reinstalling Toy IFS differential

[RatLabGuy]

I know there are guys that have done this many times, looking for tips.

Putting the front differential chunk back into an 80s Toy is a royal PITA. it's big and heavy and (assuming truck is not on a lift) there is no way to get decent leverage to get it up there.

I have tried a few different methods for this, and none seem to have yielded ease for a one-man, no overhead lift job. Any tricks?

i think I'm goin gto try using ratchet straps to lift it up into place roughly aligned, then slip teh jack up it, once the frame bolts are close enough, thread those throug hto support it.

it's been years since I did this - all I can remember is a lot of profanity.

 

[Tacoma747]

I have only dropped them on the ground, I've never put one back in

Floor jack? Two people? Can't be that bad, me and a buddy installed my dual cases without using a floor jack...

Maybe once you get it up close, slide something under it (through the crossmsmbers) to keep it from falling out and to give you a "resting" point.

 

[Hyperlite]

2 ratchet straps work awesom I have used them on atleast 6 tranmission swaps and 2 engines. I do alot of work under the shade tree so no floor jackn sucks.
When I did have IFS I broke my diff (taco clamshell style) and randys sent me a 1st gen one and argued with me that it was the same(long story short they sent me another but the wrong gear 4.10 vs 4.30 w a 4.30 tag bastards (broke my drive shaft fulltime 4wd) anyway the ups man was waiting in my old garage as I pulled the diff w one hand cause randy wouldnt send me my diff till his was sent back, So with one hand I was pulling on it and then boom it fell. Broke my ring finger knuckele and cut a y in my finger. Have bout 1" long scar now. Meat grease blood and some white thing was hanging out damn clam almost cut my finger off, but I threw it in a box one handed with my greesy hand wrapped in a t shirt and threw the ups man a roll of tape.

Got a nice scar and a new driveshaft from Randy R&P...Oh yea I destroyed my wbearings ($600 for the stealership to use their press) and brakes/rotors for driving on it w/o the ifs shafts holding it together. I hate IFS wish I was on my moms land so I could pee on that old diff which broke soon after the nightmare...

 

[Hyperlite]

I did my bronco trans and t case by hand bench press style (seperatly) kinda scetchy w trying to reach for the bolt that i left near the outside of the tire

 

[RatLabGuy]

Getting it out is easy, it's re-positioning it just right to lift it back up, and lifting sytaoght that is the problem.
On the earlier trucks there's not a lot of space in between the A-arms, if it isn't in just the right position when you start lifting it, like cockeyed, it won't lift up and in. the difficulty w/ the jack-under-it standard method is that the weight isn't centered in the unit, so one side falls when jacked.

But, alas, I found a good way.
placed on a piece of cardboard an slide under the truck to get it rough. Then lifted up teh back end and connected the driveshaft so it was roughly centered. Then put a ratch strap under the pinion flange, other end on a hard trans mount above, so teh back was suspended.
Then ratchets straps around each of the side gear flanges, up through the a-arms. Then slowly ratched up each of the 3 corners to get it close, and enough off the ground to slip the 3T under the pumpkin.At that point, i could lift it w/ teh jack and wiggle the jack around to get it squeezed between the Arm and up close, kept ratcheting until up close enough to get one bolt through, the neth eotherm then used the bolts to finish lifting it up.

Then of course i discovered that now that it was up and tight, teh crossbar wouldn't fit back on b/c the big front mount is just barely in te hway of sliding on. so you have to re-loosen the frame mounts, and lift the front of the pumpkin up as high as possible, basically hitting the oil pan, slip teh cross bar on, then drop it back down.

 

[Hyperlite]

sweet, ratched straps are almost as cool as duct tape.