97 4Runner Crawler

Oh snap, that works then. Hell it might just work. As long as the ram diameter didn’t push the center line back too much I suppose

 

Do you know of a non hydro bump options for LT since the OEM mount is on the LCA? Really don’t want the hassle of hydro bumps. Wheelers super bumps did great on the taco for me. Might be the same amount of hassle making a non hydro bump work…

 

Honestly I’m not a big fan of the hydros. The adjustability and having a “hard stop” when cycling is nice but it took me like 3 or 4 times changing valving, oil, stroke etc to get it how I like.

I would make some hanger coming off the frame to mount some generic type bump to. Maybe go straight to the frame but it depends on what height you need to bump it at.

 

That’s exactly how I feel. May just get some more wheelers bumps since I know how those feel and build a custom mount. Can space down with some pucks and keep a bit of adjustability if need be.

What’d you do in the rear? Looks like there’s a bump in the coils and on the frame. Are people keeping both?

 

Yea the coil isolators help with rattle in the coils. Springs made for 4Runners will fit over them, some jeep springs that work you would have to remove the isolators.

the frame bumps mine has extended durobumps for the longer shocks. I would get your rear shock and spring situation figured out then get some frame bumps that are the right size. either a universal with a spacer or durobumps or those Perry 3D printed ones. Don’t think it really matters if you have the coil isolators and the bumps, but I do still have both.

 

Took it to work to get some more measurements and play around on the crane. Thought this view under it was cool. Skids are pretty beat up especially since I just painted them


loaded weight
2740 front
2720 rear

Empty weight (spare and minor tools)
2640 front
2400 rear

when empty the flex is a lot worse than I thought, but it performed pretty great offroad so idk how much I should stress over it. Maybe 28 front 30 rear before lifting a tire



and why not a drop test the shock tuning, rebound looks a lot better but can probably still get stiffer. Compression I still feel like a 30” ish drop from ride height shouldn’t blow through travel like this, but it has an inch still before it hits full bump so maybe I expect too much
https://youtu.be/T1yqAmpeGSQ?si=Rs5Ro3tb2-Qvsbw5

 

That has tank has seen some love taps for sure haha does the driveshaft get close at full tilt? Never noticed how close the tank is until looking at the underbelly like that. Shitload of flex for a stockish rear.

 

Savage for the win. Between what I've done to them and what you continue to do to them it's pretty impressive they are still around.

 

And more on the sway bar

I think I read a stock FJ cruiser rear is around 37 lbs per inch, so I figure ours stock one is 30-37 ish for reference

Now aftermarket bar calculations… this lbs/in rate should be close but may be a little off. They are at least proportional to each other. lb/in is pounds per inch of deflection between the arms, so it pushes down that hard on one arm link and pulls up that much on the other.

angle max force takes into account the increase in vertical force on the axle to keep flexing it out when the arms on the bar get to a steeper angle as it flexes more, this is the theoretical force at 12" of deflection. So 18" arms on the u4 bar are 90lb/in and 11" arms on the crawler are 80lbs/in but with each flexed 12" between the sides the 11" arm crawler bar would be exerting more vertical force on the axle. so with shorter arms the sway bar acts more progressive, which I would argue is not desirable in a sway bar.



I have a 1.25” tk1 u4 bar with 18” arms. The above pics flexed out while unloaded the ends of the sway bar arms were deflected 10" from each other.

talking to a buddy with FSR OSR shock hoops, a 14 inch arm should just barely clear the shock mount, maybe you would need a 13 or 12. I think 12-14" arms on a crawler bar would do well on this platform.

and for me, I might add tk1 max flex links to the sway bar to get that last bit of flex. they are like an air shock that replaces the links from arm to axle... so they wont do anything until it is flexed out pretty good then the air shock on the compressed side will compress a couple inches and let it flex that last bit.

