The company who makes the coils is Southwest Speed, and the name is "Black Magic Springs". They gave a NICE catalog with the coils, and I figured, if Zuk trusts them, and Philbert is loving them(as well as many others), ...why not! hahaha. I can always undo this and go with a larger lift, armor, etc., later on. For now, I'm going to just enjoy my rig for the rest of the summer, GRRRRRRR! lol. Still have a couple kinks to work out in my thread in yellow, below in my signature...but IT'S COMING ALONG!

Thanks Yotatech, and thanks, Zuk, Philbert, and everyone else who's been inspiring, egging, razzing and prodding me along in the last 3 months since I started.

Mark

very nice write-up Chef.

good write-up! Your rig looks way better now! Glad you're having fun with the build.

Lookiing great Mark - and good video!

You can always swap in the taller springs later if you want (and add BJ spacers up front if the "rake" is too steep

Nice job man!!

FYI-those RS5000 are a pretty stiff shock, good but a little stiffer than the average. Oh and shock boots are OVERATED. I don't run them cause they hold water and rust out your shock. Besides, shocks have wipers on the shaft there to clean it off anyways.

Thanks, so much, guys!

Jerry, I know how much work you've put into that rig'o'yers!...... I always appreciate your input, ....whether it's complimentary or, even, "Hey, ....WHAT are you DOING?" HAHAHA.

TonyNG, thanks, I think so as well. It's actually pretty STRANGE, at first, looking at it from the side, etc...... I almost felt like it was a Dego, initially, hahaha..., but then I realized...."NO, silly, ...it's just more 'where it should be' than it's been for a LONGGGGGG TIME" lol. Main thing though?....SO MUCH NICER ON THE KIDNEYS!

PHIL! LOVE your work ethic and attitude, MY MAN! hehe. You, as well, have inspired me quite a bit to 'Not be so apprehensive' when it comes to 'trying things' ", ....especially when they can be 'undone'. I REALLY questioned, over and over in my head, "Hmmmm, wont these make it bouncy or hokie or ...whatever?" hahaha. NOPE, they really ride NICE! , Thanks for the push!

Big Blue, thanks man! You, as well, have lots'o'respect around here, ...so I appreciate the compliment. Thanks for the info. I was given these shocks by a buddy a couple years ago, when his BEAUTIFUL 84 Longbed 4x4 was totaled out and sold! .... He offered the fronts, but obviously, they didn't work on my IFS. Soooo, for now, they're ok for me, but I WROTE THAT DOWN, honest, and I will do more research on shocks when I get new.

What would you recommend for the fronts, guys? If I get Bj's for the front, what size would I need? And, what length shock, accordingly? I found a site that wholesales suspension stuff and they seem pretty reasonable for bilstiens(64$ I think) and Pro-comps(25$-30$ Max). I just don't know what I'm doing,and this is the first 'suspension mod' I"ve done. The only repair I've done is to replace the Idler Arm on the Pass. side. It was pretty intimidating at first, as the pickle fork took QUITE a while to get it out, hahaha. MAN that thing was stuck! I had lots'o'play in it and it was wabbling hard on the road(Info for anyone who's getting the shakes at lower speeds AND higher speeds).

Any ideas, guys?^^^^^^

NOW; If I can just have the staff remove everything after the "Just did a Zuk Mod...." ??? hehehe. Sorry guys, mistake!

Ok, got some pics with the top on..............
Before Zuks with Top on;

After Zuks with Top on;




As you can see, I'm on quite a hill and can't get the wheels even due to rain trowel. But, I will get pics in a parking lot, later. I'm also going to load it up quite a bit to test the coils, then drive it with the load on them. I would imagine that it'd be even smoother, but maybe lose a LIL height. lol.

i wonder what that top would look like black.....hmmmmm.....oh cheeeeefffffffff

PS> As of Today, .... I have, officially, 100,000 miles on these BFG 31x10.50x15 AT/Baja's! I've not kept up as to which tires have gotten better/worse.... but I've had these on 3 TRUCKS, and I have to say, ...while they DO NOT perform like MT's, .....they HAVE got me out of MANY sticky situations, as well as rode smooth, provided GREAT mileage and are fairly quiet. Not as quiet as the 31" Long Trial BFG's I had(ALSO A GREAT TIRE!) ...... but DEFINITELY quiet 'enough'.

