1st gen 4runner rear suspension advice sought
- Thread starter RockDog4x4
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Thanks for the comments...I'm gonna drive it a bit, take it out and let it settle before I level it out.. just wondered if anyone ever had experience with those lift springs vs blocks or longer shackles.
It is tall, I needed a step ladder to adjust the idle-up actuator the other day!
@gnob...the FJ wheels look good...I have them on my 4th Gen 4runner. I like the unloaded stance, nice rig.
It is tall, I needed a step ladder to adjust the idle-up actuator the other day!
@gnob...the FJ wheels look good...I have them on my 4th Gen 4runner. I like the unloaded stance, nice rig.
I'd leave the GM 63's under the truck. I highly doubt any of the aftermarket lift leaves for those trucks are as good of a spring as the OEM springs.
I'm curious why gnob isn't a fan of them. I used them under an '84 Xcab and they were a quantum leap forward. Supple ride, not a lot of ride height change with a load in the bed, and articulated better than I needed them to do. With WFO mounts & shackles and OME front springs the truck sat nearly level with a shell on the bed. I'd use them under my '88 4rnnr except that I'm trying to keep it lower than that as it's more of a DD/long distance driver.
I'm curious why gnob isn't a fan of them. I used them under an '84 Xcab and they were a quantum leap forward. Supple ride, not a lot of ride height change with a load in the bed, and articulated better than I needed them to do. With WFO mounts & shackles and OME front springs the truck sat nearly level with a shell on the bed. I'd use them under my '88 4rnnr except that I'm trying to keep it lower than that as it's more of a DD/long distance driver.
There's more to the OEM GM 63's than just their length to make them ride well and move well. Which is why I suggest keeping them and not going to an aftermarket spring, and also why I'm curious about gnob's comment. AFAIK the only way to go wrong with the 63's would be if they result in too tall of a ride height for the use.
My .02$. i have never used the chevy springs. From my angle, they are a JY hack for people without money for springs.
Other than being a pita to fit in the first place. They aren't really providing lift,. They are wider than toy stuff which requires different spring plates and potentially shackles.
Moreover they are designed for a vehicle that weighs 50%+ more. Logically to me they make zero sense.
Do some people use them and they work ok, sure. But plenty of people go away from them.
Other than being a pita to fit in the first place. They aren't really providing lift,. They are wider than toy stuff which requires different spring plates and potentially shackles.
Moreover they are designed for a vehicle that weighs 50%+ more. Logically to me they make zero sense.
Do some people use them and they work ok, sure. But plenty of people go away from them.
You should try them before condemning them as JY hack, or at least ride in a well tuned truck that uses them. I have money for springs and I wouldn't have replaced them. They may be originally for a heavier vehicle ), but simply removing the O/L and the shortest leaf tunes them to work well under a yota pick-up. In no way would I say they only work OK, I would say that they worked excellent for my application. Which is NOT rock-crawling. I used the truck to chase desert racers and to go on week-long + mostly dirt cross-country trips. People moving away from them isn't necessarily a condemnation of them as some guys are never satisfied with what they have. I didn't move away from them, I moved away from the truck that they are under due to rust.
They are fairly flat, so unless you're willing to invert them they don't have the wheel travel that a more arched spring will have. I was willing to occasionally invert them. I used the O/L leaf upside down so that inverting them didn't kink them on the spring perch and I used a progressive rubber bump-stop. They do require a bit more shock damping than other leaf springs. I found Bilstein's 275/78 shim stack to work very, very well with them.
They are fairly flat, so unless you're willing to invert them they don't have the wheel travel that a more arched spring will have. I was willing to occasionally invert them. I used the O/L leaf upside down so that inverting them didn't kink them on the spring perch and I used a progressive rubber bump-stop. They do require a bit more shock damping than other leaf springs. I found Bilstein's 275/78 shim stack to work very, very well with them.
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Nothing is ever a bolt-on, even the stuff sold as that. Something always need tuning and tweaking if it going to perform at its optimum.
Could I have bought new springs for the '84? Absolutely. Would they have worked as well? Not in my experience, no. Nothing that I ever found that fit the OE hangers & shackles worked anywhere near as well. As you said, I "went away" from stock brackets fitting stuff because it didn't do what I needed it to do.
Nothing is ever a bolt-on, even the stuff sold as that. Something always need tuning and tweaking if it going to perform at its optimum.
Could I have bought new springs for the '84? Absolutely. Would they have worked as well? Not in my experience, no. Nothing that I ever found that fit the OE hangers & shackles worked anywhere near as well. As you said, I "went away" from stock brackets fitting stuff because it didn't do what I needed it to do.
So instead of explaining yourself you flip me off? That's hugely helpful, thank you for your contribution.
Clearly.
Guys, time out … OK. Let's be civil and help each other out.
I was trying to be, but now I don't care.