'82 FJ60 Suspension ???s (2 Viewers)

[JDub73]

New poster here. Been lurking for a while for tips and tricks to keep my truck keepin' on.

Mine's a tan '82. I'm the second owner, and it has just over 208,000 miles on it. All original except for the stereo, which itself is from the late '80s. Almost period correct. LOL

I'm growing weary of the body roll around corners. I just bought new Bilstein shocks - not installed yet - but I think the leaf springs might need to be replaced too. I called a shop in California (Atlas) and they quoted a little over $2K to ship new springs, bushings, and U-bolts. I also looked at Old Man Emu springs, but I can't find them in the stock ride height. I don't want any lift over factory ride height. Any thoughts?

At any rate, I just wanted to say "hello" and that this is a great community with a wealth of knowledge!

 

[micruz60]

Dobinson's for another choice of leaf springs?
Is the front axle sway bar in place and are the bushings in good shape, same for the leaf spring shackle pins?

 

[JDub73]

Dobinson's for another choice of leaf springs?
Is the front axle sway bar in place and are the bushings in good shape, same for the leaf spring shackle pins?

Thanks for the suggestion. It looks like everything they offer is 45-50mm lift.

 

[88Retired62]

That’s one fine example of a low mileage and exceptional original of what could be called an ”Estate Wagon”. Beautiful!

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

Stock height springs----

Leaf Springs For Toyota Land Cruiser | Spring Works - https://www.springworks.com/land-cruiser-leaf-springs/

Then order greasable shackles and pins, bushings and ubolts from Dobinsons (me) or OME (@cruiser outfitters)

Jason
TT

 

[kheld01]

First of all, that is a beautiful survivor you have there, welcome to the forum.

I bought an FJ60 three years ago with a monster truck lift and I’m still looking for the right way to return it to a stock suspension. There are some easy options but they’re pricey. SOR sells their “grocery getter lift kit” which is an Old Man Emu setup modified for comfort and close to factory height but last I looked that was $2000+. Cruiser Outfitters @cruiseroutfit sells a stock height kit that is a custom spring, I think they charge a little less than $2000. I’ve heard good things about the Atlas springs but again $2000ish. Lastly, the springs linked above look like a decent price, but if they’re made by General Spring/Dayton Spring/probably some other generic name (which the part numbers suggest) I would stay away. I unfortunately pulled the trigger on them a bit ago and I was not impressed. Ride is great, But brand new the rears are saggy and worn out looking. See my pictures in the post below. I’m also linking a good (but not very conclusive) thread on the topic that also has some pictures of the ”cheap” spring option. Good luck!

Are these OEM leaf spring specs?

I want stock spec leaf springs to replace the old worn out ones on my 1983 FJ60. Anyone try or have luck with these ? (the Toyota part numbers they reference are correct, but I have no idea if those physical dimensions are indeed correct for a stock setup) : 1981-1987 Toyota Land Cruiser 4...

forum.ih8mud.com

Stock height springs for an FJ60

I need a new suspension setup and tires and I think my preference is 31s and stock height springs instead of the standard 2-3" lift with 33s.. I'm not expecting to do a ton of off-roading that a 60 with 31" BFG K02s cant handle. And, loading kids into car seats in a lifted 60 is kind of a pain...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[kevin in okinawa]

You can't go wrong by calling up industry leader Alcan Spring, they'll make you whatever you want.

Alcan Spring - Custom Leaf Springs in Grand Junction, CO

Alcan Spring builds the finest custom leaf spring suspension on the planet! Built American strong with American steel. We customize all vehicles - see how.

www.alcanspring.com

 

[OSS]

FJ60 and body roll in corners is the nature of the beast. The problem may not be body roll (per se) but your expectation on how this dinosaur should ride.
-All- modern vehicles ride better than the FJ60. Going from a modern vehicle to the 60 usually results in the following thought: “Man this thing rides like crap “.
But drive it around long enough and you get used to it - and eventually it’ll seem fine.

That’s my experience anyway.

 

[JDub73]

Stock height springs----

Leaf Springs For Toyota Land Cruiser | Spring Works - https://www.springworks.com/land-cruiser-leaf-springs/

Then order greasable shackles and pins, bushings and ubolts from Dobinsons (me) or OME (@cruiser outfitters)

Jason
TT

Excellent, thank you!

 

[JDub73]

FJ60 and body roll in corners is the nature of the beast. The problem may not be body roll (per se) but your expectation on how this dinosaur should ride.
-All- modern vehicles ride better than the FJ60. Going from a modern vehicle to the 60 usually results in the following thought: “Man this thing rides like crap “.
But drive it around long enough and you get used to it - and eventually it’ll seem fine.

That’s my experience anyway.

This is in line with my initial thoughts. But after 40+ years and 200K miles I figured a spring refresh couldn't hurt. The rear seems to be sagging to me - I don't know maybe that's just the way it's supposed to look?

 

[OSS]

The rear seems to be sagging to me - I don't know maybe that's just the way it's supposed to look?

The rear shouldn’t look droopy on proper springs.

 

[BurntToast]

Maybe swap in some fj62 swaybar? Would help with the roll

 

[JDub73]

I installed the Bilsteins, which improved the ride quality considerably but predictably did not affect the ride height. So I replaced them with some Monroe air shocks that provided the ride height adjustment I was looking for. Also, the steering feel has improved noticeably with the rear sag removed.

 

[cheeese]

Maybe swap in some fj62 swaybar? Would help with the roll

I'd love to do this but the early trucks lack the mounting brackets.

 

[BurntToast]

I'd love to do this but the early trucks lack the mounting brackets.

Grinder and paint make me the welder i ain’t

 

[caladin]

Is there a walk through of this mod?

 

[BlackCat]

Here’s my 83 on completely stock suspension. Even has 40 year old OEM shocks on the back still!
Only modification is a set of Boss airbags that replace the factory bump stops in the rear.

The ride is……so-so. My truck only has 130k on it and it’s in desperate need of a refresh, which I’ve been saying I’ll do for the better part of 5 years now and haven’t. So if you want to keep the factory stuff and just get a little height in the rear back and/or a little less body roll, bags may be an option for you.