jerbear

There is way too much information out there and I am totally confused. I want to put a mild suspension lift on my 1991 Toy X-Cab P/U. By mild I mean about 4". The truck is a daily driver that will see trails on the weekend. It will also see lots of snow and ice so any suggestions on differentials would be appreciated as well. Again too much informationout there. I am thinking of LSD's for traction and maybe a Pro-Comp Lift?????? Please don't flame me too hard. These are the wishes of a middle aged mab who finally has the means to tinker with his vehicle. After mine, I have my eyes set on the wifes 3rd gen 4runner. As always, thanks in advance.

Silver_Truck

For 4" lifts theres a few flavours out there, Pro-Comp, Superlift, Ebay, Sky Jacker and I'm sure theres a couple I'm missing. These are all drop bracket style lifts. You could also run bigger T-bars (SAW, Downey etc.) and crank them an inch or inch and a half then run BJ spacers that'll net you 2.5-3" or so of lift but your CV angles will probably be kinda scarey. I have 3.5-4" of lift with a 2" BL, BJ spacers, and a small T-bar twist. The drop bracket lifts tend to use rear blocks which can fall out when wheeling and thats a bad thing, so you could either spring for new springs, do a Chevy/Waggy/Mazda/F-150 spring swap, or use Add a leafs. The AALs are the cheapest but the worst for flex, the long soft Chevys and Waggys flex like mad. If you get a LSD get a tru-trac or similar which use planetary gears rather then a clutch type as they tend to burn out pretty quick when you wheel em. If you're going to wheel frequently I'd go with a locker Aussie if you have a 4 or Lockright if you have a 6 but those autolockers can be kinda hairy in the snow. If you've got the cash I'd go with an ARB or E-locker (selectable locker) so you can lock em off road and unlock em on the road. Wow, hope that helps.

elripster

The amount of info can be overwhelming.

First off, I would suggest less lift and a selectable locker like the Toyota Elocker. Auto lockers have quirky on road manners which may or may not be an issue. They are pretty wild to drive on ice as well.(not in a good way). Selectables are great, on road the truck behaves as it does now, off it has a spooled rear axle for excellent traction. This route will make the truck much more capable and retain excellent street manners. If you go to www.4crawler.com, you can see some effective and economical options.

I have a 4" lift and if I were to do it again, I would not get one. With a 1" body lift and some ball joint spacers you can fit 33's for much less money. Furthermore, when you hit the 4" mark, often driveline vibes become and issue, at least it did for me. (more $$$)

If you are dead set on a 4", I'd stay away from the Procomp and Trailmaster. (3 piece lift brackets) I'd say Black Diamond or the other one piece bracket kits.

Don't forget, you really should regear. It's best to do the gears and lockers all together. It's a good chunk of change but worth every penny.

Frank

jerbear

Hi
Thanks and keep it coming. This helps greatly. I am ignorant to these bj spacers you speak of. Where can I read up on these? I actually understand the difference between the new bracketry and the 3pc lift brackets. I am asking for just the reasons you mention. $$$$ spent vs. rate of return. I have one shot at this and with all the knowledge on this board there should be some interesting and different opinions from people who have done it.

leebee

do a member search for elripster, iirc, his web page should provide a link to the bj spacers.

lee

Silver_Truck

Here's some info off Roger Brown's site...essentially what they do is drop your upper BJ 1.5" and give you 1.5" of lift and additional travel.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/...ntSpacer.shtml

bryanr

I went with a 4" Superlift Suspension including new rear springs. I paid about $1000 shipped for it, and about $400 for the install. It rides a bit rougher than it used to, but it was well worth it

I bought the lift here at Ultimate Auto Accessories since the kit was the same price as every else, but they have FREE shipping which saves like $120 or so.

http://www.ultimateautoaccessories.c...duct_Code=K750

rockota

4" front kits to look at: SkyJacker, SuperLift, TuffCountry, BlackDiamond. All have 1 piece drop down brackets that are very stout. I've installed the SuperLift before and was VERY impressed with the quality - I'll buy another if I ever do another IFS kit.

For the rear, I agree w/ Bryanr - look into ProComp or SkyJacker. I've had experience w/ the Skyjacker springs and are fond of them.

For snow driving, I would look into the Tracktech True-trac limited slip. It's a gear-driven limited slip. I had one in my old 4Runner and really, really liked it on the road and in the snow. It can be made to lock up with a little bit of brake work, and also allows some slip as well.

Good luck!

jayhackett03

get a Superlift on Ebay from a guy name Davy or something like that. i paid $860 shipped for a Superlift with the rear leafs.