Switched builds... traded for a '85 4runner

[81yotalove]

your welcome on the pictures. i like to see things rather than read and have to picture it in my head so i like to show people what im talking about. sounds good on having some frame behind it! i was hoping you didnt cut it off like some do.

my ruf pack consist of 6 leafs. i took two pack ditched overloads and put the together. my three top leafs are from my 81 pack. they are still clamped from the factory. the 3 bottom leafs are from a second gen pack i had given to me. i believe they are from an 87 pickup at least thats what my friend said. i know the were from a pickup though because they had as much arch as my springs so no sagged 4runner springs. i then cut those springs down 3 inches on each side. i did switch the order of the second pack. i used the 2nd mil wrap leaf then main top leaf then 3rd leaf because the mil wrap leaf had more arch than the main top leaf. i can get a picture on them mounted if you want?

as for lift from the ruf. with the downey's and stock shackles i was at 23 frame height. i installed 5inch shackles up front and 6 inch shackles around thanksgiving and it leveled my truck at 24 inch. after swapping in ruf and 150's im at 25 up front and 25 3/4 rear. these last two measurements are taken from unlevel dirt, i will post back when i drive it and have it on level concrete. my guess is that since you have front bumper, sliders, and a long bed you should in theory sit lower than my current height. also my 35's are brand new and measure out to 34.5 with the weight of the truck on them at street pressure. no cheating with air down pressures lol. also i have safely 4 inches of up travel in front now.

[CSR73]

Thanks for the detailed info! 

From what I've seen and read, 6 leaves make up the average RUF pack.  I was thinking that might yield too much lift.... but if you're sitting at 4" of uptravel, that'd be 3" higher than my stock truck (1" uptravel).

Now, gotta find F150 2WD rear springs....

[CSR73]

If I were building for my local terrain.... I guess I'd be done.  33's at street pressure got me through all of the local trails.  I had to take some really stupid lines thru a rock garden to get myself hung up.  Raising the tcase for a flat belly and fabbing skidplates is next on my to-do list.  And differential armor for the axles.  And bigger tires, lower gears and more wheel travel for when I venture out of NW Tennessee.



I stuck a new Marlin shifter seat/seal in my transmission.  The shifter feels as tight as a new.  Another bonus is the reduction in gear noise inside the cab.  My original bushing was gone.

[81yotalove]

im glad to see the truck getting used for what its been built for. i can't say that about mine yet. your plan for flat belly/ skid plate sounds good. keep the wheeling pictures coming it gives me motivation for mine

[CSR73]

Chopped out a lot of floor and jacked the drivetrain up to where I want it.  The horsecollar crossmember is gonna need notched.  If I can make it over to the steel store today, I'll get to work modifying the FROR crossmember.

[4x4yota]

you dont waste anytime do you?... just makes me want to work on mine more and more but still working on figuring highsteer with no lift

[SFD4x4]

Nice! You might end up having to put a CV shaft on the rear when you are done.   Your truck is looking killer! I am jealous I have not been able to touch my truck in over a month!   

[CSR73]

Doing a little wrenching on this beautiful day!  It's warm!  Sunny and 30 degrees!   8)

[81yotalove]

flat belly looks sweet! hopefully sunday mine will move under its own power for the first time in a month.

[CSR73]

Thanks.  I'm going for it.  Cut floor, cut horsecollar... whatever it takes!  The rear driveshaft flange is up the cab, between the seats!    I had to notch the radiator shroud for the distributor....   

[4x4yota]

are you planning on raising the motor too to keep things level? Iv heard of motors starving for oil cuz they get tilted forward and the sump doesnt pick up enough oil!

[81yotalove]

also your fan must be close to the radiator if the distributor is that close.

[CSR73]

Here's the start of my modified FROR xmember.  The square tubing is 1.5", 3/16" thick.  Using Toyota leaf spring bushings inside .120" wall 1.5" round tubes at the frame.  Crappy pic.  My cell phone camera lens was dirty.

[CSR73]

are you planning on raising the motor too to keep things level? Iv heard of motors starving for oil cuz they get tilted forward and the sump doesnt pick up enough oil!

Keeping the engine mounts in the stock location.  Maybe just keep a little extra oil in it.   The engine is sitting about the same as it did with my broken down springs before I lifted the front a bit!

also your fan must be close to the radiator if the distributor is that close.

I have 3/4" to 1" of clearance between the fan and radiator.  I checked that early into this. 

Didn't touch the truck today.  Hopefully I can get it finished up early next week.  Still need to notch the horsecollar and weld up butcher job on the floor.

[SFD4x4]

Looking good!

[81yotalove]

any updates? get that new crossmember done?

my truck is driving again. hysteer drives amazing!! so much better. i forgot to measure the frame height when it was on pavement. tomorrow i should be going to a friends house to use his dad's forklift to measure for bumps, shocks, front d shaft and flex!

