lofreqjeff

update:

ok so i put the bj spacers in, and had it aligned. i had the t-bars set back to stock. apparently they were cranked to the max, because now the truck is LOWER than it was before the spacers! but my top a-arms are parallel to the ground now, which is how it should be i reckon. i gotta get my 1" bl in this weekend as i'm rubbing again.

I had that same issue - once I cranked the t-bars down, the tires were rubbing on the UCA's - I ended up getting some 1" wheel spacers - problem solved!

BMC

Thank you. The paint is all original. I purchased it off the original owner who had it garaged for 20 years.

No regrets to pulling the mouldings. I originally took them off to undercoat them black and reinstall them but i thought it looked a lot better without them. I did undercoat the trim piece under the rocker panel and reinstalled that one.

The grill doesnt bother me. I think a little bit of chrome looks ok. I thought about blacking everything out but i decided to leave whats left. Im happy with the way it looks right now.

Good luck with your build.

Bryan.

tj884Rdlx

ok, so 1" b.l. is in. it was really easy. i'm very happy its in. next step, fix the rear springs issue, which are flat. and replace the lame shackles.

next question. do i now need longer length shocks?

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

For the BL, no.
For the new rear springs, yes and no. You will be able to realize more travel with longer shocks but you can use the ones you have without doing any harm. Your current shocks will limit the droop but again, it won't hurt anything. You can take your time measuring and deciding what you want to put in and not delay the spring install just because you don't have new shocks yet. IIRC the numbers come out at about 15 inches compressed or just under (14 1/2 to be safe) That pretty much dictates that the extended length will be right in the neighborhood of 25 inches give or take a fraction of an inch. Just find something you like and fit your budget with loop attachments top and bottom in that size range. I would suggest getting your springs on and measuring your compressed and extended lengths on both sides of your truck. There seem to be some slight differences from truck to truck and side to side. I found out the hard way by measuring only one side and having the opposite side bottom out an me. Good luck.

tj884Rdlx

thanx man, that's exactly what i was thinking. my next purchase will be the springs. unless i can find a local guy to weld perches cheap, where i can get the "long travel" springs downey offers, I will just go with their 3" springs which bolt to existing locations.

the hot rod shackles i have are drilled for multiple heights, so i may have to drop it to the lowest setting once i get new springs so it doesn't look like the Munsters Mobile all hopped up. but then i should be able to measure and buy an appropriate set of shackles from 4crawler.

hopefully THAT will finally eliminate this rear end shake i get at 60mph. its only at 60 and the new wheels/tires made no difference from the previous shoes, so i can only guess its in the spring bushings or these two-piece shackles.

once i got that set, it will be time for buying the appropriate shocks.

meanwhile, i am going to start my interior mods. i have to pull the entire interior, steam clean the carpet and seats, possibly paint or custom cover all the body panels, install some better speakers, build some custom cup holders, make my center console pad wide enough to fit two elbows...

all while i save as much as possible to regear to 4.88s and an aussie.

and i need under armor and bumpers. jeez so much to do. i'm going to draw something up and take it to a local fabricator to see what i can get made.

then - paint. i think i'm going to paint similar to the Ford Expedition Flex model. red and black, should make the canback look nice.
i'm on the way! thanx again for all input from you and everyone else who's chimed in.

i'll post pics as i can.

99SR5

iTrader: (1)

keep us posted. im liking this thread and im in the same boat as you. trying to restore my truck and make it better off road and i've been looking for different suspension options as well.

tj884Rdlx

reviving my old thread...

i have been reading about rear springs for the last 8hrs. my head hurts now. tire/alignment shop says my 60mph body wobble is from the rear springs/shackles, not the tires nor u-joints. so its time to address it.

i was going to get the Downey leafs but they are NLA. so I am considering the OMEs. 4x4connection has them, w/ bushing packs shipped will be ~ $273. i'd still need shackles. i could go new, or get factory style, used from salvage.

or i could keep these flat springs,and add the Zuk coil mod. $80 + fabrication/welding of spring mounts. i'd still need shackles & replace all bushings .

then i saw a trail gear full rear kit with u flips and shocks for $600. i wish i could get the whole enchilada but i don't have that kinda loot saved yet, and this wobble needs to go now.

i can't think about this anymore tonite or i'll go apeship. but i welcome suggestions.

OutlawMike

I put the OME's on over the summer with stock shackles. I went with the 2" lift, stock rate springs. I have wheeled them several times since, they are great, far superior to the stock springs.

I picked them up from 4Wheel Parts, they special ordered them. They have a shop here in town. The shipping from out of state was more than sales tax, so, I just went local.

I also have BJ spacers in the front and Lockrights front/rear with 5.29's and 33x10.5's.

RustBucket

iTrader: (1)

If you're willing to get a bit more fancy than bolt-on, the 63" Chevy swap is a great mod. I am currently running it with great results - soft ride, crazy flex, and stable (no axle wrap, etc)

Hangers are like $100 from Budbuilt, then bushings, junkyard springs, and maybe $75 max of professional welding. There are a few good writeups floating around. Pirate4x4 has a good one in their Toyota FAQ

tj884Rdlx

@ MIKE: THANK YOU THANK YOU for suggesting to order thru 4wheelparts. I was able to get them for $92 and no shipping, i can pick em up local.

@ RUSTy: yeah i seen the write up on the chevy spring mod, and everyone raves about the ride, but i don't want to get into perch movement. i am thinking with these ome's, some day i can still add the Zuk coil mod which many also rave has a great ride. but i want to get some new parts in this back end and see if i can eliminate this 60mph body wobble once n' for all.

