Yea, better off with the Old Man Emu springs, they will raise it a little over an inch over stock, but you'll never notice the slight rake if any(without jacking the front). I'd rather have stock shackle length and proper springs then adding springs to springs, but thats just me.

 

I agree with getting the correct spring and running the original shackle length. The extended shackle is just a free band-aid 'fix' to level the truck for now. If I load it up, it will just squat more since it is already on the bottom load springs. But at least its nice not tapping the bump stops over speed bumps anymore.

These are the links off my old buggy. I still have all of the limiting straps, bumps, and mounts (frame side) stored away ready to be used. I built the rear as a double triangulated and front as the common 3 link. I only purchased Ruffstuffspeciality for my last build because I have had such great luck with the owners. These are all 2" x .25", almost 5' long for the longest links (I believe my buggy was near 120" wheelbase) with 1.25" heims and 3/4" bolts. I was thinking about running a new bushing/bung on axle side and original heims on frame since it will be a road vehicle, and then just selling the heims I didn't use. And of course, most likely shorten these links quite a bit.




My goal is to get through the year and start the suspension this winter. Unless I find a pair of leaf springs for cheap, I will probably stick to the lift shackle and possibly do the zuk or sumo mod if the camping gear loads it down too much. If it wasn't for having the links and planning the suspension for the end of the year I would go get a set of emus in a heartbeat for sure!

 

Came with everything. The bottom rail came with the normal bed clamps. I will be building a bracket that bolts into the original hardtop mounts to hold the rail. I believe most guys do this. It will just take a bit of engineering to make it attach to the cab since this was for a bed of a truck.. but from what I have been researching, it shouldn't be too hard, I just don't want any leaks..

 

I love the 4WU mounting brackets! This being my first toyota I have never stumbled upon this site before. Definitely would take the "guess" work out of a few common problem areas. Thank you for the info. I have a lot of researching to do. Definitely be looking at your build when I go to do the front. Did you have plans on doing the rear?

 

Definitely doing the rear, but I need to finish my engine swap first. Been cold as a witches... here so I haven't finished my brakes yet to get her to the garage. After doing the front link setup the leafs in the rear don't compare in ride quality on Or Offroad. The 4WU geometry is what makes the kits so amazing.

 

I am completely on board with 4WU since he recognizes geometry importance. He also has an awesome write up about everything-suspension which was a great quick refresher since I haven't dug into suspensions in a few years. The more knowledgeable you are about a topic, the easier it is to convey it, and he hits the nail on the head IMO.


After I went from leaf springs to links, it was night and day. Especially when I would jump in my fathers CJ-7 (which was set up for crawling in every way minus that it still ran with custom leaf springs) and even with all of the goodies, it was still a really rough ride and a bit unpredictable at times. I told myself I would never go back to leaf springs.


Since we discussed earlier, I have been doing a lot of research about rear end 3 links vs 4 links and I am started to lean back towards the 3-link rear design for several different reasons.

- First reason is that I originally wanted links over leafs for ride quality, not articulation. The rear steer issues with 3 links gets more dramatic as the suspension cycles to the extremes while crawling, but this can be reduced by shortening the limiting straps.

- Second is placement and ride height. I can keep everything fairly simple underneath by running a 3 link design. Keep tub, tank and exhaust in factory locations. I also can keep the truck lower which is one of my main goals. (of, course, the height of the front suspension will dictate the rear height)

- Third is link lengths. Another benefit is keeping longer link lengths due to more available locations. This will also reduce rear steer and keep my calc numbers closer bound during suspension cycling.

- Fourth, articulation isn't everything to me. For the intermediate trails I may stumble upon occasionally, a little bit of flexy and some lockers will do the trick.


I haven't really stumbled upon much for on-road experience. It seems like different builds have different experiences, and I believe this is due to roll axis in the design of any suspension. Also, anti-sway bars will solve some of the issues, but again, I don't think 3 vs 4 link makes as much of a difference as having your links not set up correctly in the beginning. Also, going on to some car forums, it seems as if the 3 link design is actually the more preferred design due to its predictability on road.

If anyone finds anymore important information on 3 link rears I am all ears. I appreciate all of the help! Looking forward to your rear suspension build RBX.

 

Nice rig, good deal on the soft topper, I hope it all fits. Have you thought about doing a 3 link front and custom leafs in the rear? Like Alcans, or running 63" Chevys or 57" Ford springs. Or are you stuck on links?

 

subbed cause this is awesome
also got any plans for that doug thorley header? if not shoot me a PM

 

I am fairly stuck on links just because the rear is the easiest of the two to do and I already have 70% of the suspension. This could all change, but if I go through all of the work to link the front it would be hard for me to let the rear go. I think running leafs in the rear would be find as long as the front springs are progressive (coilover or coil/shock)... and honestly, they are much lighter and follow the more suited KISS theory. I guess its just my personal preference to indulge in the fabrication and math aspect of building a full link system.

 

Nothing new minus some unusual snow in NC. Living in NY for 26 years, its a great to see the beauty of snow for a brief time. Although, I know all the northerners this year are probably tired of it.

Keeping the runner off the roads till all of the brine washes away. Nothing I dislike more than salted roads.

