I'm considering LT for the rear on my 1990 4Runner, is there a difference between deaver and Marlin leaf springs? i don;t plan on bombing through the desert, more like the "hybrid' 4Runners that we have seen here.

 

I know you aren't planning on bombing through the desert, but I'd much rather go for coil-overs for LT front or rear. You'll want to cut up into the cab though. And also put in a 3-link... If you're going to fab stuff up, I think why not go a small step further. I don't imagine it would be very hard to get the shock towers and strut mounts in the cab. Just plan it out carefully.

By LT, are you meaning you're doing an SAS and want matching rear springs? Or do you mean LT IFS?

 

If you coil the rear youd want 4 link, and i would get deaver, i hear they are more appreciated for misc. off road travels. search there is a dude that got long travel with out cutting up his runner.

 

For one thing the deavers mount under the axle and the marlins over. Mounting them under the axle will reduce your ground clearance. I'm running 62" deavers (Spring Under)on my '87 4runner and deathrunner is running a tundra leaf pack from deaver over the axle, so there are some options. My deavers are the smoothest riding leafs I have ever had, my shock are a little soft but thats another story. They soak up everything and I couldnt be more happy with them.

 

Marlin springs would seem to be more suited to crawling and flex. The Deavers seem to be more focused on spring rates and ride. I would expect the Deavers to take the rough terrain better, and they flex very well as well. I have about 14+" of travel from my Deavers and I was getting much more before I added bumpstops and got smaller shackles. I wanted my truck low and I don't like negative arch, so I limited what I had. Originally we were at like 18+"




It sat too tall fro my tastes and it went way into negative arch due to the long shackles.

Decide what you want to do for sure now. It will help you spend your money wisely. For quick stuff, Spring under is the way hands down. But if you do more trail riding I think the spring over is probably worth consideration.

My setup is geared to be more versatile. It's not the best for speed, but it is smooth enough to leave my XJ buddy with a faster truck way back in the dust.

For a 1990 4Runner which I assuem you have, I would just recommend doing what MarcP has in his rear end. I believe they are crusier coils, flex is good and he seems to be pretty happy with the ride.

 

you could go with 63" Chevy's. They flex like mad, and are cheap to boot.

 

I think I'll probably go the deaver spring over route. All my off roading is more exploring then bombing point A to point B. I pull a trailer daily for work(I install windows and doors) and I think(and I maybe wrong)leafs would be better off.

So who sells kits to swap out coils to Deavers in SoCal?

 

The Deavers are signicantly longer, 56" compared to 62".

They are also made for speed and landing, not flexing and crawling. Super long shackles.

I would not put a panhard rod on something I was going to jump. Lateral axle movement in the rear when you are trying to put power down is a waste.

The thing with a bodied runner is you are limited on punching into the rear of the passenger compartment. To me, you kill the point of having an enclosed runner at that point.

FWIW, I have around 15" of wheel travel from coilovers mounted outside of the frame rails on my 95. They are reservoirs and should jump, but it will be mostly a crawler.

 

You got pictures?