AdmiralYoda

Hello Everyone! I've been lurking here for quite some time but its time for me to start participating.

Some History:
I've had my 87 4Runner for 13 years. Back when I got it the body was in bad shape (damn New England winters). But I was 18 and didn't have any cash...so I got it cheap and didn't care. I drove it for a year and then parked it with the intention of fixing it up. A year later I bought two new genuine Toyota complete quarter panels (Now $1,000 each from Toyota) and two new fenders. Well....then it sat for another 11 years.

Fast forward to a month ago. My father and I figured it was as good as dead and were going to get it ready for the junk yard. First we wanted to take the old quarter panels out to sell on craigslist. Just for curiosity we put it up on a lift (lucky me....my old man owns a repair shop). THE FRAME AND FLOOR ARE STILL MINT!!!!

Okay...we're gonna fix this beast up to its former glory. We've got all the body parts anyways so its only labor. The interior is now gutted and its almost time to get to the body work. I'm going to more or less do a restoration on it.

Enough useless information...now some questions:

Tires and Gearing
I know what tires will fit on a stock suspension but I'm wondering what the biggest recommended for drive-ability on stock gears is. My stockers are 28" and I'd like to put 31's on there. Since this will be a daily driver, how will my highway driving be with 4.10's and a 5spd? Will my mpg go down the toilet? Should I stick with 30's as a happy medium? Re-gearing to 4.56's on 31's would get me back to stock RPM's but I'd rather not think about re-gearing just yet. Its going to be a DD with lots of highway.

Zuk Mod
10 years of sitting around has taken its toll on the rear suspension. The bumpstops are only about an inch from the frame. I'd like brand new springs but I don't want a lift and stock replacements are hard to find. Alcan wants $625 shipped for a brand new stock pair. Toyota wants about the same. Enter the Zuk Mod. What I can't figure out is if I want the 12"x125# spring or the 14"x100# spring. What will get me back to stock height or no more than 1" higher?

And one last question regarding the Zuk mod and safety. I know cutting the top bracket kind of acts as a coil retainer for the top....but it looks like the rubber bumpstop is the only thing retaining the bottom end of the coil. This doesn't seem reliable enough to me. Or am I smoking something and its just fine?

Sorry for the long winded first post....and thanks in advance!

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

In my opinion, if you're keeping the stock gearing you should keep the stock tire size. I've got 245/75s on stock gears and it sucks. It's driveable, but it sucks.

If you run the 14" coils, they'll be under compression even at full droop so the bumpstop will keep them located just fine. I can't say the same for the 12s, if you go that route you might want to fab some brackets top and bottom to keep 'em in place.

Are you going to wheel this rig at all?

AdmiralYoda

Thanks for the reply! No real wheeling to speak of. Maybe little stuff but nothing a stocker cant handle. I want larger tire because of the look not because of the increased ground clearance.

If I can find some 4.56 3rds's for dirt cheap I may consider regearing just to put 31's on...but so far I can't find any cheap. Maybe I should just stick with 30's. What will 31's and 4.10's on a 5spd do to my gas mileage?

I'm fine with a 14"x100# coil....how much lift is that going to give me above stock?

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

The Zuk Mod will be fine for light wheeling - I feel like it limits my flex in the rear, but I've lately been getting into places a stock rig has no business being, so you should be good to go. I used a 14" 125 pound coil and I think it lifted me about 2 inches over stock, more like 3.5 from where it was sitting (flat springs).

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Useless without pics. FAIL.

:wabbit2:

AdmiralYoda

I'm cautious about lifting it more than an inch over stock because it will start to look too forward raked. I don't want to put ball joint spacers or crank the TB's yet either. So I'm shooting for 0-1" of lift.

With 31's it should look sweet.

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, I wouldn't do spacers or a tbar crank either for a pavement pounder, much better to leave stock. Are you comfortable with fab at all? Get the 12" 100 pound springs, fab some brackets and see how it sits. If it's still a touch low, thicken or shim the brackets.

Also, I must concur with the distinguished gentleman from Alabama:

AdmiralYoda

Gimme a few minutes and I'll upload some pics.

92 TOY

put 31's on it and then decide if you want to re-gear or not. probably or-not.

the no-cut ZUK is the way we went with my son's 88 4runner. love the look, ride is great, best $80 ever spent.

and YES on the pics request.

and EGAD! on the "distinguished gentleman" comment a few posts up.

