87 4x4 rear lift options (no chevies)?

[N2frodn]

Have an 87 Extracab 4x4 with a 4inch trailmaster bracket (crap) kit on it. Rear has stock springs with steel blocks.

Not exactly the happiest setup, especially with the added weight of being set up as an expedition rig (camper shell, rack, sleeping platform, spares and such).
One rear leaf has a nice S shape to it, the other is barely holding the back end up. Looks funky going down the road and rides like crap.

Any bolt on options to correct these problems? (Get rid of huge block, S shaped spring and prerunner look rear sag).

I know all about chevies, deavers, allpros, trailgear and other 60+in spring options, have a set of Deavers on my other truck.
But I am lazy and a perfectionist, took me an eternity to do the deavers on my prerunner build, looking for instant (bolt on) gratification here.

Any usable combination of shackle and spring that will get me close to the height of the front of the truck, carry the load and not require me to break out the plasma and welder?

And yes, I have debated yanking the crappy bracket lift out and going back to stock, only running 33s and have no plans to go bigger (previous owner had 35s on it).
Thanks in advance.

 

[Richmondo]

Maybe some OME's and and a 1-2" lift shackle? Only problem I see is you'd have to run a 5.5-7.5" shackle to match the front which would probably added up to fxxxing horrible shackle angle

 

[mightymouse]

alcan springs.

 

[Richmondo]

Didn't even think about Alcan

 

[N2frodn]

Will check out Alcan.

Also forgot about National Spring, they are somewhat local to me. Anybody ever deal with them?

 

[mightymouse]

for what it's worth i had alcans on my old rig and loved them. They are pricey but well worth it imo. They custom make the springs to your specs and as we all know you get what you pay for.

 

[GRM]

As far as bolt-on goes... I think your best bet is a pair of Old Man Emu springs.

And why would you consider going to Alcan, but not Deaver? Deaver can make a pair of springs that bolt into your truck.

If you think the Deavers were bad to get tuned in, Alcans are 10x worse. I made the mistake once to try Alcans on my truck. Never never never again. I now run Nationals in the front (rebuilt by deaver), and 62" deavers in the rear.

 

[Richmondo]

As far as bolt-on goes... I think your best bet is a pair of Old Man Emu springs.

And why would you consider going to Alcan, but not Deaver? Deaver can make a pair of springs that bolt into your truck.

If you think the Deavers were bad to get tuned in, Alcans are 10x worse. I made the mistake once to try Alcans on my truck. Never never never again. I now run Nationals in the front (rebuilt by deaver), and 62" deavers in the rear.

I think a lot of people forget that Deaver does custom packs since they're pretty much synonymous with pre-running/desert racing. I know I do.

 

[H8PVMNT]

Emu are great springs and well worth the coin.

I have also had pretty good success with building re-worked spring packs using the top two leaves out of a stock Toyota pack and adding additional thin leaves from other packs with more arch to make a 7 or 8 leaf pack with no overloads. They ride well and offer alot more load capacity. Doner leaves could include 1st gen leaves, F-150 leaves or anything else that is the right width and has decent arch. With the right pack you can end up with a good riding 3" lift spring real cheap and make up the rest with shackles. The best part is that old leaf material is allready sagged out and boken in so they probably won't go to heck on you.

 

[N2frodn]

Put me in the group that didn't know or forgot that Deaver is a custom spring builder, not just a manufacturer of springs for prerunners.
Bracket lift makes me mad every time I look at it. Just so.....pointless. This poor truck started life as an 80s "big dumb truck".

I think the PO and myself are the only ones who actually wheeled it.

Plan is OMEs in the back, a slight crank of the Rancho Tbars in the front and a little hammer and plasma love on the inner fenders. Well, that and a bunch of other little stuff (shock hoops, relocate rear shock mounts, low pro bumpstops) Should be able to clear 33x10.5s on stock offset wheels.

I'll take stability over height anyday, after all, that is what sliders and skidplates are for. https://forum.ih8mud.com/images/smilies/glasses.gif

Anybody know what parts get "modified" when these bracket kits go on? I have an almost complete, spare front end (spindles, all steering parts) sitting around. Just hoping nothing important got cut off the truck when they put this stupid kit on. I don't have a spare IFS frame floating around here.