mrm1595

Hey guys so i picked up my 94 4runner not too long ago and it is completely stock other than some decent All-Terrains. Anyways, i was looking to do a 2-3" lift. For the front i was thinking about picking up a set of Ball Joint Spacers that are supposed to lift the front end 2.5" with the correct torsion bar settings. Heres the link:
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/...ers_c_207.html

and for the rear i was looking into purchasing a set of coil springs that are supposed to lift the rear 2". Heres the link to those:
http://toyteclifts.3dcartstores.com/...ers_c_207.html

Any other advice on what to get would be awesome. But for now, is this a good starting point? Thanks

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Hey dude, welcome to YT. I believe you were talking about this kit. The ball joint spacers are 1.5" thick and the other 1" of lift would come from cranking the torsion bar adjusting bolt. While you do get lift from ball joint spacers, they are designed for more IFS travel for off roading. If you do go with the spacers, get yourself some Aisin locking hubs which you can usually get on the classifieds section here or Ebay/Craigslist, etc. The spacers will put the CV driveshafts at more of an angle causing more wear as the ADD system that our 2nd gen 4Runners have use a drive plate at the end of the shaft which locks in the CV's so they always turn. If I was to put on spacers, these are the ones I would go with. If you really don't wheel hard, another option for you is to just leave the upper ball joints alone and just do a torsion bar crank for an inch lift.

Another option for the rear is a 2" coil spacer. Roger Brown, who is a member here (4Crawler), owns the site. He frequently posts up here and offers advice to the guys here.

Another name brand, OME, is an option also. Do a Bing/Google search for "2nd gen 4Runner lift" and a lot of threads from here as well as other Yota threads will come up. As a matter of fact, check this out. And this. There's a 2nd gen 4Runner lift guide thread on here somewhere just couldn't find it.

But especially read this. There's a lot of info here so get to reading. Good luck. Enjoy...

toyota4x4907

2-3" body lift runs $100-$150. It keeps your suspension at stock angles which keeps wear at a minimum. You can clear 33x12.5 tires with a 2" body lift.

mrm1595

Im thinking ill go with the ball joint spacers that were listed above and the rear springs. hopefully that should clear a 33" tire

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

This post is from this sticky:

How much lift do I need for x tires:

For the IFS Toyota pickups and 4Runners ('86-'95) the following tire/lift combinations apply:

31x10.50-will fit fine, no mods

32x11.50-should fit, may require minor adjustments

33x9.50/10.50-may fit w/ no lift on stock wheels w/ minor fender trimming and torsion bar adjustment

33x12.50-on 15x8/4.75" backspace wheels needs 1" body lift, and front torsion bar lift (1"-2") or 1.5" ball joint spacer and some sort of rear suspension lift (such as longer spring shackles or a coil spring spacer) to level the truck, plus some fender trimming. Here is a picture of this combination showing the minor front fender trimming needed to fit the tires. Conventional wisdom suggests a full 4" IFS lift for this wheel/tire combination, but using a combination of milder lift components will produce the same end result that will function as well if not better than the taller all-in-one lift kit and at less cost. And in case you think this won't work, take a look at this very combination in action in 4x4Wire's Hot Toys write-up on Don West's '94 pickup.

35x12.50 on 15x8 w/ 3.75" backspace wheels needs 4" IFS suspension lift plus 2" body lift for good fit. Many IFS lifts require less backspacing on the wheels to clear the dropped A-arms, this in turn pushes the wheels/tires out farther from the body, making tire/body contact more of an issue. The 2" body lift can help reduce rubbing. Less lift may be possible with more fender trimming. (from 4crawler.com)
For Tacomas and could work with 3rd gen Runners:
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...ireChart.shtml





And in this thread here, this can be found in the first and second post:

"Here is the deal. If you have put in gearing, lockers, armor, and good tires on a truck, you will be able to drive most of the trails in your area, especially if you?ve ponied up for two lockers. If you have IFS, a suspension lift will get you bigger tires if you really start working your fenders with a sawzall and hammer, and a body lift will get you tires without the need for fender modification, but you?ll still have the crappy flex, and the other issues associated with IFS. Believe it or not, but IFS, especially the early (86-95) IFS, works best stock. No lift, no nothing. In fact, early IFS usually starts to puke steering parts with any sort of lift that changes the steering angles.

In invite you to look up TC, who is a member here. He has a 2nd gen 4runner, and simply has two ARB lockers, and a bunch of armor. No lift, and he runs a 33x1050 tire on it. Minor pinch weld modification and he runs these tires with little or no rubbing. With this set up, he is able to tackle the most difficult trails Colorado has to offer. Check out some of his videos. Now, TC is an AMAZING driver, but even a novice would be able to tackle most trails with the same set up."

