This truck has been and will be an on going project for me here at Dunlop Customs. It is my personal truck that i bought awhile back so that I could cut, carve, and experiment on something 4x4 related. It is a 1983-84 Toyota 4x4 22r Extra Cab with 175,000 miles on her. This post is about the rear axle swap that was performed right before a moved into my shop.
Alright now for the post. So this rear axle is off a 95' V6 Toyota 4Runner 4x4. This is a very common swap for us Toyota guys because the housing is an overall 3" wider. And well in the Crawler world wider is better!!!!! The more width you can get under your rig the more stable you be driving the trails. Out with the old axle and in with the new. First up is to cut all the brackets off that will not be needed for this swap! Everything must come off so that I can get the right placement for all the new brackets, armor and mounting tabs. The plasma made a huge difference in the prepping department.
After all the brackets and extra tabs where all cut off a ratchet style Detroit locker was installed in the 5:29 gears.
The new leaf spring mounts are welded into place as well as the new shock mounts.
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I was very disappointed with this other companies weld quality. They had a have a great design but what was shipped to me was sad at best. Very bad welds on these pieces of Armor full of pits, holes, and really bad under cut. Top Pick is the other guys welds and the bottom picture is the welds that where left by me after grinding and the old welds out and re welding.
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I can't help myself!! I really like the way the armor is bent up so after I welded I felt the need to take it one step further and grind the welds all smooth and then DA sand the surface. I think they turned out great!
New armor welded on, painted, installed, and filled with new gear oil! Rear axle is done. Now lets see how the front axle turned out. Stay tuned for more on this truck.
For All Your Fabrication and Welding Needs:
Brock Dunlop
brock@dunlopcustoms.com
602-515-2285
