Now I'm having doubts... I thought the 5inch OD black magic springs fit around the bump stops without need for cutting... but it looks like the 5 inches will only fit with the cutting? What springs fit with no cut? The rubicon stock springs?

 

Actually found THIS post, seems like the 5" OD fits around the bump stops unless I'm missing something. Also I got 11 inches... there seems to be conflicting information about which stocks fit stock height? sounds like 12 inches is a little lifted and 11 inches might be closer to stock

 

Aaaand here's a couple pictures!

She's a little beat up but seems like always kept stock. And i haven't really seen this paint / decal combo

 

Sweet we had the same rims on her old 87

 

Not resting on frame

Resting on frame
Yeah, unique stripes for 86.
Not knowing the spring's lbs/inch rating, it's hard to tell. We used springs with known ratings.
"Black Magic coil springs, 5" x 12" 125 lbs/inch got mine to what looks stock. Same rating that SomedayJ used.
I think the reason it made SomedayJ's a little taller is because the upper part did not bottom or top out at the frame.
I used same length, same rating, but upper part sits right on the frame, secured with 6-mm screws to cut-off bump-stop.

 

That's my wife's 4R with the Black Magic coil springs 5" x 12" 125 lbs in the rear. It was a temporal fix but she likes the way it rides now, so the springs stay.
The red lines show de distance from the floor to the bottom of the 4r, the difference is a little bit less than 1 inch, higher in the rear. You can get the 11 inches springs and they'll be equal to the front. You can get the 12 ones, and if they're too high you can cut a coil or tighten the tbars a couple of turns. Your choice.
My wife approves the zuk mod, she sends her "thumbs up"

 

STANDING ON A CORNER IN WINSLOW, ARIZONA (ROUTE 66)
That is awesome Ray
Took me right back in time.. such a fine site too see
Were you standing on the corner?
This tread is awesome, a lot of different opinions, I'm glad there was a cease fire. Everyone is entitled to there opinion, this thread showed that.

 

SomedayJ, has this settled? That adds about an inch to height compared to when spring is resting on frame.

Yes, with Jackson Browne (left) and the late Glenn Frey (right), and the flat-bed Ford.

Yup. Bottomline is we want to help O.P. accomplish objective:
Restore to near-stock ride quality within BUDGET.
IF someone can help with source of OEM leaf springs, that might work.

 

Man, That rig looks straight and rust-free! How are the other panels?
Buff out the paint, lose the grody center caps and go!

 

cut and spread the bump stop... the spring goes inside it NOT over it... nothing to attach, bolt, weld,...

 

O.P. is leaning toward No-CUT, no-weld, using 5-inch OD springs to wrap around bump-stop that will not get cut, similar to SomedayJ's. Challenge is spreading the spring so it settles against the frame. Hoping SomedayJ can check if his did after some time.

 

^ ^ ^
I warned you, guys!

That's what I wanted to do in one of our 4R, but some forum members disapprove the neccesary trimming/cutting to install the bjs, you can see some opinions about that in the Charles4x4's rebuild thread. I decided to do not install the bjs after that.

So we went for the zuk mod, but I didn't want to do any permanent modification, so no cut no weld for our 4R, we can always go back to the original way, if we sell it in a very far future, the next owner'll appreciate that.

I Ray!
I took that photo a few minutes after the zuk install. The 4Runner had the summer top that day, so the rear was lighter. It has the hard top now.
I went to check the springs few minutes ago, they're closer to the frame than in that photo, but they don't touch it, I'm going to post another photo tomorrow morning to see how it looks now.

 

Ahhh got ya... mine is never leaving here so the mods i make I'm the only one that has to like them... but i get what your doing and used to be pretty OEM with our corvettes...

 

O.P.,
Here... actual figures... from My Zuk Mod in 2012... Using 12-INCH, 125-Pound/Inch Black Magic Springs. To help you decide. (Also posted on my thread for my easy reference.)

