[bigd9247]

i am thinking about building an older like 1984 toyota pickup as a trail truck for this summer. i want it to have a pretty flexy suspension and i want it to be on 36" swampers. so i was wondering if it would be a good idea to swap chevy leaf springs onto that truck (front and rear) because they are longer which should provide more flex and they will support the weight if i do a V8 conversion. now here's my question: if i DONT swap the V8 in, will the chevy springs be too stiff to provide good articulation and if so, would it be possible to remove some of the leaves from the spring pack to make them softer?

thanks...dalton

 

[twistytaco]

chevy's will work fine in the rear, on a truck you can do without the overload if you dont haul alot of weight. they would be too long for the front. rear springs would be your best bet in the front to acheive the most flex.

 

[Zintradi]

"building an older like 1884 toyota pickup as a trail truck "

1884 pickup? I didn't they were making them that soon after the cival war
j/k no advice to give, just couldn't resist

 

[bigd9247]

"building an older like 1884 toyota pickup as a trail truck "

1884 pickup? I didn't they were making them that soon after the cival war
j/k no advice to give, just couldn't resist

SORRY i meant 1984... little typo.

 

[Bear]

i am thinking about building an older like 1984 toyota pickup as a trail truck for this summer. i want it to have a pretty flexy suspension and i want it to be on 36" swampers. so i was wondering if it would be a good idea to swap chevy leaf springs onto that truck (front and rear) because they are longer which should provide more flex and they will support the weight if i do a V8 conversion. now here's my question: if i DONT swap the V8 in, will the chevy springs be too stiff to provide good articulation and if so, would it be possible to remove some of the leaves from the spring pack to make them softer?

thanks...dalton

As mentioned before, you can always remove the overload if you feel the rear springs are too stiff, You can also remove one of the middle leafs as well to make it even more flexy. But I would not remove more than one middle and the overload since the pack is only a 4 leaf pack.

When removing the middle leaf, make sure and spread the clip far enough to easily get the leaf out. It is a lot easier to do it while tearing it down than it is to try to spread it further to get it back together.

 

[Bear]

chevy's will work fine in the rear, on a truck you can do without the overload if you dont haul alot of weight. they would be too long for the front. rear springs would be your best bet in the front to acheive the most flex.

That's a good idea about moving the rear springs for the front, a lot more economical also!

good post!

 

[bigd9247]

thanks for the info and ideas... keep it coming!!! lol. i am trying to build a flexy trail truck on a very low budget so any kind of cheap tricks for suspension, steering, and lockers would be appreciated. i know where i can get 4" lift chevy springs for free, thats why i was considering them. will 4" chevy springs lift that truck 4" or higher (because there is less weight so they will sit higher)? and would i have to get LIFTED rear springs to mount in the front or is there some way to make those springs have the same lift as the back? and finally with the rear springs in front, would i be able to mount them so that they move the front axle forward a little bit for more clearance?

thanks again...dalton

PS: this is a little off topic but if the truck has manual hubs can i put a posi in the front without it causing the front to be hard to steer while in 2wd? i know that it will steer different in 4wd but i dont know what effects it would have in 2wd with the hubs unlocked.

 

[Bear]

thanks for the info and ideas... keep it coming!!! lol. i am trying to build a flexy trail truck on a very low budget so any kind of cheap tricks for suspension, steering, and lockers would be appreciated. i know where i can get 4" lift chevy springs for free, thats why i was considering them. will 4" chevy springs lift that truck 4" or higher (because there is less weight so they will sit higher)? and would i have to get LIFTED rear springs to mount in the front or is there some way to make those springs have the same lift as the back? and finally with the rear springs in front, would i be able to mount them so that they move the front axle forward a little bit for more clearance?

thanks again...dalton

PS: this is a little off topic but if the truck has manual hubs can i put a posi in the front without it causing the front to be hard to steer while in 2wd? i know that it will steer different in 4wd but i dont know what effects it would have in 2wd with the hubs unlocked.

If you are only going to be using the truck on the trails, you can weld your spiders gears for a cheap, cheap locker. I wouldn't suggest doing it for the front, but I do know people that have done it.

For your rear leafs and wanting extra altitude, you can custom fab some hangers to avoild using add a leafs or blocks. I used a section of 3"x4" square tubing and angled cut it to create a "ramp" for the springs, It was cheaper than trying to find a custom drop hanger.

To move your front axle further you can also do like most SAS builders do, build a custom front hanger, box the front horns of the frame and then weld an extention out forward of that, then mount your hanger off of that with plenty of gussets. This will move your axle forward away from your firewall. ( I am using that same 3"x4" tubing to box my frame and extend it past the frame so that I can move the hanger a bit further.

the 4" chevy springs should raise the truck higher than 4". Because you will need to mount the front hanger on the flat part of the frame. I am not certain on the older Toys but on the tacomas, the front leaf hanger for the rear is actually mounted on the upswing of the frame. When using the longer chevy springs you move the mounting point "lower" on the frame, thus giving you more lift. Weight has little to do with that.

 

[85buggy]

If you put 4 inch chevy lift springs on the back of a 79-95 toy your gonna get waaaay too much lift. Stock (even sagging) 63 inch chevy springs alone give about 4-5 inches of lift on a toyota. Sell those lift springs on ebay and go to a junkyard and find some cheap stock chevy springs. Chevy springs are also rediculously too long for the front. Take the rear leafs off the toy and find some extra leaves to add to it. If you dont they WILL bend, I dont care what anyone says I have done it. Add atleast two leaves the the pack before you put it on the front. You dont absolutely need a drop bracket for the front but if your gonna drive this thing on the street at all it will help your caster angles and match the lift height of the chevy springs in the rear. Check out www.pirate4x4.com VERY VERY extensive info on older toys there. Just dont ask them about IFS lol, they get kinda angry.