Congrats on the purchase.
Coil/Radius arm SAS 1st gen Trooper - fine tuning/new mods
7
I'd been scouring craigslist, ebay, and the planet since about October of last year for the right rig. Came close on a few, and go figure, all of them were out west. I just couldn't pull the trigger on shipping something across the country unless it was really justified. Then Jim's (RubyTrooper) 1991 trooper came on the market. I'd seen pics of it and read up on it previously and thought "that's the way I'd do an SAS if I had the time". So when it came on the market, although it was more than I'd ever paid for an Isuzu, the price barely covered the SAS and upgrade PARTS, not to mention time, nickel and dime stuff, and the rig itself. So coughing up another wad of dough to transport it from WA to NC would be just fine. I'm very busy with work these days, and I don't have the space for a full on build right now, either. I really just wanted to go wheeling again, and I needed something with room for the wife and kiddo. So not having to spend a year building something was worth the price on it's own.
I'm going to use this thread for documenting the changes, repairs, upgrades, and that sort of thing. I have a few things that need to get done ASAP, and a few ideas to really iron out the details on this already awesome trooper.
Enough chit chat, here's the pics:
Just outside Charlotte, where I finally got to see it in person (bought it without driving it, touching it, or even seeing it in person!)
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Drove it about 200 miles home on Sunday. Hit 75mph and things felt OK! My driveway in Raleigh:
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I actually have been driving it around a lot the past few days, but this morning it up and quit on me. I had starter and fuel, so I grabbed a new MSD blaster coil, replaced the old one, and was back in business before lunch. Glad it happened 2 houses down from mine, rather the 100 miles away.
The good stuff right there (D44 w/ 5.38's, OX locker)
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Notched frame for steering clearance:
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Rear D44 w/ detroit & boat anchor truss that I may remove most/part/all of:
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Body lift, exhaust routing (both of which will probably change)
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In the backyard getting prepped for rear spring swap:
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The stock leaf packs are dead beat. With the detroit in the rear, It compresses the pass side suspension on acceleration. I'm going to try using the OME HD dakar leaf packs for 1st gen IFS 4runners. These are roughly the same dimensions as the stockers, but will be closer to the stock 'zu arch. I don't want any more lift than stock packs, and these are about +2" on toyotas which should put me in that range.
Other stuff I'll be doing over the next few weeks/months:
- Bumpstops all around
- Limit straps up front to keep the driveshaft from binding
- Potentially an anti-wrap bar in the back if the new springs don't control it well enough
- Work on a permanent fix for the fricking 2.8 exhaust leaks
- Round headlight grill swap
- Get the E brakes hooked up and working
Further down the road:
- Reduce body lift. IMO, it's wholly unnecessary to have a 3" BL with the SAS. It was on there pre-SAS. Reducing it will require extensive reworking of other stuff, e.g., sliders, exhaust routing, shifters, gas tank lift, etc. I really don't like excessive lift when it's not needed. I like to keep 'em as low as possible to fit the tires through the suspension cycle. The SAS is probably as low as it can be without sacrificing uptravel (and there's only 3-4" currenly). I'll probably reduce the BL to 1-1.5" in order to keep the gas tank tucked up a little bit, and also keep things a little easier to get to when doing maintenance/repairs.
- Bigger tires! The current 35's have nearly 100% tread, so I can't justify going bigger just yet. When I do, I'll probably switch to 10" wide wheels for a little extra track width, and also throw in some inner-tube style inner beadlocks.
- Complete the OBA system. there's a tank and plumbing already there, just need a compressor.
- 3.4!!!!!!!!!!! The 5.38's make a big difference, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm probably putting less than 100hp to the ground in a 7' tall, 4000+lb brick. Mild build plans, just the typical mid range cam, bigger TBI & bored intake, get the heads flowing as best I can, and really just try to keep it reliable. I'd rather it start and run trouble free every time and have 160 hp than be broken down half the time with 200.
