WARNING: LONG READ
This decision for me was a tough choice. I had done springs only once in 1975 when I needed to lift my ‘74 FJ40 because of the Armstrong Tru-Track tires I had added to it. At 21, it was no big deal pulling them off, taking them to a spring shop and having them re-arced and humping them back into position
My recent upgrades were significant with a complete drive line rebuild, bearing, seals and new differentials for 3.70 gearing. $ignificant in acqui$ition and eventually in$tallation. First time in my life I had ever asked another person to perform work on my vehicles. Despite so many excellent skilled shops on the forum, @Chungas Revenge Mule 2.0 just turned my head completely around. A post pops up with a beautifully restored 1972 FJ40…I saw a guy who looked like Wayne Carini posing with @Jdc1 amazing ‘72. I had reached out to Jesse and said..” wow, that guy looks like Wayne Carini”. Jesse wrote back…”it IS Wayne Carini”. Wayne commands a bit of respect in the vintage car arena. Jesse freely discussed his truck and work with me. Unknowing it was probably a great sales pitch. He didn’t know of my plan to find someone to work on my project. When I asked him in February, we talked and eventually decided May was going to work for each of us. Gave me a quote and we shook on it via wi-fi
“Rubber City Land Cruisers” is in Akron, OH. Almost close enough and surely shipping could be a little easier than California, Utah and other states. Jesse did suggest, since we’re in there, ( remember that initial quote) did you want to replace the springs with that Terrain Tamer kit? I’d already known that my FJ40 was in a certain price bracket and I did not want to exceed any perceived market value so I said….no. It rides like a short wheelbase rocking horse and I’ll live with it. Besides, my original bushing look like electrical tape..thin and torn
When the truck came back from Jesse’s shop… it was amazing. It was a very different feel with all of the new parts, pieces and adjustments. It was such a great ride now I want to keep driving it. My stock springs are well over 50yrs old and ride hard. Not a bounce into and out of a hole, more of a bang and recoil. Short wheelbase means the rear hit is not far behind and inevitable. I make no effort to hide that I am older and can’t take as much abuse as I did over the last 51 yrs of 40’s.
The conundrum of dropping another 3k into the truck for springs was disturbing for me. Particularly after reading many dissatisfactions with A few other spring replacements. But the fun I was getting from a Jesse’s work was too good to pass up and keep the truck in a garage.
Georg @orangefj45 was very accommodating and said, call me…would love to chat. And the challenge has begun… we spoke a bit and discussed some interesting points. In the end Georg said…”I’ll email you a quote”. I usually don’t ponder things for comparisons and if I choose to move…i will move quickly. So, “here’s my card”…ordered and done
Installing them was pretty easy and straightforward also. Thankfully, Jesse @Jdc1 had recently put new bushings in my old springs and shackles so removing them was pretty easy…no crud to power through. Rear u-bolts? No way..had to cut them off.
These springs are lighter and use a thin plate in the leaf stack as well as what appears to be 2 filler perch plates to keep it thicker. I’d added my 4* caster shims to the fronts and @orangefj45 supplied my longer spring pins.
The shock absorbers included in the package are held together in a partially compressed state. That made it really simple to install them from my view point as I would not have had the strength to compress them while on my back under the truck. Once I cut the band, they slowly expanded. As the shock eye passed by the shock mount, I just slipped it over the pin and pushed them on. @wngrog sent me a link for the correct stainless nylock nuts and no more cotter pins.
As I did mention in another post, the steering stabilizer is a much beefier unit than stock as well as any other performance replacement I had my hands on over my 5 decades of owning FJ40’s. I did want to add them to my Saginaw modified power steering. See post #234 with this link My 1975 2F Holley Sniper Install…. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-1975-2f-holley-sniper-install.1336971/page-12#post-16080654
So my initial thinking is this….and I may be wrong but ..THIS IS WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE.
The new Terrain Tamer springs combo is slightly more flexible and compressible spring over stock. In combination with the slow acting shocks,they soften the bounce and impact of the stock suspension and allow for an easier return to the home position after the compression. Should you require a greater twist and compression of the spring in heavier off-road conditions, the more progressive flex of the spring will provide the stiffer resistance to the reaction of greater compression. I’m not a physicist I’m just an older guy with a lot of FJ40 miles and noticing a very satisfying change to my latest FJ40 ride. Is it worth $3000.00 plus? If you can swing it, yes it is.
