Torfab 80 Series Front Axle Conversion Kit – At Home Install (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Bullzi
- Start date
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Not sure about your twitchiness, but after putting a 80 chassis under mine, my truck was incredibly twitchy, downright dangerous on rough freeways...hard to stay in my lane. 2 different alignment shops couldn't make it better. A Delta rear panhard for the FZJ80s fixed it perfectly. Totally stable now
- Thread starter
- #65
Interesting!
I didn’t touch the rear suspension, so I don’t think it’s that…maybe I need to center my front axle a little better with the adjuster. It was very close but I’ll look into that.
- Thread starter
- #66
Sway bar is in.
I was able to use an old driveshaft to measure for clearance.
At ride height:
At full droop (which puts the most stress on those bushings!)
Clearance with driveshaft at full droop:
I wish I could have tucked the sway bar a little higher, but it will be fine. The lowest part is 15” off the ground which is about the same as my transmission crossmember.
Initial drive impressions are good. Truck is a little more stable, but it was already pretty stable so the difference isn’t huge.
All that’s left is figuring out the steering twitch.
Step one: make sure the axle is perfectly centered with the adjustable panhard bar.
Hopefully that’s the ticket, but I’m not holding my breath. If that doesn’t work:
Step two: adjust toe in 1/16” increments starting at 0” until the sweet spot is found.
Step 3: find a way to jerry-rig more and less caster into the axle to see if that makes a difference.
Wish me luck!
I was able to use an old driveshaft to measure for clearance.
At ride height:
At full droop (which puts the most stress on those bushings!)
Clearance with driveshaft at full droop:
I wish I could have tucked the sway bar a little higher, but it will be fine. The lowest part is 15” off the ground which is about the same as my transmission crossmember.
Initial drive impressions are good. Truck is a little more stable, but it was already pretty stable so the difference isn’t huge.
All that’s left is figuring out the steering twitch.
Step one: make sure the axle is perfectly centered with the adjustable panhard bar.
Hopefully that’s the ticket, but I’m not holding my breath. If that doesn’t work:
Step two: adjust toe in 1/16” increments starting at 0” until the sweet spot is found.
Step 3: find a way to jerry-rig more and less caster into the axle to see if that makes a difference.
Wish me luck!
- Thread starter
- #67
I finally picked up my front driveshaft from D&D drivelines in the Belfair area.
He did a really nice job. I would highly recommend him if you are in the area. He is a bit of a one man show, so he isn’t super fast, but it was worth the wait!
I engaged 4wd and immediately got a terrible clicking on the driver side when turning
It’s always something! I think it’s the Birf. I don’t have any idea of the history of them. I guess I’ll just have to go with some RCVs
I also go my axle perfectly centered with the panhard adjuster that I welded in. It was a 1/4” off but it made no difference in the drivability.
I removed my castor correction plates and drilled some lower holes to add a bit more caster to see if that would help with the wondering I was getting and it did help.
I had to “un-weld” them.
Drill new holes at a spot that would make them have 3deg more caster:
And then I filled the old holes/painted:
The old numbers (not caster number but angle of the plates):
DS:
PS
The new numbers:
DS:
PS:
Caster numbers:
I know that’s a little high for castor, but it is driving better. I’m just at the point where my tie rod is just clearing the radius arm (so more caster is is not really possible without a radius arm change or modification).
I think any extra feeling of wandering is coming from the softness of the front springs. With my weight, I may need to look into some heavier springs.
We went on our first real off road adventure with the new suspension to a secret spot outside of Seattle. We had a great time with some local Cruiserheads and the suspension was amazing! I can’t believe how smooth it is on road and off road. I am very excited about it!
I think I’ll stop updating here and move back to my build thread for any future spring changes or other changes, but feel free to hit me up on either thread if there are any questions/comments!
He did a really nice job. I would highly recommend him if you are in the area. He is a bit of a one man show, so he isn’t super fast, but it was worth the wait!
I engaged 4wd and immediately got a terrible clicking on the driver side when turning
It’s always something! I think it’s the Birf. I don’t have any idea of the history of them. I guess I’ll just have to go with some RCVs
I also go my axle perfectly centered with the panhard adjuster that I welded in. It was a 1/4” off but it made no difference in the drivability.
I removed my castor correction plates and drilled some lower holes to add a bit more caster to see if that would help with the wondering I was getting and it did help.
I had to “un-weld” them.
Drill new holes at a spot that would make them have 3deg more caster:
And then I filled the old holes/painted:
The old numbers (not caster number but angle of the plates):
DS:
PS
The new numbers:
DS:
PS:
Caster numbers:
| Old Castor Angle | Old Plate Angle | New Plate Angle | Change In Angle | New Castor Angle | |
| Driver | 3.3 | 8.3 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 6.6 |
| Pass | 3.0 | 8.0 | 4.8 | 3.2 | 6.2 |
I know that’s a little high for castor, but it is driving better. I’m just at the point where my tie rod is just clearing the radius arm (so more caster is is not really possible without a radius arm change or modification).
I think any extra feeling of wandering is coming from the softness of the front springs. With my weight, I may need to look into some heavier springs.
We went on our first real off road adventure with the new suspension to a secret spot outside of Seattle. We had a great time with some local Cruiserheads and the suspension was amazing! I can’t believe how smooth it is on road and off road. I am very excited about it!
I think I’ll stop updating here and move back to my build thread for any future spring changes or other changes, but feel free to hit me up on either thread if there are any questions/comments!
- Thread starter
- #68
Long overdue update -
The Bean has been driving great with the coil suspension. My wife and I still flinch as we anticipate hitting a big bump on the road or trail and then we realize the suspension has soaked it up without issue! On washboard it's a game changer. The truck is steering great and my wife is able to drive it comfortably at 70mph. I drive a little faster. Very pleased overall.
There is a noticeable difference between the ride quality of the front and rear suspensions. I like having the leafs in the rear, but someday I want to get some Radflow shocks for the rear...I think that would help a lot.
The Bean has been driving great with the coil suspension. My wife and I still flinch as we anticipate hitting a big bump on the road or trail and then we realize the suspension has soaked it up without issue! On washboard it's a game changer. The truck is steering great and my wife is able to drive it comfortably at 70mph. I drive a little faster
. Very pleased overall.There is a noticeable difference between the ride quality of the front and rear suspensions. I like having the leafs in the rear, but someday I want to get some Radflow shocks for the rear...I think that would help a lot.
