Can someone tell me what kind of spring hangers these are and why someone would have added them (1 Viewer)

[Wadesters]

Hello, I have just purchased a project mainly for the frame. The frame is in good condition but these spring hangers have been added to the front. What are they for?? I am going back stock so should I remove these and go back with stock spring hangers? Thank you I just have not seen these before. First picture is the front second is the back.

 

[snaggletto]

Looks like a shackle reversal. In stock form, the swing shackle is in the front. Not an uncommon mod, but you will find arguments on both sides.

 

[JohnnyC]

I have that exact same SR it's from MAF

With it I run 2.5" lift springs in the front and 4" in the rear

Your shackle in the front is larger than stock... My front is just over stock

 

[Wadesters]

OK thanks!! What would it take for me to go back to stock (who sells the right application)? Since the rivets will obviously be gone I assume it is OK to use grade 8 bolts to return?

 

[George Hischar]

If I were you, I would leave it the way it is. I personally find that rigs with the shackle in the back have a little better driveability. I think you have less wander going down the hwy, especially if the road has grooves from big trucks. Just my opinion though. I have had rigs that were setup each way and the shackle in the back is what I prefer.

 

[AlaskanWheeler]

I would keep it the way it is as well. There isn't much to gain, IMO, for the amount of work and parts sourcing to put it back to stock.

 

[Tysano]

Cut that crap off and put it back to stock, under hard breaking the shackles at the rear of the springs swings back, allowing the front axel to move back, causing the front of the truck to dive, which unweights the rear axle, that in turn causes rear wheel lock-up. Not a good sanario going down hill in the dirt, or on the highway at 65 mph. With the shackles in the front under hard braking the axle is not allowed to move back therefore it moves down pushing up on the front of the truck applying down pressure to the rear axle it's the earliest form of anti lock brakes. Also if your ball joints steering box and alignment are all in proper working condition you should not have any problems with drivability. The only advantage of a shackle reversal kit is that it moves your front axle forward creating is steeper angle of approach. Toyota mini truck shackles to the rear but also have a proportioning valve to adjust for loss of weight to the rear axle under hard braking. If you need help with the swap pm me as I have done this swap back to stock it's pretty straightforward and the parts are available.

 

[JohnnyC]

I have had my SR for almost 20 years... I have never had any instances of what your describing... It is my DD and have near to 150,000+ miles on them ... Winter summer wheeling hard core and mild ...i drive it everywhere... I do have 4 wheel disc ... But was all drum at one time as well

@Downey .... i think Jim was extreamly knowledgeable on the subject ... As well as @lcwizard ... He makes them

It has been beat to death .... Good/Bad

 

[bikersmurf]

I'd run it the way it is for now. As stated, It's a lot of work to do the conversion with minimal payoff. drive it, and others and then decide how to proceed. If you decide to go back to stock, you'll likely be able to sell that kit to someone else who wants to do a shackle reversal.

 

[78fj40mg]

I'd leave it as is. I have the same system and it works great with no issues.

 

[Indygbd]

I would cut it off and weld the correct frame hangers back on it before paintimg the frame. You are doing a frame off original restoration not building an off road rig with a V8 conversion.

 

[FJ40zen]

I can lock up all four, but I have four discs. Tune the proportioning.

 

[orangefj45]

Looks like the "advanced handling" 2nd generation kit to me.

Georg @ Valley Hybrids

 

[franklin40]

I had that same set up with no problems. I'm going spring over now though so getting rid of it. if you go back I'd want to weld new hangers on. I wouldn't trust bolts to stay tight

 

[FJ40zen]

I bought mine with the Advanced Handling kit Georg. The hangers were reversed compared to the MAF, so I reversed my Advance Handling kit to increase the approach angle like the MAF.

Picture before purchase

 

[SteveH]

For those not in the know, a company in New York state called 'Land Cruiser Advanced Handling' sold many SR kits through the 1990s (at least). They promoted the kit as solving a myriad of 'problems' with FJ40 suspension engineering. I was never quite sold on the deal, but there are plenty of folks pretty happy with the setup.

 

[pbgbottle]

was Ross Stuart Oregon

,,,

 

[Wadesters]

Hate to spend any more money than I need to. Was convinced I was going to change the setup and then someone sent me this. I am normally all original but hate to spend more time or money if this will work. I know the look will be a little different but it is all ready installed on the frame I am going to use.