SO i went ahead and ordered the OME CS009Rs from 4wheelparts.com. once i get them on, i will take advantage of these adjustable hot rod shackles and see which bolt hole gives the proper height, then order new, better shackles to replace them. i'll post which length i found best for leveling with the OMEs and the 1.5 bj spacers in front.

with poly bushings, do i need the greaseable shackle bolts?

OutlawMike

Yup, same price I paid, $92 bucks is damn cheap. And no shipping, they just call you when they are in. You do need to buy their bushing kit when you get the springs, hope they let you know that, as the bushings do not come with the springs. Also, the bushings do not come with a new sleeve for the front eye. I torched mine out of the front eye and re-used it with the new springs.

I'm not sure you can go shorter than the stock shackle length, maybe, but I don't think so. You may end up with spring eye interference with the frame at full compression if you shorten it by 1" or so (to get 1/2" lower ride height in the back.

With the OME's and 1.5" BJ's in front, my rig has a slight rake to it, high in the back by 1/2" to 3/4". But with gear, and people, it levels out. The ride quality is superb, far better than worn out stock. It handles washboarded roads with ease. And with the locker, you don't even need 4 High on fire roads. The flex is great on trails, all around, a great improvement.

tj884Rdlx

yep, i got the full bushing kit from Energy Susp. i believe it comes with those metal sleeves too, if the demo picture is accurate.

the shackles i have now are set to 8.25" but have a lower setting of probably 6". i'll set to that when the springs go in and take a measure. i'm expecting to need a 3-5" shackle to set it right. i'm ok with a little bit higher in the back too.

lockers and gears are still waay far in my future. i'd like a detroit in the back and 5.29s but that kind of loot is hard to gather up right now, i'm trying to clear all debt except my old student loan. i'm making good progress on that, but it means everything else you want/need to buy is a critical decision.

thanx again for the nudge to go ahead and get the new springs. when you're tight for money, the anxiety influences your judgment and you make stupid decisions to try to save $. it sux and i hate it. i'm always glad when i make the decision to spend the necessary funds to do something right, but then there's always a consequence later when some bill comes in and you can't pay it, or you try to use your debit card for lunch and it declines.

now i need to figure out how to fix my leaking exh manifold. attempt myself or go to an exhaust shop so i don't risk breaking studs. ugh.

CRF_450R

Hey a little off topic, but i really like that bumper on your 4runner, I have been looking around for one along the lines of what you have, could you tell me what brand/model it is?


Also, i have a little problem with my rear end sagging to much also. I have a 6'' suspension lift, stock leifs on blocks, I liked the coil idea that you did on your rig. However i was originally leaning towards getting new leif springs and calling it good. Any new advice on getting coil springs between my axle & Frame versus new leif springs?

2000 Tacoma ext. cab with a 6'' lift on 35's
Thanks

Junkers88

If you look at his signature you'll see where it says "Marlin Crawler rear bumper".

As far as the coil thing goes you can probably search "ZUK mod" on this site and find a few write ups.

Good luck and have fun!

CRF_450R

Alllright, sweet thanks man

tj884Rdlx

isn't that truck great? it's one of my inspirations, particularly for sticking with red. i've never owned a red vehicle 'til now, and mine is faded to crap so i hate it. but a clean red runner with all black trim really looks good, so i may go that way when paint phase comes around.

there are some excellent writeups with pics on the "zuk coil mod". keep searching 'til you find his site, or one of the threads here with excellent pictures. i was considering doing it too if i didn't need all new bushings and shackles anyway. and you can get the springs on fleabay very cheap. zuk even recommends it.

Junkers88

Speaking of the Zuk mod.

86 pickup when I bought her.


Tires and armour.


Zuk mod and BJ spacers.




Now to the 4runner.

Day of purchase.


Posers for fun.



Topless with no lift.


Topless with the BJ's and Zuks.




Now I'm done being a picture whore.

BMC

Thaks. Im assuming your talking about the front bumper? It is an all pro but the top half is custom. www.allprooffroad.com

AxleIke

Wow. Love the trucks in this thread. That red 4runner that was garaged for 20 years is something else indeed!

As for the topic on hand, I've got the same thing as everyone else in the front, BJ spacers, etc...

I used to have the downey springs before I went to coils, and they worked pretty well. They had a lot of wrap under load, but that may not be as much of an issue for you.

I felt that they flexed well for stock length leafs, and never had any issues with my 33's with them.

Not sure if they are still available as Downey is gone, but maybe.

They did sag a little after a few years, but nothing horrible.

tj884Rdlx

@ Ike: thanx for chiming in. i am waiting til 10/5 for my OME medium load leafs to come in at the local 4wheelparts store. my leafs were absolutely flat, and the bushings and shackles all need replacement, so i figured i'd do this part first, and add the Zuk coil mod later when eventually necessary. i figure over time as i add bumpers and armor it's going to start weighing the rig down and i'll need that support.

@ J88: hey man, those are some good looking trucks, and definitely solid evidence the Zuk mod is a very effective trick with minor expense. that guy Zuk is one of the best assets i've found through this site, and i'm looking forward to doing some gear business with him when the time comes.

@BMC: that front bumper does look sharp, and i like the diamond plate and hoops too. i'm tellin' ya man, that truck really is an inspiration for me!

soon as my springs come in, i'll post some pics