Cuekoo Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 Im starting my project for my LQ9 1973 240z and the guy at the junk yard is recomending a rear end from a small toyota pickup truck i think from the early 90's. The wheel base is a good match which was 53''. My buddy is going to do all the fabrication. the guy is telling me that his buddy runs the same rear end in his drag truck with a few parts switched out and hes runs 8's in the 1/4. Now for the question. Anyone ever heard of or done this swap? Seems like an inexpensive resoulution to the weak 240z rear end. Any suggestions i'd greatly appreaciate it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zprace Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 are you wanting to do a solid axle rear suspension using toyota axles.....is that your question??? if so, why not a ford 9", it's stronger than the toyota 8". my 2 cent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 2wd Toyota is a 7.5". 4wd older model is an 8". They're strong axles for their size, but not as strong as a 9" and not commonly used in a hot rod application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuekoo Posted May 9, 2009 Author Share Posted May 9, 2009 thanks for the info. So you guys would recommend the ford rear end? Look bottom line i want something that wont break on me. And the options i have are from a junkyard with mostly american parts. i dont have the r200 available to me. thankyou for your info guys. i will be posting pictures soon of my Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turboboost Posted May 9, 2009 Share Posted May 9, 2009 2wd Toyota is a 7.5". 4wd older model is an 8". They're strong axles for their size, but not as strong as a 9" and not commonly used in a hot rod application. A lot of 2wd differentials were actually 8". IFS front differentials were 7.5". Those Toyota diffs are almost damn near bulletproof, and there's a huge variety of gears available. Somewhere along the lines of 3.07-5.29. If you have the know-how, I say go ahead and do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc052685 Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 I am waiting for the infamous R200 wheel stand pic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randy 77zt Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 try a middle 90's ford ranger that has a 4.0 v6 -they had a very narrow 8.8 rear -usually with 3.55 ratio-or explorers too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuekoo Posted May 10, 2009 Author Share Posted May 10, 2009 Great advice everyone. I will mention the ford rear axle to my parts guy and see what he says. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 A lot of 2wd differentials were actually 8". IFS front differentials were 7.5". Those Toyota diffs are almost damn near bulletproof, and there's a huge variety of gears available. Somewhere along the lines of 3.07-5.29. If you have the know-how, I say go ahead and do it. In retrospect I think every V6 or Turbo 4 toy came with an 8" diff like you said. There's nothing wrong with them and as you said you can get all sorts of gears, lockers, LSD's, etc because they're popular with the 4x4 crowd. Still it seems like a weird choice to me, because the car guys usually go for the 9", the 8.8, or the 12 bolt. Maybe I just need to get past my preconceived notions. True-trac gear LSD for $400 looks pretty good, as does a R&P set for ~$200. And since they're a drop out they're easy to work on... I wonder how hard it is to find brake upgrades. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 the weak point on the Hilux/4runner drivetrain wasn't th diffs, but the halfshafts from the diffs to the wheels, any proper V8 conversion in a hilux is at risk of breaking the shafts, I know of one guy running a Rover V8 at 215Hp in a 1988 Hilux ute with the standard diff and 34" super swamper tyres who has broken 3 half shafts now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V8INtheZ Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 The Ford 8.8 is a decent rear, capable of handling quite a bit of horse power. You can find them all day long, and there are a lot of clutch lsd rears available from the factory. But if you are in California, there are plenty of R-200 rears available way cheaper than fabbing a solid diff into your car... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
240zprace Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 this is stock R200 welded spider gears, stock suspension, and brakes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Gr8White Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 The Ford 8.8 is a decent rear, capable of handling quite a bit of horse power. You can find them all day long, and there are a lot of clutch lsd rears available from the factory. Another vote for the 8.8. The other plus side is that just about any gear ratio you could possibly want is readily available, don't think you are going to get that with the Yota rear. Put some good 31 spline axles in and they are practically bullet proof. Pack the clutches in the traction lock and it will handle all you can throw at it, dependably. Get a late model Explorer rear and you have upgraded brakes and half of what you need for a 5 lug swap.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuekoo Posted May 13, 2009 Author Share Posted May 13, 2009 (edited) I went in today and bought the complete rear end assembly and 4 , 2 piston calipers 25 each. Also i bout a fj80 master cylinder for the brake system. So far so good on my parts list. Now i need to figure out how to convert the fron end to 5 lug to match the rear. Guy said i can run 3:07 thru 5:29's on that toyota rear end. its an 8 inch rear and his buddy has a 5000 pound truck with 1000hp and he's has to replace the rear end every three years. so i think i'll be good on my setup. Thankyou all for your advice. im going to post everything with my swap so i can contribute for other projects. Total cost was 400. 8'' toyotaRear end assembly $200 4 toyota calipers: $25 each FJ80 master cylinder: $100 Edited May 13, 2009 by Cuekoo add prices of parts for info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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