- Chromo bits for the axles
- Winch
- Rear bumper
- Armrests - lol, the one thing I hated about these things (the non-LS or RS models). I'll be trying to find LS/RS front and rear seats in the classifieds/boneyards
Anyway, hope to see a lot of yall out on the trails over the next few years! It's been too long :mrgreen:
Index:
Pg 1: Intro, lofty goals, rear 4runner Dakar OME leaves, front RE 3.5" lift coils, 1.5" wheel spacers all around
Pg 2: ECGS work - front driveshaft, limit straps, etc
Pg 3: "Round-eyes" grill/headlight swap
Pg 5: Distributor saga
Pg 6: Corbeau Baja RS reclining suspension front seats installed
Pg 8: GM jounce style front bumpstops installed
Pg 9: URE wheelin', sliding center console armrest
Pg 10: 37" Pitbull Rocker radials and interco birddog wheels
Pg 11: RCV's installed (by MetalWerx)
Pg 12: Big Creek wheelin'
Pg 14: Warn winch w/ synthetic line, URE wheelin'
Pg 15: MetalWerx built swing out tire carrier rear bumper, General Grabber X3 tire release event @ URE, Trooper in General promo video, broken shock mount fun, Bilstein 51xx series shocks
Pg 16: 3.4 swap saga begins
I'm going to use this thread for documenting the changes, repairs, upgrades, and that sort of thing. I have a few things that need to get done ASAP, and a few ideas to really iron out the details on this already awesome trooper.
Enough chit chat, here's the pics:
Just outside Charlotte, where I finally got to see it in person (bought it without driving it, touching it, or even seeing it in person!)
Drove it about 200 miles home on Sunday. Hit 75mph and things felt OK! My driveway in Raleigh:
I actually have been driving it around a lot the past few days, but this morning it up and quit on me. I had starter and fuel, so I grabbed a new MSD blaster coil, replaced the old one, and was back in business before lunch. Glad it happened 2 houses down from mine, rather the 100 miles away.
The good stuff right there (D44 w/ 5.38's, OX locker)
Notched frame for steering clearance:
Rear D44 w/ detroit & boat anchor truss that I may remove most/part/all of:
Body lift, exhaust routing (both of which will probably change)
In the backyard getting prepped for rear spring swap:
The stock leaf packs are dead beat. With the detroit in the rear, It compresses the pass side suspension on acceleration. I'm going to try using the OME HD dakar leaf packs for 1st gen IFS 4runners. These are roughly the same dimensions as the stockers, but will be closer to the stock 'zu arch. I don't want any more lift than stock packs, and these are about +2" on toyotas which should put me in that range.
Other stuff I'll be doing over the next few weeks/months:
- Bumpstops all around
- Limit straps up front to keep the driveshaft from binding
- Potentially an anti-wrap bar in the back if the new springs don't control it well enough
- Work on a permanent fix for the fricking 2.8 exhaust leaks
- Round headlight grill swap
- Get the E brakes hooked up and working
Further down the road:
- Reduce body lift. IMO, it's wholly unnecessary to have a 3" BL with the SAS. It was on there pre-SAS. Reducing it will require extensive reworking of other stuff, e.g., sliders, exhaust routing, shifters, gas tank lift, etc. I really don't like excessive lift when it's not needed. I like to keep 'em as low as possible to fit the tires through the suspension cycle. The SAS is probably as low as it can be without sacrificing uptravel (and there's only 3-4" currenly). I'll probably reduce the BL to 1-1.5" in order to keep the gas tank tucked up a little bit, and also keep things a little easier to get to when doing maintenance/repairs.
- Bigger tires! The current 35's have nearly 100% tread, so I can't justify going bigger just yet. When I do, I'll probably switch to 10" wide wheels for a little extra track width, and also throw in some inner-tube style inner beadlocks.
- Complete the OBA system. there's a tank and plumbing already there, just need a compressor.
- 3.4!!!!!!!!!!! The 5.38's make a big difference, but it doesn't change the fact that I'm probably putting less than 100hp to the ground in a 7' tall, 4000+lb brick. Mild build plans, just the typical mid range cam, bigger TBI & bored intake, get the heads flowing as best I can, and really just try to keep it reliable. I'd rather it start and run trouble free every time and have 160 hp than be broken down half the time with 200.
