I've had this truck since 2010, and she's been a great companion on the trail. Well, minus a failed fuel pump and a broken rear axle shaft. It came with a chevy 4.3, rhino liner, a 4 inch block lift, and a 3 inch body lift.
A few years ago I replaced the tired toyota rears with chevy 63 inch springs, which ride like a cadillac and have the potential for miles of droop. The front was still torsion spring IFS, and it was bashed, bent and abused, so it was time to get something better - an 85 pickup axle.
I decided to go with the Sky Offraod SAS kit for good reviews and USA steel. I also am using their 3f springs for a low-lift swap. My goal is to keep it level with the rear chevys at ~4". Everyone asks why I didn't go linked. The setups I've seen are a mile high, and the price tag for a linked setup was too much to stomach. I also want to keep some of the 'mad max' appeal, and coils would have been too fancy.
Here's the progress so far. We plasma'd off the IFS. There are a lot of weld points so this took a while. Also, @Doughboy is a saint for letting me borrow a plasma cutter.
Blew a hole through the frame and added rear shackle mounts. Then began the task of cleaning up the frame. This took for-ev-ver and is a miserable job.
Next step was to start welding. Added some Ruff Stuff frame reinforcement plates, and attached the front hanger. I decided to place the hanger 1" forward. This lengthens my wheelbase and gives me a better approach angle. It also gives more clearance between the 3rd member and the oil pan, which could be an issue if I ever get around to swapping a V8. Combined with the rear-up-front style springs, I think its a forward move of 3 or 4 inches. It might require some body cutting, and Im hoping it doesn't look too funny.
The rest went pretty quickly, and here's where it sits now. Just waiting for a few parts. The steering box will be mounted forward significantly so the drag link and tie rod don't contact under full compression. Then there's the brakes, front drive shaft, and shocks. I'm modifying the IFS hubs to fit inside of Tacoma rotors, which will make the front axle match the rear in width.
More to come.
A few years ago I replaced the tired toyota rears with chevy 63 inch springs, which ride like a cadillac and have the potential for miles of droop. The front was still torsion spring IFS, and it was bashed, bent and abused, so it was time to get something better - an 85 pickup axle.
I decided to go with the Sky Offraod SAS kit for good reviews and USA steel. I also am using their 3f springs for a low-lift swap. My goal is to keep it level with the rear chevys at ~4". Everyone asks why I didn't go linked. The setups I've seen are a mile high, and the price tag for a linked setup was too much to stomach. I also want to keep some of the 'mad max' appeal, and coils would have been too fancy.
Here's the progress so far. We plasma'd off the IFS. There are a lot of weld points so this took a while. Also, @Doughboy is a saint for letting me borrow a plasma cutter.
Blew a hole through the frame and added rear shackle mounts. Then began the task of cleaning up the frame. This took for-ev-ver and is a miserable job.
Next step was to start welding. Added some Ruff Stuff frame reinforcement plates, and attached the front hanger. I decided to place the hanger 1" forward. This lengthens my wheelbase and gives me a better approach angle. It also gives more clearance between the 3rd member and the oil pan, which could be an issue if I ever get around to swapping a V8. Combined with the rear-up-front style springs, I think its a forward move of 3 or 4 inches. It might require some body cutting, and Im hoping it doesn't look too funny.
The rest went pretty quickly, and here's where it sits now. Just waiting for a few parts. The steering box will be mounted forward significantly so the drag link and tie rod don't contact under full compression. Then there's the brakes, front drive shaft, and shocks. I'm modifying the IFS hubs to fit inside of Tacoma rotors, which will make the front axle match the rear in width.
More to come.
