SOA its now or never

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Ive got 4 1/2 suspension springs, shackles,shakle reversal, and body lift, so bull that, and im running 36's with smallo rear fender well trim and no rub, thinking of going with 38's actually.

I run 35s with a 4 inch lift and no bumpstops and barely rub. Why would you want 9 inches of lift to run 36s?
 
4x4 Labs plate and frame plates $150
Rebuilt Saginaw box $250
Pittman arm $75
Steering shaft $150 (mine was $185)
HD tie rod/drag link $150
Firewall bearing $25
Welding $200


The more you do yourself and the more junk yard parts you use, the cheaper it gets. You get to choose if you want it right or cheap. More difficult to do right and cheap, though if you were a good pick n pull hunter you could do it for way less. The point is, it adds up fast and most underestimate what's involved.

I believe I spent $60 at the junk yard, that included, Box, pump, Pitmit, shaft, high pressure line, half the drag link and a cooler.

$15 from mcmaster for the firewall bearing.
Like $10 for low pressure line.
built my own plates that are a much better design than anything sold.
Only thing that was expensive was the borgeson u-joint it was like $80 I think.
So that is around $200

Much later I put assist on it for $150
Hysteer was put on it in conjuction with SOA so its price isn't noted.

I have had zero problems so that must mean I did it cheep and right.
 
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There are many out there than ran for years with SUA and either 2 or 4" lifts, with PS, and maybe a shackle reversal. SOAs became more common as tires went above 35's. There are people out there running SUA and 37's.


Yep-I ran SUA on 4 inch lift, 35 inch tires, locked at both ends and went everywhere, including Rubicon at least 10 times, Dusy Ershim etc. I did an SOA last year just to do it, and to adress a number of lingering issues on my truck. Definitely not "needed".

SOA is nice, but it opens pandora's box in terms of other mods and issues.

It sounds like the original poster has seen the light, and may live to see 2009.:flipoff2:

Still not sure about riding that 50cc Honda trail bike in the Canadian winter. I swore every Canadian lived in an igloo but I guess it's just the inland ones.:hillbilly:
 
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Job well done 'Mud, job well done.

It takes some prior planning and consideration. How long have I been hanging around on this board talking about it? Well, I just got around to doing it, and it ain't even finished...
 
i did my spring over with about $1500 when i sold a car of mine, Did it when i was like 20. But i made some mistakes, and about 70% of the work i did has been replaced.

Steering was mostly from the junkyard, i have since replaced the steering shaft. box, pump, Hy Steer arms and drag link/tie rod ends.

Id say, wait a bit, use the 1500 to make sure your truck is in tip top running condition, brakes are good, get the proper safety and recovery gear.. all this will help you out down the road, and when you have more resources time, and money, do the Spring over!

Like Nutly said, you can Do ALOT with a Spring Under rig.. Check out TreerootCO's truck
 
just one more quick question on a 4 inch SUA lift do u still need to extend the driveshafts?
 
Damn, I wish I would have seen this thread earlier. I'm getting flash backs of when I was starting to SOA my rig when I was 17. I was in a similar financial situation, but I collected parts for a long time when I was in high school, before tearing into it. Once I amassed all the parts-- including tires I started the conversion and haven't looked back. It sounds like you have made up your mind regarding the suspension, and if it suits your needs go for it! Otherwise, get a decent job and save your money until the time is right and you can do the job correctly. BTW I'm 19 now and still don't know half what these dudes have forgotten, so heed their advice.

Dylan
 
No one's mentioned it but one of the reason's for a SOA is for suspension travel.

You can do a SOA fairly cheaply using stock springs and shackles.

All you need to buy are the spring perches(dodge), shock mounts(ford), shocks(the longest ones Rancho makes), steering arm.
Flip the spring around and gain 9" of wheelbase which dramatically improves the highway stability.
You can lengthen the stock drive shafts.
The brake lines issue can be solved really cheap: move the rear line to the front then get a second front line and couple the two front lines to make the rear brake line.
Including new tires, shocks, steering arm, It can be done for under $1500.
If you're just running 35's you can get by without P/S.
Gearing will be adequate with the 4:11's though not spectacular for on the street power.
If you can do the welding yourself you can make your own steering arm and save on welding the spring perches and shock mounts, enough to buy a pair of lock-rites.
21709596.P1010021.webp
 
how old do you have to be to do a spring over we did them over 30 years ago because it was cheaper than a lift, didnt cost a lot and only took a couple days of hard work.i can under stand the best if you are a serious crawler but no one even asked this guy what type of wheeling he did.4 wheeler pv4 and other 4x4 books have had articles on this for over 30 years they were aimed at the average guy with basic skills whats changed good luck
 
well i've already started a saginaw power steering conversion we had an old pump and box lying around from by dads old camaro so im gonna get that done first i got a sheet of 1/4inch steel the brackets are made, im hopeing to pull apart the old steering today and does anyone know any one with landcruiser parts that ship outside the US i cant really find anyone that does

and axelchassies did u cut and turn your front axel when u went soa
 
Cruiser_King - I suggest if you put a lift kit in that you keep your old springs - you'll probably want them when you eventually do go soa. With that much room under your fenders you will find the softer flattr springs give you more flex.

Something to be careful of - with autolockers, limited slips, or spools, your truck is no longer sidehill friendly, the locked axle will walk downhill in loose stuff so you end up crabbing across the slope, if the trail is only as wide as your truck you may not be able to cross the slope if it is very long.

Think real seriously about a cage before you do any heavy wheeling. When the trucks were new the factory rollbar would deflect in a simple wheel-to-wheel rollover. It will protect you, but it will deflect several inches, might not stand up to a second rollover. That was with NO RUST in body or rollbar! (ask me how I know).
 
CruiserKing, it would be a good idea to see how many turns the gear box has lock to lock. You want about 4 1/4 turns. The quick turn boxes can be scary as hell. I'd stay completely away from anything like 2 1/2 turns, very dangerous.
Good luck! :cheers:
 
and axelchassies did u cut and turn your front axel when u went soa

No. and neither did I do a shackle reversal. I had to use a dremel to grind a little metal from the factory drive shaft to allow for the increased angle. The flipping of the springs set up works quite well.
You end up with a rig that has great articulation on the trail and acceptable handling on the street.
It has some limitations but most rigs do. The point is that you can get it done fairly cheap with a satisfactory result.
 
sounds good and what did u mean grind a bit away from the drive shafts and when you flipped the springs with the increased distance didnt you need to extend the drive shafts
 
sounds good and what did u mean grind a bit away from the drive shafts and when you flipped the springs with the increased distance didnt you need to extend the drive shafts

Yes you have to get the drive shafts lengthened. Once you have the axles mounted you can take the measurement. The grinding is done around the u-joint yoke. It isn't much you'll see where when it's all done and fitting it up. The stock slip yoke works fine, but check to make sure there isn't any play in the splines as this will be a source of unwanted vibrations on the road.
 
Also be sure to use new hard plastic bushing for the springs(available cheap). This solves much of the front end shake and wandering issues. (I only have a problem when I use a buddy's 39.5" boggers)
The Saginaw set up helps too, try to use new tie rod end to eliminate any possible play in the steering.
Downey sells the part you need to connect the GM steering to the toyota tie rod end.
 
Do what you need to do, measure twice, or even 3 times. Age should not limit what your "allowed" to do, besides ICBC is going to want it inspected, right?
 

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