Shackle Reversal (LONG)

• To: LandCruisers@xxxxxxxx
• Subject: Shackle Reversal (LONG)
• From: "Jack Rice" <JACK_RICE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
• Date: Wed, 22 Jan 97 16:32:42 PST

After reading the ORD and now the TLCA mailing lists for almost a
year now, I have seen quite a few examples of confusion related to
FJ40 suspension systems. With spring-over and shackle-reversal
conversions currently very popular, I believe it might be useful,
especially for newcomers, to describe some of the basic features
of the conversions. This appears to be significant in light of
the confusion raised by John Barron's opinion of shackle reversal
in Digest #40 (see comments by John Ducy and Tracy Cowan in Digest
#41).
The problem with the stock suspension is that the shackle mounted
at the front of the springs and the solid mount at the rear causes
the axle to move up and forward on compression. When the vehicle
is moving forward, this results in less than ideal handling,
including the characteristic lateral movement of the LC whenever
it hits even the smallest of highway bumps. The problem can also
be observed by noticing the side-to-side movement in the stock
shackles when the steering wheel is turned back and forth slightly
while the LC is parked. The generally accepted solution to the
problem is to reverse the shackles, so that the spring is fixed to
the frame at the front. There are basically two different
approaches: 1. an effective, easy to install kit, and 2. a
complicated conversion performed by several well-known TLC shops
or by technically qualified owners.
1. The Land Cruiser Advanced Handling Suspension Correction Kit.
This bolt-on, easy-to-install kit was designed by Ross Stewart,
owner of Land Cruiser Advanced Handling, Inc. (Albany Oregon). In
1984 it became the first commercially available solution to the
TLC suspension problem. It consists of new front springhangers
that bolt to the front of the LC frame rails, new rear
springhangers and shackles, and a plate to offset the bumpstops.
The beauty of this kit is that the original axle location and
geometry (caster) are maintained. This is accomplished by moving
the front spring eye down and forward relative to the front of the
frame rails. The springs are NOT flipped front-to-back, and no
modifications of the drive shaft or brake lines are required. The
kit results in a 1.5 in. lift. This kit really is quite simple to
install, so I must strongly disagree with John Barron's for this
solution to the problem.
Does it work? The answer from me is an enthusiastic YES. I have
driven Cruisers since 1970, and never realized they could handle
so well both on- and off-road. IMHO, the Advanced Handling
Suspension Correction Kit is THE most cost-effective ($230)
improvement anyone can make to a Land Cruiser. It not only
significantly improves handling, but I believe safety as well.
I wish to point out that for several years after Ross Stewart
began marketing the correction kit, it was resold by larger
aftermarket dealers such as Man-A-Fre and BTP Products.
Unfortunately for Stewart, the design was not patented, and both
Man-A-Fre and BTP decided to copy the design and sell their own
version. Consequently the *Man-A-Fre Advanced Handling Kit* shown
on p. 101 of their current catalog is in reality a copy of the
original. In fact I believe that all of the so-called suspension
correction kits available commercially are copies of Ross' design.
My recommendation is that instead of paying the same or more for a
copy, buy the original! Ross has an informative brochure complete
with installation pictures for the kit. The address is: 1029 24th
SE, Albany, OR 97321 (541)926-8122.
2. The alternative approach involves considerably more effort and
expertise. It is an approach performed by TLC specialty shops
such as Fabtech in B.C. and Danny Warden's in Calif., as well as
individuals with more expertise than the average LC owner. It
involves switching the front and rear springholders, drilling new
holes in the two main leaves of the spring pack, flipping these
leaves front-to-back, and some tricky alignment of the rear
shackle tubes. I have not done this conversion myself, and can
only refer the interested reader to Greg Cooper's (Fabtech)
article in Toyota Trails (1993). This article, primarily on
spring-over conversion, has been reproduced by Rod LaHaise
(www.off-oad.com/~beck/tech_docs/soa.html). It was this
conversion that I assume John Barron was advising Kerry Uchida
against.
I apologize for the length of this post, but hope some will find
it informative. For owners who are not solely interested in
building the ultimate rock crawler, or who actually might want to
drive their LC to the trail head, I highly recommend the Advanced
Handling Suspension Correction Kit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack Rice
Cruisin' since 1970 TLCA #4751
'78 FJ40
jrice@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

[pbgbottle]

Cool email.

I did option 2. Above. With my SOA.


Fabtec from Canada had some cool ideas way back in the day also.




,

 

[orangefj45]

You can always call BTB. They ripped off Ross' design years ago. And of course they tell everybody that it's their design.
I hear their tech support is top notch as well.

Bawahahahaha