Hi guys, I am somewhat of a noob to yotatech as I've read countless threads for at least the last few years trying to outline what mods I could do to my old pickup which I love and have owned since 2000. It's a '92 4x4 Extra-Cab, V6 3VZE SR5 (5-spd) that has roughly 170,000 miles on it. Everything is still stock, save for front Warn manual hub lockouts and Rancho shocks which have 80,000 miles on them and and shot. The clutch is shot, the brakes are shot. The leaf springs are flat as a pancake. It's all just shot but otherwise the truck is in excellent condition overall. The engine and exterior / interior have however all been very well maintained. For a 24 year old truck you wouldn't know it. It's mainly just my weekend city truck in San Diego, CA but will be a northwest mountain truck (moving north in a few years) where I plan to off-road it so I want to mod in that direction.

As many noobs will agree, the more you dive into wanting to modify your vehicle the more confusing it becomes especially with the mountain of data and threads on this forum so I wanted to make a post that covers all the basics of what can be done vs what probably should be done. Everyone does different things, many of which are incredible and out of the scope of skills for many people, so in many cases I've found it becomes a huge headache to make the right decisions as there seems to not be any one particular best answer, but I'm the type of guy always trying to find that one best answer (or ok, two or three to help narrow down choices). That said, I'm at the crossroads where I need to pull the trigger on several repairs immediately due to the dilapidated state of the clutch and suspension so I'm ready to get my feet wet with some off-road mods and after-market parts. Again, the main issue here is the common saying of "a fool and his money are easily parted" so I just don't want to be that guy that spends unwisely or regrets a modding choice six months later when a pro says .."yeah, you really don't need that" ..or.. "you really should've spent more money on X instead". I always say..do it right the first time.

So, below is a detailed "top 20 suspension modding questions" that can hopefully be answered by some pros here. These are also the questions I hope will prevent others just like me from constantly asking one at a time over and over again and I think these are good jump off points to then research each topic further. I realize everyone's off-road goals are different based on if you love mud, rocks, sand, or snow, but there's got to be some really good starting place with the best mods for noobs who just want to beef up their truck a little without going full tilt overboard and blowing $2,000 or more on parts right out of the gate. If any of these questions seem really stupid or redundant, my apologies. I realize a lot, if not all, are likely well covered in other threads and I hope some people will link those threads into this thread as that is my goal too. And If there are any other major questions I should be asking too, please add a new # and other applicable links. In all cases, if you just include other top rated threads or links that may clearly answer any of these question, please just remember to include the question number(s) below which it is answering.

Thank you to everyone for your help and advice!



FRONT SUSPENSION OVERHAUL and or UPGRADES (Top 10 questions)

#1 -- I.F.S. mods vs. S.A.S. mods vs S.F.A. mods ??? - What are core basics of these and what are the: Basic Parts, Costs, Benefits, Drawbacks, Pros, Cons, etc?

#2 -- What is the stock I.F.S. vertical travel distance? (for Gen 3 89-95 V6 4x4 Truck or 4Runner)

#3 -- Can I get any more vertical travel from the stock I.F.S with low cost mods? Is this something people commonly do with add-on shock towers that still keep the lower wishbone?

#4 -- Are there any well-proven cost-effective I.F.S. mods to extend front travel? Are they worth the added cost and effort over stock travel? (ie; inch per buck analysis)

#5 -- What are the top I.F.S. upgrades or mods to consider? Is there any one specific type or brand that stands out above others? Best bang for buck?

#6 -- Is it ok to just install stock I.F.S. Ball Joint Spacers for 2" added lift? What is the max lift for ball joint spacing? What is most common or ideal?

#7 -- If my stock truck has over 150k miles should I replace the ball joints at the time of adding a ball joint spacer? If so, with what type, brand, style, etc?

#8 -- What is max lift and or travel for the front stock I.F.S. before encountering front wheel drive axle length issues? CV joint issues?

#9 -- Can you install a much better I.F.S. system that also allows for installing coil-over shocks? Is this the last / best option if sticking with front I.F.S?

