First gen f67 install critique/advice

I've been lurking the long travel forums for a long time! And have finally pulled the trigger. My plan is to build the rear first then do the front. As my rear was very poor before and the front has new parts and feels great.

From the local 4x4 shop I found a pair of used f67 leafs. 500$ vs 1100$ for new up here in BC! Worth a try. He said they were only raced on twice... But they seem to be sagging pretty low... I installed them with barnes 4wd front hangers and used their rear shackle mount aswell, much cheaper than TC, and they are beef! All 1/4" and 1/4" sleeves for the shackles.
I build custom 12" shackles from 1/4" flat bar and boxed them with 1.5" 3/16 wall square tubing cut in half! Works a hot damn super ridgid! Looks not so great...
But this is a student budget build! And a huge learning curve in fabrication for me.
From the forums I got the measurments 29.5 front hanger from frame cutout in wheelwell then 52.5 to the hanger. I even cycled the main leaf to double check the plunge and it was ideal, possible that it gets to tight in the skip yolk.. But from my "experienced" eye it wouldn't bind...
But it bumps in the factory position so it should be ok.
So after a lot of fighting and hard work 20hrs for me on Friday and Saturday to do this :/ the leafs were installed!

Did she ever sit lower than I wanted.. Wow
Only about 5"s of up travel before the leafs go flat! Not quite what I was looking for, maybe I need a re-arch, hard to get here with experienced leaf builders.

I'm waiting on 18" smoothies to go in soon and then once this rear is dialed i will worry about a new pack. (50t , h70)

Could it be so low because my shackles sit about 1/2" higher than a TC hanger? And final measurment is exactly 53" between bolts. I know not the magic 52.5 but pretty damn close!
If you guys have input as to the ride height I would appreciate it! The bed is unloaded except a 100pound rubber mat and spare tire 31"
I will be boxing my frame next weekend too.

 

Set pinion angle. I had no angle finder or protractor so I eyeballed it for 2 degrees at ride height. Drives great hope that's ok..

 

Everything looks good. The driveline is fine. The 53" should be okay. Pushing the rear upper mount I dont think wont do much. I think those leafs are just outta arch. When I Installed my 67's the same way it sat pretty low too, roughly stock. Having shocks installed also help the rear end keep it up a tad too. I see you have no shocks installed.

 

Yes I'm waiting for 18" 2.5 smoothies to come. I did temporarily mount my old 10" bilstein 5125 at a steep angle just to help when I daily drive on road. But they are to weak to effect height and barley dampening at their angle.
The local spring shop quoted 500$ for a re arch with one new leaf and new grade 8 ubolts. That sounds fair, cheaper than driving to deaver! And half the price of a new spring 50t/h70, but will a re arch last long enough to justify not getting a new or bigger pack?
I'm not planning to race, I'm just a hardcore expedition kind of guy, long and far camping trips. And a lot of offroad miles and I love speed
I think having longtravel and also incorporating airbags that can be clipped up and away when offroad would be 'cool' and beneficial to spring life and hauling gear capabilities!

 

A rearch will not keep those things arched for so long I give it about 1-2 years. They either need a rearch and some leafs added to them. Deaver I know charges roughly 200-250 for a rearch. I bought my used 50T for 5 hundred and Ive never been happier.

 

Finally got my shocks! Went with king 2.5x16 RR. Charged at 200psi.
So I put another shackle bushing sleeve through the center of the frame to give me a little more ride height (52.5) and It's perfect, because I like to haul a lot of gear and firewood sometimes! And a canopy that weights 200lbs.

I Built a simple trial bed cage to modify later. I wanted to be able to easily remove the bed and have bed space. So I outboarded the shocks and made the shock towers bolt through the bed. Using 4 bolts each side with two drilled right through and into the frames bed mounting bracket. The other two through the bed for lateral stability... No cross brace yet might get a bender for that...
I will need to get a tundra rear end for clearing the shocks on full articulation. But after I get my new motor. So I'll run. 1.5" wheel spacers should be enough for now.
Wow dose this rear end handle sooooo good! I've never driven another pre runner or anything, but compared to stock or other 4x4s it rails corners! And eats up the dirt roads like butter! I want the front end LT now!

 

looking good dude. i wouldnt run hard at all without a cross brace though.

keep it up

 

Thanks! And I need wheel spacers or a tundra rear end my tires hit the shocks on 6" of articulation

 

yep on our axles we must put them inside the frame. there is no way to do it outside.
wheel spacers wont even be enough. if you want to actually let the rear end articulate.

i am going to be getting a wider axle, was going with a tundra but since im switching my build from 4x4 prerunner to 4linked SAS im going to go with a d60 probably.

a tundra will give you 3 inches on each side IIRC, and if you run a tripple bypass or something like that down the line, you will need to notch your frame, unless you use spacers with the tundra axle. but since your running a smoothie you "should" be fine with just a tundra

 

Thanks for the info! Notching my frame might be the easiest, cost effective solution!

 

i dont think notching your frame with a stock axle will even work.

my shocks are inside the frame, and at full articulation in the rear the tires rub the frame. so your smoothie would literally need to be flush with the outside of the frame, which isnt really possible....

 

Yea of course wheel spacers aswell or tundra axle. How do you compare the stability with it outside the frame vs inside. The stability right now outside the frame with the shock tab 1" away from the drum is fantastic! And I like the bed space... That's why I stayed away from inside shocks, but maybe I should try that aswell. For full range of travel

 

i havent driven my truck with the shocks outside the frame yet, so i couldnt tell how the difference is stability wise.

there is a difference, but not much.

the best way to do it is to go outside the frame with a wider axle, and then you clear up all that bed space that your shocks would be taking up if mounted on the inside.


if you can keep them outside the frame. only if you can get full gnarticulation.

 

Not a Toyota, but I have my shocks outside the frame for interior room as well. My frame is boxed and has a section cut out with a section of rectangle tubing inside bridging the gap. I also have to run adapters to make the wheel patterns match which spaces the wheels out. I clear fine in mock up but after driving it there are some marks where it has touched. This is basically notching but does give you the whole width of the frame. If I had to do it again I would have done a full size axle.