Snowfish

I have a few questions about some of gear under this '92 framed '90 4Runner I bought from a buddy.
My plan is to take this:



And swap out the body from my clapped out 256k mile BJ spaced '92 4Runner that is on it's last set of 32s. The red body has cut wiring and was an auto, so now it has a hack hole, no pedals, and shoddy bodywork. Lets just say I'm already parting that body out. The chassis has a same year 3.0 176k standard, so a body swap seems like the best bet. I plan on making the swap w/o that body lift once this chassis is freshened up and ready (hopefully before first snow).

I just need help identifying old parts, and to ask some specific advise on a few details. It's a challenge because I haven't been the builder from the start of this project.

First off, is this a cross-over steering setup? It's not hi-steer, but It doesn't look stock either. What kind of joints are those? Would you trust 'em in a daily driver, or would they wear out super fast?



The upper joint in the lower picture was hitting the bracket, so I put the spacer under the joint and it seems way better. Would you guys flip the bolts? I wonder if FJ rod ends would work in the knuckle brackets if they are aftermarket. My budget is limited, so a new hi-steer is out (for now). I'm building for more daily reliability than for a hard core rock rig, so clearance is not a priority. The trails that I usually run are fine with open diff IFS, but they are rocky, off camber, have big roll-over consequences.

I will be putting FJ rotors and V6 calipers on this '85 axle. I plan on using wheel spacers to even up the track width of the '92 rear. The steering brackets & joint hit the wheel without these cheapie spacers I found after the check was signed.



What width are you guys running? AP 1.25 and 1.5" wheel spacers seem affordable, and I don't want to use IFS hubs.

Moving on to the springs, what do you think of this rear mount? I haven't seen too many people doing it that way. What about that shackle angle? I'll be cutting that link mount off of the axle when I rebuild the knuckles and bearings.



The Springs are 51", and I assume they are from the rear of a '95+ Tacoma, but have 5 springs. They are looking pretty flat, and not aligned in the clips. I was told that the rig had a slow rollover that led to the original body's demise. Would you guys trust these springs? It is hard to show how tweaked they are but...





Would you have these springs re-arched and tuned up? I want to stay nice and low, so should I go to the junkyard and get some 48" springs and AP frame tubes & jig for about the same money? I might have to get longer shackles, but I wouldn't have this leaf misalignment.



I want to straighten that mount, but is it common to put spacers in the mount to locate the bushings? All the bushings will be changed to polyurethane with grease-able bolts. The passenger side looks even more tweaked to me.



The rear feels way more promising. The brakes are looking fresh, as are the 63.5" rear springs. However, the block underneath the spring worries me.



You can hardly tell in the photo, but it is at least 2" tall. Should I toss those angled blocks, and just shim for good pinion angle?

Is this a common way to bumpstop the rear?



Finally, does anyone know of a balanced extended spline front drive shaft for a decent price? The lowest I could find was around $375 new. Does anyone know of an affordable shop that does that type of work?

Thanks guys! I'm ready to get project "Blue Boy" under way!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

Steering is booty fab used before high steer.
Leaf springs are missing wraps that keep them together.
Lots of booty fab in those pictures.
1.5" wheel spacers matches IFS width.

Good luck. You got your work cut out for you.

:wabbit2:

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Start over on the front end...
Front spring shackle should be mounted through frame.
Betcha that thing was the definition of death wobble...

Snowfish

Yeah, it isn't pretty. To get this project rolling, I'm gonna stick with the steering until it gets loose. I'll bet I can make it through the winter (around 2000mi) without too much slop.The front spring mounts are beefy, so I'm going to use those with different springs and tubes in the rear. That will help to lower the stance too.

yoterr

I would def get some 48" rears and boomerang shackles for up front..but remember when u do hi steer u have to move ur steering box forward...doesn't look like it will be a prob with that old school steering..and that small of blocks should be fine and are prolly to match the front.....if ur worried about them u can add a traction bar

87hillbillyoter

wow, thats probably the cheapest way you can sas something....

you need to drill through the frame to mount the shackles like this-




also, i dont know about using stock rear shackles on the front, i mean i guess you can...

