Before all the flame posts start coming. I'll start off by mentioning that I've already searched the forums and couldnt find anything relevant to my questions. I'm no ase mechanic and all my mechanical experience came from working on my old miata that I built.

I'll digress.. So I've been playing with my 94 sr5 t4r for several months now and I've finally got to a point where it needs tons of maintenance done.

Recently I was off roading and my cv joint took a ˟˟˟˟ on my and I barely made it home (I limped on for atleast 10 miles). Ive already ordered most of the necessary parts for the steering and such but I'm curious... How can I acquire new oem replacement torsion bars? The suspension is ˟˟˟˟ing horrible and I think the previous owner cranked the ˟˟˟˟ out of the t bars and it's almost torturous to drive offroad. I've found a few websites that offer a aftermarket replacement but they're re stiffer than oem. To my knowledge the stiffer the t bar the more harsh the offroad ride will be unless I have the optimum amount of weight counter act the added stiffness. I plan on leaving it ifs (yeah I know sas blah blah) but for what I intend on doing with this vehicle it's not necessary. And finding the additional parts needed like the axle and front drive shaft would make it a nightmare.

So far the parts I'm going to be replacing:
Tierods inner & outer and adjustment sleeve
Upper and lower ball joints
Idler arm and pitman arm
Steering stabilizer
Adding a set of fatbobs garage bj spacer and diff drop (will determine adding diff drop if necessary)
New cv joints.
Wheel bearings both sides.
New moog c225 Springs with 1 1/4 spacer from daystar.

Note all steering parts are moog.

I'm trying to correct most of the steering/suspension geometry the best I can to increase the longevity of the truck and keep it on the road.

I have no problem getting the stiffer t bars but not sure if it's going to cause me headaches down the road.

 

you should be able to source "stock" torsion bars from

a) the dealer?
b) Junkyard
c) classifieds

I have two pairs for free if ya want em

Biggest problem - they get "used" (twisted) on a particular side, and I have heard that placing them on the OPPOSITE side (twisting the other way), they tend to break

(they are heavy-ish and long - thus probably expensive to ship)

I'm not a fan of non OEM idler arm stock replacements.
Do the bushing fix first - its cheap and easy (OEM)
I think there are bronze bushings available,
I've had an idler arm "brace", it helps some but does not prevent the bushing wear.
I'm now running a Total Chaos King Kong Idler.

Pitman arm can be a PITA to remove. I had to slot mine heavily to get it off. I would not bother unless the actual "ball joint" thing is actually worn out.

I personally never understood the advantage of a BJ spacer/diff drop - but to each their own.

 

If the PO of your truck cranked up the stock torsions, and they are still cranked up, then putting aftermarket ones that are a little thicker will enable you to keep the same amount of lift without having to crank them up nearly as far which will give you a better ride. Putting the BJ spacer on will allow you to relax the torsions even more and get more flex out of the front suspension.

 

Try these guys for t-bars shocks and springs. Old Man Emu 4Runner: 1985+ Old Man Emu 4Runner Kits and Parts at http://www.rocky-road.com

 

Haven't had any luck with junkyard or dealers. And Craigslist here no one parts them out. What condition are those t bars?

 

So what your saying is by adding thicker torsion bars i can add them and continue to level the truck negatively? Cuz I know I'm going to add bj spacer and new torsions bit which ones to get was the problem. I didn't know you could adjust them that much. If that is the case I'll end up going with the ome kit for sure. And add the bj spacers onto it with a coil spring spacer as well. Thanks for the replies everyone

 

out here in the rust belt - those torsion bar adjuster bolts will have seized solid.
There's a hole in the frame to insert a sawmill to cut the bolt.

Be aware that the bolt is under significant tension. Stick a block of wood between the frame and the body to keep the nut from denting the floor. and get out of the way when the other end of the bolt cuts loose.

Obviously by new parts to replace
You'll need the
bolt
nut
1/2 moon pivot bock

 

That's a fact! The bracket on the frame that holds the back end of the torsion bar looks like it was made to catch and hold anything the front tires can pick up off the road and throw at it. I think next time I work on my front end I am going to try to make some kind of "boot" to protect those parts from road spray.

By the way, I was under the impression that the ARB/OME torsion bars had the same spring rates as the stock torsion bar. They certainly don't say that they are any stronger in the ARB application guide. I was also under the impression that Sway Away was the only company offering a heavy duty torsion bar for this application. The owner of Northwest off Road said to me that the sway away bars have a corrosion problem, FWIW.

 

subscribed

 

sure - the aftermarket bars have a corrosion issue
But IMHO its surface rust,
no different than the rusted coil springs you see on almost all older cars on the road
or rusted leaf springs

I have SAW "300M' bars. super stiff

 

I live in the Rust Belt and I have parted out a couple first-generation 4runners with IFS. I have never seen any rust on the factory torsion bar. They have some kind of glossy coating that seems to protect them pretty well.

Right now it looks like Sway Away only offers one kind of torsion bar for Toyota 4x4s. They claim that it offers 25% - 30% increased spring rate.

 

Are you satisfied with them or are they too stiff? Do you have any added weight on your truck's front end? A winch, a big bumper, a heavier engine swap?

 

I like em
But I was looking for "race car" on the road feel.

They are stiff enough, that I run WITOUT a from sway bar.

I presume they are terrible off road (rock crawling) but were really designed for Pre Running

FYI - most riders in my 4Runner when off road - hated them.

Mine are NOT cranked, but they do "lift" the truck about 3/4" or so.

Stock dampers and stock shock location will probably leave ALOT to be desired IMHO
Im running an old skool Downey dual Bilstien setup.

If I were doing it again, I'd go Total Chaos Caddy - but thats $$$

In your shoes - I'd stick with the stock bars.
Cut out and rebuild the adjusters
Set the truck to an OEM height

 

BTW - next time a front CV takes a dump - pull the half shaft and run it in 2WD

I've run the truck numerous times in "front wheel drive" when the rear shaft has been removed for various reasons....

 

If you plan to run BJs, please please please ensure that your front shocks will extend past the lower control arm mounting point. Install the BJS, put the truck on jack stands, let the truck control arms rest on the droop stop, and then unhook the shocks at the bottom and ensure they extend a bit past the mounting tabs and holes.

If not, you will be wondering why you need to replace lower ball joints over and over, and most likely pull the BJs. If the shock is the limiting factor it puts reverse pressure on the ball joint housing and destroys them.

Most shocks that say they are OEM replacements are too short, at stock ride height, without a T bar crank or BJs, so you need to be extra careful. Even longer than stock shocks can fall a bit short and spacing the top mount with a half inch nut or some washers can be necessary.

Just worth mentioning.