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Solid Axle Swap Kit Installation
Instructions
 Each
Solid Axle Swap Kit includes:
-Front Leaf Springs (your choice 3" 4" or 5")
-High Steer Crossover Steering Kit
-Front Drop Hanger with Greasable Bolts
-Greasable 5" Shackles
-Frame Tubes & Jigs
-Steering Stabilizer Kit
-U-bolt Flip Kit
-(2) Shock Hoops
-(2) Bilstein Shocks
-(2) Front Brake Lines
-(2) Vented Rotors
-(2) Bumpstop Extensions
-(2) Wheel Spacers
-(2) Bumpstops
-Front Axle Gusset
-Axle Diff Armor
-Knuckle Service Kit
-(2) Wheel Bearing Kit
-Motor Mount Cover Plates
-Spring Pad
-Printed Instructions
If you have
any questions during the installation of your kit, please call us for
assistance. This kit is designed to replace the IFS suspension on
1986-1995 Toyota Pickup's and 4Runners. Installation time is typically 2
to 3 days. In addition to common hand tools, you will also need a plasma
cutter or torch, grinder and 230V welder.
This kit is
designed for use with 1981-1985 solid axles. In addition to this kit you
will need to have a custom drive shaft made. We recommend measuring for
the drive shaft after the installation of the kit. Using a drive shaft
with a minimum of 10" of drive shaft slip spline will prevent the drive
shaft from separating due to the extreme flexibility of this kit. Drive
shaft tubing should be a minimum of .095" thickness.
Axle
Preparation
 When
Installing a solid axle swap, new ring and pinion gears and a locker are
normally installed into the front end. Our IFS eliminator kit includes a
knuckle rebuild kit and two wheel bearing kits. These should be used to
replace worn out parts in your donor front axle upon reassembly. A small
3/8" thick pad is provided for the driver side (left) spring perch. This
pad raises the spring mounting surface to match the passenger side. Weld
the spring pad onto the left front axle spring perch. Weld across the
front and back. Do not weld the sides so that the pad can be removed with
a grinder if needed in the future.
The upper
axle gusset is installed on top of the axle. Place the gusset on the axle
and tap lightly with a hammer to seat it on to the axle. Make note of
where the gusset contacts the axle and remove all paint and grease from
the axle housing. Weld gusset in place using 1" stitch welds.
 The
front diff armor welds directly to the face of the housing and prevents
trail damage to the ring gear. Remove the paint from the front of the
housing. Place diff armor in position on the housing. The bottom of the
armor should sit flush with the step in the face of the housing. Start
welding the armor in place from the top down. After welding the top two
inches of the plate, stop welding. Using a 5 lb sledge hammer, hit the
unwelded part of the armor until it is touching the housing. Continue
welding from the top to the bottom stopping occasionally to hammer the
armor down for a snug fit. Near the bottom, repeated hard hits with the
hammer are needed to ensure a tight fit.
 After
welding on the gusset, armor and spring pad, paint the housing as desired.
Once dry, the 3rd member, axles and knuckles can be reassembled. During
reassembly, discard the stock steering arms and install the included high
steer arms. The steering arm with two rod end holes is installed on the
passenger side (right). The steering arm with one rod end hole is
installed on the driver side (left) of the axle. Also install provided
wheel spacers and torque nuts to 100 ft lbs. Wheel spacer nuts should be
re-torqued after 100 miles of driving.
Two
steering rods with Tie Rod ends are included with the kit. The shorter rod
is the Drag Link and this will be installed later. The longer rod is the
Tie Rod. Install the Tie Rod with the left end in the only remaining hole
on the left side steering arm. On the right side of the axle the Tie Rod
is attached to the rear open hole on the steering arm. The front hole is
used for the drag link. Leave jam nuts loose for now.
IFS
Removal
 Unbolt
and remove the front axle half shafts, differential, idler arm, tie rod,
A-arms, sway bars and torsion bars. Using a torch or plasma cutter, cut
off the A-arm mounting brackets. Once removed, use a grinder to remove the
remnants of the brackets. Grind until frame is completely smooth and flat
(see photo). When removing the the A-arms, part of the engine motor mounts
will be removed. This is normal and later, plates will be installed to
fill the void created by removing the IFS suspension. Remove as little of
the motor mount as possible.
 When
using a torch to remove the IFS brackets, it is possible to nick the frame
with the torch. If this has happened, fill the nicks by welding them up
and grind flush with the frame. Use a relatively high stetting on your
welder when filling nicks.
Front
Spring Hanger
 With
the front stock suspension removed and the frame cleaned, installation of
the new spring hangers can begin. The front spring hanger has a front and
back side to it. If you look close, the spring hanger ends are offset from
the tubing by 1/8". These hangers should be offset forward for
installation (see photo). The front spring hanger can be installed flush
with the front of the frame or offset up to 3/4" forward of the front of
the frame. On all factory 3.0L V6 applications we strongly recommend
offsetting the front hanger forward 3/4" to allow the tie rod to clear the
stock oil pan. This also angles the shackle a little closer to vertical
and allows the springs to support the heavier V6 motor and transmission.
When using our 5" springs we recommend moving the front hanger forward
1/2" - 3/4" depending on the weight of the truck.
 Center
the hanger left to right on the frame. Hold hanger in place with C-clamp
(see photo) and tack weld hanger in place. Do not finish weld front hanger
until after you have placed the entire weight of the truck on the springs
and verified your shackle angle.
Frame
Tubes and Jigs
 To
mount the front shackles, tubes are installed in to the frame. Jigs are
provided to properly position the tubes in the frame. Each jig is labeled
with an arrow and "R" or "L". The jig labeled R is for the Right side
(passenger) and the jig labeled L is for the Left side (driver). The arrow
points toward the front of the truck.
