I've been thinking about upgrading the axles in my jeep (over the long term) and know a lot of people will swap in a d44 for the rear and build up the 30 or put a 44 in front. But, what about swapping in toyota axles? or gm 12 bolt in the rear? I know it's been done with a ford 8.8, so why doesn't anyone seem to do it with toy axles? Has anyone seen or heard of it? Just trying to do some research.
Toyota axle to jeep cherokee
- Thread starter Will3161
- Start date
- Location
- West Jordan
Couple reasons that it isn't a common swap...
1- Toy front axles have the diff on the wrong side to fit in a Cherokee. You can change that, but it isn't worth the work or money.
2- 4x4 Toy's have 6-lug, versus the Cherokee's 5-lug. Unless you swap both axles, you have mismatch lug patterns, and if you do swap both, you need new wheels.
3- Toy axles are significantly narrower that a Cherokee's stock axles. Spacers are fine I guess, but they wreak havoc with your steering when they get any wider than maybe 1.5".
4-As far as the GM 12 bolt... They are just GM's version of the Dana 35. It is just a bigger, heavier pile of junk than the Dana 35.
Not worth the time or effort.
Putting a Toy rear axle into your Jeep may be an OK deal, but just the rear. 2wd Toy rear axles are neat because they have the same lug pattern (5 on 4.5") as your Cherokee (They do have metric studs unlike your Cherokee, but at least you can use your existing wheels...) Find yourself a 2wd truck with the 8" diff, weld on your spring perches and shock mounts, and use spacers to achieve the desired width. You'll have to source a drive line flange/adapter to make the Toy flange pattern mate up to your drive shaft though. Not a real tough swap. There are a couple around the valley that I've heard of and they work out sweet. Maybe some of the people that have them will chime in and tell you what they think.
Hope this is what you were looking for.
1- Toy front axles have the diff on the wrong side to fit in a Cherokee. You can change that, but it isn't worth the work or money.
2- 4x4 Toy's have 6-lug, versus the Cherokee's 5-lug. Unless you swap both axles, you have mismatch lug patterns, and if you do swap both, you need new wheels.
3- Toy axles are significantly narrower that a Cherokee's stock axles. Spacers are fine I guess, but they wreak havoc with your steering when they get any wider than maybe 1.5".
4-As far as the GM 12 bolt... They are just GM's version of the Dana 35. It is just a bigger, heavier pile of junk than the Dana 35.
Not worth the time or effort.Putting a Toy rear axle into your Jeep may be an OK deal, but just the rear. 2wd Toy rear axles are neat because they have the same lug pattern (5 on 4.5") as your Cherokee (They do have metric studs unlike your Cherokee, but at least you can use your existing wheels...) Find yourself a 2wd truck with the 8" diff, weld on your spring perches and shock mounts, and use spacers to achieve the desired width. You'll have to source a drive line flange/adapter to make the Toy flange pattern mate up to your drive shaft though. Not a real tough swap. There are a couple around the valley that I've heard of and they work out sweet. Maybe some of the people that have them will chime in and tell you what they think.
Hope this is what you were looking for.
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Rot Box
Diesel and Dust
- Location
- Smithfield Utah
..... ...... It depends on the one you get
4cylinder engine 2wd rear axles had a 7.5" ring gear and 27 spline axle shafts. While I would run that (or anything else for that matter ) over a D35 it isn't a big upgrade. The 1TON 2wd axles are 8" but they have 6 lugs...The best option would be to snag a 2WD rear axle from a truck that came with a V6. It will have the 5 lug you need and an 8" ring gear just like the 4WD versions. There is a huge selection of gears and lockers for that axle and they are very strong. For the rear I would go the Toyota route because there is so many aftermarket options for it and you can find them for very cheap.
iamsparticus
Take your Rig to the Edge
- Location
- Ogden,Ut
I like this idea keep us posted. A dirty jeep in a good way; nice
Thanks for all the input. I want to do this upgrade before I do any serious wheeling with this thing. I really don't like a weak axle coupled with a c-clip design. So, I'll be on the lookout for a toy v6 axle. By the way, what gear ratio is most common in those? I believe I have 3.73 and would like to keep it the same, but if I do have to change I would want to go up.
outlaw_offroad
XJ Pride!!!
- Location
- North Ogden
4.10 is probably the most common yota gear, but there is a wide range higher and lower.
you probably have 3.55's like most xj's
i thought about getting a 2wd yota axle for mine but i found an xj dana44 in the junkyard and got it for $88. they are essentially the same (as the 2wd v6 axle) strength-wise and the 44 is a direct swap.
if you are going into a more "complicated" swap for the rear you might as well think about swapping the front too. you could get bigger, stronger axles with matching gear ratios. plus anything to get the dana30 out of there lol. just some food for thought
i thought about getting a 2wd yota axle for mine but i found an xj dana44 in the junkyard and got it for $88. they are essentially the same (as the 2wd v6 axle) strength-wise and the 44 is a direct swap.
if you are going into a more "complicated" swap for the rear you might as well think about swapping the front too. you could get bigger, stronger axles with matching gear ratios. plus anything to get the dana30 out of there lol. just some food for thought