- Chromo bits for the axles
- Winch
- Rear bumper
- Armrests - lol, the one thing I hated about these things (the non-LS or RS models). I'll be trying to find LS/RS front and rear seats in the classifieds/boneyards
Anyway, hope to see a lot of yall out on the trails over the next few years! It's been too long :mrgreen:
Index:
Pg 1: Intro, lofty goals, rear 4runner Dakar OME leaves, front RE 3.5" lift coils, 1.5" wheel spacers all around
Pg 2: ECGS work - front driveshaft, limit straps, etc
Pg 3: "Round-eyes" grill/headlight swap
Pg 5: Distributor saga
Pg 6: Corbeau Baja RS reclining suspension front seats installed
Pg 8: GM jounce style front bumpstops installed
Pg 9: URE wheelin', sliding center console armrest
Pg 10: 37" Pitbull Rocker radials and interco birddog wheels
Pg 11: RCV's installed (by MetalWerx)
Pg 12: Big Creek wheelin'
Pg 14: Warn winch w/ synthetic line, URE wheelin'
Pg 15: MetalWerx built swing out tire carrier rear bumper, General Grabber X3 tire release event @ URE, Trooper in General promo video, broken shock mount fun, Bilstein 51xx series shocks
Pg 16: 3.4 swap saga begins
1 - 20 of 831 Posts
3
Thanks yall. Just FYI I used to be pretty into the whole Isuzu thing back in the day. Between '99 and '08 I had 3 troopers. A white 91 SE 2.8 5 speed, that had a 2" lift and 33x10.50's, an 86 2 door with a 2.3 that was more of just a fix and drive, and an 88 2.6 5 speed that I did a normal leaf sprung SAS on--well I got about 90-95% through and couldn't seem to figure out that last little bit. The steering and front driveshaft had me up against the ropes. I sold it to Joe D, or a buddy of his, and hopefully they make something cool out of it eventually.
So anyway, today I went to work on the rear spring swap. I ordered OME CS010R springs - heavy duty dakar packs for an 1st Gen IFS 4 runner. Specs seemed to indicate that they would work. I was looking for something that would match the lift of stock trooper packs. I know some yota guys will swap trooper springs on their trucks for 3" lift, so I figured maybe the reverse would be true going the other way. These OME springs are supposed to give about 2.25" of lift to a toyota, and they have a higher spring rate, which I hoped would work with the heavier trooper.
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My measurements were
Front eye to centerpin (along arch):
Stock trooper: 21 3/4"
OME CS010R: 20 3/4"
Centerpin to rear eye (along arch):
Stock trooper: 25 3/8"
OME CS010R: 26 1/2"
Total length front to rear eye (along arch):
Stock trooper: 47 1/8"
OME CS010R: 47 1/4"
Sweet. Just need to offset the centerpin mount 1".
Luckily the spring pads on my rear axle have a few options:
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One hole was 1" forward, which shifts the axle 1" back. Perfect!
The result:
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A bit of lift, damn it! I reckon it will settle a bit over time, but I was hoping it would be lower. I should have taken measurements of frame height and stuff, but I forgot to do that until I already had one spring mounted. We will see what happens with it over the next few weeks. I will probably just need to remove the overloads to get it where I want it.
So anyway, today I went to work on the rear spring swap. I ordered OME CS010R springs - heavy duty dakar packs for an 1st Gen IFS 4 runner. Specs seemed to indicate that they would work. I was looking for something that would match the lift of stock trooper packs. I know some yota guys will swap trooper springs on their trucks for 3" lift, so I figured maybe the reverse would be true going the other way. These OME springs are supposed to give about 2.25" of lift to a toyota, and they have a higher spring rate, which I hoped would work with the heavier trooper.
My measurements were
Front eye to centerpin (along arch):
Stock trooper: 21 3/4"
OME CS010R: 20 3/4"
Centerpin to rear eye (along arch):
Stock trooper: 25 3/8"
OME CS010R: 26 1/2"
Total length front to rear eye (along arch):
Stock trooper: 47 1/8"
OME CS010R: 47 1/4"
Sweet. Just need to offset the centerpin mount 1".
