Has anyone ever installed the allpro control arms with the johnny joints? If so, what kind of flex can I expect from it, will it keep up with a SAS up front? Here's a link to Allpro just in case http://www.allprooffroad.com/index.p...ask=view&id=45

 

hate to say it, but no ifs will ever react the same way as a solid axle...... you can modify an ifs to do really good stuff though, but its apples to oranges really....

 

no, no, i'm talking about the rear control arms i plan on doing a SAS and i'll need a rear suspension that will be able to flex just as much, try and keep things balanced ya know?

 

ahhh..... i have a pickup truck so instantly i think all trucks have leafs, i keep forgetting some runners had coils in the rears.....

ah ok... not control arms like in front suspensions but control arms as in trailing arms or locating links.... i get it now, i just though of it as different terminology... usually control arms ahve t odo with an ifs suspension... never heard the control arms for a solid axle... looked at the pic and thats a trailing arm, or a locating arm....

 

I don't know about all pro, but My buddy and I just put a Rubicon express lift on his 88 Jeep XJ. It has the rubicon "flex" joints in the front....basically a johnny joint. I know this is on te front of a vehichl and a jeep....but I think it is the same answer.

THe johnny joint allowed all of that bind that would occur at the bushing to be eliviated. Instead of the arm twisting from bind or the articulation being limited, the arms stayed straight and the axle did it's thing. I'm guessing these joints could free up like 5-10 degrees fo artuiculation, just my guess though.

Another thing you can do is turn your 4 link rear into a 3 link. One of the guys on here just experimented with it on his rig, with decent results. It's a red 2nd gen runner and you can find the thread in the fabrication section. I think he was considering making the conversion for the general public. Anyway....that might be even better than the joints.

 

Although some of the problem with the links is twisting and breaking off the axle housing, another major problem is the overal length of the link. If you plan on doing much lift at all and on top of that wanting your rear to flex with the sas'd front, you're going to want to lengthen your links. On my 4runner they are lengthened to about 42 inches witht he new mounts being on the bottom of the axle housing and on the frame below the rear doors. you can see in the picture the stock link location compared to the new ones.



another thing you may want to consider is a 3rd link in the middle of the axle, welded to the top of the dif and to a custom mount somewhere behind the transfer case.



im not saying the all pro links wont help, but this is most likely the best route. Takes some time and money, but will save plenty of headache

 

another option is swapping to leaves, but thats alot of fab work and a new axle

 

I think the rear will need to go up 5 inches or so to be level with the front. 90runner how high above stock have you gone?, and if i did switch to leaves, couldn't i just grind the 4 link mounts off and weld on some spring perches?

 

90 have you had any problems with the long upper link? It looks mighty thin for the length.

 

its about 8inches above stock. the rear coils are rustys jeep 9inch lift coils, the added weight of the runner give it about 8inch of lift. i forget what grade steel the center link is, but tis pretty beefy, never had any problems with it and the trucks been flexed enough that the truck lifted off one of the springs while the other was fully compressed. the springs arent conected to the frame by any means, they ride and steel piping wleded to the frame.