Mid Travel BS 2.0

So I’ll start jumping into the conversation

I just grabbed some extended travel icon coilovers that need a rebuild with time that I don’t have at the moment. Anywhoo it’s got me thinking about new UCA’s and throwing some Chevy 63’s in the rear and upgrading to some longer shocks.

my question is, could I just revalve any rebuildable shock to play nice with my first gen? Like buy some shocks meant for a Ford/jeep/whatever and rebuild and revalve them to fit my application?

thanks for any input folks.

 

I think you need the correct length and tophat?

 

To an extent yes you can. They need to have the correct extended and collapsed lengths that you need and the correct mounts that you’ll need.

And I know it is controversial, but I highly advise against chevy 63 swap. Those springs are meant for a much heavier truck than your first gen.

 

Im wondering about the rears? I didn’t think rears had a top hat.

but yes. I was thinking to be on the lookout for the correct length and just rebuild?

 

Ill definitely tag you when I am mounting things. Planning on buying the mounts on BF from DownSouth, and then the dual bypass tube shocks in the spring from Accutune

 

I think the rears, you just need the correct mounts and length. I think you can even get a conversion piece if you get a deal on some Ranger rears.

NOT exactly your setup, but Bilstein B110s are for a Tundra I believe

 

I was thinking that the shocks have to be the same for whatever make, just valves differently and with certain length specs.

Yes 63s are from 1500 trucks but my 95 has super short and stiff springs that just don’t flex for me. Reading up on 63 swaps I see all sorts of rigs using them. Any other suggestions for the rear?

 

What sort of performance do you want out of the truck?

 

Looking to crawl and increase my articulation and ride quality.

I have a full OME kit in there right now with 883 springs and Dakar’s in the rear. If I put some weight in the bed it’ll ride nice, but when it’s empty on the trail the rear end almost doesn’t flex...it’s so stiff

I scored a super cheap set of extended icons ($200) so I’m just trying to find a setup for the rear that will pair well with the new kit up front.

 

How much do you want to spend? If money isn't an issue get Deaver to make you a weight class appropriate pack that is similar to the 63s so you can use the perches and hangers. If money is an issue you might be able to pull some leafs from a 63" pack to make it work, but I'll defer to @snowsk8air2

For shocks: if you can make your own hangers any 2" diameter shock will work, assuming valving and length. Off the shelf King or Fox or Icon have loops at both ends for a bolt, so you just put hangers in (top and bottom) where you need them. 14" and 16" shocks are common on the LT Classifieds thread. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lt-classifieds.471438/

 

that’s the answer I was hoping to hear regarding shocks.

Im am surprised to hear folks saying the 63s are not ideal. Everything I’ve read says that they ride WAY better than other leaf packs...smooth ride on street and crazy flex on the trail.

I do have a light (empty) bed so was planning to potentially run a 2 leaf pack

can you speak more about your experience with 63s @snowsk8air2 ?

 

One thing I'll say is that "better than stock" is a damned low bar to pass.

 

This

So I do not have personal experience with them, I just always hated the idea of them (with some logic behind it). The first time I heard of this common swap was years ago back on Pirate 4x4 when I was looking into what to do for my rear suspension. Dude with a frontier had done it, swore by it and said it worked great. Then he broke the main leaf and for some reason just could not find a new set in the time he needed it or something. Ended up biting the bullet and getting custom leafs from deaver that fit his 63 swap setup, revalved his shocks and started saying the 63’s were dog sh*t compared to his newer setup.

My thought is you're gonna do all of the fab work to make a new leaf pack work and then use a pack designed for a 1/2 ton truck. Like you said, you’re going to have to strip it down to 2 leafs which will have no progressive rate to it. At that point they are soft because they have no control over the weight of the truck. The reason people go with them is because they are cheap and they are long. The length is what allows all of the flex.

It’s unfortunate that there aren’t any great “kit” options for first gens so everything basically has to be custom. If you want to stick with leafs I’d give deaver a call and just get their opinion for what to do for your application. Otherwise, since you’re gonna be fabbing anyways, you could get one of ruff stuffs universal 3 link kits and find another set of cheap used coilovers and then have a ton of flex

 

thank you sir!

Like you said, cheap and long is the draw for me. It’ll be years off before I can afford to buy new stuff for my truck (new baby, student loans, buying a house ) so cheap is my jam haha.

Anyone else have horror stories about Chevy 63 swaps?

 

No horror stories, but can confirm what others are saying. I was planning a 63 swap for my second gen because I read about how great they were on the internet. The appeal was being cheap and flexy, which they certainly are. But after riding in a truck with a conversion I wasn't very impressed. 100% better than stock, true, but not the best option out there. I ended up going with a custom Deaver pack that is the same (short) length as the second gen leafs to get something that was easy to just bolt on and I love them. Very flexy and they ride well no matter the load. If I ever get around to installing my rear 12" King's they'll probably be strapped just over 11" of travel and the springs should handle that perfectly.

 

Who needs some Dirt King LCAs?

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/dirt-king-lcas-oem-cam-bolts-and-add.689927/

 

I ordered up some TC dual shock hoops on Wednesday

 

Got the U402 Deavers in this weekend- picked up another inch between fender and tire- now just waiting for Archive to ship my relocate towers and HH with 3.6 shackles

 

Who's bed rack is that?