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What year and vehicle do you get the springs from? The correct years are 1988-1998 1/2 ton Chevy or GMC truck. Don't listen to anyone otherwise. And don't worry about the front suspension it does not matter. You only need the rear springs. Those are the only years you can get 63 inchers.Where do I get these springs? From a boneyard! All you need is the rear springs off an 1988-1998 1/2 ton Chevy or GMC truck. Does it matter if it's from a 2WD or 4WD? No it does not matter if they are from a 2WD or 4WD. The 2WD have 3 leaves plus and overload leaf. The 4WD have 4 leaves plus and overload leaf. The 2WD are the most desirable because they are softer with only 3 main leaves and are good on a pickup. You can use the 4WD but you will have to pull out one leaf. Don't get me wrong the 4 leaves will work but most guys run 3 plus overload leaf. Some just run only three leaves. Also some people run add-a-leafs too. Just depends on what you want to achieve. How much should I pay for the springs? Pay no more than $100 a pair. How do I mount these loooog springs to my Toyota? You must get a new front spring hanger and weld it on the flat part of the frame forward of the stock spring hanger. For the rear shackle hanger, you can either go with a double shackle set-up (very popular) or weld on a new hanger back about 4 inches from stock. Where do I get new front spring hangers? You can either buy Jeep CJ spring hangers (some say they hang kinda low) or make your own out of 3.5" x 3.5" x 1/4" or 3/16" square tube. You can't use the chevy front hangers they are shaped to oddly to work. Can you explain the double shackle set-up? Ok the double shackle set-up works like this. You connect one Toyota style shackle from the factory rear hanger (let it lay flat against the frame) to another shackle going straight down to the spring. Most people run the stock Chevy shackle as the second one that mounts to the spring. Or you can make your own shackles. Doing the double shackle set-up is just a cheaper and easier way to do the rear of the springs. No need to weld in a new hanger. It also gives you a bunch of extra suspension droop, which is a good thing! How far forward do I mount the new front spring hanger? If you are replacing 48" long stock springs, Mount them 11" forward of the stock spring hanger center hole to center hole. This will position the axle in stock location. Or drop a plumb line from the frame down to the center pin of your stock springs. Leave it there. Take off stock springs and line up chevys. On 3rd gen trucks, mount the front hanger 9" To 9 1/2". 9" the axle will sit slightly rear of center and 9 1/2" should get the axle centered. On 1998-2000 Tacomas mount the front spring hangers forward 7.5 inches. Earlier Tacomas have shorter springs, but I don't have the measurements for those. Anyone? Some new info from Grabber(Pirate4x4 BB) for 89-95 trucks: I did a double shackle set-up leaving the rear shackle hanger in the stock location. Here are all the specs: Front spring hanger was mounted 8 1/2" forward of the stock hanger, eye to eye. ( I stated; I did it 9" before, but is actually 8 1/2", really 9" would be about perfect, but the less you go forward the better the double shackle will set up, I forgot and lost the info I had written down on my computer. Sorry.) I then used 2" x 3/8" Flat bar for the shackles. The top shackle is 5 1/2" with 3/4" washers on the inside of the shackle against the bushings (to space it slightly). Then I used an 8" shackle for the second shackle, putting it inside the top shackle, with a pipe spacer and washers between the bottom shackle (I used a 3/4" bolt at 6" for this, and size 9/16" to 3/4" will work fine). This leaves the bottom shackle slightly angled back. Looks and works good. With the mount being 8 1/2" forward of the other mount on 89'-95' trucks (which I think is really the best spot), you may need to lengthen your year drive- shaft about an 1" or 2", it works but its way down on the splines. I had another driveshaft out of a 79' that had new u-joints in it, and it work perfect, they are slightly longer. And I am using the stock d-shaft as spare, it should work fine as a spare. I have a buddy who put his mount at 9 1/2" and I will let you know how that worked out, as far as the drive-shaft and rubbing in the wheel well at full compression. But even with the d-shaft problem I feel 8 1/2" puts the wheel in the perfect