Toyota axles on Sami???

[kdoss54]

I'm a newbie let me put that out there I hat a 97 TJ with a long arm kit an 8.8 rear Dana 30 front any ways I'm wanting to upgrade small steps at a time im looking at a Sami with a 1.6 8 valve on pane 4 link in rear 3 link in the fron with 36" iroxs some have told me they didn't like the yota axles it has long fields in the front Cromos in the rear it's actually listed on hardline but I thought it would be odd to ask about a mans rig on the same forum but I don't want to go in the wrong direction
P.S. I love rig should I jus go on that an live an learn? Help?

 

[zukimaster]

This discussion has been around many times! This is coming from someone that has went thru just about every stage of a Sami build that there is, stock yota axles will be fine with 4cyl power and 36" tires, I had this combo at first, and beat the hell out of it, went 4.3, automatic, 37" red's ( sticky tires ) I could have built 2 sets of 1 tons axles for the money I have spent on Toyota axles, and I have all the good stuff in them now! And every time I go ride, I'm just wondering what's going to break next, Everybody goin to tell you a different story, about how they run 42" tires and all that ****! Just all depends on where and how you wheel! It's easy to ride around on a muddy trail all day and not break, but put it in a big rock pile and see what happens, I can put 54" boggers on a stock jeep with Dana 30s and make them live, if I just idle around the parking lot all day!

 

[kdoss54]

Completely understand I live in tn around AL line so I'd go to hale mtn WITC Hawks pride if I got it I would prolly go to a 37 reds I know that's not much differnce but I'd also put 2 inch spacers all the way around or maybe jus in the front I'm not sure

 

[kdoss54]

By the way I'm prolly gonna beat the **** out of this thing I got a lead foot

 

[infamous1]

Re:

Yeah I broke several stock Toyota front axles on 33 LTBs. I went to dirty thirties and havnt broke them yet, but I would be scared to death on reds!!

 

[infamous1]

Re:

Oh yeah and I'm rocking a carbed 8v that probly don't have 75hp.

 

[kdoss54]

The transfer case is 6.5 :1 hopefully that will help out the 75hp with 5.38s in axles

 

[zukimaster]

Just listen to me, if you ever break the Toyota axles, and plan on goin bigger, save yourself lots of money and grief, and go 1 tons!

 

[kdoss54]

If i go to tons I think I may have to go with a motor upgrade also but I guess I need to buy it first

 

[kdoss54]

Btw thanks guys for the comments an help

 

[zukiscott]

LAWD JEEZUS loaded question man,,,"LOTTA" scenarios for this one

I,m runnin waggy 44's unner mine for bout 10 years "just cause I found that first set for reeeel cheep",,,I was lookin for yota or waggys n they showed up first,,,that bein said I've went thrun tons of shafts / chromo and stock,,,tons of u-joints,,,,but them Yukon Superjoints is baddass,,went thru a few whole housins , front and rear,,,,YEA I break stuff,,,but not on EVERY ride,,,,would I like to go into tons,,,,YES,,,,but,,,,,and,,,,well,,,,maybe one day.

 

[clemsonjeep]

kdoss...run them yotas. Throwing one tons under a samurai with stockish motor...or even the 16v is like throwing an anchor out the back window and still hoping to drive up the hill. If you get a chance...go watch some rigs at an event and youll start to notice that the lightweight rigs with one tons have a good bit harder time making it over the same obstacle that the ones with yotas do with ease. Not to say that the yota axled rigs don't have to work it, but the amount of additional weight involved in one tons over yota is crazy...for a samurai based rig. If you plan to stick with a 4 banger and 39's or so the yotas will be fine with just a dash of common sense driving...

If you've already got them, or havent put yotas under a rig would I change my mind? Maybe...but only because you don't have anything invested up front.

If you want a rock bouncer...buy a bouncer...if you want a rig for technical crawling...buy a samurai or other lightweight rig and learn to drive it!

