SOA question...

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Cruiser Clint

Cruiser Clint

Joined
Jul 4, 2004
Threads
44
Messages
442
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Is there any benefit in switching the stock rear springs to the front and vice versa when doing a SOA? I have a SBC in my 40, and when I had the original spings on years ago, there was considerable droop in the rear. Would switching the springs around help level the truck considering the lighter engine?


Clint
 
Have you measured them all out? Are the center pins in the same place/could be moved to the same place? Are the springs the same length? Same number of leaves? What have you figured out on your own yet?


Never heard of it but someone else may have. My interests are perked. :D
 
Typically swiching the springs is done to extend wheel base. I did it. not done with the truck yet. search for "flipping springs" It should turn up what others have done.
 
He's not asking about flipping the springs. He asking about putting the front springs in the back and the back springs up front.

Yes it will work. The springs are identical length and are centered identically too. I do it routinely. It will help (the front springs have one more leaf than the rear and are slightly stronger because of the weight of the engine that sits over them). It won't make a lot of ddiference, but it will make a little.
A better approach is to leave the fronts in the front and put a 2-2.5 inch left spring under the rear. This will give a slight rake when empty. Barely noticable and actually a good look. As soon as you load it the rig will sit much even instead of sagging in the rear. We do this all the time.


Mark...
 
wouldnt that cause the front to droop, less spring rate?
 
Show me a 25-40 year old spring that hasn't. ;) then show me a spring (even a new one) under an SOA that gets used that hasn't. ;)

ALL leaf springs droop. In fact for a nicely setup and not too tall SOA you want flat springs. But you want the front end lower than the rear.

Toyota misjudged the stresses and loading the springs would see when they put the heavier springs up front. (They didn't have the 40 years of hindsight that we are using.) They should have done it the other way around in the first place.


Mark...
 
Mark W said:
A better approach is to leave the fronts in the front and put a 2-2.5 inch left spring under the rear. This will give a slight rake when empty. Barely noticable and actually a good look. As soon as you load it the rig will sit much even instead of sagging in the rear. We do this all the time.


Mark...
Click to expand...

Would an add a leaf in the rear be right on? Or would that be too little? too much??
 
To be completely honest i am halfway thru the SOA and I realized that I had the rear in the front and vice versa :doh: . I am trying to talk myself into leaving it that way since it is a PITA to change out again. I'm starting to feel my age more and more and would like to get this done in time for an upcoming trip in April with the FJ Cruiser Trail Team. I want to try it this way, but don't want to mess up my angles on the cut and turn either.

Mark W. I appreciate your input. I am taking off 2.5" springs to do the SOA, so I have your option readily available if I have to. Thanks to everyone else for the input:beer: :beer:
 
Though mine is not a SBC I thought I would put in my setup since we are talking springs.

I've got a springover and the rear of my cruiser is lower than the front by at least an inch or two. I just ordered MAFs add long add a leafs to hopefully cure this problem.
 
73fj55 said:
Would an add a leaf in the rear be right on? Or would that be too little? too much??
Click to expand...


That works well actually. At least in terms of ride height. I'm generally not a big fan of add-a-leafs. I've used them occasionally, but you tend to sacrifise a little bit of articulation and ride quality. not much, but a little. They also put more stress on the long leafs of the spring unless you get the full length add-a-leafs.

But it is an inexpensive approach which brings the back end up where it needs to be.

Mark...
 
I know this swap has been done to death but I have not seen a thread on the least amount of lift you can get from a SOA. It seems people do it to get lots of lift. I am trying to do one now and am going to use the shortest shackles possible in hopes to keep low considering the spring over. I want to run 34/9.5/15 and just want get a little more flex and put some of the bolts out of harms way. What is the smallest lift possible with and SOA? Seems 4"
Cheers
 
holy old thread revival,

i still have never seen this done before

soa will net about 5-5 1/2 inches of lift. with stock flat springs
 
dirtfella - you mentioned using the shortest shackles possible....... They don't get much shorter than stock fj40's and still actually work. An idea is to possibly do a shackle reversal using a low profile front hanger such as removing the rear front spirng hanger and placing it in the front and drilling a hole in the frame to sleeve and hang your shackle from. I dont know how much but I can only imagine that will provide a bit less lift .... Possibly enough to make a fj with old saggy rear springs sit level?????
 
i did my soa 35 years ago and my front springs now have a reverse arch ,i used a toyota main leaf in the rear and springs from a 6x6 and they have sagged also.even with the plow they refuse to break ,probably replace them this summer.
 
if I was going for a minimum lift SOA today, I would look hard at and probably use Chevy reverse arch springs. Both Roger and Robert Theurer did this on their rigs and it seems to work very well for them.

I am sure others have too, but I have not hit the trails with them and their rigs the way I have with Rob and Rog.


Mark...
 
holy old thread revival,

i still have never seen this done before

soa will net about 5-5 1/2 inches of lift. with stock flat springs
 
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