spot. Another way of placing it, if you have a 2nd gen. 4runner, is to put it exactly in the center of the body mount at that location. That is where 8 1/2" ends up. Since 4runners dont have an original mount. How wide are the Chevy springs compared to Toy springs? The chevy springs are 2-1/2" wide and Toyota is about 2-1/4" wide. Please note on the Chevy's that the sleeve in the bushings at both ends of the spring is 3" wide. Thats why you must use 3 1/2" box tube (1/4" or 3/16" wall) for the front hanger (3" on the internal width). Can I use Toyota stock U-bolts and spring plates? Yes you can use the stock Toyota U-bolt but you will have to grind the springs a little bit to get them to fit. What about a u-bolt flip kit? Can I just flip the factory u-bolts and spring plates? No. You will need new u-bolts and a flat piece of 1/4 or 3/8 steel to mount on top of the springs. How much lift do these springs give? You will get about 2-3" of lift. But the springs are very soft, so most people end up using some lift blocksÊor add-a-leafs as well. Should I run bumpstops? Yes! They must be big enough to stop the springs from going too much past flat, they bend right near the front mount if you go to far. So bumpstops are a must! What length should the shackle from the frame to second shackle be? What about the second shackle? Length of shackle from frame to second shackle should be about 5 1/2"-6" eye to eye. Length of shackle from first shackle to spring eye should be about 3 1/2" eye to eye or you can just use the stock Chevy one. What size bolts do I need to mount the springs? 9/16 x 5" grade 8 bolts with lock nuts for the spring eyes. 19mm or 3/4 x 5" for the rear factory hanger Can I still carry heavy loads with these springs? Yes, especially if it has the overload. Remember, these springs came off of 1/2 ton trucks, they can support a decent load. Can I put Chevy springs on a Tacoma? Yes. Many people have done it successfuly. For 1998-2000 mount the front spring hangers forward 7.5 inches. Earlier Tacomas have shorter springs, but I don't have the measurements for those. Anyone? Do I have to remove the gas tank to weld on the passenger side spring hanger? No you don't have to, but it would be easier to weld if you do. You can get away with only welding three sides of the hanger and by filling a 9/16" hole in the middle of the hanger with weld. It will work. Just make sure you keep the gas tank skid plate on and shield it also. How is the ride with these springs? The ride is excellent on the street and even better off road. LOTS-O-FLEX and they ride like a Cadillac! There is such a big difference between these and stock springs that it's unbelievable. Do I need to run a track bar with these springs? What about axle wrap? No a track bar isn't necessary. The leaves are plenty thick enough to resist kinking. Also you can try using the factory Chevy overload leaf, but cut the leaf flush at the rear of the spring pad and leave the front about 8" long or so. This will help prevent any axle wrap. Can I run these springs under the axle? Yeah. But why would you want to? Unless you were building a prerunner. LOL Is it worth it to mount these springs on an IFS Toyota? DEFINITELY! It will make a HUGE difference. Can I just buy aftermarket lift springs for an 88-98 Chevy truck? Yes you could but the whole purpose of this swap is you get the most bang for the buck out of stock Chevy springs. If you buy aftermarket springs you will pay through the nose! Can I still run a stock rear driveline with this swap? Yes! Will I need longer shocks? Yes! You will definitely want longer shocks to take advantage of all that new travel you gained. Get Rancho 5012 or 9012's or Procomps. Bilstein 5100 series are also great shocks. If i attach them to an IFS truck without a front end lift, will it stick the rear end WAY up in the air? No, as long as you only run three leaves with no lift blocks you should be fine. I am running that same set-up now. I have no front IFS lift and the rear is not that high.
do you guys try to find flat worn out ones for flex or newer ones that still have arch for ride height, do the newer ones still flex good. what do you run do you wish you had bought different ones. have you had to use lift blocks, etc. . (i know this is a hijack but i didn't want to start another chevy spring thread)
i now know that you can put the toyo rears up front but is it just that easy. are they a direct or at least fairly direct bolt on?
