Hey guys, just wanted to post a big thank-you to everyone for all the help they've given me the last couple of weeks. Doing an HG replacement when you work full time evenings can be hell when your garage is half way across town. Thanks to you guys, all I have left to do is set up the distributor and she's back running again.

The next question I have is:

If anyone has looked under their 4Runner, the bump stops have a "plate" above them (rear leafs). If I were going to remove this, and replace it with a similar looking plate, would steel of the same gauge thickness work for a spring mount, or am I gonna have to try it and see if it breaks? The reason I'm asking is because I'm thinking of mounting a set of air springs to them to help/fix my rear end sag. I've already got the springs, just need the mount to bolt them to. Also, if my front suspension (ifs) sits just barely above the bump stops, can I correct this with the torsion bars, and how much room should I be aiming for?

 

Well... consider the original plate was put there only to occasionally withstand the weight of the vehicle. You'll be adding a spring that will be supporting a fair amount of weight almost full time. You just need to design accordingly. In my opinion, you can't really make something like that to strong, only not strong enough. I'd beef them up.

You can adjust the bars to get more clearance, but you'll get a slightly stiffer ride and of course raise your front end... which will make your rear sag appear to be worse. Sounds like your bars need to be adjusted though seeing how close they are to the bumps stops.

Make sure there is no weight on the front wheels before you start turning the adjustment bolts. Also, those bolts have been known to rust and/ or seize. You should be prepared to have one or even both fail during adjustment. If that's the case, your truck won't be drivable until new bolts are purchased from the dealer. IIRC they are around $25 per side with the cradle nut included... but you may want to check first. Both on price and availability.

Could be bad to snap one off and not be able to drive until new parts came in.

 

You have to remember too that the stops are only 1/3 to 1/2 of the way out the arms. so if you have a 1/2" of space, you have almost to 1.2" of travel. Plus bumps give a little.