

 

[Aisin]

I was planning on using the front frame section but plating it all in and reinforcing the hell out of everything while I'm down there. Angle iron on corners, flat steel along the sides, etc.

Absolute waste of time with that shit frame not to mention no up travel.

 

[J.Cole]

I was planning on using the front frame section but plating it all in and reinforcing the hell out of everything while I'm down there. Angle iron on corners, flat steel along the sides, etc.

Boooo don't do it. I agree with Aisin that doing all that work to the stock frame is a total waste of time. Cut that thing off 😂

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Don't be afraid of building a new frame, it's pretty easy. All that plating and shit is very time consuming and obviously strengthens, but all that weld can weaken also. If you absolutely have to do it that way, don't use angle iron, it's like the weakest type of steel. Use cold rolled plate, p&o'd, ect.

 

[Slander]

If I can build a new front frame section, anyone can. It's soooo nice welding to 2x3 3/16 steel as opposed to that Toyota tin foil.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

If I can build a new front frame section, anyone can. It's soooo nice welding to 2x3 3/16 steel as opposed to that Toyota tin foil.

I was going to say the same thing.... About you

It really is, I didn't even add plate for my steering box, just the sleeves, and I ran w/o assist, which puts all the stress on the box and frame.

You don't even have to get it that square. That's what everyone I hear says who's afraid of doing it says "how do I make it perfectly square?"

Well how do you know your stock frame is perfectly square after ~30 years of use?

I just built mine to match the body mounts and quare the suspension after that. You'll never ever see even a 1/2" difference in the frame.

 

[Slander]

I was going to say the same thing.... About you

It really is, I didn't even add plate for my steering box, just the sleeves, and I ran w/o assist, which puts all the stress on the box and frame.

You don't even have to get it that square. That's what everyone I hear says who's afraid of doing it says "how do I make it perfectly square?"

Well how do you know your stock frame is perfectly square after ~30 years of use?

I just built mine to match the body mounts and quare the suspension after that. You'll never ever see even a 1/2" difference in the frame.

Yea seriously, same with my axle flip that I did with an angle grinder, a 110v welder and no alignment bar that's somehow straight . I barely used a tape measure when I did mine. I only know it's square because a friend of mine was betting that it wasn't and tossed a square on it and it actually was, I was honestly surprised. I did weld the out side on the pax side, outside on the driver side, moved to inside pax etc to let the weld cooling pull stuff back and forth and into position that way.

 

[crazybluerider]

Well how do you know your stock frame is perfectly square after ~30 years of use?

Every bare frame I've had on the shop floor that came from a wheeler was at very least 1/2" out of square. I had a tj frame on the shop floor that we were redoing the link suspension on that had almost 2 inches of twist in it. It was fine.

 

[4x4toyotatyler]

Do any of yall have shop space in Sacramento that I can borrow to hold the engine and body panels while I rebuild the frame in my garage?

 

[Slander]

Do any of yall have shop space in Sacramento that I can borrow to hold the engine and body panels while I rebuild the frame in my garage?

Here's how I did it in a 2car garage.

I supported everything with jackstands, two under the frame and one holding the trans up and just let the front of the truck body hold itself together in space.

I am also going to attempt a full frame swap one of these days in a slightly larger 2 car garage. I hate myself apparently...

 

[4x4toyotatyler]

Here's how I did it in a 2car garage.


I supported everything with jackstands, two under the frame and one holding the trans up and just let the front of the truck body hold itself together in space.

I am also going to attempt a full frame swap one of these days in a slightly larger 2 car garage. I hate myself apparently...

Interesting... so you just held up the engine via the 1-2 jack stands on the trans? I assume you left the tcase crossmember attached so that the jackstands are mainly supporting a canitlever weight rather than the full weight?

 

[YotaAtieToo]

I did mine on a sloped driveway

 

[Slander]

Interesting... so you just held up the engine via the 1-2 jack stands on the trans? I assume you left the tcase crossmember attached so that the jackstands are mainly supporting a canitlever weight rather than the full weight?

Yup, exactly what I did!

 

[Nwblacktail]

Whats the best way to tie the new frame into the old frame? This is my biggest hold back, 85 yota so frame dimensions differ but I wonder whats the strongest design

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Whats the best way to tie the new frame into the old frame? This is my biggest hold back, 85 yota so frame dimensions differ but I wonder whats the strongest design

The inside of my 90 frame where I cut, near the vin. Was almost perfect 2" so I notched it out for the 2x3 to slide in. Slander looks to have done something similar.

The rear frame was about 2 3/8x4, I used 2x4x120, made the outside flush and the inside had a plate that slipped into the stock frame and outside the new frame. Worked tits and was so much better than cutting all that coil shit off.