[CSR73]

any updates? get that new crossmember done?

Not yet.  I notched the horsecollar for driveshaft clearance yesterday.  I still need to fabricate and weld the frame mounts and patch up the cab floor.

Glad the hysteer is working for you!  That's my next mod, when I have the extra $$$.

[CSR73]

Finished up the modified FROR crossmember and got everything bolted in.  All that's left to do is get the tranny tunnel and floor patched up.  Oh, and weld up the exhaust leak I created by raising and lowering the drivetrain 100 times.

[SloCrawler]

 just to get this straight you raised your tcase only? Got any pics of how much you removed from the tranny tunnel.

[CSR73]

just to get this straight you raised your tcase only? Got any pics of how much you removed from the tranny tunnel.

Yep, raised the t-case up.  Hard to see in my cell phone picture, but the only things hanging below the frame are the rear case drain plug and about 1/4" of the right side crossmember.  

I think there's pictures of the floor cutting in this thread a few pages back.  I'll check and post some if not.

My customized tunnel is going to need raised a bit.  I'll post pics when I get it finished.  Thinking about ditching the carpet and rolling the interior with herculiner.  Worried about the heat though.  I have 3/4" of insulation foam under the carpet which really helps in the summertime.

[81yotalove]

nice you got the flat belly is done. looks like it turned out sweet.

i also got some pavement frame measurements its 24 1/4 right behind the front shackle and just under 25 just infront on the f150s. im happy with it. it has 30inch of flex and uses 11inches of shock travel up front. 2 inches of front driveshaft slip. so im going to be cutting some of the fender well to mount shock hoops. its the only way to run a 12inch shocks. and im going to be running 10 inch travel shocks out back with new upper and lower mounts.

i can't wait to regear this thing to 4.88's. also i have a dual adapter but i might just put some 4.7's in my single case and call it good im kind of worried about the duals being realible. what do you think? i know you have duals.

[CSR73]

Thanks! 

I'll probably build a CV driveshaft for the rear.  Getting a few vibes.  Also, the shortened stock rear shaft worries me everytime I drag it across a rock.  The tubing is thin.

This is the 2nd rig I've set up with dual 2.28:1 cases.  Never had a reliability issue.  I like the 2wd low option for those sections of trail between the tough spots.  4.7's and twin sticks in one case would do the same thing, though.  And you wouldn't have to modify driveshafts....

[CSR73]

Thinking about selling this truck.  I need more passenger seats.  Putting it in the classifieds.  $3500 or 85-95 4runner trades.

[81yotalove]

wow i didnt see this coming. goodluck with the sale or trade though. or cut out the back and make a walk through with it? just an idea!

[4x4yota]

x2 on the walk thru cab! like a custom trekker

[CSR73]

Thought about cutting the cab.  If it doesn't sell, I may do that.

With the small amount of 'wheelin time I have with work and kids.... I feel like a semi-capable grocery getter would be more useful.  A 4runner, inch or two of lift, 33's, locked rear.... you know, don't wanna get stuck at the mall or soccer practice!

[81yotalove]

damn those muddy mall parking lots! lol jk. i just hate to see you get rid of something you put a lot of time into. your build kept me going on mine, and reminded me that i need to build to my application not just what everyone else does. i still say walk through cab with a camper shell on the back that seals it up pretty good.

on another note if you ever need new bumpstops i pulled some off the rear on a s10 blazer. They are the big yellow ones, i think they will work perfect and they aren't rock hard. also my ruf have settled since i installed them and thats why the front is lower than my original measurements i gave you. i measured the tierod to oil pan clearance and its 1/2 inch lower than when i first measured. my truck sits the same height as it did with the downey's and 5inch shackles. instead of the shackles being vertical they are now angled back

[CSR73]

The mall is tough sometimes!  Never know when you're going to need to jump a curb or have to crawl over the hood of a car!

In the current market, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get a single call or email on my truck.  Everybody is as broke as me!  It's either try to sell it as/is.  Or pull the good parts off and put it back stock, and try to sell it for price that I can hopefully break even.  Gonna try as it is, first.  Finding some good deals out there on 2nd Gen 4runners.... want to stay away from the 3.slows, tho.  Most pre-96's are pushing 200-250k miles... that's about the life of a 3.0L.  The 1st and 2nd gens with the 22RE are so damn reliable, people don't wanna get rid of 'em!

[4x4yota]

to bad to here about getting rid of it hope it works out to keep it... this build has kept me working on mine, was glad I wasnt to only one building a stock height truck...

and 81yotalove can you get a couple measurements for me?

distance from the top of the front axle to the top of the tie rod and how much clearence you have between the tie rod and oil pan.

thanks

[CSR73]

The '81 is going to Texas.  The new owner has some cool stuff planned for it.  Hopefully he'll post pics here on MarlinCrawler. 

I'm bringing home a '85 4runner.