I read back through the pages of this thread and saw some drama I missed, too funny! It is so strange how some folks are such IFS haters. I have both IFS and live axle and each has pro's and con's.

Also I read through Chef's build thread and have to say I am impressed by how active he is. Unbelievable, some 350 or so pages! His rig is showing some serious flexing, sad to see it going to the dark side. But it will be some good reading to see how it continues to evolve!

 

Nice rig, Nate,.... LOVE ur stuff!

Far as my lil red buggernaut lol.....

The lift was 2.5" in front ant 2.75" in rear on 32.5's.... S' all I wanted to do within a range for myself. I pushed it well for what it was... got up and over snd through some craaazy stuff my sfa budz never thought I would.

You're absolutely right, ... I could have gone much further, .... but I thought he just meant that I got the most out of what I had/had done? Maybe not, not sure. But NO DOUBT... she had much more IFS range to wiggle into.

 

Not sure exactly how he meant it looking back, but it opens up some discussion of some observations I have. Not being critical of you or any of the other guys because its all relative on so many factors, but one area I see that makes an unequal playing field is lift and tire size.

Most IFS rigs defending the argument are running tires at or under 33s. When that size tire goes up against a rig with 35s or 37s its hard to compete. My 4 Runner now has the lift, meats, and articulation but lacks low range, sliders, skid plates, and body protection. I'm slowly evolving my rig just like you are.

If your wanting to be an organ donor for your IFS parts send them to me I will make sure they find a new home. Would be fun to meet up for a trail run in the near future, and see we are both in SoCal it should be fairly easy. Getting thru or around LA is the trick.

 

I'm sure you have seen Pismo Joes Taco? That is one of those 4wd IFS rigs that just about sucked me into the "Get airborne" realm! Lol. I've just had less interest in speed/moguls, especially considering I have so many haunting soft tissue injuries (back, feet, joints) due to serious accidents and hard core sports in my youth. Hahaha. Yours is an arguement for some to keep pushing the IFS as well. ...Toyo's? LOVE ole "Blanca"! Lol.

Have you seen Socal854runners beast doing whoops and fireroads, Nate? He did well at bringing his 37 meated SFA rig into the long travel capable realm, at least a good chunk of the way.

I'll PM ya regarding the Arms. The majority of my IFS was sold the day I announced the SAS. But I have some A arms I was going to sell to someone for core cost on your kit. Lol. (Still have the spindles/hubs with newer japan bearings/ manual locking refurbished IFS Aisins/fairly young HD idler from Kragen before they turned into O'reilly's/linkage and 6 arms.... my Lower pair with new OEM bushings are sold. My uppers are cut for bj spacers. Full set of others are avail.)

Sorry guys.... just love talking yota.... And you all know you won't hear me hating on IFS. .....Had both styles, 3 times over, of each susp. system.

Just would also like to reiterate what has been said many times... I would never tell anyone how to spend their funds.... I just would urge anyone to do as much research as possible and avoid clicking the purchase button over an impulse that you had after seeing someone elses rig. Nate and any other fabricator to tell you that having that type of equipment is half the battle and brings down the cost of doing such mods dramatically. Obviously they have a lot of investment into R and D, but once they have the equipment it becomes a whole different ballgame from their perspective in comparison to ours, ours meaning those of us work out of our garage. I think I can say that I did mine my own way and in a unique way at that. I was able to get quite a bit of articulation both directions out of a mostly stock yet refreshed front end. I also did a little above average on the rear as well, just by adding the proper Zuk coil and without any shackles or otherwise pricey mods. ($70) ....Moving up to the Old Man Emu Springs was definitely a noticeable improvement that actually increased my rear AND front end articulation abilities simply by being able to push upward along with droop and resist coming off the ground more than stock is capable of. But the bottom line on the rear is that you will never get articulation like Nate just showed without increasing the length of the leaf pack from eye to eye. Shackles can help, but keeping stock length Springs and adding very long shackles can also come with its own issues. I know this is about front suspension pictures... But, if you think the rear springs have nothing to do with your front flex on independent suspension... Definitely not the case.

I'll refrain from expounding further and leave this thread to pics....... BRING IT WITCHO LEAPFROGGIN, INDIE ARMED BEAUTIES! Lol

 

By the way, thank you for the kind words, Nate! From a modification artists such as yourself,.... That means quite a bit to me! Can't wait to see what's next with your or anyone elses Rig!

 

Who's axles you have in there, Nate?

 

I meant it exactly how Mark took it.


My stance on an SAS which is what led me away from your awesome kit was how custom it becomes. If I keep with a simple leaf sprung suspension paired with the FJ62 axles I have I can get replacement parts more easily in the case of a break down. On top of this the potential for failure is lower, unless I drive like a jackass. If I go coilovers I get a more comfy ride but walked away from the KISS method I've been thinking. Even though it would be epic.

