Ultimate SUA Suspension??
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Nice flex!
My flex. Have learned a lot about sua since my new suspension. The front is just about maxed out here, at least with the stock shock towers.
I know it’s a long time ago but where did you get your soft top from?wow Grizzly, that's quite a complement...
LC advanced handling spring plates...bought the last set from Ross, worth every penny
btb SR kit (nice product, can't say the same for service)
12" bilstein 5125
ford towers in front
top mounts were moved in for the rear
measure your flex before selecting your shock length...you will thank me later.
2.5" safari/pinnacle fj55 REAR lift springs on ALL 4 corners.
extended shackles
Since the rear appears to have sagged some, I will prob. replace w/drakar fj60 lift springs...possibly alcans?
315/75R16
need to extend the rear bump-stops to reduce lugs hitting against tub at mucho flex.
like how well 35"s tuck inside wheel-wells...
I contemplated, and even started gathering parts for a SOA down the road.
I'm pretty pleased with how she wheels, so for now...all I can say is "GO team SUA!"
It's a paki top. Not sure if he's still making/selling.
It included the complete frame, which I painted...as it arrived primer only.
I was really pleased with the quality, and kept the soft-top on until the cruiser was sold.
Spent the last afternoon installing the original hard-top, so it would be easier for the new owner.
It included the complete frame, which I painted...as it arrived primer only.
I was really pleased with the quality, and kept the soft-top on until the cruiser was sold.
Spent the last afternoon installing the original hard-top, so it would be easier for the new owner.
THAT IS NUTS!!! And I thought a 6" shackle was craZy!
Hey Andrew,okey dokey.. where to start..
i have been through the same process you are investigating at the moment and heres what ive done and somethings ive learnt. the state laws here don't allow SOA and i wanted to get the most out of my SUA setup. I also do the same type of all rounder wheelin, beach, gravel, rocks, mud, and its my daily driver. i want to keep my COG low as possible so that rules out a body lift with this setup. if i wanted to run 35's id probably find longer leaves again and get them reset to 4" with longer shocks to help maintain the articulation twith the similar setup.
original setup was a bj42 with an aftermarket 2" lifted springs.
changes made:
- extended greasable anti-inversion shackles
- mixed spring pack comprising of 60+75series leaves in the rear and 75+40series leaves in the front.
- moved each end 2.5 for a 5" increase in wheelbase
- custom front/rear shafts
- using longer shocks but using original shock mounts front and rear
- custom reset of all spring leaves to give level ride and a little bit of lift (probably about 2-3" of spring lift + 2" longer shackles give 3-4" lift overall)
- no changes to standard steering setup (resulting in bent draglink and dented shocks)
- doubled all brakelines by piggybacking 2 std flex brake lines.
- rear guard chop to accomodate 33x10.5xr15 jungle trekkers
- no front guard mods
- 3+deg castor plates for the front only
things id change:
- 60series steering conversion to stop the front drivers shock rubbing on the draglink
- ford shock towers in the front and longer shocks
- change rear shock mount to allow more droop in rear
- still yet to extend bumpstops by about an inch front and rear,
the ride and results:
- daily driving is noticabily more comfortable.. you dont feel the bumps as much as before
- articulation is greatly increased and i keep my tires on the ground heaps more than before (still no lockers yet)
- when turning under compression it stresses power steering pump (box is now leaking).
- steering is fine at speed and quite pleasant with the 3* castor plates and damn scary without them.
- there is a bit of tyre rubbing on the front steering components at full lock and the front fender support when compressed. the rear rubs when its tucked up in the wheel well.
some pics:
here are the front spring packs:
rear end with no shocks:
how it sat after changing front and rear leafpacks:
when i went to get my springs reset to level the ride.. the spring place put too much lift in the springs.. this is with approx 4" overall lift.
heres the more conservative lift id asked for originally.. approx 2-3" lift as it sits now (maintain conservative COG)
and some measurements for the spring place to reset the springs to my required height. you guys might find this useful.
i think the flex on the front is great!
but the rear end is lacking:
all the changes made wheeling this particular spot a bit easier:
hope all this info has helped.. im happy with the results so far and think its a good way to improving the on and off road handling and articulation of my 40. if you have any questions about my particular setup feel free to ask!
cheers,
Andrew
I know that this is an old thread but I'm reading through old suspension threads doing research for a current project (my first FJ40 so my baseline understanding is pretty much zero... ) and was wondering if you'd mind reposting those photos as they're expired or no longer available. Also, How did your set up work out over the past years? Any input you might have would be appreciated.
I've got all my old suspension photos here.. Vehicles / the40 / suspension | Just another Piwigo gallery - https://g3.phat42.com/piwigo/index.php?/category/250
I ended up selling my BJ42 about 5 years ago now.. I ran the same spring setup from about 2006 (pictured) though with the only changes being custom length shackles and Bilstien shocks.. it was great setup and I was really happy with the outcome. It would cope with being full for a camping weekend and still be compliant on the track.. and was pretty on road too.. I'd still highly recommend investing time and effort (which is considerable in my case) to get the SUA dailed in.. cos in my opinion it was well worth it... last two photos are from 2011.. only changes after that were Man-A-Fre 4Plus ubolt flip kit.
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