 Place
the frame jig onto the frame and center the jig in the body mount under
the firewall. Mark or scribe both the inside and outside of the frame
rails. Using a plasma cutter or torch, cut the holes through the frame.
The jigs can also be tacked into place and used as a guide during cutting.
Slide each frame tube into the frame. Center the frame tube in its hole.
After centering the tube, push the tube toward the outside of the frame
1/4". Now weld the frame tube in place. Now do the other frame tube,
centering it up and then pushing it out 1/4" before welding in place. Weld
both the inside and outside of the frame around the shackle tube.
Final
Spring Hanger Welding
 Weld
the front spring hanger in place with a series of 2" long beads between
the frame and hanger. Be sure to fully weld around the spring hangers as
this is where most of the stress will be transferred to the frame. It is
normal for there to be a small gap between the bottom of frame and the top
of hanger.
 Two
small gussets are provided for the top of the front spring hanger. These
should be welded in plate to support the outer end of the spring hanger
(see photo right).
Install
Leaf Springs
 Weld
the provided bumpstops on to the top of the U-Bolt flip plates.
Grease
(using axle grease) the small, short bushings and install into leaf
springs.
The end of
the spring that has a full double wrap goes in front. Hold spring in
place, then slide 120mm long greasable bolts through spring and hanger.
Grease the exposed threads of the of the bolt before installing the crimp
nuts.
 Pick
up rear of spring and install rear shackles through frame tubes. The
shackle bolts are 150mm long. Use two 3/4" spacers on each shackle as
shown in photo. Grease the exposed threads of the of the bolt before
installing the crimp nuts. Place axle under truck and lower truck with
springs installed down onto axle. Spring pin bolts should fit into holes
on top of axle housing spring pads. Use provided u-bolts to attach axle to
springs. Torque u-bolts to 90 ft/lbs. Retorque u-bolts after 100 miles.
Check u-bolt nuts are tight after every off-road trip. Loose u-bolts will
cause failure of leaf spring pin bolts and can result is loss of steering
control. Keep your u-bolts tight!
Six u-bolts
are provided with the kit. Two round u-bolt should be used on the
passenger side on all axles. 1979-1983 axles use two additional round
u-bolts on the driver side. Later 1984-1985 axles use two square u-bolts
on the driver side. All u-bolt threads should face up.
After
installation of u-bolts, cut off excess bolt threads so that the u-bolt is
flush with the nut.
Shocks
and Shock Hoops
To install
shock hoops it may be necessary to cut open the inner fender. If 14"
shocks are used you will most likely need to bring the shock hoop up
through the fenders. This may require relocation some items directly above
the shocks. If your using 12" shocks and short style hoops, there is no
need to cut open the fenders.
 Using
the two 5" X 2" plates, cover the ends of the motor mounts. Weld the
plates in place and grind off any ruff edges.
Install
shocks and hoops so that approximately 60% of the shock is in the tube and
40% is out or as close to this as you can. Exact positioning will depend
on spring height, vehicle weight, and shock choice. Shocks should be
mounted vertically with the "Can" or body of the shock in the up position.
 Test
fit shocks before making any permanent welds. Do not weld near shocks
unless the chrome plating of the shock rod is covered. If weld splatter
attaches to shock rod, it will damage the shock seal and destroy the
shock. This type of shock failure is not covered by warrantee.
With the
hoops tacked in place and shocks installed, use a ramp or forklift to flex
the suspension. Make sure that the shocks are not limiting compression or
extension travel. Adjust the position of the shock hoops as needed.
After hoops
are installed, install two gussets on each shock hoop. The gussets (1"
round tubing) will need to be finish trimmed to fit before welding in
position. Steel shock sleeves (included with shocks) should be installed
in the top and bottom of each shock before installation.
 Install
the bumpstop extensions on the frame. Note the axle moves back as it
travels up. The bumpstops should contact as close as possible to the
center of the extension. We recommend that you tack weld the extension in
place first, then using a large rock, ramp or forklift, verify that the
bumpstop and extension contact correctly. The gap between the bump stop
and the extension should be 3"-4". It may be necessary to shorten the
bumpstop when using 3" springs. Actual bumpstop extension length depends
on a number of factors including, truck weight, accessories such and
aftermarket front bumper/winch, position of front hanger and position of
frame tubes.
Drag
Link & Pitman Arm
Place the
steering wheel so that it is in the center of it's movement left to right.
Bolt on the pitman arm using the stock nut and washer. Connect the left
side of the steering Drag Link to the the front most hole in the right
side steering arm. Tie rod ends should have approximately 3 three exposed
threads. Do not expose more than 1/2 of the tie rod end threads as this
can cause an unsafe driving condition.
 With
the truck on the ground, set the tow-in of the front tires at 1/8". This
is done by turning the Tie Rod with the jam nuts loose. Measure the widest
part of the tire at the front and rear of the tire. Adjust the Tie Rod
until the front is 1/8" narrower than the rear.
Once
completed turn the steering wheel all the way left and right. Verify that
the wheels turn the same amount left and right. If not, adjust the length
of the drag link or adjust the position of the pitman arm.
Tighten the
pitman nut to 130 ft/lbs. Tighten the jam nuts on the Tie Rod and Drag
Link using an adjustable wrench.
Steering
Stabilizer
 The
steering stabilizer included in the kit is designed to help reduce
steering wheel vibrations at higher speeds. To install, weld the notched
end to the passenger side frame rail. Pull the shock out 1/2 half of it's
length. Using provided U-Bolts attach the stabilizer to the upper steering
rod (draglink).
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