SOA FJ60, it wallows terribly!

[1TallTXn]

My dad's FJ60 is fully up and running and she runs like a top.

problem is that on the hwy, any bump and she hunts and wallows all over the place. There's a set of Rancho shocks, just the basic ones, and thats better then OEM one's but its still not any fun to hit a bump at 60+ and wonder if you can keep it in your lane.

My dad opted out of the fully adjusteable shocks due to their price. and is now thinking of adding another set of the basic Ranchos to the existing ones, so two per corner. Is this going to help? Would it be better to pony up for the expensive ones?

I'm open for suggestions of any kind.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jan-78FJ40]

My dad's FJ60 is fully up and running and she runs like a top.

problem is that on the hwy, any bump and she hunts and wallows all over the place. There's a set of Rancho shocks, just the basic ones, and thats better then OEM one's but its still not any fun to hit a bump at 60+ and wonder if you can keep it in your lane.

My dad opted out of the fully adjusteable shocks due to their price. and is now thinking of adding another set of the basic Ranchos to the existing ones, so two per corner. Is this going to help? Would it be better to pony up for the expensive ones?

I'm open for suggestions of any kind.

Thanks in advance.

the shocks probably won't help much. you need to check the steering system and drive line geometry. was the cut and turn done correctly?
j

 

[1TallTXn]

the shocks probably won't help much. you need to check the steering system and drive line geometry. was the cut and turn done correctly?
j

I can't swear to it, but I think the springs are on the axle 180* from stock. New plates were added in place of swapping the old ones around.

that sound right? or was some angles needed somewhere?

 

[trucruiser]

There has to be some angle when doing an SOA correctly.
Search on "Cut n Turn"

 

[1TallTXn]

I may be totally off base on this, but wouldn't the angle of rotation of the axle have more to do with the driveline angles then the way it rides?

from driving the beast, it really feels like its the REAR end thats generating the wallow vs the front.

The front axle being not turned correctly would mess up the camber thus affect handling, but something tells me its not that causing the problem.

Again, I could be very wrong so correct me if I am.

 

[JasonH]

It's not the camber, it's the caster. If you're having trouble keeping it in the lane, then yes I would guess your caster is way negative.

 

[1TallTXn]

It's not the camber, it's the caster. If you're having trouble keeping it in the lane, then yes I would guess your caster is way negative.

you are correct. I sat and thought about it for a second before typing it and typed the wrong one! DOH!! oh well.


The problem was magnified greatly by putting a hitch carrier and loading that down. w/o that setup, she behaves pretty well. not a sports car by any means, but for a truck riding on 35's I can't really expect more.

 

[JasonH]

Have the caster checked at an alignment shop. Stock is +1 deg (on a 40, I think a 60 is the same). On my SOA 40 I run around +3, and I wish I had made it a little more positive.

 

[1TallTXn]

Have the caster checked at an alignment shop. Stock is +1 deg (on a 40, I think a 60 is the same). On my SOA 40 I run around +3, and I wish I had made it a little more positive.

will do, thanks for the tip.

 

[CruisinFJ60]

ditto to the above sounds like the caster is a lil low causing it to wander around.

 

[Mark W]

There really is more to doing a spring over conversion correctly and safely than just getting the axles on the other side of the springs. What year '60 do you have (long tranny or short one). Did you do a C&T? What are your ujoint angles like? What is your caster angle. How did you address the draglink/springpack clearance issue? Did you use stock shackles or extended? You mentioned "plates" on top of the axles... Did you use new perches, or weld plates on top of the OEM ubolt retainers? Did you keep the antisway bar? What sort of tires do you have on the rig?

An SOA '60 should normally feel rock solid going down the road.


Mark...

 

[RAWHEAD REX]

My 60 has a springover and it handles beautifully.Mark is asking the right questions.Also sounds like you have some bumpsteer.If the pinion angles wer'nt set up correctly , you would be dropping drive shafts.