What do you mean by "2 sets of springs including one pack of rears and whatever else."? wouldnt you need 2 rears? and is the crossover steering really a necessity? and kind of curiously, why the 2" longer shackles?
A note on the chevys on the rear... you might need shims to adjust your pinion angle if your drivin on the street... mine did.
I know this post is kinda old, but didn't want to start another chevy spring swap thread. It seems to me, swapping chevies on an 83 frame, that with the front hangers 11" forward eye to eye that this dosen't put the rear axle in the stock location. It seems to put the rear axle slightly farther to the rear. So that now my driveshaft is slightly to short...
My 83 has a one piece driveshaft. I just figured out the 3rd gen trucks have a 2 piece driveshaft. So with the 3rd gen driveshaft, it will work. 11" forward eye to eye does put the rear axle slightly behind the stock location but with the 2 piece driveshafts it works there.
toyminator2000 – There has to be dumb people in order for there to be smart people
LWB is a 2 piece with carrier bearing ...how would that work if you dont have a carrier mount?
I meant the shortbed driveshafts that have 2 actual pieces that make one shaft. The transfer case side has splines on it so it can slide in and out. If you slide it all the way out then it comes apart into 2 pieces. This design is known as a one piece drive shaft since it wouldn't be a driveshaft at all with any of the pieces missing from it. A 2 piece driveshaft consists of tow seperate tubed sections joined by a third U-joint in between them and will include a bearing near that 3rd U-joint to support it at the frame via a crossmember.I think the 11" forward must be to center the tires in the fenderwells. Center is slightle behind where the stock location was. I guess if you don't have a regular bed on there it dosen't matter if the tires are centered in the fenderwells or not. I think that if you go a little farther forward than 11" then you can use a single longer rear shackle from the stock shackle hanger location and still get about a 45 degree shackle angle. But if you have a regular bed, then your tires would rub on the fronts of the fenderwells when compressed. If saving money is the basis for this concern, well, saving money is often crucial to a build, this I understand. Sometimes though, you just have to bite the bullet and do it the best way money can handle. Get a driveshaft made it would probably be best.
Do you have a pic of your driveshaft? How could this be? It's isn't logically possible to have no slip shaft on a driveline which operates between any two points where one point is fixed and the other moves. The driveshaft must be able to change length during wheel/axle travel. Proof being that now it's too short if it is still the same length since you made the change. Also assuming that you went from stock springs to the 63's which moved the axle not only downward but rearward, as you claimed. If your shaft is built this way, with no slip shaft, it is absolutley wrong! This can't possibly be the factory original shaft unless it was a major, major boo boo that would also be very difficult to believe that it made it this far with no troubles. The driveshaft should have been long enough in stock form for a mild lift such as 63's alone. Even IFS driveshafts have slipshafts and the diffs are basically in a fixed position. Please, more info... Now I'm curious!
I can get a pic tomorrow. The reason it wouldn't work with the chevy rears is because with the hangers move 11" forward, they relocate the axle slightly behind the stock location, which made my driveshaft slightly too short. I don't know why it is like that, that's how it was when I got it. Unless the spline end is super jamed together and very stuck... I didn't really check it that close, but I will tomorrow.The front of the rear springs are in a fixed location via the front spring hangers so when the springs flex down they swing slightly forward which keeps the driveshaft length pretty close if not exactly the same length.
If rear shackle is at a 45 degree angle, and the front of the springs are in a fixed location when they droop the axle moves forward in relation to the frame and the rear shackles where attached to the spring moves forward from 45 degrees to 90+ degrees to it's maximum extended length. If you use a square or something and check your axle location compared to your frame, then lift the back end of your truck off the ground so the suspension droops and the rear shackle straightens out, then check it again compared to the frame, the axle will have moved toward the front, so the driveline length dosent change much. The front driveshaft is the one that usually pulls apart or needs to be lengthened because...
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