 

[drkelly]

Fellow Samurai wheeler here. From what I have seen and experienced, a Samurai with Tracker/Sidekick motor, Deep TC gears, Yota axles, Longfield shafts, and 36-37" tires is a well balanced rig. A bigger motor sort of defeats the purpose of the light weight rig and breaks the Yota axles. Ton axles make the little rig too heavy and under powered.

 

[Monstercrawler]

I went from a big fat Rockwelled rig to a Zuki on built yotas and 40" Isuks. There was a learning curve on how to drive it being with rockwells you can drive the piss out of your rig and not worry to much about it. I went through a few ring and pinions before i learned to get off the gas when the front end was off the ground. I enjoy having a light weight rig and we have taken it up just about every trail that Clayton OK, Hot Spring Ar and all the parks in Tx have to offer. I do think that having the Isuks have helped keep my axles togeather being they don't bite worth a damn but the yota axles seam to have held up well over the years.

With that being said I'm in the process of gathering parts for another rockwelled rig just because I like having a little wheel speed and it's fun getting stupid from time to time in a rig.



.

 

[kdoss54]

Clemsonjeep I've been keeping up with your build thread good work by the way but its not so much that I wanna go from yota axles to tons but in my part of the country I see a lot of samurais with Dana 44s or 8.8 rear with 44 front etc but from all these comments it looks like if I get it I need to wheel it and worry about the changing something after they break


Thanks guys for the help gave me a better feel about what I need and what to think about

 

[MtnGoat]

One of the first rigs I built was a samurai...I spent about 1.3million on it....but to this day I still miss the turd.

They are great to trail ride and just have fun....no powerhouse's but its not always about that..

 

[xjtony]

I was instantly impressed with my old Sammy on toy axles. Geared 5.29, spartan front/spooled rear. Point and shoot, light enough it would move itself around stuff with ease. After wheeling heavy jeeps for years I realized lightweight rigs have their place.

 

[easleycrawler]

I wheel a good bit with clemsonjeep, and I can say, that samurai has taken some beating, and it just keeps going without any problems. :****:

 

[Stretch]

All opinion. Theres a difference between not liking Toyota axles because you're breaking them and not liking them because they don't gather enough when you pull up to an obstacle. Guys like clemsonjeep hammer on their samurai's on toy axles and they seem to do fine, others break stuff. Get the right balance of weight and HP right and you can make some toy axles live. Stickies are always going to test that limit though.

Since we are throwing out opinion...

I've done the 4cyl and toy axles thing in a Toyota a couple of times...then I got the wild hair to put tons under it and link the back because I felt I was at the limit of the Toyota stuff. Really, I was lazy about maintenance and kept breaking knuckle studs. After the swap it was cool, it was big but it was clumsy. Needed a bigger engine to tote all that weight around.

2 scenarios to not go to tons: Save weight but withstand a beating

1) If you want to keep some mini truck yota axles alive, mainly the front. F the rear...they take a damn beating in stock form. Start with any straight axle Toy front Truss it, knuckle ball gussets, brace the steering stops, diff guard then stuff some RCV's and drive flanges in it. Run a HP 3rd with a V6 carrier and a spartan and some stock 4.10's. Probably the strongest combo of housing/guts, IMO. If you've got it all apart, some ARP knuckle studs are a cheap and easy upgrade too, but keep the stock ones snug and theyll last a while, I was just lazy and never checked em. Too busy to care in the past.

2) FJ80 Front: Wider, already has drive flanges, beefier housing, bigger knuckles, Already a HP 3rd. Just find one thats open and do the same as above: All 30spl RCV's, V6 Carrier and a spartan with stock 4.10's.

 

[muleskinner]

I have yota axles under my buggy with longfields in the front and stock axles in the rear with 38 tsl broke 1 axle in the front so far had I broke a bunch of hub studs until I went to arp I beat on my **** like a cheap whore every time I go riding....I thought that's why u build them o yea and I have a 22r with 100 hp hahahaha I love yota **** cheap lite and the **** is everywhere when u need parts buy that sammy and put them stickies on it and ull make a big boy buggy look like a top fuel dragster trying to climb the **** u crawl seen it b4