And like I said, you should install locking hubs to unlock the CV's because when you add the spacers, it will increase the angle of the shafts.

vasinvictor

iTrader: (3)

Another vote for body lift. Balljoint spacers are a popular way to go too, but you have to get different shocks, and possibly a diff drop to keep CV angles decent. If you do BJs, don't crank the bars. Manual hubs would help too. Or get a $200 body lift and be done with it :-)

AdmiralYoda

You said cheapest. Cheapest = body lift. Not a bad option either as it keeps all the stock driveline angles and what not stock. A great option if you don't need more than stock capability when going offroad.

Ball joint spacers, HD torsion bars, leaf springs, shocks, etc are going to get expensive quick if you do it right. Even if you cheap out and buy crap it will cost much more than a body lift.

MaK92-4RnR

Surprised no one asked this question, But what are your reasons for lifting it? These trucks can fit 33x10.50 tires stock.

I had a 92 4Runner that was completely armored, locked, geared, with 33s and I had zero problems.

I'd do a 1" body lift with some 33x10.50 or 12.50 and be done with it. Otherwise, save for an SAS or LT

crash813

Be careful looking at tires over 10.5 width, especially with a BJ spacer. A 10.5 on a stock wheel comes very close to rubbing the upper A arm. If you want to run a 12.5, you'll have to get rims with a greater offset. I run 285/75/16's and had to get wheel spacers to clear.

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Good advice here....here's that 2nd gen lift guide thread I was talking about.

I want to thank you guys for mentioning a 1" body lift as I never even thought of it....I was going to do a BJ spacer but would rather keep the IFS stock and not mess with the CV angles by doing a front end suspension mod. A 1" body lift will def. be the ticket here and the mods to the truck itself will be minimal. Check out body lifts and body bushings here at 4Crawler's site. From that page read this. Another one.

This is also from 4Crawler's above listed page:


"Lift as much as needed, but as little as possible"

Each type of lift has its advantage and disadvantages. After all if there were just one perfect way to lift a vehicle, everyone would use that technique and you would have no other choices.
1. Taller tires increase ground clearance under every part of the vehicle and work better off road as they give more traction and are able to tackle bigger obstacles. On the downside, taller tires often require regearing to make up for the lost torque due to the greater tire diameter. Likewise a taller tire needs more room to fit under the vehicle without rubbing. So you can either trim the body away to fit the tire or somehow lift the body away from the tires to make room for them.

2. One way to make room between the body and tires is to raise the suspension. A suspension lift may offer better performance off road if it is capable of increased wheel travel and articulation. However, this is not always the case since some suspension lifts use stiffer, less flexible springs or blocks or drop brackets that do little to improve suspension capability, aside from the lift. On the down side, suspension lifts test to be expensive and the taller the lift the more the cost, since more issues arise that need to be addressed. Along with the lift, you may need longer shocks, longer brake lines, longer drive shafts, etc. Suspension geometry may be negatively impacted. And on some vehicles, there is an upper limit to high high a lift can be done. Also, suspension lifts may be advertised as X", but you may see more or less lift than advertised.

3. This leads to the 3rd lift option of a body lift. Body lifts tend to be less expensive than suspension lifts. They are also more predictable in terms of lift height. After all you are placing a known thickness block between the frame and body and you will see exactly the amount of lift that the block is tall. So this makes a good alternative to getting that little extra lift you may find you need after installing a suspension lift, for example. A body lift will not affect drive shaft, shock absorber, or brake hose lengths. It will also not impact suspension or steering geometry. A body lift is a passive form of lift, in that it will not do anything to make your suspension work any better off road, aside from giving more room for the tires to move around under the body without making contact. Also there will be no increase in under vehicle ground clearance (a.k.a. break over angle), unless you also raise the drive train and other low hanging components up to match the lift. However, if bumpers are raised to match the body lift, you may see increase approach and departure angles.


There is a lot of info on Roger's site so take your time and read it. I never considered a mild 1" body lift but I am now. Not going to do the ball joint spacers at all. I also read about some having trouble getting the front end aligned after doing the spacers. Thanks again to the guys for posting up about the 1" body lift.

vasinvictor

iTrader: (3)

:thumbup: Get yourself some low profile bumpstops for the front, and a locker in the rear and you'll be wheelin with the best of them, and quite cheaply too. Good choice.

daved5150

iTrader: (1)

Here's a sticky I found in the Tires & Wheels section about a stock 93 pickup (no lift) with 33x12.50's. Yea, vasinvictor, good tip there w the low profile bumpers and rear locker...no doubt.

Where's the OP at? Like to hear from him about what's going on w his brain storm...

Shoua

Agreed!

My setup: low-profile bumpstops in front, front sway bar removed, Marlin extended shackles in rear (because of the 4Runner sag), and rear locker.

It works great, and I can go just about anywhere I want to go.