Hello everyone, this is my first post. Last night I traded one of my spare 4door vehicles for this 1979 1st Gen 4x4. I've been wanting to get a yota truck for awhile now, and I can't wait to get started.

This one is gonna need some work.



I know I know, the multicolors arent working for it! As much as I want to go to town with a sander and get it primer black, I want to take care of some issues with it first!

First is the getto lift thats been done to it. I need to figure out what type of springs the PO had on them, he may have moved the rears to the front. And I have no idea about the rear. I will post the measurements so you guys can get a better idea. Right off the bat I know I'm going to need a better front spring hanger:





And this is the situation in the rear:



So whats the best way I can clean this up? Also, I need to find out how to tighten up the steering. It seems when I hit a bump, the truck wanders off course. Could this be from the questionable lift setup?

Thanks

 

Yikes, yes your suspention needs some love. But I am not sure what to recommend, other than I suggest you search and look through threads of your model and see what others have done. Take a day and really find your other favorite build up threads. Book-mark them and then refer to them when you post ideas on your thread. Because other than that you are just asking someone else what YOU should do with YOUR truck.

Some early questions: Can the springs be re-used? If so then you need new shackles and places to mount them.

As far as the steering goes... that one you should be able to find on a search!

Welcome.

 

Also this link may be helpful. IIRC my friend doug had to do some serious re-work on his suspention. His truck "Jr." looked a lot like yours. Now this is a TTORA thread and fair warning, it is a very different forum and they are not as nice. http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=111154

 

Welcome to Yotatech!

Bootyfabulous!

Cut it off. Throw it away. Start over.

Front lift
http://www.wabfab.org/Front-Lift-Kit...-products.html

Rear lift
http://www.wabfab.org/Rear-Lift-Kits...ypage.tpl.html

Numerous build up threads on what to do.
Yours is an example of how NOT to do it.

 

1982 PickUp Build in progress
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f114...3-25-a-211745/

1985 PickUp build
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f198...weasel-123186/

1995 4Runner build
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-night-207960/

 

Thanks for the replies. I cant wait to cut that nasty front hanger off. Does anyone know the size of the original rear springs so that I can try to determine if the springs on the front are the rear? Thanks

 

I would be afraid to even drive that with the suspension and steering in that condition.

 

for spring measurements...
http://www.4x4spot.com/misc__spring_information.htm

cut that stupid "thing" in the front off
http://www.trail-gear.com/spring-hanger-kit

if youre running RUF, then a common rear spring to use is a 63" chevy spring (88-98 1500 pickup). you can level with shackles. and toss those blocks and 3 foot long shackles back there...

$0.02

 

Thanks guys, I will be sure to post my progress getting this mess sorted out!

 

You should buy a front spring hanger from wabbit, TG, or whoever else sells it.
Then get shorter shackles out back lol..
Looks like stock leafs with mega booty fabulous lift.
the rear has some sweet blocks, too.
the front spring looks kinda like a custom pack or something..
not the lack of clips holding the leafs together?

 

Do you guys think I'm having bad bump steer problems because of this bad suspension setup? First on my list is the new front spring hanger. What size shackles in the rear? I may go with the chevy 63" for the rear, if I find out the stock rears are up front already. Gonna get rid of the blocks also. I just want it lifted enough to clear the 35s, it's obnoxiously high as it sits right now..

 

Go to pirate and read theirs FAQs on the chevy rears and the RUFs. That should answer almost literally any question you can think of about those swaps.

 

good luck with your project. with RUFs and 3" lift you could go with high steer. you'll need a newer steering box. high steer is one of the best mods i've done to my truck.

 

may i suggest...

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new...duct.php?id=77

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new...duct.php?id=80

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new...duct.php?id=88

http://www.sky-manufacturing.com/new...uct.php?id=116

gotta rep the local guys here... lol

 

Bingo! I wouldn't drive that thing, it is a danger to you and others on the road

 

Yea I've already parked it where it needs to be (tags expire Saturday) and it's not going anywhere until I refresh the suspension and steering. I plan on taking the bed off also..

 

Thanks, looks like hey have some decent pricing!

 

What do you plan on doing with the bed? If it's a longbed in decent shape and you are local I might be interested in taking it off your hands for you.

 

Starsky, first off, good choice choosing mechanical over body first. A friend of mine did the opposite, what a mess that truck was. looked good though. Looks like its got a custom drag link of sorts on a nasty angle, thats where your bumpsteer is coming from. My factory '83 rears measure 46" eye to eye at stock ride height, I'm geussing youre front springs are longer due to the extendo mounts that captain awesome fitted your poor truck with before you saved it. is it still wearing factory shackles up front, and if so what angle are they on? If theyre on a nasty forward angle, then the extendo mounts may have been to move the front axle forward with RUF. if so a weld on hanger from wab, TG, Marlin etc will be a good starting point to a solution. if youre front shackles are near vertical or rearward then I'd say its got longer than stock springs up front. Redoing the rear with 63's or something similar would free up what looks like factory rears that could be fitted up front with a new spring hanger. I just cant get enough info from the pics to make a solid recomendation. The pricey but simplest way would be as Wab suggested, cut everything off from the framerails down and weld on a complete suspension system. So its all up to your budget really

 

So I have some more pics for you guys.

First, this is what the shackles up front look like, please let me know if this is how they usually hang, something does not look right (surprise surprise):



These next photos are of the steering setup, is this whats known as the factory "push-pull"? Definitely going to go with a high steer setup.





And check out the shock mount extensions:



On the bright side, I just picked up the first piece of my puzzle, a Marlin front spring hanger. Now just need to find time to weld or get someone to weld it on for me.



Now to source some springs and shackles..