#10 -- If you had $700 to spend ($300 per side on parts only) for your totally worn out stock front I.F.S. today, what would you do and why to make it more off-road worthy?


REAR SUSPENSION OVERHAUL and or UPGRADES (Top 10 questions)

#11 -- When lifting a truck from stock at what point do you need to be concerned and or address the drive shaft u-joints, drive shaft angles, rear diff. pinion angle, etc, etc??

#12 -- What is the best way to "lift" the rear (which actually means lowering the rear differential away from the mainframe). Blocks vs. Taller Leaf Springs vs. Coil Springs debate?

#13 -- If the general consensus is that taller leaf springs are always better than blocks for a 2" to 4"' lift (or greater), are there any recommended brands in the USA that are under $250 per leaf?

#14 -- What is the best way to properly and professionally install the "Zuk Mod" for a 2" to 4" spring lift? What about using a no leaf coil springs only Radius Arm mod like AxleIke?

#15 -- What type of leaf springs should be used if used in conjunction with a coil spring mod so that they work together in harmony? (thus one not working more than the other)

#16 -- Can Zuk Mod springs be used in conjunction with all non-stock taller leaf springs which add 2", or 3", or 4" of additional height? Based on #5 - what are the best options?

#17 -- What does the 63 inch Chevrolet truck springs mod do that new taller 2" to 4" Toyota made springs cannot do? What is the added height? Are they just cheaper new? Is there any major benefit?

#18 -- What does the 63 inch Chevrolet truck springs mod require as far as parts: new attachment points (where?), Welding requirements? New shackles? Change in pinion angle or position?

#19 -- If I want my truck to also serve as a Daily Driver or at least a "half of the week to work" driver, what types of things or mods should I consider that may give a "best of both worlds" effect.

#20 -- If you had $700 to spend (on parts only) for your totally worn out stock rear suspension today what would you do and why to make it more off-road worthy?

 

Holy cow that was a wall of text. Seems like you have done considerably more research than most "noobs" do before posting up questions, which is good. I'll attempt to answer some of this.

Firstly, I would address the clutch and brakes problem. Brakes are perhaps the most important device on your whole truck besides steering. Clutch job is generally around $300-500 for a shop to do it. "Upgrade" for this would be something like a 1600lb Marlin Crawler HD clutch but you'll have to see if the shop is willing to let you supply the parts.

Brakes vary a lot for shop pricing but just fronts could end up costing you over $500 so I recommend to do yourself since they aren't that hard to do just time consuming. Brake parts are fairly inexpensive for stock stuff and you'd get experience taking things apart and learning to fix your rig. Repack wheel bearings while you're in there. "Upgrades" would be v6 brakes, drilled/slotted rotors, master cylinder upgrades, etc etc. Harbor Freight hand vacuum pump helps with bleeding brakes by yourself.

As for the rest of your questions.....all of this is subjective as to what's best. A LOT of this can be answered in the IFS lift thread, but it's lengthy now and cluttered with a lot of chit chat.

BlazeN8 has posted a lot of great info regarding IFS and it's limitations etc. I would recommend reading those posts. he makes simple long travel kits and an LT kit is pretty much the only IFS mod that will net you actual travel gains, otherwise you're stuck with the stock 7-8" of travel or whatever it is. Travel and height is kinda insignificant as long as the tires making contact have traction devices and can propel the rig forward.

Ifs is obviously not as robust as solid axles but still plenty capable. The extra moving parts is generally the weak link literally. Usually some of the first things to fail Offroad are: idler arm, tie rods and cv axles - and all breakages are kinda related to the extra leverage and stress of the larger than stock tires the user likely has installed. Even solid axle parts break depending on what you're trying to do, nothing is invincible really - look at breakages in an uktra4 rig and those guys are fully upgraded.

Again, too many questions for me to answer. Maybe others will chime in.

