rotated leaf springs? (1 Viewer)

[74bogger]

i was looking at my cruiser the other day and realized that the rear axle is offset on the leasprings. my idea is that if i rotate the springs 180 degrees it will lengthen my wheel base a few inches, i am aware that the driveshaft will be to short and i thought that the front one off of another fj40 might fit but i havent done any measurment yet. my question is , will it work, or will i run into other problems? any feedback is greatly appreciated.

thanks,
david

 

[woody]

will lengthen wheelbase 3.5"

there is no shaft I know of that drops in, have to lengthen yours, estimate $75

Creates increased axle wrap, a need for new shock upper mounts, higher chance of busted pinion due to wrap, fender trimming required, possible brake hose work

 

[bad_religion_au]

don't want to hijack here. but why is everyone in the quest for more wheelbase. everyone insults my hj45 for having too much wheel base.

 

[woody]

good hijack...hehehe

1> smoother ride....like we care...but it's a nice side effect

2> hill climbs...longer = less change of backflips

3> "armchair" discussions about the perfect rig place the wheelbase in the 100-110 range. Combines an adequate breakover, room for more drivetrain doublers, and enuf length to assist on hillclimbs without killing your turning radius

4> when you install longer leaf packs to achieve more flex, working with the existing center pin usually pushes your wheelbase some

IMO, there is no perfect, since no two rigs work the same and no two drivers are the same. Mine is 96", and I have few complaints. Might bump to 97" when/if I 4-link the rear suspension....

 

[bad_religion_au]

how often do shorties backflip???

that's been my biggest fear since dishing out for one after my hj was taken off the road. break over angle and manuverability were what people used to bag on the hj. but it got me most places i tried

 

[woody]

they don't backflip often...reason usually is the comfort level during climbing just isn't there, so the driver wisely backs off prior. Adding wheelbase "might" be the difference in that comfort level, and might let you make a hillclimb.

 

[pablo]

I am running into same shaft length problems now due to transmission swap. My suggestion is to think long and hard about doing a drivetrain upgrade if you wind up doing wheel base extension. Also you can always redrill the axle perch to adjust that 3.5" a bit. I think that is my goal/solution. What is the year of your rig?

 

[pablo]

Silly question, it is a 74 right? I think that everyone should go home an measure their driveshafts and we could come up with a spread sheet type page that answers questions about shaft length. You may be able to use a rear from an earlier 40 if you redrill and extend your wheel base about 2.75 inches.
Pablo

 

[bad_religion_au]

got it. sometimes i feel like i'm going to go over backwards going up carpark ramps. guess that's sagging rear springs and ohh i don't know, a loss of a good 20 inches of wheel base or so

when would you measure the driveshaft, when it's fully compressed, extended etc? as the do telescope in and out right?

 

[pablo]

Bad Religion,
I imagine all of these Toyota slip yokes have the same amount of travel. That may be a bad assumption. You will need more yoke for a high performance suspension, ex. shackle reversal, long travel, lots of horizontal distance between transfer and pinion flange. &nbspepends on what you are doing will give you a dimension of shaft length. If you were doing a leaf 180 and using a Toyota shaft measure the longer side from flange to end begining of yoke with it off truck. Or possibly assume that the only difference in Toyota shafts is from weld to weld (other that bolt pattern). Landcruiser splines are interchangable. With the shaft off measure the angle of flanges and make sure they are the same. If they are different then adjust motor mounts or get spring spacers. I generally don't care much about how parallel front flanges are rear is for highway. Oh you will need to add "feet"(like glued on nuts that are exactly the same thickness) to a magnetic angle finder to clear nut on flange center.
Pablo

 

[axlechassis]

The guys in my neck ot he woods routinely  do the rotated spring thing on the 40's. Depending on the type of springs you are using the axle wrap does'nt seem to be a big issue particularly with a 2F and a light foot. ( my buddies' got a 327 and MAF 4" springs in the back of his and no axle wrap yet)I'm using stock front springs in both front and rear, rotated. Its a pretty nice set up, easy and cheap. For the brake lines you find a spare rear line and use it up front and in the back just add the front line to the rear line. Lengthening driveshaft s is easy enough to do, alot cheaper than making up those fancy cv jointed jobs. Drive line angles are acceptable when using stock springs. Drives down the road good. It works good off road too when I'm not using it to go downtown and pick up chicks.

 

[jm]

I rotated my rear springs ('75 fj40, 2f w/ stock 4-speed) and use a stock front driveshaft from a 3-speed cruiser w/ no problems.

jm

 

[bad_religion_au]

when you flip your front spring packs and move the front axle forward(do people do this?) how do you lengthen steering components to reach?

 

[axlechassis]

I'm assuming you are doing a SOA with all this. The only thing that had to be done to the front was the modified steering arm. It did'nt change the alignment significantly. though I did'nt drive it much right after the SOA. I drove it 50 miles down the highway to where I put in the shocks, power steering and tub. I could'nt detect a noticeable change of alignment. Right away what I did notice even without shocks was a much better ride.

 

[74bogger]

well guys thanx or all the info i think im gonna go ahead an do it im gonno do it when i buy a 4 inch lift. i have a 74 fj40 and im not sure wether it has the f or the 2f how can i tell? and a little off the subject , ineed some taillights for my cruiser leme no if you got any thing

 

[CruisinGA]

'74's are F and a half. They have the F displacement, air filter, and valve cover, but in stock form have emissions equipment and other bits a peices that are kin to a 2F. Also do not have any of the wierd oil bath air cleaners or non-replacable oil filters of the early F. For tailight assemblys try www.coolcruisers.com. The 2F valve cover has "2F" stamped in it, the F valve cover does not. If you can, take a picture of the engine and post it up here if you are still not sure. Only way it would be a 2F is if someone swapped it in there before you bought the cruiser.

 

[74bogger]

i got it thanx for the info i tried coolcruisers and they were like 50 bucks a pop i was hopin someone would have some used oh well

 

[sambudo]

My rear is rotated, and so far so good! No complaints.

 

[nuclearlemon]

i've got a rectangular style (74+) taillight, but only one. $15 plus shipping

easiest way on quick view to spot the difference on 2f/f is the location of the oil fill. 2f oil fill is in valve cover, f is remote tube to block.

fwiw...i run the springs reversed on my 68 fj40 for a tad better ride and because (in the front), i swapped the shackles.

 

[bad_religion_au]

My rear is rotated, and so far so good! No complaints.

what did you do RE driveshaft?