YOUNGIAM

So I bought this back in December 2017, I have finally gotten the opportunity to take it wheeling up Gold Mountain a couple of weeks ago and to say it felt a little sketchy is putting it mildly, so I am hoping that some of you SAS guys could answer some of my questions?

I think you can see the angle of my front rear shackle. It seems like if has quite a bit of angle, correct?

I want to get rid of the crappy springs it has and want to know the best route?

They are 46 and 3/4" eye to eye I want shorter springs, correct?

I bought this 4runner knowing wht I wanted in a used 4Runner and this one fit the bill.



I had a 1982 Toyota 4x4 when my oldest son was born and had to sell it. (He's almost 28 years old) I always missed that old truck....

YOUNGIAM

My project this weekend is to build some bump stops for the front, already got my metal and rubber. Saturday is my birthday....

YOUNGIAM

Better picture of front rear shackle.

Rear leaf spring shackle,




Can anyone tell me anything about the rear leaf springs?

YOUNGIAM

Am i wasting my time posting on this forum?

jakey poo

I wouldn't say you're wasting your time. The rear pack definitely doesn't look stock to me. The 57" f150 springs I believe are another common swap from the 63" chevies.

YotaRick27

I did chevy leafs for the rear of mine and help out a lot rides like an old cadillac. Im confused on what you are looking for in this thread, Advice on new leaf springs, Or how to get rid of a wobble or shackle angle adjustment?

akwheeler

" to say it felt a little sketchy is putting it mildly, so I am hoping that some of you SAS guys could answer some of my questions?"
Sketchy doesn't give us much to work with. Is it bouncy? top heavy? bottoms out? wobble?
your shackle angle on the front does look extreme, your pinion angle also looks steep, you might look into a high pinion for the front (hard to tell from your pics though).
The shackles look like what came with my Trail gear lift, but I can't get to my 4 runner to measure anything or see if the rear leaf springs look similar. there might be some pictures in my build thread that help clarify.
mine is a 3 inch heavy duty TG SAS kit.
the only help for your shackle angle is to move the front cross-member, get shorter springs or get springs with more arc.
good luck

YOUNGIAM

Thanks for the replies. I mean sketchy as in when I am turning towards the left the right side dives quite a bit, when I was on a off camber turn going to the right it felt as if the right wheel was trying to fold under the truck. Does that make sense? I will try to get some better pictures this afternoon. Thanks again.

akwheeler

Your first statement "when I am turning towards the left the right side dives quite a bit," sounds like you mean "I have a lot of body roll" which would be from not having a sway bar. Most SAS rigs don't and you will get more body roll. on the plus side you get more articulation without it.
the other statement about the right wheel folding makes no sense to me... off camber, right turn, right wheel folding under?
Have you done a shake down to see if you have any loose or worn parts? take a tape measure to it and see how close the total toe is to zero (measure from side to side on the front and back of the front tires as close to the same height as you can and as close to the height of the hub as you can and subtract one from the other.

YOUNGIAM

Yeah when I turn left I don't get as much body roll so it seems odd to me. As far as I can see nothing is broken and I will be checking those measurements on Saturday. Thanks for the information. What springs are you running in the front of your rig?

akwheeler

3 inch heavy duty trail gear SAS lift kit.

akwheeler

Something else that occurred to me, not trying to be insensitive, but are you a plus sized person? I have seen cases where the driver's weight affected the alignment of their car. As the alignment tech I had to redo their alignment twice before I saw the customer and I ended up completing the job with them sitting in the car. In your case with the solid axle it wouldn't cause a pull, but it could cause excessive body roll when turning right. Another thing you could check is tire pressure

YOUNGIAM

Yeah I am 6'5" and 270 but my wife is 5'4" and 120 and complains about the same thing. I would think my weight would effect more on the drivers side? I had to extend the seat brackets so I could sit comfortably. I'm thinking the front springs just look clapped out, I will get some better pictures if I can get home from work before it gets dark. Takes a lot to offend me........:-)

YotaRick27

Body roll is common for a rig that has already been worked in. What are your plans for it? If it is going to be a DD and taken off road once every 3 months? You can pick up a sway bar with quick disconnects. Also you can do a lot with bump stops and limiting straps. Options are out there but it all depends on you and what you want your rig to be used for.

akwheeler

Another thing, a smooth supple ride also comes with more body roll than a stiffer and rougher ride (stiffer springs). If you replace your front springs you may end up with the 4runner saggy butt syndrome and have to replace the rear springs as well.

YOUNGIAM

Here a shot of my front differential 529 gears and some sort of lunch box locker.

Looking at it this evening on flat ground it looks like I need to ad a block on the passenger side spring perch.

I have always worked on my birthday unless it was on a Saturday or Sunday and I am pretty sure I worked most of those.

This year I'm taking the day before Friday and headed to the desert in my jalopy and checking out The King of The Hammers.

On my birthday Saturday I'm working on my jalopy bump stops for the front and I like the idea of limiting straps that are easily removable.

Thanks for the replies guys, I know body roll is expected it is just that I know I can fine tune it and give it better manners on the street and off road. My 82 handled great for a truck.

YOUNGIAM

I'm going to fab something like this.

YOUNGIAM

I'm Thinking for right now I want to fix the shackle angle and if that means different springs I'm game. Thank's for the reply.

YOUNGIAM

You know you had a good time when you end up with a flat tire at the end of the day.

YOUNGIAM

I live in Big Bear so wheeling will be often Johnson Valley is 30 minutes away. (Hammer Time)

So today I brought my jalopy over to my son's childhood friends house, he and his dad used to race desert trucks and he worked at Fabtech.

He gave me lots of good information and just as I expected my rear front shackle has to much angle so I'm hoping to switch out my front springs with a little shorter spring.

We cut out the metal that the shackle is hitting to eliminate that noise for now.

He also suggested a pan hard bar on the front. So stay tuned... (he says it's all Japanese to him) LOL

We have a plan for the jalopy's new rear bumper also.