Sorry for the tangent, ...but I REALLY love great quality for a good price, and btw, ....3 PLY SIDEWALLS ARE BAR NONE the best way to go. Many rocks have tried to sabotage me...TO NO AVAIL! Plus, when I DID puncture a side wall(slow leak), BFG Lifetime Warranty at American Tire gave me a new tire, no run around, minus labor! Hey, 140$ is 140$, right?????

You really think so, Jerry? I was thinking of that, just the other day! Only thing is, .....IT'S HOTTER! hahaha. And I do the desert, quite often. What about that Navajo Beige? I'll find it and post it up here for ya. I've seen that tan type top on a Red one with the gold stripes.....it looked REALLY nice!

PS> LOOK AT THIS THING!!!!!!!!!

How's the ride now? A lot smoother i bet!

SORRY for the tangent. Any ideas on the top or shocks or if the front needs Bj's? If so, what size Bj's, which shock 'will do' in the front, and WHICH CARRIER/RACK? hehehe

WAYYYYYY smoother, Brian! Most importantly, when I was hauling a load of produce, yesterday, I hit a Cali-Nanny State Style-Parking lot Bump(TRUST ME, they're like made by the devil! lol)...and it was a lil rough in front(haven't touched that YET), ..but the rear felt like my dad's mildly built up 4x4 Tundra with a 3" lift, leaf pack and shocks! They used to TOTALLY bottom out, Brian, ...I MEAN HARD! lol. Now, it compresses, with a load, about an inch(what it feels like anyway) and it's VERY smooth on them at the same time.

As Blue mentioned, above, "RS5000'S are a bit stiff", ...but that's ok, considering I carry LOTS of weight, camping, and sometimes for work.

In short; I LOVE THEM, Brian!

Good to hear, i may have to reconsider doing this.

Very solid and descriptive write up, I really need to do this on my 90.

Yeah, Brian, ....

I'm not trying to 'sway' anyone, by any means. I'm just sharing "MY" experience, ya know? I mean, ....why not though, right? It's an EASY switch back to factory, with just a 30$ or so visit to my welder shop. Maybe less. Take em 10 Minutes, max, to weld them back on, ya know?

This way, I get a smoother ride, more flex and it can carry WAY more than without them, lol. Plus, if I get "iffy" leaf packs, ...I'm just going to have to replace them again in a few years. Maybe not with the OME's, ...but I CAN NOT afford that for now. I'd rather focus on other things. And really, if you look at the pics, ......I think with Bj's I could easily get 33x10.5x15's on there, or 32x10.5's, for sure, without. I really feel like I have enough clearance to do the more 'moderate' wheeling that I love to do, ...and I'm telling you, I ROMPED on my White one(you've seen that, right?)....and it was pretty much stock with an add leaf and 1.5 spacers, shocks, and I GOT AIR at times, doing the desert stuff, ....and it NEVER gave me a problem. The CRAWLER stuff is a category all in and of itself. It's just not for me, Brian. I just can't afford to 'keep fixing' things or to give up comfort, thousands of $'s, mileage, etc., for the sake of crawling MAJOR rock stuff, lol. I ADMIRE THEM, and I love watching that stuff. I guess I'd rather live vicariously through them, while still having "my practical/economical applications", ..make sense?

thanks, pruney! :d

Chef....one more thing.....my son's 88 has really no appreciable sag, but then again, it's been topless for over a year.....your description of this mod makes me quite certain i could easily do this. i even measured , like you did, from the lip of the wheel to the trim and got 11 inches....so i believe there is a sag, but not bad.

thanks again for the write-up and accompanying video.

Mine was actually 10", Jerry, ...yes indeed. However, it only took around 5 months of normal driving(I parked it for a while) to wind up being at 10, and even at 11", ...YOU WILL bottom out with JUST THE TOP ON, let alone when you load it up for a trip, believe me! They are MUCH heavier in the rear than a Pick-up, especially with the top on(tons of glass, insulated, heavier gauge fiberglass). So, I would bet that, with the top on, your measurement would be around 10"....check and see, eh?

