ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

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.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

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............

T?@\7

nicely done!

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

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.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

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.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

PS> know a good thread on 'adjusting the torsion bars' for my truck? I have NO CLUE, lol. Hey, at least I'm honest, hahaha. However, I WILL be able to do it within a day or so, and it'll get done if it's the right thing to do.

I'd also like to find a more practical bumper than the stock/bent one I have.....even new they kinda suck, you can't get your foot on them for balance, etc., ...THEY'RE SO SHORT/outward, lol. Just not sure if I can afford the 325$(with shipping) for the Addicted/WabFab/TG rear bumper. DANG they're nice though!

92 TOY

i did not browse through these, so i'm not sure if they are any help

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-first-201994/

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-first-214051/

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

Here is the best t bar adjustment write up I've run across.
http://www.off-road.com/trucks-4x4/t...ent-19258.html

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

DANGGGGG, NOW THAT'S SERVICE! HAHAHA. Thanks guys!

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Hey Jerry, here's KINDA the colors I was thinking of. Black of course is obvious, and please excuse the TERRIBLE job in 'paint', hahaha, I'M NO BLEEDER WITH THAT CURSOR! hahaha.

Black............


Navajo(kinda, like i said, hahaha.... Hopefully you'll know what I'm talking about).....

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

My theory on shocks is that you get a certain level of technology within a certain price range. For instance:

In the $25-$50 range you have Rancho, Pro Comp, Cepek, Skyjacker etc with a similar piston size and material as well as the dampening oil. Some nitrogen charged, some not.

For $75-$100 you get the basic Bilsteins, OME, MX series of Pro Comp with better quality materials etc.

Then there is the sky is the limit with Fox, Icon, high end Bilstein, with reservoirs and rebuildable (which I just see as downtime), blah blah blah.

Oh and Monroes for $15-$25 which I had for a while and they were fine too.

I think your rough ride may be more due to the springs (t bars) than shocks. You may be bottoming out on your bumpstops and raising the t bar could potentially help. One thing I kind of disagree with in that t bar adjustment write up is the low pro bumps. I did that route and when you do hit them, they are like rocks. Also you remember how hard your rear bumps were when you placed the springs over them? Same deal. If you actually hit those things there is no cushion at all, it's just there to protect against overarching the springs. Maybe you could find some nice soft squishy bumps to soften things up. All this isn't to say new shocks won't help. If you do go the BJ spacer route you need a front that compresses to 10.25 inches and extends to 15.25 inches. I know the Ranchos off the top of my head are 5167 spec-ed for a Samurai. Other makers, you'll have to search. For basic off roading and fire roads I think any of them are fine and everyone had their own reasons for why they like one brand over another. Pick what you like. (or find a deal on)

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Thanks alot, B&B,

So, is it possible that my T-bars are just giving due to age and need to be tightened up a lil bit just to give them a lil 'less easy spring', and in the meantime, giving me a lil more height?

I know many kits, like the OME, come with new Torsion Bars, .......do I need to start looking for some with a good deal?

PS> You think my factory-original shocks are still working properly? Or do you mean that they are just a damper, not so much making for a much softer ride?

Sorry B&B, ...Just learning, hahaha.

Thanks again,

Mark

PSS> Which color for the top do you like best, guys? hahaha

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

OK. Shocks stop the vehicle from bouncing rapidly up and down. Boing boing boing. To some extent they will help with ride harshness by slowing the rate of compression a little, but that is really the job of the spring. Too stiff a spring and you get a rough ride because it doesn't give at all and the shock does almost nothing because it hardly gets compressed or extended. Too soft or worn out a spring and the vehicle constantly bangs against the bumpstop. This is where the shock might help some, but won't alleviate the problem because that is not really what it is designed to do.

The factory t bars are smaller (i.e. thinner) than any of the aftermarket t bars but the thicker bars are really about weight carrying capacity and not springiness. Thicker bars will just be stiffer and require fewer cranks on the adjuster to get there. They are useful if you run a heavy front bumper and/or winch combo or use it as a go-fast desert truck. Otherwise they are just heavier/stiffer. That said, we could collect a hundred guys from here and half would say they are better and half would say you don't need them. Keep in mind the IFS front end only has 4-5 inches of travel best case so you're going to bottom it out sometimes (or a lot). Mine never really rode that great either. You'll kind of have to experiment with it yourself. Cranking the t bars could just make things worse by adding additional tension that you don't need. In this case, new bars really won't help you any. If they're too soft and allowing you to bottom out all the time then a little crank might help. In this case a slightly heavier bar may give some improvement.

Here is an old thread with some good info:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...p-flex-115867/

Also this one that I linked in my post #9 in the above thread:
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f31/...nd-gens-68897/

Finally some shock info from Rancho:

These are the stock part #'s for our runners with compressed/extended measurements
Front RS5145 9.375/13.375
Rear RS5180 13.625/21.500

Specs sheet for various part #'s
http://www.gorancho.com/assets/catal...ifications.pdf
Master catalog for vehicle applications. This biotch takes a while to load.
http://www.gorancho.com/assets/catal...ho_Catalog.pdf

c0ugar69

dang Chef that thing was saggin more than the gang banger i see arround here!!! seriously though it sure looks alot better lifted back up with a belt on!! I still need to get shocks for mine, I heard you say you need new U joint. mines been making a wierd vibration when i first take off, I think its that the angle of the drive line is a little off now that its up higher. i may get some angled shims to re align it.

edeslaur

New to Toys and just curious.

My 87 4runner, which I bought 3000 miles ago with 212k, sits level with the top on. Did all 4runners sag, or?

I hate to lift it 'cause it's sitting so nice.

kiyobrown

if your sits nice and doesn't bottom out, no need to mess with it.

But of ton of folks, like mine, sagged and was fixed with this mod.

Nice write up chef!

edeslaur

Yah, I figured. Just wondering why some sagged and some didn't. Or maybe my PO did something to this one to get it back to level (looks original back there).

Guess it'll be a selling point when I try to recoup some $$ from removed parts when I lift it. Heh.

kiyobrown

nice. You might already have an add a leaf in there, its a pretty normal fix as well for the sag.

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Thanks Blknblu, that last post did the trick on 'locking it in' the brain basket, lol. Trying to absorb so much info in the last few months, aside from the other info I absorb already through my profession, etc., etc., ...ahhhh, you get the picture, haha. Great links, very helpful guy, appreciated!

HAHAHA, ...yeah, that "PANTS ON THE GROUND, PANTS ON THE GROUND" THING? .... that REALLLLLLLLLY bugs me, ....but oh well, eh? hahaha.
Far as the u-joint, I'm not POSITIVE, ....but it sure sounds like the 'DINK'(metal on metal ping) I've had from 2 other U-joints in different vehicles. Time to read up MORE, of course, to locate the noise, ...but it seems like play in the drive line to me, ya know? (No vibration. Not really. More of a clunk most often, and occasionally the 'pink/dink', hahaha. Funny thing, ...>I didn't notice it till bringing up the rear. And, to confirm what you said, ...IT WAS SAGGIN like an L.A. Toy with 20k #'s of cardboard in it!(Los Angeles inside joke, haha).

Thanks, Kiyo!

Probably an add-a-leaf, Ed. Just count them out against the factory amount. A good guy I know on here, Flecker, did one on his, and it's sitting nice for him, too...(WITH the Add-leaf).

ChefYota4x4

iTrader: (5)

Any ideas on the "Top Color" thing I threw out there? Sorry, again, for my 'Paint' skills, lol...but it shows a pretty good idea of the difference between black and light-desert brown.