Toyota Driveshaft Spacers

Contents:

• Introduction
• On-line ordering
  • Returns
• Installation Instructions
• Contact Info.

Introduction:

On the Toyota 4WD Pickups, 4Runners and Land Cruisers, the front and rear drive shaft bolt to "companion" flanges on the transfer case with a mating flange on the driveshaft. On the 2WD pickups, the drive shaft typically slides into a slip yoke output on the transmission and bolts to the rear differential with a flange. Up until now, the only way to make a driveshaft longer was to remove it and have a drive line shop cut the existing tubing off the driveshaft and weld on a new length of tubing. If you needed a significant change in length, this was not so bad to do. But often, you only needed to lengthen the shaft a small amount, from 3/4" to 1-1/2" for example. Since you had pay for a whole new length of driveshaft tubing (plus the labor to install it) and not just the additional inch or so of additional tubing, it could cost hundreds of dollars to have a shaft lengthened, even a short amount.

What are some indications that your driveshaft is too short?

• One obvious indication is that the slip yoke on the driveshaft pulls apart as the suspension drops away from the vehicle. This is typical of front driveshafts, especially with a leaf sprung front axle with rear-mounted spring shackles, as is common on solid axle Toyota min-trucks (both factory and solid axle swaps).
• Another less obvious indication is that the slip yoke is not engaged far enough and thus it causes some vibration. An easy way to check for this condition is to grasp the center section of the driveshaft near the slip yoke and give it a good tug side-side. If you feel any play in that slip yoke, you may have too little spline engagement inside (or the slip yoke may be out of grease or even worn out).

Ideally, you only want just a little more slip yoke compression travel than needed by the change in driveshaft length as the suspenion fully compresses. How much is that? It is hard to give an exact answer, as every vehicle is different. Generally a rear driveshaft needs less slip yoke travel than a front driveshaft. A longer driveshaft generally needs less slip yoke travel than a shorter one. A driveshaft that is at a flatter angle will generally need less trravel than one at a steeper angle.

So how do you determine how much slip yoke travel you need on your vehicle?

• You might try driving somplace where you can go over some bumps to get the rear (or front) end to compress fully. Then hop out and examine the cleared portion of the driveshaft slip yoke and mark or measure the amount of compression observed.
• You could take some careful measurements of the shaft length and height on each end then use that to draw out a triangle, with the shaft on the hypotenuse of the triangle. Then measure how far your suspension can compress from the static ride height and use that to create a new triangle with the shorter height due to the suspension compression. Then solve for the length change of the driveshaft.
• Aside from the above, you should probably have 1" to 1-1/2" of rear shaft slip yoke compression length. Up front, you'll probably need 2" or more of slip yoke compression travel, depending on your suspension travel, where the spring shackles are located, etc.

Generally having too much slip yoke compression travel is better than not enough. Whatever you do, you do not want the driveshaft to "bottom out", as that can cause severe damage to the transfer case, as it will take the brunt of the impact should the slip yoke compress fully. But if you have so much slip yoke pull apart that it separates or vibrates is no good either. Until now there has only been one solution, that is to have the shaft physically lengthened at considerable expense. But now available for the Toyota 2WD and 4WD trucks is a simple bolt-on spacer that fits the most common driveshaft bolt patterns and typical applications:

The spacers are machined from billet T-6061 aluminum and are ~4.25" in diameter and include 4 - 10mm (or 8mm) metric grade 12.9 mounting bolts and lock nuts to replace the stock mounting bolts. These spacers may fit other Toyota driveshaft flanges. To check if your's will work, measure the center-center bolt hole spacing and compare to the above dimensions and see if you match up with one of the 3 bolt patterns,

Notes:

• (*) For the '79-'83 pickup rear driveshafts (that use a 60mm x 60mm x 8mm bolt pattern) there are several options available:
  • The first option is to re-drill the transfer case and drive shaft flange holes to 10mm to accomodate the larger, late-model 10mm bolts.
    • Simply order the regular spacer in the thickness desired.
  • A second option, that requires no drilling, is a hardware kit including the 8mm mounting bolts plus a set of steel bushings to step the spacer hole size from 10mm down to 8mm.
    • This hardware kit runs $20.00 plus the cost of the spacer.
• (**) For the '79-'83 pickup rear driveshafts (that use a 56mm x 64mm x 8mm bolt pattern) there are several options available:
  • The first option is to order an undrilled spacer and then drill the spacer to match the flange on the driveshaft.
    • If this option is chosen, you'll be getting the 10mm hardware, so plan on drilling out the flanges to fit the 10mm bolts, or add $10.00 to the cost of the spacer for the 8mm bolt kit (see below).
  • The second option is to send in the flange off the transfer case and an undrilled spacer will be custom drilled to match your flange.
    • Speciify if you want 8mm or 10mm hardware; cost for the custom drilling is US$25.00 plus the cost of the spacer.
• (***) Some Tacoma pickups use a 65mm square bolt pattern.
  • Now a special single drilled spacer is available for that application.
• Also available are undrilled spacers.
  • If the above bolt hole patterns do not fit your requirements, you can purchase an undrilled spacer then drill it to fit your driveshaft flange. This would be applicable for the 1st gen 4WD pickups which use the smaller 8mm driveshaft bolts or for some of the later model Toyotas that use a pattern different than above.
    • For the 8mm bolt applications, a hardware kit is available for $10.00 additional.
  • These spacers will also work with the FJ-40 and FJ-60 Land Cruisers, after marking and drilling the blank spacer to match the driveshaft flange bolt pattern.
    • These vehicles typically use an 11mm flange bolt (~7/16").
  • Allow approx. 1-2 weeks for for custom orders.

