fj60 suspension upgrade questions

[j-dub]

i just purchased an 87 fj60. i'm not too familiar with the ins and outs of it yet. right now the rig is stock with 31"s. i think it sits a little low and would like to have some more clearance. not looking for any thing too radical, thinking 33's would work for me. i'd like some suggestions on what size lift (suspension? body?) you guys with experience would recommend. price is somewhat of a factor, but ultimately i want to get the job done right. what do you suggest?

 

[gulp3000]

Old Man Emu Dakar lift seems to be the hot ticket right now. BDS, CoolCruisers of TX, Alcan & Belton are popular as well. These are all spring lifts.

2.5"-3" is usually needed to clear 33s without rubbing, but 33x9.50 can fit on a normal height stock suspension (without the normal sagging in the rear that almost all 60s have by now). A shackle lift can gain you a little as well. There is a 1" body lift that some guys here have done also. Use the search function and you will find more info than you want.

If I was doing it again and had the cash, I would do the Dakar lift with 1.5" longer shackles, OME shocks, and 33x10.5 BFG ATs or MTs.

I have a BDS 2.5" + 1.5" longer shackles. It's a stiff ride, but it's fine for what I use the Cruiser for.

 

[NocalFJ60]

I vote for the Old Man Emu Dakar. But do a search on gearing. If you go anything bigger than 31's with the stock gears you might not like it. As you move to bigger tires you will loose that low end for offroading but it will help it on the high side on the highway.Something to think about.

 

[lovetoski]

Welcome to the board! Congrats on a great purchase.

Check out the FAQ up top, loads of great info on a variety of topics, including suspension options.

Also, do a search using key words like OME, Dakar, Ironman, lift, and you'll get a few weeks of reading.

Also, check out the list of readers rides. This will give you a sense of how people use their cruisers, and what mods they've found appropriate.

Key in making mods (besides the obvious time/money issue) is to figure out what you want to do with your cruiser. There are lots of cool mods, but if they don't help you do what you want to do, then they are pointless...or worse, a waste of time and money.

 

[hilander]

I run 33x9.5 BFG MTs with no lift on my 84 and no rubbing problems. I think a shackle lift would be a good way to gain a little height without dropping the big bucks. Besides, if you decide to go higher latter on you may be able to still use your longer shackles.

 

[cruzerfetish]

Like others said, it depends on what you want to do, and how bad your current suspension is. When I replace my suspension mine was total s***e. I even had a cracked leaf spring and a torn, rusted out rear shock mount. If your springs are good, you could go with a shackle lift. That would clear 33s. I have an 87 FJ60 and I just put the med/heavy Dakar springs, anti inversion shackles, and OME Nitrocharger shocks. It is great. Also, even though the Dakar is much cheaper than regular OME (due to where they manufacture them) the total suspension kit with shipping still cost more than the 1600.00 I paid for the cruiser. But, in hindsight, I wouldn't have gone any other route.

Now if I could just afford some new tires.

 

[cruiseroutfit]

OME or Dakar

 

[HZJ60 Guy]

OME and a spring over baby.


TB

 

[Cruisin'Carolina]

HIJACK:

I, too, have recently purchased a 60.....stock suspension, new 31" ATs.....(low-buck no-name brand).....

It is a high mileage rig, serving me faithfully so far for a short commute (4 miles)....I go back and forth to my office 3 times a day....

No plans for offroading it....will try to keep it going for a few years in it's current role, I just can't afford to mod it or my new 80....

I just want to pick up the rear a bit, shackles will work for this?

Add-a-leaf (no flames!....two years ago when I had a different mind-set about money I would have modded both trucks to the max....trying to go low and slow for while on these two....I know OME is the way to go in the long run, I just need a quick, cheaper way to get the stance right)

 

[esh]

OME variety will put a huge smile on your face. It's worth the $$ for a wagon. If I were buying new right now, it'd be a Dakar.

Don't go heavy unless you're sure you'll be really loading it up with weight.

 

[chitown40]

HIJACK:

I, too, have recently purchased a 60.....stock suspension, new 31" ATs.....(low-buck no-name brand).....

It is a high mileage rig, serving me faithfully so far for a short commute (4 miles)....I go back and forth to my office 3 times a day....

No plans for offroading it....will try to keep it going for a few years in it's current role, I just can't afford to mod it or my new 80....

I just want to pick up the rear a bit, shackles will work for this?

Add-a-leaf (no flames!....two years ago when I had a different mind-set about money I would have modded both trucks to the max....trying to go low and slow for while on these two....I know OME is the way to go in the long run, I just need a quick, cheaper way to get the stance right)

For your application, there is nothing wrong with add-a-leafs. I have them in the rear springs on my 60 to level it out (I got them for $30) and had them put in by a spring shop. It cost me about $200 for parts/labor/leafs total. Shackles are cheaper and you can put them in yourself, but they wont help a sagging spring when you want to load up the back.

 

[Maddog72]

I have the HFS from Cool Cruisers and love it. I have no experience with the OME or the OME Dakar lifts. Good luck. Jim

 

[j-dub]

thanks for the input. got a quote today from spring works in grand junction colorado for 1.5'' shackles, 2.5" on the springs greaseable bushings (all from BDS i believe) removal of old shocks and install on the new for $1900. holy s***! talk about sticker shock! they're charging $350 for the labor. i'm pretty sure i could do it but that still puts me at $1550. may have to get a second job. not sure what my wife will think about that!

