What's the lowest an IFS truck can be lowered by its torsion beams, without being on the bumpstops? Can it get to the height of a stock 2wd? Has anyone done it, and can report on how it rides and handles?

All I find for "lowered 4wd" was this sort of thing... and that is not what I have in mind!

 

Because of the lower cross member, not very low before it turns into a plow. It MIGHT go as low as a stock 2wd but I don't think the front CVs will like it very much.
Then the rear will be fun too.

 

I hear you about the plow part, but given that the CV axles point down a few degrees stock, I can't imagine they would suffer being pointed up the same amount (which, eyeballing it, would be plenty low)?

As for the rear: convert it to SUA, either by using a factory 2wd axle or just welding perches on a 4wd one.

 

Doing a spring flip on the axle will work but it will lower it like 5 inches and I doubt you can get that much from the front before you are on the bump stops.
If you use a 2wd axle, it will be 2 different lug patterns 6 lug front, 5 in back.

I'm curious though, why do this? Whats the end goal?

 

I'm with Robert, what's the point of lowering a 4wd to stock 2wd height?

 

The end goal is to have a 2wd truck, with something like 27 or 28" tires, that happens to drive all four wheels when I need it to. It would neither have nor pretend to have the off-road ability of a proper 4wd (but much more than a 2wd), and it would have better fuel economy, ride, and handling. This isn't for a wheeling or weekend rig; this is for a daily driver that goes on roadtrips sometimes.

My favorite DD's have been small 2wd trucks. Their only real drawback for me is the lack of traction, especially on snow.

I drove my first-gen on its first longish drive the other day, and realized that its capabilities are well beyond my needs, and that it makes a lot of sacrifices (ride height and everything that comes with it) for those capabilities. Local to me is a 4x4 Mitsubishi turbodiesel that's almost as low as a normal 2wd; it gets 27mpg mixed, 32 highway, rides and handles like a 2wd, but still goes up muddy fire roads with a half ton of firewood when I need it to. The only situations where an SFA Yota can do things the Mitsi can't are situations I never find myself in. My only gripe with it is that it's a Mitsubishi and not as well made as a Toyota, otherwise I may well not be here.

Regarding the rear axle: it would probably be easiest to reweld the spring perches. Remember, I'm after stock 2wd ride height, no pretension of 4wd but no slamming either. If it's really too low, I can give it mild-lift springs. Otherwise, I would wonder if a 6-lug hub assembly will bolt to the same four bolts in the axle housing as a 2wd assembly. Then I'd keep my 6 lugs and bigger brakes.

My main question was about the torsion bars: has anyone done it? A picture would be lovely.

 

A stock 4wd has 28" tires.
So your saying a stock 4wd Toyota is too tall? Lowering it down will not make it ride any better than stock height.

 

Smaller tires, then, and on 14's if I can find some that'll clear the brakes and tierod. My 81 is too tall for a road vehicle, and it can't get any lower because of oil pan clearance with the solid axle. Ride improvement would be from lighter wheels (and switching to IFS in the first place). Lowering would be for less tippiness and aero drag.