This 40 has become my much more used as a”daily driver”. I use it now for almost any trips I make from home other than my commute to North Jersey . That ride ALWAYS sucks so I minimize the suckiness with the High Country Silverado, heated seats and steering wheel, Sirius XM and A/C in summer
Always happy to detail any of my own experiences should some one want to ask
This decision for me was a tough choice. I had done springs only once in 1975 when I needed to lift my ‘74 FJ40 because of the Armstrong Tru-Track tires I had added to it. At 21, it was no big deal pulling them off, taking them to a spring shop and having them re-arced and humping them back into position
My recent upgrades were significant with a complete drive line rebuild, bearing, seals and new differentials for 3.70 gearing. $ignificant in acqui$ition and eventually in$tallation. First time in my life I had ever asked another person to perform work on my vehicles. Despite so many excellent skilled shops on the forum, @Chungas Revenge Mule 2.0 just turned my head completely around. A post pops up with a beautifully restored 1972 FJ40…I saw a guy who looked like Wayne Carini posing with @Jdc1 amazing ‘72. I had reached out to Jesse and said..” wow, that guy looks like Wayne Carini”. Jesse wrote back…”it IS Wayne Carini”. Wayne commands a bit of respect in the vintage car arena. Jesse freely discussed his truck and work with me. Unknowing it was probably a great sales pitch. He didn’t know of my plan to find someone to work on my project. When I asked him in February, we talked and eventually decided May was going to work for each of us. Gave me a quote and we shook on it via wi-fi
“Rubber City Land Cruisers” is in Akron, OH. Almost close enough and surely shipping could be a little easier than California, Utah and other states. Jesse did suggest, since we’re in there, ( remember that initial quote) did you want to replace the springs with that Terrain Tamer kit? I’d already known that my FJ40 was in a certain price bracket and I did not want to exceed any perceived market value so I said….no. It rides like a short wheelbase rocking horse and I’ll live with it. Besides, my original bushing look like electrical tape..thin and torn
When the truck came back from Jesse’s shop… it was amazing. It was a very different feel with all of the new parts, pieces and adjustments. It was such a great ride now I want to keep driving it. My stock springs are well over 50yrs old and ride hard. Not a bounce into and out of a hole, more of a bang and recoil. Short wheelbase means the rear hit is not far behind and inevitable. I make no effort to hide that I am older and can’t take as much abuse as I did over the last 51 yrs of 40’s.
The conundrum of dropping another 3k into the truck for springs was disturbing for me. Particularly after reading many dissatisfactions with A few other spring replacements. But the fun I was getting from a Jesse’s work was too good to pass up and keep the truck in a garage.
Georg @orangefj45 was very accommodating and said, call me…would love to chat. And the challenge has begun… we spoke a bit and discussed some interesting points. In the end Georg said…”I’ll email you a quote”. I usually don’t ponder things for comparisons and if I choose to move…i will move quickly. So, “here’s my card”…ordered and done
Installing them was pretty easy and straightforward also. Thankfully, Jesse @Jdc1 had recently put new bushings in my old springs and shackles so removing them was pretty easy…no crud to power through. Rear u-bolts? No way..had to cut them off.
These springs are lighter and use a thin plate in the leaf stack as well as what appears to be 2 filler perch plates to keep it thicker. I’d added my 4* caster shims to the fronts and @orangefj45 supplied my longer spring pins.
The shock absorbers included in the package are held together in a partially compressed state. That made it really simple to install them from my view point as I would not have had the strength to compress them while on my back under the truck. Once I cut the band, they slowly expanded. As the shock eye passed by the shock mount, I just slipped it over the pin and pushed them on. @wngrog sent me a link for the correct stainless nylock nuts and no more cotter pins.
As I did mention in another post, the steering stabilizer is a much beefier unit than stock as well as any other performance replacement I had my hands on over my 5 decades of owning FJ40’s. I did want to add them to my Saginaw modified power steering. See post #234 with this link My 1975 2F Holley Sniper Install…. - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/my-1975-2f-holley-sniper-install.1336971/page-12#post-16080654
So my initial thinking is this….and I may be wrong but ..THIS IS WHAT IT APPEARS TO BE.
The new Terrain Tamer springs combo is slightly more flexible and compressible spring over stock. In combination with the slow acting shocks,they soften the bounce and impact of the stock suspension and allow for an easier return to the home position after the compression. Should you require a greater twist and compression of the spring in heavier off-road conditions, the more progressive flex of the spring will provide the stiffer resistance to the reaction of greater compression. I’m not a physicist I’m just an older guy with a lot of FJ40 miles and noticing a very satisfying change to my latest FJ40 ride. Is it worth $3000.00 plus? If you can swing it, yes it is.
This 40 has become my much more used as a”daily driver”. I use it now for almost any trips I make from home other than my commute to North Jersey . That ride ALWAYS sucks so I minimize the suckiness with the High Country Silverado, heated seats and steering wheel, Sirius XM and A/C in summer
Always happy to detail any of my own experiences should some one want to ask
