foskco87

OK so I am fairly new to this. I have a 92 4runner and Im gonna install some 1.5" spacers. I have the instructions but I just wanted to know if there is anything to look out for. If anyone has any advice from their own experience Id love it. Id just like to know how difficult it is, how long it will take roughly, and the do's and dont's. Thanks guys.

94Runner4x4

do you have air tools? if not I would recommend doing it with some. It made mine so much easier. I did the rear springs and shocks without air tools and it took about an 2 hours, and the front with air tools took about an hour for bj spacers and new shocks.

abecedarian

make sure that the inside of the rim and/or tire is not going to come in contact with the upper control arm when the spacers are installed.
if either the rim or tire are closer to the frame than the outside edge of the upper control arm, you will most likely have a problem.

iamsuperbleeder

soak your upper ball joint nuts with some PB blaster for a couple of days before even starting; that's always good practice...

Jay351

Make sure you have a solid spacer to fit between the UCA and upper bumpstop. Peices of wood don't work!

Hit your hardware with PB blaster (or alike) a few times before you give'r

scuba

x2, depending on your rim offset and size of tire...you might run into a problem...im currently waiting on my wheel spacers so i can throw my bj's in there

Asha'man

It's not a bad idea to rent a pickle fork from the local parts store if your balljoints have been in there for any solid length of time. I had to beat the living hell out of my driver's side to get it out.

Hypoid

Have you adjusted your torsion bars or any alignment parts before? You'll mostly likely want to adjust those after installing ball joint spacers. You're likely to run into frozen/rusted parts that may break on you. I had to break one torsion adjusting bolt/special nut and both tie rod end adjusting sleeves.

If you know everything moves without breaking, or you replace everything that needs it before you go in, all you have to do is install, not install <i>and</i> repair.

1styota4X4

remember you will need to cut a section of the upper arm out to get the spacer in there...I replaced my upper, lower ball joints, tie rods, adjusters, cv axles (small tears in boots), make sure you have manual locking hubs if you plan on cranking on your torsions bars a lot. And yes spray all the bolts down with some type of penetrant for a couple days before you decied to do it. Also have a friend handy it helps

Djlarroc

Here you go homie: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...riteup-145471/

Funny what a lil searching will do for you...

jheyne

sorry to jack the thread but whats the big deal about having torn cv axle boots??

mine have been torn all the way around since ive owned the truck and i haven't had a problem with them yet

Alex 400

they hold the the grease inside the CV joint so that they stay lubricated so that they don't fail because of excess wear.

Swansen

times a bajillion on that one. Get a 2x4 piece and put it in between the upper bumpstop and upper control arm. That way you don't have to take anything off but the balljoints

Boots keep CVs alive, they keep debris out and grease in. Pretty much essential for proper gear operation.

foskco87

OK thanks so much guys. A couple more questions... Will I need extended bump stops? If so where can I get them and what size do I need? I dont understand what you are talking about with the piece of wood. What does putting the wood between the UCA and the bumpstop do? Create more space to work in? Sorry i am so clueless.

foskco87

Having torn boots is not good but its not worth worrying about. If they are torn you might as well just let your cv's wear out as replacing a boot is almost as much of a pain as changing the whole cv. I just drove mine on the wearing cv's for a few months then replaced the whole unit. Besides, if your boot is torn then the grease has gotten out and most likely crap has gotten in and you wouldnt want to replace a boot on a cv that has been damaged already. Its a pain how easily they rip though....you'd think human beings would have the technology to make a peice of rubber that doesnt get torn so easily.

Swansen

Extended bumpstops are a little bit of a debated topic. BJ spacers give a little more travel so you run the risk of overextending the shocks, as well as CV shaft bind. However, installing extended spacers takes away all of your increased travel, so you just have to set up your rig accordingly. Well this whole job works WAY better with two people, but placing a spacer in between the upper bump stop and control arm keep the UCA from dropping when the the truck off the ground. So, you'll get more room to work with as well, will be able to get the upper ball joint off without taking off anything else. On a final note, if you can, have some one sit on the fender to compress the suspension.

coolthew

the point of this is to keep the arm from dropping all the way down when you take the weight off the front. this will give you a lot more space to work. i wish i'd done that when i did mine.

also if you have the money replace the ball joints and CV's too (if they need it). the fewer times you have to tear the front end apart the better. you'll also only need one alignment. again, all stuff i wish i'd done different.

dewiseman

Sooo, does the 1" to 1.5" lift require a longer shock? I have been thinking of doing this myself along with coil spacers on the rear of a 95 4runner.

a4runnerfreak

Just the BJ spacers themselves, no.

Swansen

thats debatable, if you install BJ spacers you'll get increased travel over the stock shock, as well as pushing the lower control arm down, extending the shock. Otherwise, measure the shock mount points, fully extended, and compressed, then send that to who ever you want and you'll be for sure set that way.

here are some good threads on shocks and BJ spacers.
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...shocks-131493/
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/Docs/Shocks.txt