Guys/Gals, I am needing some help on some decision making.
I have decided to stick with 32's for a a couple years on my recently acquired 82 Pickup. I am trying to figure out the best way to go with suspension to have good flex/travel, while maintaining a low center gravity.
Even if I have to do some fender well tubbing. Also if you could only afford one ARB Locker, would you put it in the rear or front?
If any of you have an overall buildup opinion of springs, tubbing, hangers, shackles, please hit me with what you would do.

FYI: 4.56 gears
Stock 22R


Thanks,

Tim

 

Hi, I am in the same position as you with my 82, and i have decided on 63 inch chevy rears from a half ton chevy pickup year 89-98? in the rear, and putting in hi steer up front and building a leaf pack out of my stock rears and another stock pickup leaf pack, probably go with a 6 leaf pack, from my research this seems to be the way to go as far as cost effectiveness and spring flex.

 

Thanks, maybe we can learn a little from eachother's rigs. I have decided on the Chevy rears also. The front is kicking my butt though. I don't quite understand what I need to do as far as steering. I will have my rears and should be able to find some mazdas, etc. pretty cheap. Just don't know what all is involved in hy-steer. Do you need to buy a kit such as Marlin Crawler's or can it be built pretty easily? Can't wait to get rid of the push-pull steering.

Thanks again,

Tim

 

i had an '83 with four inches of lift (super-lift) and 35's. the lift was on it when i purchased it and i would never recommend it. the thing rode like a tank with no flex and was very rough both around town and on service roads. i am with tyson, for an inexpensive suspension set up that will be very flexy, the chevy rears and rear-toyota fronts should be very nice...there are quite a few threads on here about building up that set up. the only issue that you might run into is ride height. you said you wanted to keep it low...i'm not sure the chevy set up will do that. you should do some more research into other people's rigs that have that set up to find out their ride heights. i do know a lot of guys use that set up to run 35's. also, plan on setting up your bumpstops to limit travel. better the bumpstops limit travel than your fenders and they will also keep your springs in better shape.


as far as trimming the fenders, i had great luck following the body lines on my '83. here's the best picture i have of it:



that is with the four inch lift and 35's. my goal was to have a finished edge (ie folded, not cut) along my fender so that i wouldn't cut up my tires. i ended up cutting about 1/2 inch inside of where the flare of the fenders met the flat part of the fender (ie leaving about 1/2 inch of the flared metal there). i then cut 1/2 inch slits all around the fender opening about every inch to inch and a half. after that, i folded back each "tab" with two crescent wrenches (to keep the upper metal from deflecting too much). after the whole opening was folded back, i did a little final sculpting with a set of body hammers (very little was needed). it ended up so clean that i didnt need any body filler and i always got compliments from people asking me if i got some special fenders and bedsides or something. also, as you can see in the picture, i painted the truck flat black, which also helps hide deflection because it does not reflect light like a gloss paint does.


finally, about the locker, there are many factors to consider. there are also plenty of good write ups on this information, but here is my $0.02 worth. first, figure out what your intentions are for the vehicle. if i had my choice, i think i would invest in putting the arb in the front (most guys would agree i think, but feel free to correct me if i am mistaken.) if you can only afford one selectable locker and have plans of buying a second, non-selectable locker, you want the selectable in the front. the reason? anytime the front is locked up, it becomes very difficult to steer (i had the front spider gears welded up on a rig and it was a night mare). the steering pushes you where you dont want to go and, even with power steering, it often takes two hands to steer. if you went ahead with the arb in the front, you could go with lunch box locker (ie lock-right or something) or a detroit or an lsd or something in the rear. these will be more noticeable on the road with periodic locking when you dont want it too, but nothing too major. now, if you are planning on only putting one locker in the truck and still want absolutely normal driving behavior, then you have your choice. some people say a front locker will pull you up obstacles (since there is more weight in the front) and other people say a rear locker will push you up obstacles (since weight shifts to the rear axle going up hills). the choice is yours really. if you put it in the rear, you have th option of using it in 2wd when it would suit you (like in a snowstorm where you need some traction, but not 4wd). another consideration is that a locker in a skiff of snow or on ice is not usually advisable, so having the ability to select the rear could come in handy. my final thought is this though: the beauty of the toyota 8" diffs is that you can swap them front to rear with minimal effort. set up the diff you want to with the arb and, if you absolutely hate it, swap it to the other. ultimately, the choice is yours and should be based on what you plan on using the truck for. hope this helps. sorry for being long winded...probably used about $0.04.

 

I appreciate the detailed advise, bro. Not long winded at all. I appreciate the time you took to help me out.

 

what are you primarily going to use the truck for? what are your future plans?

 

The trails around here are not that rocky, but we do have a lot of wash outs, woops, and the occasional rocky spot. I just want a soft ride, with good flex. The softer the better. My wife won't get car sick. LOL. If it is just my son and I, the wheelin will be a little more intense. I also need a good ride on highway.

 

Here are a couple of good links if your thinking about chevy's in the back and rears up front, they should give you all the info you need

Chevy's

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...threadid=20665

Rears up front

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265669

 

Here are a couple of good links if you're looking to go Chevy's in the back and rears up front, they should tell you everything you need to know.

Chevy's

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showt...threadid=20665

Rears Up Front

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265669