gary_the_4runner

about to do a little facelift on the suspension of my friends 87 4runner.

keep in mind he is doing a budget build, and the suspension is in rough shape. it has stock everything and some old after market shocks that aren't doing anything at this point.

i found some 4 inch lift procomp rear leafs on craigslist for 50 bucks with newer poly bushings

i had him order new rough country shocks (setup for 2 inch lift) about $135 shipped.

and 4crawlers 1.5 inch bj spacers and plan on cranking the t bars to level.

heres the issue:

we want 1.5-2 inches of lift.
i dont want him to have too tall center of gravity and he has 31's but wants to roll on 32's and dont want cv binding issues or a harsh ride and a bracket lift is out of budget.

i figure i would combine some leafs from his tired stock leafs with some of the stiff procomp leafs to make it lift up but not 4 INCHES! i have never done this myself and was wondering if there was method to the madness?
do i take the top and bottom procomp leafs and make the old ones the meat of the sandwhich? do i layer every other one?

any help is more than i had in the first place so it appreciated.

gary_the_4runner

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Hey Gary, .......

Actually, I'm waiting, right now, to speak with a good buddy who does something similar(who has done so to at least 6 Toys, from what I know)....

He takes a full size Chevy Leaf(the large one) and adds it to the Toy Pack.... He first has to cut it, to fit(the hardest part, he said), and then he pulls back the retainers and slaps the large leaf on top, bolts it back up and folds the retainer back over it.(Not sure if he said he had to weld a lil extra onto the retainer....I think he said "NO", lol.... Pretty sure he just reinforces it and leaves it straight up on the sides, which works FINE, as I remember him saying, in holding the pack all in line.

I can't really help on the "procomp" question... as I've not done this either. HOWEVER,... it IS a pack for a Toyota, right? So, same width leaf, etc.? Just a lil longer maybe?

You'll probably be done by the time I hear back from him(he's super busy and is an interstate working/traveling fool! lol. But, I'll be posting it in my build thread, nonetheless, when it happens.

Best wishes on this, Gary!

gary_the_4runner

thanks chef,

im hoping that since the procomp leaf pack is a bolt on app i wont be cutting anything. i figure all i have to do is c-vise the springs to compress, bend the retainers back, remove the center pin/bolt, slowly release the c-vises, pick and choose the leafs i want and reverse the process.

i only want to do this once LOL and want more info/experience handed down before i dig into this project. im hoping to get it all done in an afternoon, that includes the bj spacer install shocks and torsion bar adjustment.

im thinking just 2 of the leafs will be enough, his rear is saggy, so i wanna use the main leaf with the eyes and maybe switch the bottom leaf out (to act like a AAL)?

both of us are pretty stoked about the build so far, and a complete non-body lift for $150 bucks plus $135 for shocks, cant beat it.
ill try not to be in such a hurry and snap some pics while the job is going, im usually the one thats black and bloody from elbow to fingertip, ill have my buddy play photographer.