 

Thanks for the first round of help. And sorry, I tend to write superfluously. I'm doing the clutch myself next week, mainly because I wanted the experience. I've done a few in my life but not on this truck yet so I feel it's a have to and I have all the tools, a tranny jack, etc. I was also about to purchase a full set of bushings from SuperPro along with off-road Bilstien shocks but in thinking of maybe redoing the IFS with a longer travel kit I was holding off. Same with the brakes. I've done plenty of brakes and rotors myself. The problem, as I see many, many others have posted, is just what exact mods and parts to buy. That's really the hardest part as I'm just not familiar enough with all the possible upgrades (i.e. best vs budget minded). The installation of the parts is otherwise elementary wrenching.

So let me ask you this; As far as bang for buck and necessity of off-roading, if I'm not an extremist who off-roads every weekend or even once a month is an LT kit anything I should even consider? I would only say yes, because of the mindset of "while in there and if you have the money to blow". If I'm going to tear this down to the bushings my thoughts are why not upgrade as much as I can if it's not going to be hugely costly (meaning roughly under $400 per wheel for my budget) Or,..should I just stay stock and replace the ball joints and wheel bearings? At 170k miles they probably need it. Are there good upgrades for the ball joints too? (I think I read somewhere you can buy brass ones with zerks) Anyway, I hate to tear all this down and not feel like I've done some extra work for off-roading as well the preventative maintenance.

 

Based on what you described your needs as, I don't think you need to go crazy, keep it mostly stock but upgrade here and there for durability. I'd do something like freshen up all your stock parts you're worried about and if you want a lift keep it low. Up front 0-2" lift can be achieved on stock parts and a 33" tire fits great, so for the most part I see you being good to go on stock parts with a few upgrades tossed in.

A lot of people replace the older IFS parts (BJs, tie rods, idler, pitman, A-arm bushings, etc) at this age of vehicle, not because of miles necessarily but also age and for peace of mind. If you replace, you get a trail spare too! I'd personally use either OEM Toyota parts or find Sankei "555" parts (usually reboxed in beck arnley or sometimes moog labeled parts) All the aftermarket have zerk holes, but you have to add your own fitting on some. Some upgrades I can think up for IFS are: beefier idler arm + brass bushings + steel brace (read up on the current "beefy" idler arm, search blazen8's research on idlers), some people upgrade the tie rods but requires fabrication (read up on FJ80 rod ends and maybe AxleIke's IFS build since he beefed up his parts), beefier steering stabilizer will help, last I can think of is an IFS brace/truss which keeps your A-arm mounts from flexing (there's only one crossmember when there could be 2)

In the rear there aren't a whole lot of options for lifting 0-2" - pretty much only Old Man Emu makes leafs in this range anymore, everyone else is taller. Aside from the actual leaf replacement, height can be manipulated with shackle length (0.5" lift for every 1" taller shackle), axle blocks/spacers, ZUK coil mod, hybrid leaf packs, chevy leaf swap, etc etc. I chose to swap in OME leafs because I needed to haul and my stock leafs were shot, it was pricey but worth it to me.

 

Last weekend as a "stop-gap" (and it literally was as the poly bushings in one of my old Rancho shocks were gone..nowhere to be found) I put on the cheapest shocks I could buy ($25 Monroe) and brake pads. My rotors are at 19mm and runout was minimal. And I can feel just a little play in the wheel bearings but nothing major..and I found that funny because a stealership told me 50,000 miles ago at 120k that they needed replacing! Anyway the cheap front shocks are just a quick fix until I can get all the off-road upgrades and re-hab parts in a pile.

I did see that the top ball joint on my right upper LCA has a Zerk, the left had a single 10mm bolt so I assume a Zerk can be swapped in. I didn't see any Zerks on the lowers but didn't check too carefully, just saw the big bolt/nut coming out of the bottom.

I also spoke with Blazeland today about the IFS LT kit and I think it's a great option. Nate is a wealth of information. I'm kind of basing all my purchases around doing the IFS-LT mod first and want to get the height right on both front and back as I'd like the truck to be totally level or as close as possible or have the rear just slightly raked higher so when weighted with a few hundred pounds of gear it would be level. I also see a lot of pre-runner desert rats here in SoCal with the front end like 6" or more higher than the rear but that's not what I want to go for. I get the purpose but hate the look. Once I spring for the LT kit I plan to put in new rotors, wheel bearings, ball joints, and bushings. I just want it all brand new at the same time and don't want to tear into any of it until I can upgrade the control arms at the same time. I only sacrificed $100 at most with the cheap shocks and pads but it was so bad I couldn't keep driving it like it was.

