Well for starters, this applies to the 2nd gens/GC/GD Galants, I don't have experience on the 1st gens or the Colt Lancers to say this all applies to you, however it can be used universally for the most part.
Parts needed:
Toyota Hilux 8" 2WD 5 lug 79-95 Axle
Both sets of the Toyota U bolts that hold the springs on
Stock Colt Galant Leaf spring base plate (I don't know it's real name, bottom plate that the bolts go through)
Stock Colt Galant Leaf Springs
1 pair of Art Morrison Universal Axle Leaf Mounts ($20) fit 2 1/2" Axles. For international orders, you will need to call or email them. http://artmorrison.com/layout.php?y=store/&x=components
Sure, you could use the Toyota springs, however I did this with the intent of keeping fabrication to a low and on a budget for mounting this rear end in.
Here's the stock rear that must come out! So take that weaksauce of an axle out!
It's best to just unbolt the shocks from their perches and the leafs from the car, then you can wheel everything away like a wheelbarrow
Also helps to either remove or cut off your exhaust if you were in the midst of doing an engine swap like myself.
Once removed the car should look somewhat empty like so
Now we look here at the two axles side by side (Stock on Left, Toyota on Rear). Hilux is definitely much thicker and stronger appearing than the Stock Galant.
Now comes the fun part! unbolt the leafs from the stock rear and if your new one still came with leafs pull them off too.
Obviously the thicker Toyota U-Bolts will not fit into the holes on the Galant bottom spring plate and are a little off. While I don't have pics for it, we placed the U-bolts so they sat evenly over their respective holes on the plate (the bolts sat covering about half of each hole or a little less on one side vs the other)
We used a 7/16" bit then a 1/2" Bit to widen the holes then a dremel with a grinding bit to notch them. Remember to mark around the bottom of the bolts so you know where to widen to!
We also chopped off the top of the metal collar that is on the upper pad so that we could get the center bolt (that holds the leafs together, in my case it only holds two leafs) into the leaf mount on the axle. I'll try to get a pic of that tomorrow, if I can.
Now trial fit everything together, make sure it all fits properly and evenly.
This is how mine turned out with everything bolted together on the axle
Remove everything from the axle and roll it over to the car (use a set of wheels/tires, your back will thank you later) and bring the Galant leafs over as well. The idea with this is to get the leafs mounted to with the new axle simply resting on them so you can get an idea of alignment.
This is how it sat, you can see where the problem is already.
Left side
Right Side
Where it all sits is a good time to snap photos, mark, our right down how much on which side you have to move the mounts. This is important as later on you can use the stock mounting positions as a reference point.
So what does that mean for us? Cutting the stock Toyota Leaf mounts off, then grinding them all down and the weld bead that goes along the side of the axle around the potential new mounting location. I personally used a rotary tool with a cutting disc, took me two discs and several hours to cut through that thick steel.
Once you get all the old stuff of and grinded down, redo the mock up and see where things sit. This is now the time where you get the new mounts and put them in place as you adjust the axle's placement on the springs.
Use a tape measure or ruler if you would like to measure the distance from the original mount edge and where the new mounts are to be welded. Everytime you adjust the axle one way or the other, recheck your measurements, remember you want things precise and perfect! No one like doing things twice!
Once you have everything set, use some type of marker, welding pencil like we used, etc to mark where to weld/tack on the mounts.
You will need a medium grit sand disc to get the down to the bare metal for this. Sand down to the bare metal along your marked line, helps to have another person to gently rotate the axle (rotating the differential towards the rear, we did it this way as it was the easiest and neither one of us wanted to mess up our measurements as everything was finally positioned into place!