 

yea I put some nice billet aluminum clamp on the rack and I had to bend the hell out of the trans skid to get it to go back on, it was riding that bent stock rack clamp and mounting stud hard haha

also had to reweld the frame side plates it bolts to on the LCA becasue they were falling off, looked like it was not the first time.

then I promptly smashed them to hell racing on that rock garden and ripped both lca skid mounts off, so they are just floating in space right now lol. Held up from the two skids bolted together and the mounts at the front and the trans.

this gas tank is why I think tank skids are dumb haha. It still has like 14 or so gal of capacity

here is a closer pic of ds on tank, may be different for me with the Tom woods and t cases but it just rubs around the rear (blue circles) of the shaft. I never hear it or anything, just see rub marks on the shaft and tank sometimes.


I think this rear pre sway bar flexes better than people with 12” shocks outside the frame that I have wheeled with. The angle of the shock helps it droop out when the axle swings forward and rotates in. The droop was crazy to me coming from shit leafs.

 

I wonder what the bouncer guys are doing. They have some big travel numbers and I doubt they’re sacrificing any due to the sway bar. Maybe longer arms help?

 

Love a good drop test. Now do the rear

 

No that is where the stock geometry starts to lack haha

Need to pull the spare to drop it and find a way to do it without putting a forklift through my back hatch or getting it caught on a swingout.

maybe lift it on the overhead from a shackle or hitch and just cut the strap?

 

I did mine with a forklift and a recover strap from the hitch to the fork. Then slammed it in reverse.
With a crane, you could maybe do something like a trailer pin through the shackle hole and then try to yank it out with a rope from afar?

 

Ton of pictures, but here are D ring mount dimensions - in pics #1 is the old one, 2 is a junkyard spare basically new condition and 3 is the billet. Looks like I already bent the billet one which is dumb. Could be from steering force, could be from the skid smashing up into it maybe. The billet one will be of a few more days if I missed any dimensions.

If someone redesigns it you should send me the step file or get a quote on a couple if they are beefed up a bit

@betterbuckleup @Dalandser

tried making pics thumbnails but apparently im too dumb for that so this is huge

bottom washer, .675 ID

top washer, .6 ID

good oem part mounting width

new oem rubber bushing

strap mounting width matches billet strap at 1.2 but has fillets that aren't in the billet part, don't know what the poly bushing is like

billet strap wont slide over the rubber bushing becasue the lack of fillets

oem strap fits

mine deformed here

I would add webbing here to strengthen it up some, just leave clearance for the nut on bottom

 

Impressive that you managed to bend the billet one. You do good work
The webbing would be a good addition. Then moving to stainless if that's not enough.
I'll get to work on making a model and let you know if there are any other dimensions I need, thanks.

 

Sweet.

nothing interferences if you expand side to side to reinforce it.

I think the biggest problem is probably the skid plate hits the bottom of the mount / bolt and bends it up, don’t know how that could be prevented. Maybe more torque on the bolt and bigger feet where it hits the frame crossmember?

 

Perhaps adding some vertical ribs/braces to the skid plate on either side of the clamp to prevent it from bending up in that spot?

Have you checked the mounting face behind the rack for flatness also?

 

Mine looks like number 2 from the pictures. I thought it was supposed to look more like number 1 so I thought it had been installed upside down and bent out of shape. I ordered the billet one, didn’t realize y’all were about to start making something. I would have waited

 

It is slightly deformed at the frame but just like it pulled the stud on bottom and weld nut out maybe 1/16” or so, I woudnt consider it terrible. Before the billet clamp the stud was bent up at a 15 degree angle or so. When I bent it down and put the new clamp on the skids weren’t even close to fitting.

maybe you could go to a shorter stud and reduce the length of that sleeve on the bottom. Then the skid plate hitting it doesn’t have as much leverage.

I could put ribs on the skid plate but where it really needs the ribs is below the rack and I would loose a good bit of clearance there to properly reinforce it. It has big flanges on the side but that is what it always drops on when I go down a step so it gets a good beating.

now that I’m thinking about it maybe a reinforcement for the skid going across that bolts to the factory sway bar brackets.