info needed: IFS to live axle swap

[szarin]

hey there, kinda new to these forums so not sure where the best place to post this question...

Me and my friend are looking to do a IFS to live axle swap. Our dune buggy is a 1976 datsun (nissan) 4x4 with a VW fiberglass top on it. We scored some 1981 toyota axles the other day and are looking to throw those under the buggy. We've decided to put hydraulic steering into this beast.

I'm looking for info, websites, forums, advise, databases, anything i can get my hands... er mouse on doing the swap.

We've got a full shop so fab'ing up mounts wont be a problem. anything you guys can suggest would rock.

thx in advance, szarin

[WHITE_TRASH]

Thats gonna be a killer setup when you get it done.  What kind of suspension are you going to use in the front?  Leaf springs, coils etc.

[szarin]

This rig does have alot of potential...

Both leaf and springs have their pros and cons... I think we are leaning towards leafs though.  The buggy is 12' x 5' big and super light.  We plan on removing the engine fan and putting an electric one on to give us a small increase in horse power.  Its already got a fuel cell in it.  We've got a Warn 8274 upright winch that we will be fab'ing up a bracket so we can put it in the front and rear recievers it came with. 

We were really hoping it came on a CJ-5 frame... but no luck with that one... One of the big advantages to the drivetrain is the divorce T-case it has.  We are really excited about this build and can't wait to get started on the axle swap.  We are not sure what gears are in the toyota axles we figure either 410's or 433's.  Either way, we're probably gonna weld them together for a cheap locker haha...  One other thing we gonna do to it is weld gussets <sp> to the bottom of the 81 axles... similar to the 85's from the factory.

Right now its sitting on a set of 31's, its got room underneath to fit 37's... but we are figuring 35 boggers on the rear and some skinny tractor tires up front to help with the radius turning.

if you guys are interested i can post some pics... if you have any suggestions i'd love to hear them...

[Brian83]

pics would be great!! sounds like a cool project

[84runner]

I would love to see some pics of it  And youshould be able to figure out all you fabbing measurements by the width of the fram so you know how far apart you spring perchs on the axle have to be and just make a front hanger to match the same measurements