Before the Mod, Top of Leaf Pack from Frame was 7.25 inches:
Bump stops were about a inch from each other.


RIGHT After the Mod:
Wheel rim to wheel well rim in front: 14"
Wheel rim to wheel well rim in rear: 12.5"

Before the mod, top of leaf pack was 7.75 Inches from frame.
After the mod (As of 22Mar2013), top of leaf pack was 9.25 inches

AS OF 15 FEBRUARY 2019:
NOTE: Since 2012, I have removed 25 pounds of the heavy particle board bottom of the rear deck, and 30 pounds of the rear seat bottoms.

Wheel rim to wheel well rim in front: 14 inches right side (13.5" on left side - parked road side so not sure if road level has effect)
Wheel rim to wheel well rim in rear: 12 inches on both sides.




Top of leaf pack from frame: approx 10 inches.



And on mine before I replaced with OEM SR5's.

 

The springs almost touch the frame, 0.8 cm (around 0.31") gap.
The difference between the front and the rear of the truck's about 2cm (0.78")
This is the way they look now:

 

AAH! They finally settled. Looks good. 2 CM between front and back is pretty close to the 1.5 inch difference many say about stock. MY truck's rear settles when loaded for a trip, and aesthetically I'd like the rear a little higher, so that 2cm actually looks good.

 

Wow so cool to see all these details on all your mods, really a lot of useful info.

I got the 11inch 125lbs in the mail and I'll let you guys know my stats after I install them hopefully this coming weekend.

Is this what you meant with buff the paint?




Went out to an ATV park over the weekend and found out this little truck is soooo capable!! There was a jeep with a busted axle abandoned on the side of the trail... from what I understand that's an overpowered small truck problem, yotas not to worry!


And yes I will want to buff it up!

For now need to get tires while i wait on the suspension in the mail. Anybody swear by pep boys? New to this whole new tires business.. they seem to have a lifetime alignment deal right now too. Specifically looking at the mickey thompson 31/10.5's. Either the deegan 38 or atz p3s. any thoughts? Also what about pep boys road hazard warranty?

 

31's biggest that wud fit without rubbing on stock lift.
I saved $100 on Cooper AT3's from Discount tire Co "Direct" thru Ebay. U can have them shipped (free) to shop or home. I had Disc Tire Co. install with hazard insurance for same price when buying tires from store.
For alignment, I got lifetime deal with Firestone for about same price as 2 one-time alignments. Worth it for truck we like to work on and use a lot.

 

Education is needed

Yes, the rear fenders are lower than the front. No, we aren't talking about a "rake".
All 4 of my 4Runners sat about 1 to 2" lower in the back. The rear window should be parallel to the ground, but it does in fact sit lower in the rear. This is what we are talking about and it's a real issue.

While driving you will notice the sag because you have a different steering angle. Return to center gets worse, it wanders a bit more, the angle of the driveline becomes a problem and driving over bumps makes the rear feel weird as it will "buck" the truck. Fix the springs and it all goes away.

 

Good question you originally had. I have a 1987 4runner that was completely stock. It had an unevenly worn front tire and before I put on new tires I wanted to rebuild the front end. New: upper and lower balljoints, inner/outer tie rod ends, shocks, CV axles, idler arm, and upper and lower POLYURETHANE bushings. For the rear I went with OME leaf springs.
After installing all of those new parts, the 4runner rode way worse than when it was stock. I would never recommend poly bushings for a daily driver on stock suspension, you feel every bump in the road. Also the OME rear leafs are way too stiff from the factory and the bottom overload should be removed, unless you plan to haul 1000lbs of gear like Australians do lol.

In hindsight I should have done BJs, tie rod ends, and shocks up front.

The ZUK mod is a band aid, not a proper suspension setup. I had the ZUK mod and it felt fine but I did not want it to be a permanent fix.

My recommendation. Check for play in front suspension and replace worn items. Then for the rear buy OME leafs and remove the bottom overload. Then shocks at all 4 corners. You should be money.