the way the tierod and draglink are mounted id be surprised if that lasts a couple weeks, be prepared for one of those nuts to work itself loose. you will need to get new tie rod ends for those.

and if it were me, i wouldnt move the truck with those "wheel spacers" on there. get some real ones from wabbit or someting.

if that truck is on its own weight, you are going to want to do something about those shackle angles. should be about ~45 degrees pointed towards the rear of the truck like this \ as far as i can tell, the springs look fine, but like wabbit said you are going to want the wraps around the springs. you are going to need shock hoops and shocks as well.

oh and that link mount is actually for a traction bar. if you are going high steer that will get in the way, so you wont be able to use it.

sorry if i sound like an ass, just trying to give it to you straight.

everything else *looks* fine to me. you got some work to do, so git to it!

Snowfish

Thanks for all the help already fellas!

Obviously, I would watch the steering nuts. I realize the steering sucks, and will be assessed after the swap is done. If it is unsafe the first day out, I'll start looking for another setup.

I have distant 5.0 dreams (I have one, but SAS first!), so would TG's HD springs be a good investment now? Could I get away with the 3" version and still clear hi-steer later? I can get used 48"s for about about $100/pair, but lord knows if they are going to be flat when I get home.

Why are the boomerang shackles any different if you just trim a little off the body mount? I don't see a problem with that. It looks like you did anyway 87hillbillyoter.

Those wheel stud spacers are sketchy at best, but will allow me to roll the rig around during the swap. I'll be getting the 1.5" billet spacers way before it sees pavement. I would probably put 'em in when the rotors and knuckles are built. I'll cut all the extra junk off then too.

peow130

Steering is pre- high steer. Been used for years before hy steer arms were on the market, and if done right can be completely safe. Yours looks fine to me.


honestly, i'd take the front axle and maybe that hanger and shackle, and just SAS your rig.
it'd be much easier than a body swap, and you have almost all the crap to do it properly right there

Snowfish

Oh yeah, the shocks are the RS9000s, but I am factoring 5125s into the budget just in case they are dead. It has the old ford mounts that look funny, but I think will be fine.

87hillbillyoter

wasnt saying you needed boomerang shackles, thats just what i have

Snowfish

Right on! yoterr suggested it. Other than being built to save the body mounts, the boomerang is just another regular 'ol shackle right?

I need the newer engine/drivetrain package too, so I think body swap for this project works better. Plus, I can play on the trails over 10,000 feet on the weekends while the SAS is getting done! Summer time!!!

muddpigg

iTrader: (1)

Looks like there is angled shims on the front perches. I saw a similar steering set up with shims and low steer on a homemade SAS because the geometry on the front was so far off that the shims wouldn't allow the high steer link to clear the springs. The rig drove straight even at speed. You might want to do some measureing and simple geometry work to figure where the caster angle is at. So you if you decide to reuse same/similar springs you can fix the problem with the mounting of the springs instead of shims. Can still run the low steer setup but do the front right. The front hanger needs some gusseting if you plan to reuse it.

Looks like a fun project. The kits take alot of the math out of the geometry. Still very doable just need to research and study.

Snowfish

Things have been moving along...



Cut out the old mounts.

Took the plunge and bought the TG 3" HD kit. Here it is all mocked up. 1* rear shackle angle.



Does my shock angle look okay? (slightly back from plumb) I got the 12" shocks in the kit, and the hoops are as low as they can go on the frame. I have 7.25" of rod showing. That is almost 60% out at ride height. Anyone seen this before?

Snowfish

Also, has anyone seen the shock hoop gussets welded inboard and onto the top of the motor mount? All the pics I have seen have them mounted outside of the hoop.

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

I've braced them both ways.

:wabbit2:

mommucked

Snowfish, nice jackstands! I like the new front end also.

Snowfish

Thanks! Those are precision jack stands that you can heat your home with.

There is more progress. I'm just breaking into the axle here.



My camera ran out of memory after the first step. Sorry.

It is now completely torn down and cleaned, ready for rebuild...

Snowfish

The project is moving along...



The snow is back, so much for that goal.

Shred on!