MooneyFWD

Hey all,

I just picked up an '86 Pickup for a great deal. I don't know too much about lifts, but this truck looks like it has a Trail Master 4" drop bracket lift. This is will be my daily driver / mall crawler. I do some light trail driving, no jumping or heavy mudding.

Anyway, it runs great, but the suspension is pretty rough on the road. My first thought was that I just needed some new shocks to soften up the ride? Bilstein 5100s perhaps? Then I took a look, and saw that I only have about an inch of clearance under all 4 front bump stops which can't be good. Pics below.

The rear leafs don't have a ton of arch, but they aren't flat. They are lifted with a 2" block.

What do I need to do to soften the ride and retain the lift?

Front View of Front
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FXI2hLBhLDo/S7...ont%20View.jpg

Rear View of Front
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_FXI2hLBhLDo/S7...ear%20View.jpg

Rear View of Rear
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_FXI2hLBhLDo/S7...ear%20View.jpg

I can't get these photos to show up for some reason. Only able to link to them. Maybe someone can edit for me...

cr@ves4wheelin

You have the same suspension as I do.
Maybe it needs an alignment, or the torsion bars are cranked up high.

iamsuperbleeder

honestly, that looks about right for the front; IFS isn't known for it's wheel travel

you could try and loosen the torsion bars up a few turns though; that may soften the ride some, but the front will also lower a little

but, you may also have after market thicker torsion bars installed, and that could be what's causing the harsh ride



Welcome to the forums!




and I can't edit your pictures, but I can post them for you


Front View of Front





Rear View of Front





Rear View of Rear

MooneyFWD

Well it definitely needs an alignment b/c my steering wheel is crooked.

Doesn't cranking the torsion bars up raise the truck a little bit?

MooneyFWD

Thanks for the reply and welcome. I've been lurking for a bit, and even more so in the past before I sold an 05 Tacoma.

I'll have to read up on the torsion bars. I'm not too familiar with them. There are some horizontal Trail Master branded shocks (or what look like shocks) across the front of the suspension.

tried4x2signN

MooneyFWD

Thanks for embedding the pics!

cr@ves4wheelin

Yeah it does, I thought maybe the last owner might have cranked them to match the rear height of your truck

MooneyFWD

Gotcha, will check it out. I don't mind having the rear a little higher than the front. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

iamsuperbleeder

that would probably be the steering stabilizer (or stabilizers from the sounds of the way you worded that, if they have a dual kit installed)

MooneyFWD

Ok, that's what that must be. It's a dual setup then. Thanks! I apologize, I'm still learning about the truck. I sure do love these Toyota Pickups.

So torsion bars are the most likely culprit? No need for new goodies (shocks)? That's good AND bad b/c I like goodies

iamsuperbleeder

do you have a pic of the clearance at the upper bump stop? the droop bump stop?

MooneyFWD

It has the same clearance, about an inch. I'll take a pic now.

MooneyFWD

Here it is:

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_FXI2hLBhLDo/S7...s800/photo.jpg

iamsuperbleeder

ah okay

see that looks about right as far as clearance goes from the control arm to the bump stops, IMO

personally, what I would do, is take a dial caliper and measure the diameter of your torsion bars; there's a good chance the previous owner installed some aftermarket thicker ones than OEM when they installed the lift

I can't recall what OEM size is off the top of my head; 22 or 23mm I think but most of your aftermarket ones are 25-26mm

MooneyFWD

ah okay

see that looks about right as far as clearance goes from the control arm to the bump stops, IMO

personally, what I would do, is take a dial caliper and measure the diameter of your torsion bars; there's a good chance the previous owner installed some aftermarket thicker ones than OEM when they installed the lift

I can't recall what OEM size is off the top of my head; 22 or 23mm I think but most of your aftermarket ones are 25-26mm


[/quote]
Pretty good off the top of your head. It is 23mm. Just went out and measured.

iamsuperbleeder

yeah that sounds right, lol

23mm you say huh? well, I guess you can sure out a thicker torsion bar then that's stock


could be shocks; a lot of lift kits come with "cheap" shocks

but, it could also be because the truck is so light and small, that it's going to ride, well, like a truck what are you comparing this ride as "rough" to?

MooneyFWD

Alright, I understand. I am not afraid of something riding like a truck. I've had a few different trucks over the years. This one is a bit more rough, but not horrible. I also like to tinker, so it's something to learn to "fix."

Thanks so much for the replies. I may try to loosen the torsion bar a bit. If that doesn't help, I'll shop around for some shocks.

Thanks again.

N2Frodn

Yep, that is a trailmaster kit all right. Same one came with my truck (yours is less thrashed then mine).

New shocks might help, I put Bilstein 5100s on mine. It helped some. Also put a Rancho steering stabilizer on it.

Something I have noticed fiddling with the torsions on mine (factory).
Too cranked = crappy ride and very little suspension droop.

Too relaxed= crappy ride and suspension bottoming out on the compression bump stops.

Couple of good tutorials floating around here on how to adjust them. Whatever you do, don't try to adjust them while the truck is sitting on the ground. All you will do is strip out the adjusting hardware.

iamsuperbleeder

good point

for <$20, you can get a new set of adjuster bolts from the dealership if the ones on the truck now look pretty rusted up

once they rust in, they tend to break when you start to torque on them, even if you take the weight of the truck off them



ask me how I know