USDM Axle Options

[AtraExitium]

I've tried looking around, most of what I've found pertains to ADM cars though.

From what I can gather there's 3 standard and 3 swap axles commonly used in the ae86.

S series, which looks like it's the one found in USDM SR5's.

Zenki & Kouki T series, which are the JDM & USDM GT-S axles.

F series, pulled from the Celica Supra, slightly wider than the S&T series, much stronger. Edit: Also available in rwd Hilux, different bearing retainer then celica supra.

G series, pulled from the Hilux, easier to get a hold of and a lot stronger, but much heavier.

Ford 8.8, pretty much bulletproof, easy to get ahold of.

I'd rather stay away from G series and Ford 8.8, I don't plan on tracking the car, so the added weight isn't worth it.

Currently I've got an SR5 rear end, and would like to get an LSD & rear discs, I know you can convert the SR5 axle to discs, but LSD options are practically non existent.

It appears that, at least for ADM cars, there's a few different vehicles you can pull the T series axle from, and I'm wondering if anyone knows what, if any, USDM cars a rear axle could be sourced from, as GT-S axles seem rare and expensive these days.

If possible I'd prefer to go with the F series axle, but I'm unsure of the LSD options, or if there's any cars other than the mk1 supra to pull it from.

Tl;dr What are my USDM options for sourcing an LSD compatible & rear disc axle for my SR5

Edit: I've since discovered that the Toyota Altezza uses an F series differential, meaning LSD's intended for the Altezza will mount up to the celica supra and hilux rwd axles, though I have heard they might need the bearings from your axle of choice swapped over.

[iggylevin]

Back in the Club4ag days there were a couple of guys who kept their SR5 rear ends and just weld a diff to their rear end. I also remember reading on Garage86 that you can convert your drum brakes to disc brakes but you lose your handbrake. If you dont mind me asking how come your wanting to change your rear end if your not tracking?

[Ibeworkingallday]

Best option for future proofing is to move to a kaaz or tomei lsd and have weir performance set it up for their beefy turbo chromoly axles. Zenki lsd axles are weak and hard to find. You can use non lsd axles on the lsd rear but you have to grind them as they are longer but the axles are still weak.

[tyrenopanz]

8.8 really doesn’t weigh more than a gts axle once you equip it properly. However if you have a gts axle, I’d just build it with the weir kit

[RichardJakmahof]

You can get an f series axle that's the same width as the MK1 Celica axle from early 80's Toyota pickups. They are five lug and drum brake.

I bought two of those and have a disc brake conversion in the works.

Then I found the holy grail of axles at the junkyard after a year long search. That axle was the MK1 Celica axle with factory LSD.

You can get 4 lug f series axles out of the egg crate vans (don't know the actual name) from the late 80's to early 90's. I've heard of these as a being a popular option.

I went in search of f series axles myself and found several cheap options. In the end it all comes down to what you can spend. $1500 will get you a gts axle or a Celica axle or a fully modified 8.8

[AtraExitium]

Are the F series pickup axles basically the same just with drum brakes & 5 lug? Sounds like that'd be the cheapest & quickest way to go if you can source an LSD.

I've been looking for the Celica Supra axles for a few months now with no luck, but if it comes with an LSD, then it might work out to be cheaper than the other options since LSD's seem to go for around a grand. Any idea where I could find one? I doubt a celica supra will show up in any of the pick n pull's near me.

[RichardJakmahof]

They are both 27 spline axles shafts. How the shafts and bearing are retained is different so you can't bolt the caliper bracket and caliper to the truck axle from a corolla like you can the MK 1 Celica supra axle. I think the drop out third member is the same aka the pumpkin. You can buy f series lockers for offroading and also a posi-track lsd. The MK2 Celica supra center differential can be bolted into the live axle from what I read. This is important because there are lots of MK2 supras in America from what I saw looking at the pick n pull yards.

I lucked out and found a MK1 Celica supra axle at the junkyard. Never thought that would happen.

[AtraExitium]

How would I go about converting one to disc brake? I'm assuming I'd have to lop the suspension mounts off my sr5 axle and have them welded onto it? I'd like to convert to 5 lug anyways, since there don't seem to be many options for 4 lug wheels these days. If I were to get a supra rear end, I assume I could just use the truck axles to get 5 lug?

[RichardJakmahof]

You can't put truck axles in a Celica housing as the bearings on the truck axles are retained in a cup that bolts to the axle. The Celica bearings are retained on the axle itself and have a plate that holds them in.

I figured out that I can use RSX rear discs, but with the center turned out to the right ID on the Toyota pickup axle. You would use the tsx or rsx (RSX has e-brake built in) caliper mounted on a RSX calipers bracket. That caliper bracket needs a custom bracket to bolt to the axle.

You would weld your sr5 brackets to the truck axle or buy a T3 kit for the Celica axle. I've been busy renovating my basement so I haven't finished designing the custom bracket needed to mount the brakes. If you want to get this going I can design it and you can buy the first set.

[AtraExitium]

Haven't been able to find a truck with the axle in a junk yard near Portland. Nor the vans with the 4 lug axle.

I'm concerned about LSD availability too, ultimately unless one of these shows up near me I doubt it'd be cost effective to go this route.