Where I plan on taking my rig I can't afford a system that custom. I've already taken it to some remote spots in Canada where a major breakdown is bad news. Later I will ship it to Australia. Landcruiser heaven but where a major breakdown can be much more immediately dangerous.

It all boils down in my particular case to reliability and strength. At the end of my project I will have a 9.5 diffs, stout axles and parts availability. My rig by the end will also be heavy. If I manage to pull off a 2UZ swap like I plan, 37"s and proper armour I'll appreciate the beef.

If it was to be a weekend toy close to home a cool IFS setup would be ridiculously awesome. I'm not anti-IFS at all. It's just not for everyone and all needs.


Right now I'm on 35"s and mostly stock IFS. I'm right pushing the limit of that 7.5" diff up front. With just 1.5 ball joint spacers and a small torsion bar crank I get where any Heep up here goes and then some.

I am going to miss the IFS skid plate though. I'm positive it's helped me get through the bottomless muskeg bogs. I'm on a boat!



Boy do those jumping rigs ever look fun. I think I'm in the same spot as you, looks painful on old injuries from previous too much fun days.


__-

 

action shots

 

Bloody nice truck.

 

All good points you all are bringing up!

As far as finding parts for 1986-1995 IFS rigs it can't get much easier. When ever I go to the local pick n pull salvage yards there are always 3-4 IFS rigs loaded with cheap parts. Autoparts stores can get what ever CVs, BJs, Rod Ends, etc with no problems. In contrast I rarely ever see a live axle truck/4Runner or Land Cruiser in the pick n pull yards, and if I do see one its been picked clean within hours of arrival. BTW, replacing most of these IFS parts is basic. Replacing a broken axle or birf in a live axle not so much! A busted main leaf on a custom leaf pack, forget about it!

Edeslaur, my 4Runner with the CMdiff the axles shafts are custom but the assembly is standard off the shelf pieces and parts.

I'd continue with responses to some of the other points brought up..... but I just don't want to propagate getting off topic of this thread. There are some specific threads about IFS vs SAS that might be more appropriate. So with that said, back to the "IFS Flex Pics"

 

Blazen8: that is what i want my pickup to look like!

 

Haha didn't realIze the pics of your 4 runner were on like the first page. Stupid mobile app

 

what is it with with this lame thread. and most are showing the rear axle flex. if you like the flex of the rear so much why not stop acting like the front flexes and put an SAS on. and what is this crap about a fire road. no you need solid axle for when i get tired of watching the want a be's play have to pick out the best angle or route.its nice to go where they cant make it so they all set back and watch

 

Its not necessarily wannabes, just people that want different things. There are advantages to both styles. SAS you won't get high centered as easily but it doesn't come with the benefits of IFS. My daily driver is also my offroad toy so i don't need to dump money into a SAS since i won't be pushing the limits away. The only real wannabes are the ones that do just a body lift without a real reason other than cosmetics.

 

Good post N8. For me, I'll be taking the truck to Australia in a few years. It will be there with me for a decade at least. Landcruisers everywhere.

The missus is Aussie and will make me move back to have a family.

I was just over there a month ago and looked into Toyota prices. A 2nd Gen Surf/4Runner bone stock will set me back 7 to 10k..... Aftermarket parts cost twice as much. An Fj80 still costs over 20k, stock.

It will be cheaper to put my wagon in a sea can and pay for a driver side swap.

Shine Runner, may I direct you to Pirate offroad forums. You'll fit in much better over there.

 

What exactly does this mean. Swap the steering wheel from left to right side or vise versa. Assuming that's what you mean why would you have to do that. I see cars here in WV,USA that have the steering on the right hand side and I do not believe its against the law. Just curious bud.

 

Yeah, switch the drivers side from left to right. The vehicle is not old enough to be exempt from having to do a driver side swap in Australia. If if it wasn't I would still have it done. It's dangerous to drive from the wrong side as far as I'm concerned. Also Australian laws don't like modified 4X4's. Why give them another excuse to pull me over.

I also need to get the vehicle an engineer certification. It's easier to get my work inspected if I am paying them for another job.

 

I enjoy the discussion yall. I don't think anyone who loves to see other IFS rigs doing work will mind a little "pro IFS" discussion. I love availability of parts, both new and used, for our rigs. Love live IFS

 

Oh yeah Nate I forgot to mention. A modified 4x4 in Australia must pass certain rules, one thing they hate is increased track width.... Silly really. That and body lifts. They make you do a highway pass test to test body roll.

The FJ62 front axle is the same width as stock IFS.

 

i think money is the issue here. i use my 88 SAS runner as a daily driver built it myself. 5.29gears. duals with 4.7. custom shafts, dirty 30's, i just swap tires 35 1250 toyo mt onroad 38 12.50 tsl bias offroad. and drives like a caddy. they do when their built right. and the front flexes as good as the rear.