Front solid axle housing worth it?

TMAC110

TMAC110

Member
Okay, so jumped on craigslist for a few minutes today to see if there was anything interesting and stumbled across a guy trying to sell an '82 axle housing and stock toyota axles for 130 bucks total. I could probably talk him down to 100 or 110. Now, my question is would it be worth it to pick them up??? Hopefully fairly soon down the road I'd like to do a solid axle swap so would this be a good start to picking up parts for it or should I hold out and keep looking around for a complete axle with a diff and everything?
 
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does it have brakes and hubs? just no 3rd. if you can get it for 100 I would jump on it. it will be untrussed and that means you will want to truss it and do a knuckle ball gusset as well. as long as you don't put a locker in the front the stock axles will hold up pretty well. Also make sure that it has the stock asin hubs on it, if it has warn hubs then get it for 75. my 2c's.
 
Rockdawg84 said:
does it have brakes and hubs? just no 3rd. if you can get it for 100 I would jump on it. it will be untrussed and that means you will want to truss it and do a knuckle ball gusset as well. as long as you don't put a locker in the front the stock axles will hold up pretty well. Also make sure that it has the stock asin hubs on it, if it has warn hubs then get it for 75. my 2c's.
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It is literally just the housing and the axles. He has a 3rd for it but its only 4.10 gears so it wouldn't work with my truck unless I regeared it beforehand. Here is a link to the ad also:

Toyota Front Axle Housing/ Shafts/ 3rd Member
 
I would pass. without spindles, backing plates, brakes and hubs, etc. your looking at a lot of money to get to a complete axle. keep looking :ranger:
 
Rockdawg84 said:
I would pass. without spindles, backing plates, brakes and hubs, etc. your looking at a lot of money to get to a complete axle. keep looking :ranger:
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Yeah that was what I was afraid of haha I just wasn't sure what all I'd need to make it work! I'm just starting to get into the research for all this so thanks for the help!!!
 
I sold a completely bare front housing for $75, and he was excited to buy it at that price.

keep in mind, they haven't been made for almost 30 years. they aren't as easy to find as they used to. they're getting USED up.
 
nevada said:
I sold a completely bare front housing for $75, and he was excited to buy it at that price.

keep in mind, they haven't been made for almost 30 years. they aren't as easy to find as they used to. they're getting USED up.
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this is true also. LOL and it depends on where in the country you are as well. Colorado should have a decent supply of solid front axles left though. Also you should consider looking for a Dana 44. if your building either axle from the ground up it will cost about the same.

check this out :decision:
Dana 44 SAS
 
Can't get 5.29s in a D44 though. A buddy of mine used a Waggy front for his SAS and ended up hating the gearing mismatch, now he's hating his truck and looking for a 44 rear to go with it. So figure out your gearing before you decide on an axle.

Toyota fronts tend to go for around $200 here when they're complete, a little more if they're an '84/'85.
 
That is good advice. I know several guys who run 5:13's in front and 5:29's in the rear and haven't heard them complain but it can be an issue on hard surfaces like pavement or slick rock.

$200 - $500 here in Arizona for a complete front depending on year and how stock or not it is. Set up with 30 spline longs and geared with locker, and crossover can go as high as $1200.

If you can afford it build for one step higher than you think you will ever use then you only have to upgrade once:)
 
Buy it now and start throwing parts at it when you can afford it, then by the time your ready to do the swap, its already built.

Its not a bad deal. Stock shafts will last under 35" tires. You can find a used 3rd for around 50, Find some used spindles, you can either convert your IFS hubs to work on the solid axle for about $120, or find some used SA hubs. It will probably need bearings and seals..

Gotta pay to play.

How often do these come up for sale in your area? If you dont see them too often, it might be a good idea to grab it.
 
thing is if you can get it cheaper and it is not bent, your always going to want to upgrade knuckles,shafts,studs,sterring. For a SAS you can't use everything on the axle anyway, I make it a habit to upgrade knuckle studs and hub studs.
 
I had one other thought about going with a stock toy housing. It really is way to narrow for use with a 3rd gen swap. I agree that knuckles and other things need to be upgraded, and you can use Front Range Off Roads bling (very nice by the way) but your still going to be at least 5 inches narrower than your rear. you can add spacers but your scrub radius becomes horrible. Save up and go dana or aftermarket front from Trail Gear, Diamond, Ruff Stuff etc. your will get upgraded axles which you want (need) any way and you get an axle that is the right width and will steer and drive down the road much better. Just my 2 cents:yo:
 
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