Sorry mate I wasn't trying to have a go or distort what you were saying, just another stupid rant lol
100% re; bearings though, agree.. a bearing and a race is a unique set - period. Easy to skimp but it will bite you - do it properly
This is probably not a good time to mention that the 1980s D21 Datsun/Nissan C200 rear end has a solid pinion spacer from factory, and that it and their OEM 4.875 R&P can be swapped into a front straight axle or cast iron independent carrier, running on coast, with virtually no loss in strength.
Japan were so desperate to be taken seriously back then - driven primarily by the massive US export market - that they built the absolute shit out of their vehicles.
If you look at the history, Toyota 4x4 design always has been dictated by two markets - America and (a far second) Australia. Toyota is a good, reliable vehicle. Like a Land Rover, it is fit for purpose. It does what they say it will do.
However, back then, rogue domestic car brands such as Nissan and Mitsubishi - tied historically with the aviation and aerospace industries - and backed by massive amounts of 'bubble economy' money, instinctively overbuilt their vehicles in the late eighties and early nineties - to a ridiculous degree.
The trucks that we drive - the 80's/early 90s 'Japanese golden era' that I crap on about like a clown - are a manifestation of Japan's shameful, post War sense of inadequacy. Nissan, Toyota, Daihatsu, Mitsubishi, Isuzu, at the end of the day, the brand doesn't really matter. They were all still made from high quality materials with a militaristic, fastidious attention to detail.
This is perfectly consistent with post-War Japanese attitudes. Surrender is a fundamentally anti-Japanese concept. In Japan, it is more honorable to die by ritual self-disembowelment (Seppuku) than to accept defeat and live.
The never-before-seen carnage of 'little boy' and 'fat boy' on August 6, 1945 led to the surrender of the murderous and savage Japanese. They vowed never to go to war again.
Instead they concentrated their efforts on light manufacturing. This obsessive, dedicated, loyal commitment to rebuilding themselves. Their rapid growth led to, if it wasn't for Government intervention, the complete demise of domestic American automotive and electronic industries. British Leyland was no different - complacent mediocrity disguised as gracious defeat. Japanese products were just better. Better materials, better made. Reliable, durable. And with time, effort and understanding, enough charm to develop a personality all of their own. Essentially, all a man could ever want in a truck. Except for a dog in the back
Toyota has given us some amazing things like the JZ (inspired by Nissan's RB, by the way), the LandCruiser and the Corolla.... But lets put the cards on the table. A Hilux 8" axle is not designed for 35" tyres, low gearing and a locker. No way. It will not provide long term reliable service in the bush with that setup. 31's and open, no worries, beat the shit out of it all day, nobody will care. But if we're really getting into gearing the shit out of it and locking it up and asking the front end to pull the whole rig over a massive rock, the Toyo axle will need some pretty costly upgrades - same as a Rover axle.
To get the Toyo axle real proper expedition ready for reaming on rockfaces on 35s and locked - which is the only way to go - suddenly your several grand balls deep into an ARB center and aftermarket gears, shafts, this that and the other thing.
Other option... sling some Fuji axles under there and lose an inch on ground clearance at your lowest point. Big ####### deal, spend the balance on lower transfer gears and make it up with tyre diameter.
Hmmm... another stupid rant