 

[Exiled]

Three things I would look at:

1. Antiswaybars
2. Rear springs
3. Shocks

I've been running SOA for almost 7 years now, and my Cruiser drives just like it did before the SOA. I think the main culprit is likely to be the antiswaybars, as I have run my Cruiser without it coming back from a trailride and noticed wallowing at speed. Also, depending on how soft the rear springs are, you may feel more body roll, especially if you're using soft-valved shocks. Consider Bilstein 5150's that are more firm-valved than the Ranchos.

 

[Bahndo111]

I think the problem could be from the very heavy 6BT riding on the stock springs. The reason it feels like the rear end is the problem is because the vehicle is unbalanced front to back. You may be able to solve the problem temporarily with stiff shocks but I think the long tem fix (safer and better) is to have a spring pack made to handle the added weight of the motor. Of course if the spring over was not done correctly you are going to have problems but I think I remember reading the build thread and everything sounded fine. When I looked into this swap one of my biggest concerns was what spring to go with. I thought about adding a few from another 60 pack or taking a set off of either an F-350 or an early dodge. Just a thought....

 

[1TallTXn]

There really is more to doing a spring over conversion correctly and safely than just getting the axles on the other side of the springs. What year '60 do you have (long tranny or short one). Did you do a C&T? What are your ujoint angles like? What is your caster angle. How did you address the draglink/springpack clearance issue? Did you use stock shackles or extended? You mentioned "plates" on top of the axles... Did you use new perches, or weld plates on top of the OEM ubolt retainers? Did you keep the antisway bar? What sort of tires do you have on the rig?

An SOA '60 should normally feel rock solid going down the road.


Mark...

Here's a pic of how the springs are sitting on the axels.

its an '85 FJ60.

Dad's got a alignment machine, so we'll run it up that and check all that out.

Angles on the U-joints are a bit more then stock, but nothing thats going to eat them.

Springs are using stock shackles.

That was spring perches I was attempting to refer to.

sway bars are in place and functional.

35x12.5 A/T's on 15 inch rims.

Thanks for the help!

 

[1TallTXn]

I think the problem could be from the very heavy 6BT riding on the stock springs. The reason it feels like the rear end is the problem is because the vehicle is unbalanced front to back. You may be able to solve the problem temporarily with stiff shocks but I think the long tem fix (safer and better) is to have a spring pack made to handle the added weight of the motor. Of course if the spring over was not done correctly you are going to have problems but I think I remember reading the build thread and everything sounded fine. When I looked into this swap one of my biggest concerns was what spring to go with. I thought about adding a few from another 60 pack or taking a set off of either an F-350 or an early dodge. Just a thought....

I don't have numbers with me, but I don't think the 6BT is enough heavier then the stock engine to make it handle THAT much different.

The ARB bull-bars add more weight then swapping to a 6BT.

 

[cahilc]

That 6BT is a pretty beafy engine. My ride has the OME Heavy spring packs with an added leaf up front and she rides fine. 8 leaf pack up front ( OME Heavy + add-a-leaf) and the standard 8 leaf pack (OME Heavy) in the rear. I'm SUA so that will make a big difference too but IMHO I think you should consider adding to those spring packs.



Cahil

 

[kling-on]

that pic looks like the the arms point down so I beat your caster is off ... are you runnin sway bars ?? I dont see them in the pic

 

[1TallTXn]

that pic looks like the the arms point down so I beat your caster is off ... are you runnin sway bars ?? I dont see them in the pic

Nothing like a REALLY late reply...

Sway bars are in place, believe they were off for that pic.

We'll be doing the cut n turn here pretty shortly

 

[lehiguy]

You never did say what spring you are running. I have SOA on OME heavy springs with no stabilizer and it drives great. I did have some 63" Chevy truck springs on back for a while and hated, no, make that "HATED" them as the vehicle would start to wallow from side to side. This doesn't happen with the OMEs. I run custom valved (very soft) Bilsteins all the way around. I think you may want to consider a new set of springs if you're using the stockers.