 

Nice build. I jealous of your skills. Subscribed, can't wait to see this progress.

 

Sorry to report with bad news but that was sold awhile ago! I will say it is nice when your truck is actually making you money....


I also have these 60" HD 500 lb drawer slides that I was going to use for a pullout storage rack, but since I have decided to keep the bench seat (1 of the few reasons I purchased a 4runner and not a wrangler), they are up for sale as well... hopefully having someone picking them up monday. I do, however, plan on buying another set at 40" or building my own sliding mechanism for the rear. These things are NOT cheap and weigh 17 lbs each!...




Also, the rear storage box is for sale. But that's going to have to sell locally due to size.

 

$275 back in my pocket. Cheaper than I wanted to sell but couldn't find the gaskets for some reason....

 

Found the latch I will be using for the tailgate. Beat up, missing a key, and welded on... time to bring this useless latch back up to par. Ordered a new lock for $4 on amazon...

My goal is to put it where the licence plate use to be behind the rear tire carrier, but looking at the thickness of the latch itself, it may not fit. I am also looking to buy another rear tailgate to do all the modifications.

 

Ahh so you are planning to put the latch on the outside. Interesting, that's something I had not considered. Not sure if I am willing to cut a hole in my tail gate... I'll shave to see how yours turns out.

 

Seriously nice fab work! Those welds are money.
I also like the "jack" you used to lift the rear hahah

I also did a lot of reading about 3 vs 4 linked rears and I'd have to agree with you on the 3 link. Although, I don't think you could go wrong either way. Seems that it would be hard to keep the rig low if you are trying to run a rear 4link and not cut up the body much. Not to mention gas tank would obviously have to be moved.
I also didn't find much info about street use with linked setups. I did read some jeep forms about linked rears and it seemed that a 4link was used on mainly trail rigs. A jeep wrangler rear coilover 3 link look pretty sweet. Still when I look at it though, the geometry seems funky with the shocks mounted behind the rear axle.

 

Okay, to give people a better understanding of what I am doing, I figured I would draw up some sketches that have been in my head for some time now....


But first, I would like to go back to understanding my main plans. Since this whole expedition vehicle thing is new to me, I have come to a conclusion where there are two types of expedition vehicles... Weekend warriors and live-aboards. The idea behind live-aboards is that the vehicle becomes more of a camper that has amenities built into it and that are some what permanent. Weekend warriors, in my mind, are vehicles that are quite the opposite in which all amenities are completely removable and serviceable. I also like the idea of everything being completely removable in the case that your vehicle does NOT become the main base camp, but just a vehicle used to travel to a destination.

Things I am avoiding.
- Roof top tents
- Built in kitchens
- Tables and tools that rely on the vehicle to be usable
- Pretty much anything that becomes unusable if the vehicle is not near by

To stay organized, I plan on buying containers that fit on each other that will hold different items. One container will be food, another for tools, another for utensils, and so on... That way I can pack only what I need for certain trips and put them in the truck before we leave; and remove them from the truck when we return.



Okay, getting to the fun part. Since I will be running a soft top, I wanted a secure way to store anything in the 'trunk'. To do this, I will be building a flat 'counter' type structure to go across the very top of the trunk, from the back of the seats to the tailgate. This will be bolted down and will have airline track on top. The only way to access anything in the trunk will be through the tail gate which will be locked by a key. With the tailgate down, there will be a table on 40" slides that will slide out with airline track on both sides. This will house all of the containers that I mentioned above and slides out for easy access.





Now, for the tailgate... I will be removing all of the original latching hardware from the gate and be putting a new latch on the outside of the gate with a key lock. I will also be extending out a section of the gate for a deeper section to storage items that will NOT be removed from the vehicle. These items will be common tools, straps, etc, that will stay with the vehicle on a daily basis. I plan on purchasing a seperate tailgate to do all the mods to, then switching it out. A local guy is selling a gate for $120... not sure if thats a good price or not? But I plan on checking it out.




Lastly, I am doing the hammock mod which I am sure a lot of you have seen. This has been on my to-do list ever since we planned on going to New Mexico this year. I already have the tubes cut and ready. I plan on doing a 2" receiver style with adjustments for different vehicles...

 

I belong to the same school of thought.
Nice plan!
I just saw the "Dosko Campmate Chuck Box". (Search Youtube for reviews) Just as big as my minimal plastic tub, but offers better organization, and because your stove could be on top- not in front of the cubbies- things can be taken out and put back as needed; it means quicker pack-up. Too bad it's been discontinued. I may have to build similar one myself out of thin plywood.

 

Hey guys, I ended up getting rid of the runner and picking up an '82 pick up last year and I have not been happier. Since the original owner had started a thread on it years prior I have been continuing with his thread on a different site for the past year. But due to the lack of foot traffic I decided to "move" the thread over to the yotatech. You all have been awesome and would love to hear your opinions and feed back on the new project. Ofcourse, the only problem is that it pushes me out of the "86-95 builds" and into the "pre 84 builds" on a different page.

Anyway, here is the link to the new build. This is my daily and has been since day one, and will continue to be...

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f197.../#post52424144

 

Thanks for the update, the new rig looks mean!