looking to put leafs under my fj80...

[glasiys]

im swapping out the front axle for something more beefy, ive done some reading on 3 links one set up would cost me about 450 with everything i need (not counting welding and cutting). as for the rear ill have a stock axle looking at the arms with at least a 6in lift im not sure how the geometry would sit seen a few kits but, if i was going 6in with 3 link in the front i think i would rather extend the rear arms as well. winch is gonna cost some money for sure. thats why ive been thinking about putting full leafs under mine. please give me your thoughts.
leafs...
less things to go wrong with leafs
less keep up
cheaper repairs
lesser approach angle
with links...

more keep up
more ways to go wrong
better approach angle
more expense/skill needed to build


i understand links will ride a lot nicer, but with a 6in lift im not super worried about how it rides with or with out links. please give me your thoghts maybe i dont need leafs deepening on how high id like to go, but i also dont want to spend a lot of money on a lift kit or droped caster arms if you have any ideas
on what would be a the best for me let me know

 

[Izeloz]

What do you want to do with the truck? Why do you want/need 6" of lift? Answer these questions and people can help you better. I think you're better off going with another vehicle (older Chevy Blazer?) if you want leaves and 6" of lift. Part of what makes the 80 great is coils all around. Save the money on the "beefier" front axle (a Dana 60 is the only reasonable swap I can imagine you going with) and spend it on a decent coil setup. You probably don't need 6" to do the sort of wheeling you want to do. There are a few people running 40" tires on a Toyota front axle. It can be made strong enough if you're not crazy with the skinny pedal. Just my 2¢

 

[maxamillion2345]

If you want cheap keep her bolt on bud.

450 is nothing. Keep it stock.

 

[scottryana]

$450 seems like an awfully small budget for any kind of linked setup. Is the goal just to get a stronger front axle? Have you been breaking parts?

 

[glasiys]

450 was what someone did with their 3 link set up, diy. where i live theres not much huge rock pits mostly muddy trails, its gonna be rig i just take to the trails. i have a 9.5 in fj80 rear axle cut and welded to fit under front of my rig. i dont really want to keep the stock caster arms but at the same time im not sure if the link set up would,be the best for me beuse im not crawling it over some really crazy stuff

 

[DSRTRDR]

what exactly are you asking to get comments on ?

as someone who also wheels leaf-sprung vehicles (Toyota and domestic), and I have ample comparison to two 80-series trucks on the same trails, I don't understand what it is you want to accomplish

 

[Mark W]

This is a joke, right?

Mark...

 

[White Stripe]

So your trying to build a mud truck on a budget? You will need horsepower for mud. Something a 80 doesn't have a lot of.

 

[Lumpskie]

What's wrong with the stock front axle? How big of a tire are you planning on running? There are plenty of guys running 6" lifts (keeping the radius arm setup) on the stock axle... running 37s and even 40s. If it's not broken, why fix it?

 

[jfz80]

a couple folks here have done leaf swaps... 3/4T chevy 63's are most popular for the 80

Phildoh

Builds - Phildoh build thread

Thanks a bunch guys for the well wishes, I appreciate it. I just need to get better already. As far as the perches, they're in and done. I'll deal with it when I can lift more than the remote! Likely it'll be fine when I have the spare in there and the jack. Should put it at 2-3° which works...

forum.ih8mud.com

and maxamillion2345 who responded above
-cant find his build thread

but i think the question is why or what improvement are you after. Why do you not want to keep the radius arm setup? just teh challenge to attach to one ton front ? then that begs why one ton front? breakage? What is your plan to match WMS front to rear?

 

[scottryana]

That is in the rear. OP wants to leaf spring the front.

a couple folks here have done leaf swaps... 3/4T chevy 63's are most popular for the 80

Phildoh

Builds - Phildoh build thread

Thanks a bunch guys for the well wishes, I appreciate it. I just need to get better already. As far as the perches, they're in and done. I'll deal with it when I can lift more than the remote! Likely it'll be fine when I have the spare in there and the jack. Should put it at 2-3° which works...

forum.ih8mud.com

and maxamillion2345 who responded above
-cant find his build thread

but i think the question is why or what improvement are you after. Why do you not want to keep the radius arm setup? just teh challenge to attach to one ton front ? then that begs why one ton front? breakage? What is your plan to match WMS front to rear?