OH YEAH, you could do this EASY! And, like I said, ..if he ever wants to jack it up a few inches, etc., ....he can just weld them back on for cheap! I recommend doing the sawzaw over the grinder....I have to think you'll lose less metal, right? Plus, I would imagine it's quicker.

Sorry, I just wanted to share the breakfast they/I also had, this morning.

Porcini Mushroom, Fresh Spinach, Red & Yellow Bells, Red Sweet Onion, Fresh Roasted Garlic, Wisconsin Cheddar and Gruyere Swiss Frittata. Served with Fresh From the Garden Strawberry & Kiwi Salad, drizzled with Local Owari Satsuma Mandarin Orange Honey, Home Made Flour-less Wheat-berry Toast with Home Grown Santa Rosa Plum Preserves............

nicely done!

You asked for advice on the front end, so here is my 2 cents:

I've had the BJ spacers and low profile bumpstops and all that. I've since moved on to a straight axle swap but that's another story.

I had the 1 and 1/2 inch spacers which are the biggest you can get. You can also get them in smaller sizes. The spacers worked as advertised and there was nothing wrong with them, however...

I wouldn't do it again. There are plenty of folks here that will disagree with me or flat out say that I'm wrong, but I just don't think you get any bang for your buck. Also, there are a couple potential problems with them.
1) Some folks have had trouble getting aligned after install. I was able to get within spec, but the guy at the shop said he used "all" the available adjustment.
2) Some tire and wheel combos experience rubbing. There is a thread or two here about it and outlines where the problems are, so that is solvable.

The thing I don't like about it is that they really don't help anything. They DO increase travel, no doubt about it. The problem is that it is all droop travel. If your out on the trail and get into a situation where a front tire is lifted off the ground, does it really matter if it's 2 inches up in the air versus 1/2 inch up in the air? It still won't do anything. Or best case, the spacer is the difference between the tire being 1/2 inch off the ground versus actually touching the ground with some minimal pressure on it. The droop tire is still likely to just spin since all the pressure is still on the compressed tire on the opposite side. The real answer in that scenario is a front locker, not more droop. This whole arguement goes for sway bar removal too. It just allows the non functioning tire/wheel to droop a little closer to the ground before it doesn't do anything.

If you want lift for the sake of lift I think you can safely and comfortably get 1/2 inch with a t bar crank for free. If you want more, I would go with the BJ spacers. If you want performance, I would skip all of it and save the dough for a locker. I think your truck looks great right now with the ZUK mod and the front doesn't need anything from a looks standpoint. If your plan is to go with 33's eventually, that can also happen without BJ spacers, but it also opens up a whole other can of worms.

Hope this helps and I hope I didn't ramble to the point of incoherence.

THANKS ALOT, BLKNBLU!

Wow, that was really informative. I wish more people weren't afraid to just, well, 'share their experience', ...ya know? I hear ya, ...and really?...I'm NOT looking for any crazy 'rock crawling performance', obviously....However, I DO get deep woods, creeping through narrow trails, over a shorty log now again type of stuff..... And the Front end IS a bit stiff at the moment on bumps, etc. Could that simply be due to having the STOCK SHOCKS, ......260,000 MILES OLD? hahaha. Seriously, I'm asking, ...could that be part of the rough ride in the front on bumps, etc.? My truck drives straight, so I don't think I have many issues with bushings, etc.(CALI IS SO NICE TO TRUCKS, LOL), ....but it's 'jarring' at times, is the best way to put it. The rear, now, with the Zuks? GREAT, and I've gone over a few of the BUMPS and ruts in the road that would have been a problem before doing the Zuk. So, THEY WORKED, as far as what I'm looking for in the rear.

However, like I said, ...really stiff in the front and I'VE NEVER torqued up the torsion bars, ..so I doubt that's what's making it so stiff.

SHOCKS? And as I asked a few posts up to everyone, ...WHICH ONES WILL GET ME BY WITHOUT BEING 100$ A PIECE? lol.