dark_fairytales 1986 Pickup Build-Up Thread
#242
Thanks man. The rig still does not feel like mine, I have not history with it, so every time I look at the rig I experience the feeling that the rig is just parked in front of my house. I hope the feeling goes away quick, because it is a great feeling to know I finally an off road project I will be able to wheel in again.
#245
#246
And for peace of mind, Grundy is insuring it at a $10,000 value, which will cost me $198 a year.
#247
Yea it has been a long time I don't look at forums much anymore since I have the little one now. But my email does the lurking for me on subed threads. Why do you want to go to 33's I mean you were running 35's before. And how have ya been?
#248
I am not a fan of tall rigs, and this new one just seems a little to tall at the moment. I am not certain, but I think when I pull some leafs out of the pack to lower the rig the 35s may not fit well in the fenders. I am planing to body lift this rig as well, which will open up some room, how ever I plan on shaving the bump-stops extension to gain back some suspension compression, in-turn more articulation. If the 35s work out I may stick with them, but in the real world, 33s seem to be more then enough tire.
Ive been doing good over the past two years Vance. I went back to school after being out for thirteen years, which has been a great experience so far. I am over the stress of possibly loosing my job over the past five years. And, I have finally successfully achieved the American dream, by purchasing my late Grandmothers house. My daily life has really come together over the past three years, and I have been really doing my best to enjoy the fruits of my labor, however I am still single.
Ive been doing good over the past two years Vance. I went back to school after being out for thirteen years, which has been a great experience so far. I am over the stress of possibly loosing my job over the past five years. And, I have finally successfully achieved the American dream, by purchasing my late Grandmothers house. My daily life has really come together over the past three years, and I have been really doing my best to enjoy the fruits of my labor, however I am still single.
#253
I can say that the ride is smoother with this rig compared to my last one. The 63" chevy's were stiff, but that could have been just my set of springs. However, the LT I purchased from you seemed to be stiff as well after the T-bars settled. I am not sure if I did not have enough weight on the front end, or maybe my T-bars were worn out, I just don't know.
Over all I prefer the setup of LT and the ease at which CV-shafts can be replaced. I still think I have to agree with the IFS LT vs. SAS article in Toyota Four Wheel Drive Owners magazine which Tech Tim's rigs were featured with a SAS and your Blazeland LT, the LT came out on top as you know.
If I decide I do not like the SAS and would rather Have LT again then that is what this is for:

I have the Extended Cab frame in my garage for just such an occasion. I guess my build thread will speak for its self, in the distant future, which of the two styles of suspension I will prefer.
Thanks man, I was really excited to find this rig for the price. It does not feel like mine yet, but once I start putting my character into the build that will change. Keep checking back as there are some unique mods to be seen in this thread. I measured yesterday, and verified that the Supra and Pick-up dash boards are both 51" long. Plug-n-Play 7mge swap here I come.
#257
I try to stay objective but for me between my three rigs (1985 xtra cab P/U live axle, 1986 xtra cab p/u Coil over conversion LT, and 1986 4Runner T-Bar LT) the IFS excels in every category. Tech Tim confirmed my personal experience in his grudge match article. I don't notice much ride quality between T-bar and coil over conversion but the live axle is stiff.
I recently replaced the front leaf springs on the 1985 with a soft ride spring and it did help some. I also went back and forth between dual vs single Bilstein 5100 configuration. The dual is stiff on the street but better in the whoops. The single is nice on the street but will hard bottom on the whoops.
IFS is superior ride comfort and control. But, in all fairness until I get gears and lockers on the 85 to restore power and traction, the 85 is crippled on the trail or in the rocks. And without a cross-over steering the travel is limited by the drag link. I still need at least $2k in upgrades to do a crawl arena comparison.
I recently replaced the front leaf springs on the 1985 with a soft ride spring and it did help some. I also went back and forth between dual vs single Bilstein 5100 configuration. The dual is stiff on the street but better in the whoops. The single is nice on the street but will hard bottom on the whoops.
IFS is superior ride comfort and control. But, in all fairness until I get gears and lockers on the 85 to restore power and traction, the 85 is crippled on the trail or in the rocks. And without a cross-over steering the travel is limited by the drag link. I still need at least $2k in upgrades to do a crawl arena comparison.
#260
I try to stay objective but for me between my three rigs (1985 xtra cab P/U live axle, 1986 xtra cab p/u Coil over conversion LT, and 1986 4Runner T-Bar LT) the IFS excels in every category. Tech Tim confirmed my personal experience in his grudge match article. I don't notice much ride quality between T-bar and coil over conversion but the live axle is stiff.
I recently replaced the front leaf springs on the 1985 with a soft ride spring and it did help some. I also went back and forth between dual vs single Bilstein 5100 configuration. The dual is stiff on the street but better in the whoops. The single is nice on the street but will hard bottom on the whoops.
IFS is superior ride comfort and control. But, in all fairness until I get gears and lockers on the 85 to restore power and traction, the 85 is crippled on the trail or in the rocks. And without a cross-over steering the travel is limited by the drag link. I still need at least $2k in upgrades to do a crawl arena comparison.
I recently replaced the front leaf springs on the 1985 with a soft ride spring and it did help some. I also went back and forth between dual vs single Bilstein 5100 configuration. The dual is stiff on the street but better in the whoops. The single is nice on the street but will hard bottom on the whoops.
IFS is superior ride comfort and control. But, in all fairness until I get gears and lockers on the 85 to restore power and traction, the 85 is crippled on the trail or in the rocks. And without a cross-over steering the travel is limited by the drag link. I still need at least $2k in upgrades to do a crawl arena comparison.
I just finished checking out the front end, and discovered the front axle has Six-shooter knuckles on it, I was kind of shocked to run in to the Six-shooters. Now I wonder if the birfs are Longfields or Dirty-30s.
Any way, I will post up what I found wrong with the front end later today. For now Im going to trim up a bush or two.
I don't have the Lotus yet, but I plan on buying an S2 Elies, or Exige if the price is right.
Last edited by dark_fairytales; Mar 30, 2013 at 02:02 PM.






