deathrunner

Okay.... on the IFS you have an upper and lower arm holding the spindle(which hold the weheel) The torsion bar is connected to the upper A arm. The lower A arm is connected to the braces under the frame. Your axle is connected witch CV joints through the center of your spindle to the hubs. Between the Upper A arm and the spindle is the ball joint. This allows the spindle to rotate(steering) as well as move back and forth as your suspension travels. This multi-movement is what requires a ball joint. I find these joints to be somewhat troublesome if you beat your truck. I already went through 2 in the year and a half that I've had my 4runner. Doney and other companies offer longtravel or uniball racing balljoints. They are much stronger and often allow more extreme travel(Suspension permitting).

The ball joint spacer fits between the upper A arm and the top of the ball joint. By adding space between these parts, you get lift as well as a steeper angle on your lower arms. I am curious if this setup puts any more stress on these somewhat vulnerable parts. I also don't know if you can use a uniball with these spacers.

I am unsure of how the spindle connects to the lower a arm....I assume another ball joint, although I have yet to meet these.

Hope that helps -Seth

AxleIke

Thanks deathrunner. That helps alot.

kyle_22r

think of a torsion bar as an uncoiled coil spring.

Churnd

...that have a lot more stiffness than a coil spring. I guess you could always swap to smaller T-bars.

deathrunner

In my experience smaller tbars fatigue sooner and loose their spring characteristics. The stock spring is fine if you want a soft spring. But they do fatigue. If you need to replace them I recommend going with a new stock spring. My sway aways are even stiffer.

RedRunner_87

Have you checked out ESB fab. The link is in my sig. For first gens most of the coil-overs make you convert to 2wd. I have found one that does not. I will get you a link when I find it. All right here is the link.

http://www.protrux.net/products/susp...avel_85_94.htm

AFRunner

Because it provides much better ride and handling on-road. You forget that this relatively small board (percentage wise, compared to all truck buyers), contains another small percentage who actually go off-road consistently. Manufacturers build trucks that the majority will buy. The majority will make greater use of on-road comfort than off-road ability.
Aaron

Robinhood150

What he meant is that coil springs fundamentally work the same way a torsion spring does. If one were to slice a section of a coil spring and examine it, one would find that it is under torsional stress. Thus, a coil spring is basically a t-bar that is bent into the shape of the helix.

deathrunner

Red Runner 87. That kit you have on the link is what I am going to put on this summer. That shop isn't too far from me. They've tried to make my trailmaster kit work for me, but ultimately this is what I want.

RedRunner_87

Hopefully I will be purchasing it in January. It was a toss up between ESB, and Total Chaos.

deathrunner

RedRunner. When you say "it"....do you just mean long travel in general, or specifcally the JD Fab kit?? I notice that your future mods mention the ESB kit.

The reason that I ask, is that as far as I can tell the ESB and Total Chaos Uniball kit are basically identical.

But the JD FAB kit is not. The JD kit lets you run coil-overs and still keep 4wd. To use chaos kit with coilovers....bye bye axles. I'm pretty sure you can't use axles with the ESB kit either.

The JD kit also moves the wheel forward and inch so your tires won't rub on that lip/seem by your firewall. Plus, the JD kit has superior strength construction for the lower arms.

Not that the ESB or Chaos kits are bad, I just wanted to point out the significant benefits of the JD kit before you invest.

I am planning to keep my torsions for now, and possibly upgrade to coilovers when funds are available.

I'm not sure how much lift these kits will provide. I have a 4 inch lift kit that will be replaced by this setup. I wnat the travel, but I fear losing the clearance. The Chaos site claims a 4 inch lift, I have seen 3 inches written up in other places, and Protrux said to expect about 2-2.5". I think it all depends on your torsions. I don't plan on cranking them up and I think that is what Protrux had in mind as well.

Cool stuff

RedRunner_87

I meant the ESB. The ESB kit is cheaper than the Total Chaos, and they will sponser you when you race. I think the ESB and the Total Chaos give you between 3-4 inches of lift. I will be purchasing fiberglass fenders and hood, so the rubbing shouldn't be a factor. The ESB widens your track width 7" over all.

deathrunner

Cool, the price is definitely nice. Are you going to use the Uniball joints?
Are you going to race?

Are you going to retain 4x4?

I've seen alot of runners down here(2nd gen mostly) wher they removed the axle. I guess you don't really need 4x4 when you air down, but I'm not willing to give it up yet.

RedRunner_87

Defintely going Uniballl. Me and my bro are going to race, and maybemy dad. I will retain the 4wd.

deathrunner

Have you seen any other long travel 1st gens? If so toss me a link to the sites. I really want to see one with glass fenders. Have you seen anyone race 4runners? It seems like the extra weight would make it tougher to setup. I know prtotrux wanted me to cutholes in my bed to run the shocks up through it. I know performance wise that would be better, but I need the cargo area to carry my guitar amps.

Keep us posted on the recing. sounds cool.

RedRunner_87

I have some pics and I will load them up right now. Here is the LINK . I am going to try to get a custom soft-top made to save weight. I will be putting in a bed cage and I am thinkin about putting a tire carrier like this one in.

pinnacle

I know its not a 4runner, but you get the idea. I've always liked the look of the Ivan glass. The only l/t kits I've seen are from ESB and total chaos. I didn't know about the JD fab kit. I know they make some killer stuff, that kit looks beafy.




Hers is a 4runner

deathrunner

Check the truck on this page, it is the 8th truck down. Black 4x4 long travel pickup.
These are the fenders that I want.....Who makes these? I think they would look awesome on my runner.

http://www.prerunners.net/membersrid...des.asp?page=4

pinnacle

It's either glassworks or hannemann. The picture of the truck above is glassworks.

deathrunner

What is the glassworks website? I've had trouble finding it. Thanks