On-Line Ordering:

Order a drive shaft spacer below:

• Triple drilled spacers
• 65mm x 65mm spacers
• Blank/Undrilled spacers

Triple-drilled spacers:

0.75" Spacer; US$65.00	1.00" Spacer; US$68.00	1.25" Spacer; US$71.00	1.50" Spacer; US$74.00
US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00
International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00

65mmx65mm drilled spacers:

0.75" Spacer/65mm; US$65.00	1.00" Spacer/65mm; US$68.00	1.25" Spacer/65mm; US$71.00	1.50" Spacer/65mm; US$74.00
US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00
International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00

Undrilled spacers:

0.75" Spacer/undrilled; US$65.00	1.00" Spacer/undrilled; US$68.00	1.25" Spacer/undrilled; US$71.00	1.50" Spacer/undrilled; US$74.00
US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00	US Delivery; $8.00
International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00	International Delivery; $13.00

Notes:

• Your order will be shipped via Priority Mail for domestic (US addresses, including APO/FPO) with a delivery tracking number provided at time of shipment (tracking may not available on APO/FPO 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.

Returns Policy:

• Parts may be returned for a refund within 30 days of original purchase.
  • A 10% restocking fee will be deducted from original purchase price less outgoing postage.
    • Parts must be in new and unused condition for the refund.
      • Used or blemished parts can yield partial refunds at the discretion of 4Crawler Offroad.
      • The customer is responsible for return shipping charges.
  • One exception to this policy is in the case that the spacers do not fit properly.
    • In such a case 4Crawler Offroad will refund the full purchase price less shipping.
• Return to:
  • 4Crawler Offroad Products
  • attn: Roger Brown
  • PO Box 61092
  • Sunnyvale, CA. 94088-1092

Installation Instructions:

Installed spacer on transfer case output flange

Allow approximately 30 minutes for the installation, assuming you don't run into any rusted or damaged fasteners.

While you should not have to separate the drive shaft to install the spacer, it is a good idea to put an alignment mark across both sides of the slip yoke. Some white paint works well and will help you re-align the slip yoke if you accidentally pull it apart.

Typically, the stock drive shaft (a.k.a. propeller shaft) flange bolts use a 14mm head, so you'll need a pair of 14mm combination wrenches to remove those. For the rear driveshaft, block the vehicle's tires or place the rear axle on jack stands for easier removal. You can place the transmission in neutral and release the parking brake if needed.

Break the stock flange bolts loose at the transfer case and then remove them. Support the driveshaft before removing the last bolt to keep it from falling. Then compress the slip yoke enough to allow insertion of the spacer. Then slip the spacer in between the transfer case output flange and the driveshaft flange and turn it to make sure you have the proper set of 4 bolt holes in alignment. Slip in one of the supplied metric socket head cab screws, a lock nut and washer (if needed). Repeat for the other 3 bolt holes, just to make sure all 4 bolts are installed before tightening them. If you find the bolts hard to install, use a small round file to clean out the insides of the holes in the flanges to make installation easier.

For undrilled spacers, you'll want to use the existing flange to mark the spacer for the location of the new bolt holes. The spacer can be clamped to either the drive shaft or transfer case flange, probably easiest to remove the flange from the transfer case output (30mm staked nut holds it in place) and use that, clamping it to the spacer so it does not move. Select a drill bit that just fits inside the bolt hole or use a transfer punch to mark the hole locations. If you are unsure of your drilling skills, you may elect to mark and drill one hole at a time and then use that freshly drilled hole and a bolt to secure the spacer to the flange for marking and drilling the next hole. Once the hole location is marked, remove the flange and drill out that hole (a drill press works best to ensure a straight hole). Use a bit that is as big as or slightly larger than the hole in the flange. Once all 4 holes are drilled, make sure all 4 bolts fit into the flange, spacer and drive shat before proceeding. If you find a slight misalighment, you can run your drill bit through the holes to open them up a little bit if needed.

Once all 4 bolts are in place, alternately snug them down with an 8mm allen key (a long handled key is recommended) and a 17mm wrench (for the nut). Once all 4 nuts are snugged down, torque the nuts to approx. 45 ft.lbs. and re-check the torque after 50-100 miles of driving.

Questions? --> <-- Comments?