
Toyota Front Differential Drop Kit

a division of Visual Diagnostics LLC
Visitor #
32484
since 04.OCT.2003

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NOTE: 4Crawler Offroad/MissingLinkZ will be on reduced operations until 07.JUL.2008. New orders may not be processed until that date and e-mail response may be delayed. Stay tuned to this page for updates.
On the Toyota Tacomas (1995.5 and later) and the 4Runners (1996 and
later), with suspension lifts over 2", the front CV axles operate
at too great an angle which increases wear and tear and can cause them
to break under off-road conditions. One simple cure for this problem is
to lower the differential on the front axle to reduce the angle on the
CVs. So with a 1" differential drop (i.e. Diff Drop) on a 3"
lifted truck, it returns the CV angles closer to that of a more mild
2" lift.
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| A: 1" Diff. Drop Basic Kit |
B: Stock Setup |
C: Drop Spacer Installed |
Pictured above (A) is the diff spacer or drop kit. It includes 2 -
1" tall x 2" OD T6061 aluminum spacers and a pair of long
1/2" bolts and lock nuts to replace the stock bolt and a pair of
8mm bolts (not pictured) to reattach the front skid plate. In (B)
above, you can see the stock differential mounts and in (C) you can see
the 1" spacer installed which in turn lowers the differential
assembly. The differential mount to the rear is left as-is, the front
differential assembly pivots down around that fixed point.
And now available for the 1986-1995 IFS Toyota 4WD pickups and
4Runners, the same front differential drop kit technology is now
available:
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| D: 1" IFS Diff Drop Basic Kit |
E: 1" IFS Sway Bar Drop Kit |
F: IFS Drop Kit Installed |
Pictured above (D) is the 1" IFS front diff. drop kit. The spacers
install between the frame and front diff bushing (shown circled in RED in image F above). Pictured above (E) is the
1" front sway bar brkt. drop kit. The spacers install between the
frame and front sway bar brkts. (sway bar bracket shown for clarity, it
is not included in the kit) and lowers the front sway bar 1". This
does two things, one is to provide room for the lowered front
driveshaft to clear the sway bar (see clearance in image F above). It
also lowers the sway bar to help compensate for the suspension lift,
restoring the sway bar to a more neutral orientation for better
performance. This spacer kit is ideal for trucks with "cranked
up" torsion bars or with the popular ball joint spacers.
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Notes:
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The differential mount to the front is left as-is, the front
differential assembly pivots down around that fixed point. The drop kit
thus will slightly increase the u-joint angle on the front driveshaft,
so it is a trade-off; lowered CV joint angles but increased u-joint
angle. Since the u-joint is operating at a near zero degree angle and
the CVs are operating at near their maximum angles, this is a fair
trade-off. Also, the front driveshaft will only be turning when you are
actually using 4WD, it will not be turning all the time. The CV axles
can be moving all the time if your vehicle has the popular Automatic
Differential Disconnect (ADD) front axle.
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A diff drop will have no impact you the lift or ride height of the
vehicle. It will neither raise nor lower the front suspension. It only
affect the location of the front differential relative to the frame.
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NOTE: 4Crawler Offroad/MissingLinkZ will be on reduced operations until 07.JUL.2008. New orders may not be processed until that date and e-mail response may be delayed. Stay tuned to this page for updates.
Two main versions of the front differential drop kit are available:
Please be sure to order the right kit to match your vehicle. The
"IFS" kits fit the torsion bar front suspension 4WD trucks
and 4Runners up through 1995 (in the US anyway). The other diff drop
kits are for the coil sprung front suspensions on the 3rd gen 4Runner
and Tacoma pickups. The two kits are not interchangeable between those
generations.
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Returns Policy:
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Parts may be returned for a refund within 30 days of original purchase.
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A 10% restocking fee will be deducted from original purchase price less
outgoing postage.
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Parts must be in new and unused condition for the refund.
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Used or blemished parts can yield partial refunds at the discretion of
4Crawler Offroad.
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The customer is responsible for return shipping charges.
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One exception to this policy is in the case that the spacers do not fit
properly, per the
installation instructions;
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In such a case 4Crawler Offroad will refund the full purchase price
less shipping.
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Return to:
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4Crawler Offroad Products
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attn: Roger Brown
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PO Box 61092
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Sunnyvale, CA. 94088-1092
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If you have a 1995 or earlier Toyota 4WD pickup or 4Runner, these
parts WILL NOT FIT!
Order one of the IFS kits in the following section
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| Cost of the basic kit (drop spacers + longer bolts) is
$29.00 (includes std. shipping in the US) + applicable sales tax. |
Cost of the deluxe kit (basic kit + skid plate h/w) is
$34.00 (includes std. shipping in the US) + applicable sales tax. |
Cost of the deluxe kit is $34.00 plus $18.00 extra for
Express Mail shipping (US only 1-2 days), + applicable sales tax. |
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| Cost of the basic kit (drop spacers + longer bolts) is
$29.00 plus $12.00 shipping world-wide (include local phone number in
the "Note to Seller" field). |
Cost of the deluxe kit (basic kit + skid plate h/w) is
$34.00 plus $12.00 shipping world-wide (include local phone number in
the "Note to Seller" field). |
Cost of the deluxe kit is $34.00 plus $35.00 extra for
Express Mail International shipping (most countries, 3-5 days). |
New pricing/options and free standard US shipping: Your
order will be shipped via Priority Mail for domestic (US addresses,
including APO) with a delivery tracking number provided at time of
shipment (tracking not available on APO addresses), 2-3 days delivery
time typical. International orders will be shipped via Priority Mail
International, 6-10 days delivery time typical. Unused parts may be
returned for a refund, less the cost of postage on the original
shipment and a 10% restocking fee. Please be sure to double check your
shipping address, both that it is correct and that it is able to
receive US Mail deliveries. Also, international shipments require a
local telephone number for customs paperwork, include that in the
"Note To Seller" field of the order form. Lack of phone
number will delay shipment of the parts.
