[H8PVMNT]

Ive fooled around with a few IFS setups, none of which was very extreme. Basically just better torsion bars with low profile bump stops, heim joint steering and some nice shocks. I swapped to a solid axle using my old rear emu springs up front because I got sick of breaking CVs on my truck. The heim joint steering with high misalignment spacers on my truck was definetly a good upgrade and worth the trouble. I also remember breaking a couple of center links ect.

We recently set up a 4runner for my wife using some Downey torsion bars, bump stops and idler gusset and a complete Old Man Emu setup. I also added some polyurethane sway bar bushings. My wife mainly likes fire roading but we wanted a sleeper/crawler as well so we put in a detroit locker with 488s. All my buddies were pissed because she could spank them on the trail every time in her mom wagon with skinny 33s and stock wheels, it was really fun.

I must say after all the screwing around with my truck's IFS, the Emu suspension is vastly superior in ride and handling to anything I came up with on my own. The lift isn't much, and the wheel travel isn't massive, but everything is very healthy and you can absolutely bomb rough fire road terrain with total dead but hooked to the road ride and handling. If you install lockers, the lack of travel isn't a big deal on most trails anyway.
If you want 3 feet of front articulation, swap to a solid axle. Long travel setups would be fun to play with, but for me the durability of a solid axle or fairly stock IFS setup like the Old Man Emu seems to work better for the kind of wheeling I do.



This is in no way meant as a dig on you guys with sweet long drooping IFS, this is just my take on IFS mods based on my own experiences. Wheel On!!


Hi guys, just wanted to update my opinion... I still love the emu stuff, but after looking over all your pics I decided to try the 1.5" ball joint spacers with some left over 10" stroke monotubes I had for an '86 I got from my brother in law. I am trying the emu torsion bars as they seem to be the softest aftermarket bars. I'm using the F-250 shock towers welded to some plates that bolt on top of the cast upper control arm pivots. I could have bent hoops, but at $15 each I've always wanted to use the F-250 shock towers for something, and they are very compact which is good.
I'm getting back my old heim joint steering and still debating on low profile bump stops. I maybe have about 1" of lift because I set the torsion bars pretty low to get lots of downtravel. I beleive that this is the benefit of the spacers; less crank, more travel, softer ride! I will be using this truck an expedition vehicle for reaching remote tracts of land that I have to photo for appraisal work. I'll pound on this setup and let you know what happens.

Does anyone make a really soft foam type bump stop that I coud use for the compresion bumpers? I'd like to avoid that thump on compresion. Maybe something scavenged of an IFS chevy?