I think what I've first learned in all this is that in wanting to do a lift it seems it is one of those things that you really have to do both the front and back at the same time. Apart from the Blazeland kit it also seems any other good options are well out of my budget, especially considering how much I off-road or camp each year which right now is maybe three times a year. I could also go the ball-joint spacer route for now with the stock IFS but again, if an LT kit is really what I'm after, I probably shouldn't waste any money on BJ spacers as I assume they'd have little to no resale value.

Mainly I still need to figure out how to do the rear. I've read so much about the "super flex" Chevy 63" leaf mod that I'd rather do Ford F-150's instead. I found a lot of people saying that's a much better way to go and they are not as long. However, after talking with BlazN8 it also seems to come with some obstacles. I may just try and get some used ones out of our local pick yard here first rather than buy a whole new kit (but will still need to buy the shackles and hangars). The welding I can do myself, it's just "what goes where" needs to be figured out.

Lastly, does anyone know if the 63" leaf mod gives any added height or will I also need blocks (and or longer shackles too?) I've seen where a lot of people are "anti-blocking" so what's the alternative for a rear lift aside from only lifted springs? Just longer shackles I assume? I know people do the non-toyota spring mods to save a little money while gaining a few inches of lift from the leafs but picking the right set seems to be challenging as there is a ton of conflicting info. I could option to buy brand new leafs with some lift built in but I'm sure that's going to be very costly. (I guess that's why people use blocks). I also haul stuff semi-regularly as well..sometimes up to 800lbs..so a much beefier rear in addition to a few inches is what I'm after. I was also looking at the Zuk mod coils along with new leafs but also want to know if that's going to adversely effect rear travel on a trail. I would think so, otherwise why are people doing it apart from being able to support more load. And..if using any blocks for the lift how do you mount the coil springs? I've seen it done over the bump stops but that looks really sketchy. And if the added coils are not great for offroading I wonder if anyone has made it so that they can quickly be removed.

 

Yes the Blazeland kit is a great affordable option but I don't really understand your desire for LT kit despite your low-use offroad, but it's your truck and I'm guessing there's lots more people who decide to SAS their rig and almost never take it offroad either I'd love to have that kit on my truck but I'm not sure how I want to deal with the extra width that comes with a LT setup and my local terrain isn't exactly catering toward high speed stuff. I already noticed a turning radius decrease on my xcab truck when I went wider with my current wheel setup. On many tight trails I already make Austin Powers' turns compared to single cabs and 4runners, lol.

In the rear you've got a few options for leafs, with all leaf setups you can play around with lift blocks, shims and shackles to get the height dialed in where you want it. Blocks in general are the least favored addition - increases leverage/stress, as simple as they are the actual part can fail or have ubolt problems, they can also cause more axle wrap from the extra leverage on the spring. If you're looking for extra weight capacity then ZUK coil spring mod, add-a-leaf/more leaves, airbags, air shocks, etc will help in that area, some at the expense of travel since you're sticking a device in there that will also have travel limitations.

Many ways I can think of to adjust your rear. Custom leaf pack with additional leafs from a donor set is one way to get both height and weight capacity. Old Man Emu leafs are one of the few 0-2" lift height aftermarket leafs out there, very reputable and everything stays stock for the most part, just 2" taller. Trail Gear leafs and all the other similar brands start at like 3-4" lift height, which may be ok if you're going with a LT kit in the front but too tall if you skip the LT kit. Chevy 63 leafs come in different variations, depending on which one you get they have different heights and weight capacity - also they require the fabrication of welding new frame mounts; it's a popular swap though since there are thousands of donors out there and common enough to have "kits".