Order the basic kit if you do not have a factory skid plate (or intend
to remove yours) and order the deluxe kit if you have the factory skid
plate as it will need to be lowered to install the differential drop
kit.
Order the one of the kits above.
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| Cost of the IFS diff drop basic kit is $29 (includes US
shipping) + applicable sales tax. |
Cost of the IFS sway bar drop (only) kit is $22 (includes
US shipping) + applicable sales tax. |
Cost of the IFS diff drop deluxe kit is $45 (includes US
shipping) + applicable sales tax. |
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| Cost of the IFS diff drop basic kit is $29 (plus $12
shipping - world-wide to most countries - include local phone number in
the "Note to Seller" field) |
Cost of the IFS sway bar drop (only) kit is $22 (plus $12
shipping - world-wide to most countries - include local phone number in
the "Note to Seller" field) |
Cost of the IFS diff drop deluxe kit is $45 (plus $12
shipping - world-wide to most countries - include local phone number in
the "Note to Seller" field) |
New pricing/options and free standard US shipping: Your
order will be shipped via Priority Mail for domestic (US addresses,
including APO) with a delivery tracking number provided at time of
shipment (tracking not available on APO addresses), 2-3 days delivery
time typical. International orders will be shipped via Priority Mail
International, 6-10 days delivery time typical. Unused parts may be
returned for a refund, less the cost of postage on the original
shipment and a 10% restocking fee. Please be sure to double check your
shipping address, both that it is correct and that it is able to
receive US Mail deliveries. Also, international shipments require a
local telephone number for customs paperwork, include that in the
"Note To Seller" field of the order form. Lack of phone
number will delay shipment of the parts.
Order the basic kit if you do not have a front sway bar or intend to
remove it. Order the deluxe kit if you have a front sway bar as it will
need to be lowered with the differential drop kit. The sway bar drop
kit is available separately and can be used with other differential
drop or suspension lift kits to lower the front sway bar for better
operation.
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| A: Stock Setup |
B: Drop Spacer Installed |
Allow approximately 30 minutes for the installation, assuming you don't
run into any rusted or damaged fasteners. You'll need an assortment of
wrenches and/or sockets plus a torque wrench to tighten the
differential mounting bolts. Read through the instructions below to
familiarize yourself with the steps involved. Note these instructions
cover installation on both:
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3rd Gen 4Runner and Tacoma vehicles
(highlighted in RED)
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2nd/3rd Gen 4WD pickups and 1st/2nd Gen
4Runners (highlighted in GREEN)
and cover installation of all components. Depending on your vehicle
type and kit ordered, you may not need to do every step listed below:
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For Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner:
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Remove both skid plates under the front of
the vehicle
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Save the OEM bolts, a total of nine 12mm
bolts
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Support the differential with a floor jack
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Remove factory bolts and nuts, supporting the front
(or rear) of the differential
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See picture A above for the stock configuration
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Save the OEM washers for reinstalltion
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Lower differential far enough to allow insertion of the 1" drop
spacers
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Install the 1" spacers between the two front
(or rear) differential supports and
cross-member
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See picture B above
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Fasten to cross-member using new 1/2" bolts and nuts (making sure
to reuse the factory washers)
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If the stock washers hang up on the bolt threads, try dropping the
bolt, head first, into a length of tubing or between the jaws of a
vise, so that its hanging from the washer. Then use a hammer to drive
the bolt out of the washer
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Tighten to the factory specifications
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Consult the Factory
Service Manual for torque specifications
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If you don't have the factory specs, 50-70 ft.lbs. should be adequate
for this size bolt
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For Tacoma and 3rd gen 4Runner:
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Install the front skid plate using three
(3)OEM bolts on the front and two (2) new 8mm bolts and spacers in the
rear
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The back of the front skid plate will
need to be spaced down to clear the now lower differential.
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If needed, you may need to
elongate the holes about 1 hole diameter, so consider drilling a small
pilot hole next to the existing hole, then enlarge it and trim out the
metal in between the two holes
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The holes may need to be
elongated/enlarged because the skid plate is not resting at an angle
and thus the diagonal distance between the mounting bolts is longer
than when it was resting flush.
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DO NOT TIGHTEN YET
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To install the rear skid plate, elongate the
rear mounting holes, again if needed, with a round file or drill bit
for fitment
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You may need to elongate the holes about
1 hole diameter, so consider drilling a small pilot hole next to the
existing hole, then enlarge it and trim out the metal in between the
two holes
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Once holes are elongated, mount rear skid
plate with OEM M8 bolts
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Torque all skid plate bolts to the factory
specifications
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Consult the Factory Service Manual for torque
specifications
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If you don't have the factory specs,
10-12 ft.lbs. should be adequate for this size bolt
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Sway Bar drop bracket
kit for the 4WD pickups and 1st/2nd gen 4Runners:
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Remove the 4 bolts holding the stock sway
bar brackets to the frame (if present)
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Be careful removing the bolts, if they
don't come out easily, spray some penetrating oil up inside the frame
onto the ends of the bolts to help free them.
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Forcing the bolts too hard can break
off the nuts welded up inside the frame
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Insert the sway bar drop brackets between
the frame and the stock brackets and attach them back in place with the
longer bolts supplied. Use of an anti-sieze compound is a good idea.
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After a few hundred miles of driving, its a good idea to re-check the
bolts and make sure they are still tight.
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Here are a few installation writeups:
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email: sales@4Crawler.com
[Last updated: 21.May.2008]
