How difficult is it to change the gears to 5.29? I like to think i have a little bit of mechanical inclination but i couldnt rebuild a tranny by any means. Lower gears would make more torque and better gas mileage as i understand it but ive heard it is a tricky task. Also, what would be involved in changing the steering if i decided to do so? I have about a week before the Yota will be ready to test drive so i would like to get as much info as possible, i appreciate all the help ive gotten so far.
Changing gears is as easy as pulling the third members and taking them to a shop to have them swap out the gears. It should be about 1.5hrs of bench labor per differential, so somewhere around $300 for labor, and about $500 for new ring and pinions and install kits. A lot of time you can find used 3rd members for about $300, more if they have a locker installed.
Davez Offroad has 3rds starting at $349 plus shipping. The 4.38's wont be bad for a while, but you should look into either swapping gears or running smaller tires if you want to keep your clutch in good shape and maintain 20+ mpgs.
Steering may or may not be a problem. The stock push pull steering is usually good up to 3-4 inches of susp. lift, so if the lift is a combo of body lift and springs, you should be OK.
The high steer involves installing a IFS power steering box and new steering rods, it replaces the oem push-pull steering, and moves the steering components to above the axle out of harms way. It isn't a necessity(though a lot feel it is after installing it), it just makes the truck nicer to drive, less bump steer and wander.
If you do trade, the gears/steering isn't something that has to be done right away, just added costs to think about in the long term, especially the gears. You might use the cost of the gears to get some cash out of the Toy owner, if you feel your rig is worth more than the Toy on a straight trade.
