I was not meaning to use it as a rear axle.
I was meaning cutting the ends off a mini front axle and welding them onto the taco rear end... and making the tubes the correct length to match a 85 housing.
This could be done but I think might be more difficult than you think. If you are thinking to use the ends like were you cut and turn the knuckles this requires a very precise inside diameter to press in to. If you mean cutting farther up and splicing the housings together this would depend if the OD on the housings is the same.
Pat over on pirate has a great write up on how to widen a mini truck housing using a thick piece of dom. The way he did it could be applied to shortening as well. He used dom with the correct inside diameter and milled the outside with a lathe to press into the housing. You would also need an axle jig to make sure everything was true.
This could all be done if you have the tools and skill but is far beyond my abilities. Drilling and tapping holes may be a pain but it's something I know I can get right.
Maybe Oops could put a link to Pat's axle build thread. Sorry I'm e-tarded.