I dunno if I mentioned it, but I did all this research before doing anything to my truck and decided to stay with a minimal 2" lift and then try to add traction instead of travel and clearance -- traction gets you further on a trail than travel/clearance does, add armor and drag it across instead of clearing it with inches to spare! So my setup is an OME 2" kit with all stock IFS parts and a few upgrades tossed in. My truck was not built to be a trail rig, it was built with the purpose of using it as a truck, THEN I just wanted more than stock capability and looks for when I decide to take if off pavement. I didn't do it all at once, I believe in building progressively as both my skills and setup limitations develop. I'm still adding things - like an idler arm brace is my next crucial upgrade and I'm not even sure how I've made it this far without one. If I keep the truck, I'll get around to adding dual cases and a front locker. If you look up rigs such as Axle Ike's old 4runner, that's the type of rig I was going for - pretty much stock looking, but super capable.

We can't tell you where to spend your money, that decision is yours. Gotta pay to play though and the 4wd hobby is not cheap. Vehicles in general are the most expensive thing most people will ever own aside from a residence.

 

After thinking it over I will probably just go with the DIY Blazeland option as I have access to a horizontal bandsaw and sandblaster. And I own a 180 amp MIG welder, know welders, etc, etc. I'd love to have the ready to go kit but at $199 vs $1050 I just don't know if I'm ok with spending that much money for the amount I offroad (as you said). Granted BlazN8 and I had a long talk about how many people wish they had just purchased the whole kit outright after having done all the work, but being able to build this in my spare time (and knowing I have the tools and resources) I feel it will save a lot, even if the time I invest comes out to be the same -(or slightly more from the learning curve)- and the product not quite as great as the bolt on option. I don't want to make that sacrifice but it makes sense financially given my budget goals on all this. I really do not want to spend more than $1500 to $2000 total for both the front and rear mods right now. Not on a 1992 truck that is likely worth less than $4,000 in current condition (even though the truck is in excellent shape overall..save for the suspension).

And why you asked... well, I've always wanted to lift the truck and put on larger tires (and I know I cat fit 33" now). The stock truck however, with 31's looks bland and very dated at this point. I'm sure you can agree with that. And as I said, if I'm replacing the wheel bearings and bushings, I might as well do any sort of off-road upgrades now as I just do not see myself having the time, energy, or desire to pull everything back off again in the future. My bushings are definitely shot. You can see the dry rot and cracking in all of them. the sway bar ones are especially bad. This is a 24 year old truck that sits in southern california sun 10 hours a day, not in a garage. Secondly, I'll be driving around the country and northwest a lot over the next 2 to 5 years. I have the time, tools, and money right now as well a good place to do all this. If there was ever a time to do it, the next three months are it. Afterwards I have no guarantees it would ever get done (by my own hand at least and I hate paying mechanics) but regardless, probably would never happen again.

As for the rear lifting, I'm heavily researching the 63" Chevy springs. The consensus seems to think its the beez knees and it certainly seems affordable, especially if getting used leafs out of a P-n-P (and can then easily upgrade to new later on). Also, as far as the front LT kit and center of gravity goes, the higher you go, you should obviously go wider for maintaining stability. So if I lifted it via any other method I would still want a wider stance, at least 2" or more per wheel and wouldn't want to do that with wheel spacers. I'm already thinking I'd have to add 1" to 1.5" spacers in the rear or get new rims all the way around at some point (maybe when upgrading to 33" tires). With the LT lift I think adding at least 1.5" to the rears is going to be necessary, especially if the rear is also lifted 3".

I hear what you are saying about steering radius though. It was not something I had ever considered, so thanks a lot for bringing it up! At what, almost 7" wider in total with the LT kit, I wonder how much worse it will be than it already is lol. But I've gotten so used to parking far away from other folks at the end of lots that I don't think I'll care that much (as my parking status wouldn't change) and again, I likely will not offroad enough on tight-turn trails to care either (but who knows, I won't know till I'm on one). I do however think it will ride better, look better, be safer with the lift, and ultimately will serve the designed purpose on trails with larger rocks and deep wash outs. And if going the DIY route I also might get a better portion of the investment back on a potential resale. I know a lot of people still look for the 3rd gens for offroading so with this work being done, it could make the truck more attractive to a future buyer. So in weighing all those options I think it makes enough sense.

Regardless, I always appreciate objective advice, added input, and people playing devil's advocate.