shawnhog

Okay, here is what I got and installed:
-1.5" BJ spacers (R.B.)
-diff-drop mounts (R.B.)
-swaybar relocation mount (R.B.)
-5.5" OME coils (All-Pro)
-panhard drop bracket (R.B.)
-upper and lower links (All-Pro)

Now, my 1991 4Runner 3.0 has it's butt up in the air by a good six inches or more! I mean, it looks fairly ridiculous. I know that the rear will eventually settle down a bit and even things out, but even then, the rear will be 4-5" higher than the front!

I think that I might have goofed up on the Torsion bars, but I am not sure. To crank them up is to turn clockwise, right?

I am so close to freaking out and rushing out to buy a cheap-o ProComp lift to put the front end level with the rear... I am truly freaking-OUT!

Not to mention the violent driving vibration.. But that might be solved by adjusting the upper links to rotate the axle back a bit. I still think that the pinion is out of whack by a few degrees to the right.. Anyone know how to solve that one?

I do think that something is not right, as the rear tailgate, at the top is almost level with my chin, and I am better than 6" tall!

Godzilla

I think you may have wanted to just get the 1.5' coils to level it out right?
Those 5.5's will throw you way up even with bj spacers.

Godzilla

ok nevermind i just read some of your earlier threads...and you had the 1.5's..but ya an extra 4 inches is alot.

Rocklobster

ya what did you expect when you lift the front 1.5 inches and the back 5.5 inches?

5.5 > 1.5 haha, time to lift the front or cut the coils

regularguy412

Vibration?? R.I.P driveshaft?

Mike in AR

AW1090

yup....try and find someone that's getting rid of their ifs bracket lift for up front. You can lift the front up to even with the rear or if you don't want it that high then you need to pull those springs and buy new ones. I wouldn't suggest cutting them...check pirate4x4...they seem to always have a bracket kit or two over there..

CoedNaked

Um, can you take some pics? LOL

AH64ID

Okay, if you really put 5.5" coils in, not 1.5", yeah you cant be suprised at the result.

You are going to have to do some other mods to the coils suspsension... First and foremost, panhard bar drop bracket that is 5.5", this is why your axle is clocked to the right. You will probally also need new shocks.

Do you have an auto tranny?? Procomp claims that V6 autos will get a drivline vibration with a 4" lift.

Also the springs were for a much heavier FJ.. They may settle a bit, but at best you will be 4" higher in the butt....5.5-1.5=4...

As for the tailgate...Its so high due to the large rake your rig has. If you were to jack the front up 4" and leave the rear on the tires the tailgate would drop at least 4", probally 5", to a better height.

You will also need another 4" of lift from the front. On my 95 I have 3.5" springs and 1.5" spacers, still less lift than you, and it rode a hair butt high with a 4" procomp. I had a 4" panhard bar drop bracket, stock lower links, no drop bracket. On the upper links I used the procomp piece, which was built so &^%#*(^( that it ripped my axle housing...Thus a leaf swap. If you want that much lift from a 90-95 runner IMO you have to do a leaf swap. With the leaves I got better articulation and MUCH better road manners, I could corner without dragging the rear bumper..I did actaully pull it on three wheels in a parking lot once (driver front tire was 3 feet in the air), the rear was TOO soft, and the coils were 40% stiffer than stock.

my .02

shawnhog

Yeah, I suppose that it was pretty stupid of me to go that route... But what is done is done. At least I got my first warning by a cop today for a "no-bumper/ no-mudflap" violation, and since I live in MT, it is hard to violate any lift laws around here, as we have almost none!

My 'Runner, when I first got it it sagged a full two inches in the rear, so the new coils actually come out to 3.5" of lift in the rear, not 5.5, 4.75, whatever. As of now, my torsion bars are (unfortunately) cranked to the max, and with no shocks or stabalizers all around, I have one heck of a rough ride, lol! I opted for the complete rear kit from R.B. and All-Pro, including control arms and the panhard bracket, so the behavior is better there. Also on the plus side: that annoying vibration that was occurring last night is almost gone now, and I think a little extra adjustment from the upper control arms will help a bit there.

Now for addressing the front: As much as I would like to do a SAS (and I really do), I cannot afford the near two grand for it (well, I can, but that will obliterate my savings), and I would also like the Total Chaos kit, as that would give me better ground clearance (again, near or over 2 grand). Unfortunately, I am nearly broke (budget-wise), so I need a better solution. I might contact 4WheelParts or Downey to see if I can save a few bucks by purchasing ONLY the front kits, as that would help a whole bunch. I think Downey has the TC kit, so they might be out.. I guess that leaves Pro-Comp...

Is it possible, with the new arms and bracket in the rear, to put the 1.5" coils back in without problems? I might do that to save myself some money, instead of spending it all. That is, if it is feasible.. Has anyone ever done that? Or am I better off with the front kits?

AH64ID

If you drop down to 1.5" coils you will probally want to take the longer arms out, or your axle will sit too far aft. And you will need a shorter panhard drop bracket.