 

[jfz80]

That is in the rear. OP wants to leaf spring the front.

Understood. The way i read his post it sounded like he wanted 3 link up front and leafs in back. Hell I read it again and still dont understand

 

[nukegoat]

For mud and general purpose, the factory setup is way better than leafs IMO. I don't have much experience with leaf spring front axles either but I assume you'd want to keep the track bar. Why can't you just weld on some radius arm brackets on the new axle and plug n play it?

 

[Heckraiser]

For your stated purpose, a stock setup (i.e. lift kit and associated caster correction, bump adjustment, driveline adjustment, etc) would be the best setup and also the easiest by far. Probably cheaper too if you place any value on your time (both fab time and "chasing issues" time).


I like leafs. They perform two jobs at once (locate and suspend the axle),they do it well, and they're simple to boot. But the 80 is just not well set up for leafs. Tie rod and drag link in the wrong place. Aftermarket steering knuckles for high steer can fix that, but will totally blow the budget aspect. Bottom line, the 80 front end is just not conducive to leaf springs.

And more to the original point, you can get what you're after with basic bolt-on suspension, so why bother?

 

[Box Rocket]

So in another thread you're asking about getting more flex from your suspension. Edit: went back to look at the other thread and it was posted by someone else, so I apologize for the confusion but you both have a simple "G" avatar so I got confused.
But your description of how you plan to use the truck (mostly just mud) isn't one that flex would even be very important. At least not important enough to make major changes from the factory setup. What size tire are you wanting to run? Personally I don't think 6" of lift is a good idea. There are many people (myself included running 35-37" tires on 3" of lift and up to 40" on ~4" of lift. But there are a few different 6" lift options available if you're set on that lift height. In any case I would not do it with leaf springs. Way more work and way more money to do that correctly compared to just getting easily available 6" lift bolt on arrangements. Your ideas seem to be driven by a desire to get rid of the front radius arms. Why? As I mentioned your trail use doesn't sound like it will require the maximum flex possible, and the stock radius arms can actually flex pretty well with the proper suspension setup. Since you want to go cheap, get a set of 6" dual rate Dobinson coils and proper shocks that will allow proper flex. Done and done.

If you really want to do leaf springs, you can do it, even with the front axle. But it would require changing the knuckles out for some Hellfire knuckles with highsteer arms to move the tie rod/draglink to the front side of the axle. Doing that alone will be close to what a set of 6" coils and shocks would cost and be a lot more work to prep the axle for leafs.

Personally, I think you're overcomplicating it for unnecessary reasons. As others have mentioned, keep it simple and stick with the factory arrangement.

For point of reference in terms of flex. This is my 3" lift with 100% stock front radius arms, and rear links are stronger units but essentially the same as stock with OEM rubber bushings. I would think this would be ample flex for what you describe you'll be doing.
IMG_0630 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

 

[Bludozer]

Leafs suck. Coils on all corners of the 80 is one of its best benefits overall.

 

[plink01]

I cant think of a single benifit to swapping to leafs. Everything you need you can already buy and bolt on, your only doing muddy trails. You seem to be over complicating something very simple and your going to destroy your car/cause a lot of headaches trying to swap it to leafs!

 

[cruisermatt]

I have lately found myself wanting to be the first ever to put leafs under the front of an 80.. and a 100. So I want to see it but I also dont

 

[glasiys]

i have a 9.5in rear axle cut down adn notched for a front, thinking about 6 shooters the resson i was thinking leafs front and rear is, for the amount of flex with leafs and coils i feel its not the biggest difference. but if i was to left it at least 6.5in for the rear and front wouldi have to extend the arms? or get dropped caster arms? one reason id like leafs in the front is its gonna to be a low cheaper then a 3 link i would assume and as for the rear it should be very easy. i have a set of spare axles to weld on.

 

[scottryana]

I would measure the front of the frame and the center of the wheel well and see if leaves will even fit. Like someone said 63's are common so you would need about 30" of frame in front of the center of the wheel well. I don't think you will have that.