Hey guys i have an 86 toyota pickup. im looking to get more torque and power to the wheels and it seems re-gearing it is the cheapest way to do it. If i get 5:29 gears, my question is, do i need to put them in the front and the rear or is it normal to just put them in the rear? I cant seem to think just putting them in the rear axle would work because it would cause the rear wheels to spin more in 4wd. for those of you who have swapped these out, what are some pointers and mistakes not to make while doing it? thanks in advance.

 

This will strickly be an offroad rig, I assume?

 

if you do the rear axle, you must do the front. I have read and been told that if the front and rear don't match you will have serious drive train (breakage) once you shift into 4wd. I recently swapped axles on my suburban and the front and read no longer match, so once I get the rear gears swapped I won't be engaging 4wd. Why are you going to 5.29's, what size tires are you running? Go to this page and there are a few calculators to help figure what gear ratio to go to.
Calculators

 

do both! Most yota guys only go 5.29s if you are running 35's or bigger. Mine has 4.88s and they are perfect for 32's

 

This write up is a good for getting your own tools. I just get my local shop to do it and they only charge $50 for both axles if I supply all the parts.

 

gear install

- forgot to add the link -