AdmiralYoda

What size and poundage spring did you put on? How much lift over stock did you get?

92 TOY

ahhhhhh......I made a thread just for this occasion https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...r-turn-251897/

AdmiralYoda

Here are some pics. They are a bit big...if I made them any smaller the crappy cell phone quality makes it hard to tell what is what.

I've scored some spare parts on craigslist too. Two doors, a top in better condition, a tailgate, a fuel pump sending bracket, and a spare fuel pump.

AdmiralYoda

The quarter panels don't look sooo bad in the pics but they are 100% shot. The frame and suspension is rusty but its only surface rust and scale. I'm going to use por15's Marine Clean, Metal Ready, and then paint.

The fuel tank is the worst of it. 13 years of sludge had built up and everything was completely useless. I bought a replacement tank off Amazon and a new fuel level sending unit from Toyota. I'll be converting the tank to -6AN fittings since the main line is snapped off of the top of the pump bracket. The AN lines will then go to a double flared union on the existing hard line on the frame rail.

Then I will be replacing some hard lines for the brakes and ditching the LSPV for a proportioning valve. Oh....then a new slave cylinder and hard lines for the clutch.

Then it can move under its own power! Moral of story....don't let a vehicle sit for 12 years.

Utah4Runner86

iTrader: (1)

On the plus side, it's very low mileage for it's age.

AdmiralYoda

Yep....88,000 miles. No BS.

ZUK

iTrader: (1)

Well Admiral....You guys back East seem to have rubber bump stops that will tear off too easy so I don't know if they still have "integrity". I think the skinny coils(2.5" ID) are the way to go.....14" x 100 for you the lift will probably be around 3.5"....the ride will also be unbelievably smooth. http://gearinstalls.com/coilinfo.htm If it seems bouncy then your shocks are shot to hell. Using the skinny coils means cutting the upper steel stoppers to about 1" from the frame. The fit is perfect for the topside.
The larger coils that are about 4" ID fit over the upper steel stoppers so no cutting there. The lower fitment is a bit sloppy but even if the lower rubber falls off it seems that the coils are locked in place due to the tight fit of the upper coil area. I don't like the strong contact they have with the u-bolts though. 12 inch long coils seem to be the most popular for the fat coil set-up.
Your choice.

AdmiralYoda

ZUK, thank you as I was about to send you a PM...

But JEEEZ...sooo many options! right now, 3.5" seems a bit too high for me. Not that I know better but just looking at the profile of the truck in the pics above, 3.5" would be too much. I'm thinking more like 2" would do it.

So there are four sets of coils out there that are commonly used (not including the TJ ones).... A 2.5" diameter 12"x125# and 2.5" diameter 14"x100#. Then there is the 5" diameter 11"x125# and 12"x125#.

UGGG. I do like the larger diameter ones since it is reversible and looks cleaner. I do have access to sawzalls, cut off tools, and the blue wrench though if needed...so cutting isn't against my religion.

What if I went with the larger one and welded a coil retaining clip on the leaf. Specifically, I would weld a bolt upside down...then put a retaining clip over that and then tighten with a nut.

Kind of like this...used on all the coil sprung jeep front ends, and probably tons of other stuff.

AdmiralYoda

Okay...I'm going to try and answer my own question here. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

1st - Obviously, spring diameter has no effect on the lift height...only spring length and rate. Basically cut or no-cut method.

2nd - After reading every Zuk Mod thread I can find, and visiting ZUK's page, here is what I'm gathering for average lifts:
- 11"x125# = 1.5-2" lift - recently done by "92 TOY"
- 12"x100# = 2" lift - Haven't seen this used but it is 80% the spring rate of the 12"x125# lift, therefor 80% of the 2.5" lift.....so 2" (maybe)
- 12"x125# = 2.5" lift
- 14"x100# = 3.5" lift
- 14"x125# = 4" lift

I'll just jack up the rear end at the frame until I get the look I'm after, then just measure how much lift it was.

But......do my numbers look right????

AdmiralYoda

bump because I'm an inpatient noob and want to spend money on springs......are my lift estimates in the post above accurate or am I way off?

maco35

This is my zuk mod, front '93 cherokee laredo coils that are originally 18in. long, this is how my truck looked like with the coils cut to 14in. and this pic. shows my truck with the coils cut to 12in. which is what i liked better.