The procomp front is good and can be had for about 600 with no rear components.

And if your sagged 2" before the springs, you would have gotten 7.5" lift from them.

I would be careful driving with no shocks, I did it in my runner once and when I hit a rough section of road I almost bounced off the road, I think I was actually getting air under the rear tires.

shawnhog

7.5"? How do you figure that? I figured 5.5" with the new coils, minus 2" for the sag, and the whole thing comes out to 3.5" overall...

If I get the ProComp (I couldn't find it as a frontend-only), I can relax the torsion bars for the front to lower the last 1/2 inch to get 3.5" all-around.

Well, time to lose another $900.00...

I can definently understand the roughness of driving w/o shocks.. That is why I am currently marking my 'Runner as "Out-of-Action" until I complete the frontend, put in the new shocks, complete the rear bumper.

here we go...

AH64ID

The 5.5" of lift is from stock height, so the 2 inches to get back to stock, plus the 5.5" fromt the springs is 7.5" of lift. The spring makers have no clue where your rig currently is, they go off original height.

Call procomp, get the part number for the full front kit, and then call around to have that part ordered. Thats what I did for mine and I got it for about 5-600, or less. I can remember. 4wheelparts got it for me.

With those 5.5" springs and a 4" bracket lift I would imagine you will have the t-bars at almost stock settings. If you want lower I would put a HEAVY rear bumper on...

anthony1

iTrader: (1)

since others have addressed your height problem I'll go with the vibration. It's the rear drive shaft. You need to get the front D-shaft, pre 86 prefered. It has double carden joint. You would need to lengthen it. You'll also need to get the output flange from the front of the t-case or drill new holes ( 90 deg. opposite ). Holes are 14mm bolts.
BTW, I'm using the similar springs with my SAS.

shawnhog

Okay, the new ProComp kit is now ordered, and I just now placed an order for a new set of sliders and the front bumper from All-Pro. Since my new bumper is capable of being mounted up with a winch, I will be able to throw something heavy in the front if my frontend is too high..
As for the rear, I am SOL, as I am putting an All-Pro styled rear bumpers fabricated by me, as no one sells a high-clearance bumper for the swing-out tire carrier.

I think the point of the adjustable upper arms on the All-Pro website is to allow for clocking of the rear axle, allowing me to rotate the pinion up a few degrees, helping to allieviate the driveline vibration. I won't go so far as to dig up an old front driveshaft. By rotating the pinion up, both the output and input joints should level out a little bit, helping out there.

Man, with the way this project is going, she is going to be insane, inside and out. My girlfriend suggested I name her something like "Psycho-Betty," after her idol: Betty Page. She is a weird girl, but I love her because of that!

AH64ID

If you have the stock driveshaft on you want the angles on the ujoint to match , so whatever that takes. You dont want to go too far since with how the rear shocks mount, you will go past where the bushing can bend, then when you droop you can bend a mount or limit droop..

anthony1

iTrader: (1)

I've been there, done that with the d-shaft. You WILL continue to have vibration. I have the All Pro links before I replace the d-shaft and it didnt help much. I got the advice from Marlin himself. You have too much lift in the rear. The single u-joint can't do the job anymore.

AH64ID

I did the same thing when I did my leaf swap on my 95. Used the back half of a 2 piece tacoma shaft. Worked great.

Robinhood150

Why didn't you just go with the normal cruiser coils everyone else does with the BJ spacers?

AH64ID

I think he miscalculated, thinking with his 2" droop that he would only get 3-3.5" out of the 5.5" spring, not 7.5"

shawnhog

So then, whereabouts would I find a two-piece driveshaft from a Taco to bolt up; and for that matter: what years should I look for?

I apologize, but my mind is having a tough time wrapping itself around this 7.5" of lift... granted, my 'Runner did look loopy with the rear lift only, but 7.5"? That is beyond anything realistic..

My figuring is this, and I called AllPro on this as well: the 5.5" cruiser coils are 5.5" longer than stock springs in great shape (with no sag). That much I think we all agree on. Also, the 1.5" coils are considered lift coils as well, though they do not actually lift your 4Runner, but bring it back up to the original ride height. Straight from the guys at AllPro: the same principle is applied to the 5.5" coils.

So, if you have a 4Runner with no lift or coils of any kind that sags in the rear, the 1.5" coils will bring you to level, and the 5.5" coils will bring you up to the 1.5", and from there an additional 4" up. In all and depending on the 4Runner, you should expect a maximum of 4" of lift from the new coils, in my case 3.5" (since I sagged 2" overall.). Besides, if I truly had 7.5" of lift in the rear, no amount of torsion crank would bring me anywhere close to level, and right now I am off by about 2" at full crank..

It is all kind of strange, and perhaps AllPro should include some literature by the coils to better explaining what you get if you install them.

The hunt for a new driveshaft begins!

P.S. I apologize if any of the above might sound like flaming, I have just been having a bunch of trouble wrapping my mind around 7.5"...

Please don't chase me down with that chopper!