hodge Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I've been hovering over the forum. I know about the axle issue up until the late 80's - check to see if it have 5 or 6 lug nuts on the rear wheels. I've got a guy selling a nice 87 Dolphin that appears to be very stock, but I stopped the discussion when he checked the rear tires, came back on the phone and said, "yup, it just have 5 lug nuts". Should this be a deal breaker? Is it like digging a money pit to buy a Toyota with the stock axle, and if not, what kind of cost are you look at to modify it? Are parts impossible to find? I live in AZ, appreciate any advice. Hodge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idtracey Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Only you can answer if it should be a deal breaker. For the right deal, I personally would not let the 5 lug axle stop me from picking up a coach that was otherwise ideal for me. BUT, I would NOT put any kind of mileage, carry any kind of load or move at highway speeds until the axle was swapped. Cost for swapping depends on your experience level. I've seen axles listed for a few hundred dollars (in fact, I think I recently saw one listed on craigslist for $300 in Scottsdale). If you don't get the rims with the axle, that can cost another couple hundred. If you can do the swap yourself, you can save the labor charges. I've seen a couple of people mention that labor for this runs about $500. Once the axle is in, it's just basic maintenance. Axles can be found. Mechanics and wrecking yards can be a lot of help in locating one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bufbooth Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I thought the price of an axle swap (parts and labor) was closer to $2,000? Anyone have actually numbers to share? Dennis... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idtracey Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 My next door neighbor owns a garage in town, so I thought I'd ask his opinion. $2000 is probably about right if you have it done in a shop with the shop sourcing your axle. If the shop sources your axle, they're going to mark it up 25% over cost to pay for their time in locating and bringing it in plus a little profit. He said the swap would be about a six hour job and he bills $85 an hour. He figured his cost to bring in an axle and hardware to be about $600, so he'd bill $750. Brake shoes, assuming the drums are good, will run $60. Rim's will run about $300. Four new tires will run $480, and his six hours of labor is $520. Grand total by his rough estimate - $2110. If you do the work yourself, it's significantly less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheLittlePuppy Posted September 24, 2008 Share Posted September 24, 2008 Here is what we had done on our '84 Dolphin this summer: Located full floating assembly - $754.88 includes shipping Removed rear differential and installed used full floating axle assembly Replaced all bearings, hardware, lug nuts, seals, brakes, brake hydraulics, fluids, and rear shocks Remounted and balanced all tires and wheels (The guys sanded and painted all the rusty tire rims for free) (The u-bolts had to be fabricated off site) Labor $ 605.09 Parts 1,471.88 Sublet 114.00 Supplies 4.12 Disposal 1.00 TOTAL $2,196.09 We are very pleased with how it turned out and it drives and handles better than ever. Well worth the wait and the money. If you have the expertise to do this, you will save money, but it is a big job that can take a while to complete. Charles & Dianne '84 Dolphin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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