Mine went through a lot of abuse hauling ass(as much as a 4cyl Toyota can ) and even a few jumps. Never had any cracks.

Decent pics of both here

Hardcore almost DD 90 4runner 22re

www.pirate4x4.com

 

[Slander]

Whats the best way to tie the new frame into the old frame? This is my biggest hold back, 85 yota so frame dimensions differ but I wonder whats the strongest design

My disclaimer: I am not an engineer just a random idiot on the internet, so take what I say with a grain of salt and do your own research.

If you zoom in on that pic you can see my fish plates, they are all 3/16 I also have plates on the inside of the frame rail. I also did a pie cut of the old frame and bent it up to meet the new rail and welded all that up, then welded all of that to the inside of the fish plates.

I also should have notched that frame rail up to clear the steering when flexed, so don't go straight ahead if you can avoid it.

 

[J.Cole]

Interesting... so you just held up the engine via the 1-2 jack stands on the trans? I assume you left the tcase crossmember attached so that the jackstands are mainly supporting a canitlever weight rather than the full weight?

Thats how I did it last time. 2 jack stands on the frame and 1 jack stand under the oil pan. And instead of going straight out on the frame rails like Slander did, I stacked the 2x3 on top of the Toyota frame. I made a gusset out of 2x3 that tied in the new 2x3 frame to the Toyota frame but i cant find a picture of it. Then obviously frame plates.

 

[4x4toyotatyler]

Well shit. If the body panels all hold themselves up, and i dont have to pull the engine, that's not bad at all. Actually looks way easier than I thought. Did you cut your own frame plates out? Or order from someone? I like the idea of stacking the frame rails rather than just adding on new ones straight out. Should give more clearance for more funner activities.

Alright, you assholes sold me. Now adding a new front frame to my axle and suspension redo!

 

[Slander]

I cut my fish plates freehand on a grinder out of 3/16ths like a man (dumbass in reality) that's also why they look so shitty and took me a day to make.

I mocked them up with cardboard and did it that way. A vertical band saw or a portaband with a table would have been 100% easier. Good call on stacking that, I wish I would have done that looking back.

 

[J.Cole]

Nice! You won't regret it in the end, especially the up travel part. I made cardboard templates then had them cut out on a plasma table, which is what I'll do again when I do my 4runner in the next few months.

 

[rockota]

Thats how I did it last time. 2 jack stands on the frame and 1 jack stand under the oil pan. And instead of going straight out on the frame rails like Slander did, I stacked the 2x3 on top of the Toyota frame. I made a gusset out of 2x3 that tied in the new 2x3 frame to the Toyota frame but i cant find a picture of it. Then obviously frame plates.

Dig how ”stupid simple” this approach is.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

I'll be the outlier, as usual

I don't see the point of building a new frame if you have to plate the whole thing. I also don't see much advantage to going way up, when the axle will hit the oil pan before the frame.

Also, all the reinforcement doesn't need to be on the outside. A lot of the strength is in the top and bottom of the frame. Think of an I beam, or a big rig frame. The strength is in the top and bottom and the distance between them.

 

[Slander]

With my straight rails the steering hits the frame when it flexes out. I probably lose a few inches of articulation uptravel. At full bump, if both sides compress equally, you are right the steering hits the oil pan first, but I don't usually hoon this off sweet jumps.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

With my straight rails the steering hits the frame when it flexes out. I probably lose a few inches of articulation uptravel. At full bump, if both sides compress equally, you are right the steering hits the oil pan first, but I don't usually hoon this off sweet jumps.

What are you doing with your life?


Full high steer is kinda dumb with links. Dropping a little lower works so much better.

 

[Slander]

What are you doing with your life?


Full high steer is kinda dumb with links. Dropping a little lower works so much better.

I got leafs on my junk. Actually if I did jump it I would still be ok because air bumps

I believe Snowy on here has mid steer and links and still notched his new frame section for clearence.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Leaf springs are not an excuse for not jumping

 

[Nwblacktail]

Leaf springs are not an excuse for not jumping

 

[Nwblacktail]

85 with 3rd gen rears... front hanger frenched up an inch or so tied into the middle of the front frame.. leafs hit sector shaft first than frame rails as the axle is far enough forward its in front of the factory hump... I could get maybe 2 inches up travel with a different frame situation...sry for thread jack this should be its own..

 

[4x4toyotatyler]

Got some goodies in today!!

• Found two 10.5" gearsets from Revolution (thank you Derek and Sean from River City Diffs... original pirates!)
• got in the last 3 unit bearings (Trailgear).

Currently waiting on the Diamond housings to start measuring WMS and putting shit together.