Does anyone know where to get a front crossmember drop, to drop the front diff and a-arms? Ive been looking, but can only find the whole kit.. Im kinda broke right now, anyways, but ive had this whole week off of work, and need something to do/think about, lol. Right now, i have a 3 inch lift, and would like to go a little, but my CV shafts are already at a hellacious angle.

 

4Crawler sells a diff drop kit.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/ForSale/DiffDrop.shtml

 

What you're looking for is called a "bracket lift". You might want to start saving for steering components, as the tie rod angles get very steep with bracket lifts.

 

Matt16 is correct- what you're looking for is part of an IFS lift (a.k.a. bracket) kit like those sold by superlift, procomp, rancho, etc.

You say you already have a 3" lift... so that's a what? ...a body lift? ... a suspension lift?

You're looking to relax the angles on the outer CV joints? A differential drop kit like what woodendude suggested would accomplish that somewhat.

Knowing what you have to work with would help out a lot with suggestions for what to do.

 

I figured me saying I have a 3 inch suspension lift, and wanting to drop the diff to relax the angle on the CV joints would explain itself. Yes, its a 3 inch suspension lift. I have rancho arms, downey shock loops and torsion bars. Thats it for the front lift. I got the lift in pieces, and threw it on, not knowing about the drop kit for the diff. Ive been wondering why most others a-arms are basically flat across, while mine are angled.
So a bracket lift will lower the front diff, helping out the cv joints? My brother is in the works of fabbing me a steering rack (Hes a tech at the local toyota dealer, and used to work in fabbing). Can you buy just the a-arm crossmember drop, or will those spacers be good enough to drop the diff?
Thanks for the help.

 

Some early lift kits were little more than reconfigured upper control arms (which for all intents and purposes were the equivalent of upper control arms with ball-joint spacers) and re-indexed torsion bars to provide lift. More 'modern' IFS lifts incorporate brackets that lower both the differential and lower control arms as well as include parts that allow the spindle to set lower (for lift) without affecting steering linkage or the upper control arm. Net travel is not affected with these 'bracket' lifts and consequently they do not affect wear on the outer CV joints any more than the stock suspension does.

It's a convoluted comparison- the early lift kits compared with the later ones. The later 'bracket' lifts achieve 4" of lift without stressing the CV's like your 3" kit does because they drop the front differential accordingly.

 

When i got the truck, it came with a few pieces of the lift, so i just bought the things the previous owner (He got the lift parts from the guy HE bought it from, and doesnt know much about it) said he was told, he was missing. Ill just throw some spacers on there and see if it helps.
Although my brother will want to take everything off and design a new setup, haha.

 

You said that you have 3" of suspension lift now and want more.
Why are you looking for more suspension lift ?


Fred

 

Why does anyone want a bigger suspension lift? More ground clearance.. Last month i was out offroading, and hit my driveshaft and carrier bearing. I think with more lift (and a better spotter) I would be able to climb that rock. Also last weekend, when climbing a hill my rear bumper dug into the ground.. Not only do i want it so I personally think it will look cooler, but for functionality also. A lot of my friends have big chevys with a lot more ground clearance, so i hit where they dont.

 

Wow ... so much to comment on here ...

Wow. He must be either the worst tech ever or the best. Your steering doesn't HAVE a rack. So, either he doesn't know that because he was trained on Tacomas and newer, or he is DA MAN and is going to convert yours...

There are better ways of getting ground clearance than jacking up more suspension lift. Due to the shorter wheelbase, you shouldn't need anywhere near the lift/tire size as the fullsize guys to clear the same obstacle. No matter how big the lift, there are bigger rocks to get hung up on - you have to call it at some point.

Do you have a plate style crossmember? That will gain you almost 2".
I see you have a body lift - have you researched a drivetrain lift? That can gain you 1-2" easy.
Relocated the gas tank? On my 4Runner, it hung down almost 3" below the frame.
Bobbed the bed? This will DRAMATICALLY improve your departure angle.

All of these things will gain you REAL ground clearance that an IFS lift (other than a bracket lift) won't because the bump stops are still in the same place. With your lift, the tire still tries to stuff to the same height, so with the suspension compressed, you still have the same ground clearance.

I have Budbuilt crossmembers and a relocated gas tank on my IFS 'runner with 33's. Molly has all stock stuff on her SAS 'runner with 35's. We are within 1" of the same ground clearance between the wheels!

Lastly, about your "better spotter" comment, it is VERY important to note that very often SFA rigs (like the Chevys) have a DIFFERENT (not better or worse, just different) line than IFS rigs - just as they will have a different line due to the width/wheelbase than you. You need a spotter who helps you put the truck on the line YOU want for YOUR truck, not the line that works for their trucks.

 

The spotter next to me told me to go forward, for i wouldnt hit, then went forward and saw the guys in front of me saying to stop, I tried to real quick, but i smacked the carrier bearing and driveshaft.

I call it all steering racks.. The metal that comes off my steering box and goes to my steering stabilizer and to my tie rods.. i call it a steering rack..
I plan to do a SAS next year after i get some things paid off. For now, if i can spend a couple bucks and get a couple more inches, thats fine with me.
Last time i checked, my gastank was even with my frame. Downey has the Tcase plate that will give me a couple inches of clearance, dont they? an inch or so thick plate that replaces the 5 inch thick crossmember..

 

... or 3/8" vs 2", whatever ...

 

tc made all great points.

Bracket lifts dramaticly weaken the front suspension, a rear-truss or strut bars going from the bracket to the frame (behind it all) are wise additions. Sure you'll gain a few inches of underbelly clearance but a new flat crossmember under the tranny is a cheaper and better solution to gain a few inches IMO. won't change your clearane for the driveshaft/carrier but sounds like you were on a bad line to be hitting them anyways.

A drivetrain lift would help there, tho a bit more involved than a simple ifs bracket lift, but it's a much better upgrade.

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTri...ft/index.shtml

 

tc, the tanks on trucks sit 2" higher than the 4runners. cuz of the back seats

 

Thanks for the info guys!

 

Do whatever you want, it's up to you. However, things have names, usually for clarity, not for confusion.

If I ask for help with my valves, but I decide to call it the timing chain, I'm asking for confusion and advice that's pointed in the wrong direction.

 

So then whats the proper name for it?

 

steering box is on the frame
pitman arm is the arm on the steering box
idler arm looks like the pitman arm but is bolted to the opposite side of the frame
relay rod runs between the pitman arm and idler arm
tie rods run from the relay rod down to the (steering) knuckle arms
(steering) knuckle arms bolt to the steering knuckle

 

So what i was calling the steering rack is the relay rods.
I know what all that other crap is, just have always called the relay rods the rack.

 

indignant much??