4.3 in a sammy

stock axles holding up to a 4.3L v6????????? are you crazy??? i've seen so many breaks with the stock 1.3L i know that they would never hold v6 power if used off road.

brian wilson
80 cj5 "high 5"
stretched to 100" wb
vortec350/4L80E/d300/d60fr/14br/detroits/4.56/38's

ranger rick runs stock axles with his 4.3... he has not broke an axle ...he says its all in how you drive it ...heavy foot = breakage
zukikid

wow ...it still fits out the garage !!!!

i guess it is all in what you build your rig to do. why have v6 power if you can't use it? me, i built my rig to complete obstacles. i don't like just getting my front tires up on an obsticle and having to string the winch because of fear of breakage. i want my rig to complete the obsticle not my winch. just my op.

brian wilson
80 cj5 "high 5"
stretched to 100" wb
vortec350/4L80E/d300/d60fr/14br/detroits/4.56/38's

[Zuk Jr.]

I'll have to take Brian's side on this one! I was going to do the 4.3 conversion and Dana 44's, but went with the smaller 2.8L V6 and the Toyota axles. The stock axles will hold, only if your light on the "go" pedal. I don't want to install a big V6 in the Zuk just for looks, and see other guys in the stock 1.3L go over stuff that I couldn't because I was afraid that I'll brake something with all the power I have. If your going to do that swap, at least put yota axles under it, but I think with the 4.3L engine I would go with the Dana 44's. That is my .02 on this subject. [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

<font color=blue>-Brian</font color=blue>

ULTIMATE ZUK
http://www.geocities.com/brianconrad1/

in time, with stock axles, somethings got to give, but so would anything else. go ahead use your stock axles, in the mean time what id do is save up the money and do some homework on the YAS (or TAS hehe *Yota Axle Swap* *Toyota Axle Swap*) for when those stock ones go out. yota should be sold in there weight in gold. BUT GOOD THING THEY ARENT!

i know that the stock axles wouldnt last long with My Lead foot. hehe, but nah, i can be nice when i have to

Put on your set belt... I wanna try something.

How many of those broken stock axles were using stock gearing? I've seen so many people do the 2.8 or even a 4.3 and lowered the diff's. Why?!?!?!?! When you lower the diff gearing, yer weakening them, and ofcourse they're gonna disentegrate.
Maybe I am not understanding what you folks mean by "light on the peddle" but when you are idling over obstacles at about 1200 rpms and pushing about ` of your max torque, with a Ford 2.9 yer still getting about 84-88 ft of torque, and the GM 4.3 is getting over 100 ft. So why are you having to be heavy on the pedal? Unless yer just out there tearing up Zuki sized boulders, in which case yer gonna break anything stock. [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Neal the Zukiguy

I PUT A sm 465 granny gear behind mine. that takes care of the gearing but the rest of the drivetrain will not last !!!!!!!!the torque of the v-6 and the torque multiplication of the granny tranny will explode even yota or waggy axles if ya stomp it.

87 sammy (RAIL BUGGY) PROJECT 50 % complete. isuzu/chevy luv motor, auto tranny, 2 t-cases nissan/zook 7.5:1,tube chassis,4link vw rabbit coils rear,36"tsl's, 1/2 ton GM axles welded.

Yep yep, that's exactly waht I'm saying. I've driven Jeeps with the good old reliable straight six pumping out 200+ ft of torque and never had to "get on it". But again, I'm not romping through some of the stuff these guys are.

Neal the Zukiguy

zukiguy, it is not just the gears. yes i have seen them go too but the main concern is the shafts and b/fields. i have seen zuk b/fields go without getting on it. just bind the tire up in some rocks and they can and will let go. where i wheel there are hills. you have to use the skinny pedal to make some of them. you can't just crawl everything. go-go pedal is good

high5
it's one ton o' fun!

I'm not gonna argue that, too true.. however, I have wasted a birfield with my 4 banger too. It wasn't from torquing, it was from slamming down the front end because I didn't have the torque to crawl over the obstacle, so I went at it at 5k rpms in 1st gear banging and bouncing my way over it.

I understand completely the shaft prob, twisting splines on those stock axle shafts. But I have read that there are aftermarket axleshafts for the stock housing that are just as beefy as a Toy or better.

Personally, I plan on going with shortened Dana 44's when I waste these current stockers I have now. But that's more for the lower center of gravity from the sheer weight and the wider stance. My Zuki is starting to get WAY up there, and I worry sometimes. Hehe, when I first bought it, I swore I would NEVER lift it above 5 inches for safety reasons. I lifted it greater than 5 in a single mod. [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

But the question was specifically if the stockers could hold up, and I have personally seen them hold up on a friends rig, as well as heard tales from others who have done the 4.3 and 3.8 swap with stockers. I talked to as many people as I could find when reckoning which swap was right for me. For the record, I'm sticking with the Ford 2.9 because I already have so much of the project acquired, but will move up to the 3.8 eventually. I have a recipe on my computer that, with some big bucks ofcourse, will turn a 3.8 into a 300ft torquing monster. (not that I would EVER need that much, but just knowing that I could)

It really does depend upon the application I think. But I will admit that I'm no super guru.

Neal the Zukiguy