 

[gulp3000]

I patiently waited for a used set to come up on ebay or here. Just about the time I was going to give up, I found a used set of BDS for under $300. There are guys with lift springs that go back to stock springs when they move up to a spring-over conversion. Keep your radar on and you might find a set. My shackle lift took me plenty of places before that.

 

[lovetoski]

thanks for the input. got a quote today from spring works in grand junction colorado for 1.5'' shackles, 2.5" on the springs greaseable bushings (all from BDS i believe) removal of old shocks and install on the new for $1900. holy s***! talk about sticker shock! they're charging $350 for the labor. i'm pretty sure i could do it but that still puts me at $1550. may have to get a second job. not sure what my wife will think about that!

Key is to think through how you (realistically) will use the truck, factoring in the all-so-important cash question. One idea is to do this in stages.

For example:
Front and rear add-a-leafs. (Long front, short rear). Immediate lift, about ~150 for u-bolts + leafs. (Assumes you do the labor.) You gain about 1.5 - 2" over where you are now. You can run 33's with this. This is the cheapest lift for the money.

Shackle lift. Going to PU bushings, and greasable springpins is "the right way" to do a new suspension. You can do this anytime. 1" longer = 1/2" lift.

Once you have the two above, you can get new, longer shocks.

If you still want to keep going, then going to a fully engineered springpack (OME, Alcan, etc) is the next step.

For me, I saved up the money and bought a kit. Had to wait 9 mos, but then did it right the first time. If I was doing it again, I might do the add-a-leafs, and live with the rest for awhile. Worn springs suck, and piss you off every day. On an old truck there's lots of other stuff to work on though, so it could make sense to make the suspension "just OK" for awhile, until the rest of the truck is more together.

No right way, no wrong way. Just lots of options.

 

[Pluton]

Seems that most all FJ60 original springs are pretty sagged out at this point in history...mine would bottom out on the speed bumps in the bank parking lot..On the '87 60 I aquired last summer, I budgeted for new springs/shocks/bushings, using the Specter "austrailian" springs, 2" lift over new stock...supposedly they settle down to about 1-1.5" over stock after a spell. I got these 'cause the shop that was going to do the work had used them before with good results. Based on what so many folks on this board say if for the same money I could have gone OME I might have. Specter told me that in Oz, it's against the rules to change the shackles, so replacement springs are designed not to need shackle changes ...why screw up the steering geometry, pinion angle,etc. if you don't have to? So the story goes. Anyway, 6 mo. later they work fine, with an occasional faint groan from the front under extreme articulation, and a very slight body to ground height difference left vs. right...curiously though, if you measure the spring/body height on each side at the bump stops, they're the same. Accomodate 33x 10.5x 15 tires no problem, and yes... changing the axle gearing from 3.7 to 4,11 w/ 33's gives "normal" drivability though no "rubber overdrive".

 

[j-dub]

thanks for the info doug. if i were to get the spring package through say Alcan, can i order the shackles, bushings and pins from somewhere else? would the springs lift and perform well? as well as Dakar? just trying to figure my options and hopfully save a little $.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

thanks for the info doug. if i were to get the spring package through say Alcan, can i order the shackles, bushings and pins from somewhere else? would the springs lift and perform well? as well as Dakar? just trying to figure my options and hopfully save a little $.

Alcan springs are very nice, but will not save you any money. The best bang for the limited buck right now looks like the Dakar package that Urban Land Cruisers is selling along with others. If you plan to keep this truck, I wouldn't do add-a-leafs or other half measures. What is your budget? That's a good place to start. You can mix and match shackles, but good quality greasable anti-inversion shackles are expensive regardless of the source. I have both OME's and the MAF 4+ anti-inversion greasables and both are excellent. The 4+ are particularly stout. A premium suspension would be custom Alcan's designed to your lift and load specs, and a set of 4+ shackles. Add a set of OME shocks and you have pretty much a top of the line set up that should last for years. The really nice thing about the OME kits though, is that everything is already designed to work together-if you want plug and play, that's your best option. Remember you'll need u-bolts, longer brake lines and a steering stabilizer.

Once lifted, you'll want bigger tires. For bigger tires, you'll want lower gearing. That's when you really start spending money. Welcome to the slippery slope.

 

[kling-on]

http://www.texasoffroad.net/galleries/members/albun39


thats a link to some pics of mine stock with 31 and 4 in with 33 2 1/2 in BDS and 1 1/4JT shackles.[pimp] not to pimp the kit I'm removing but the BDS spring were not as stiff as every one said. now my stock springs sat a 1/4 in from the bump stops so it didnt ride so good to start with. I removed the spring bolts and it flexes good link
http://kling-on0.tripod.com

I would keep it but with the 180 to1 I'm puttin in the summer I need at least 36's on it.[/pimpover] new they go for 1100.00 and its not to hard to put on at home with jack stands and a buddy . I did it by my self over a weekend in the rain ... but i have air tool that helps alot. as for gear 31 with stock gears is good , 33 slow if you daliy drive it 31 stock gears is better if you go 33 you'll want 4.10 gears in it if you want to get the idea skip first gear for a day see what its like ... thats 33s but I didnt think it was that bad till I got new gears

 

[j-dub]

ok. so if i plan on keeping this truck, which i do, it sounds like OME or Dakar is the way to go. what can i plan on spending (ballpark) for the Dakar kit, brake lines, u-bolts, steering stabilizer and other misc.? i'll install it so don't estimate labor. to run 33x9.50's will i need to change the ratio? i won't be crawling or going too heavy off-road. mostly a daily driver with some weekend trips into the hills and moab.