Luckily the spring pads on my rear axle have a few options:
One hole was 1" forward, which shifts the axle 1" back. Perfect!
The result:
A bit of lift, damn it! I reckon it will settle a bit over time, but I was hoping it would be lower. I should have taken measurements of frame height and stuff, but I forgot to do that until I already had one spring mounted. We will see what happens with it over the next few weeks. I will probably just need to remove the overloads to get it where I want it.
I love your trooper, chuffer. If I'd bought a stock rig, I was probably going to copy quite a bit of your SAS set up.
I don't think losing the overload will do anything negative unless you are loading to max capacity. If you ARE loading it to max capacity or beyond, you could always look into an air-ride airbag system to give you some extra capacity when you need it.
I need to look at the front spring hangers again, but I think you're right and you can redrill the mounting holes a little closer to the the frame. You probably want to leave at least a half inch between the spring eye and the frame to account for twisting/movement of the spring/bushing. I am hesitant to go any shorter on the shackle as that will begin to limit travel and potentially bind the spring a bit or risk inverting the shackle (mine is only about 4-4.5" currently, and I think it's probably going to limit me). You can move the shackle mount an inch or so forward if you 'adjust' one of the gas tank mounts, and doing so allows you to run a shackle long enough to use all the available travel in the spring and maintain a good shackle angle.
If you were open to using different springs, you might have a few more less invasive options, but I'd probably try to make the OME's you already have work, too. They are a high quality spring for sure, and although they aren't that expensive, they aren't free
. You could always cough up 500 or so clams for a custom set of Alcans and get exactly what you are looking for.
I don't think losing the overload will do anything negative unless you are loading to max capacity. If you ARE loading it to max capacity or beyond, you could always look into an air-ride airbag system to give you some extra capacity when you need it.
I need to look at the front spring hangers again, but I think you're right and you can redrill the mounting holes a little closer to the the frame. You probably want to leave at least a half inch between the spring eye and the frame to account for twisting/movement of the spring/bushing. I am hesitant to go any shorter on the shackle as that will begin to limit travel and potentially bind the spring a bit or risk inverting the shackle (mine is only about 4-4.5" currently, and I think it's probably going to limit me). You can move the shackle mount an inch or so forward if you 'adjust' one of the gas tank mounts, and doing so allows you to run a shackle long enough to use all the available travel in the spring and maintain a good shackle angle.
If you were open to using different springs, you might have a few more less invasive options, but I'd probably try to make the OME's you already have work, too. They are a high quality spring for sure, and although they aren't that expensive, they aren't free
. You could always cough up 500 or so clams for a custom set of Alcans and get exactly what you are looking for.
i got ya and I agree with ya Factory springs are usually pretty great--economical, ride nice, and last a long time under normal circumstances. Putting them to their limits over and over, putting more torque to them through bigger tires, high traction situations on the trail, etc will definitely expose their drawbacks and fatigue them much quicker. A decent anti-wrap bar will eliminate 99% of axle wrap, and can allow you to run a set of softer or stock springs longer than you could without, but an anti-wrap bar and a good set of springs will more than likely last longer and work better than just one or the other.
I was hoping to get back at it today but it's hotter than hell outside and I'm still pretty sore from the yesterday. Because of work, I'm thinking it will probably be August before I can get out on the trail, so no big giant hurry.
Factory springs are usually pretty great--economical, ride nice, and last a long time under normal circumstances. Putting them to their limits over and over, putting more torque to them through bigger tires, high traction situations on the trail, etc will definitely expose their drawbacks and fatigue them much quicker. A decent anti-wrap bar will eliminate 99% of axle wrap, and can allow you to run a set of softer or stock springs longer than you could without, but an anti-wrap bar and a good set of springs will more than likely last longer and work better than just one or the other.I was hoping to get back at it today but it's hotter than hell outside and I'm still pretty sore from the yesterday. Because of work, I'm thinking it will probably be August before I can get out on the trail, so no big giant hurry.
2
Got the overloads removed and it dropped the rear down to a reasonable height. Front and rear of the side frame rails are almost even with a slight (~1/2") rake down toward the front.
![]()
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Ride is cushy. Not too too soft, but not very firm. I need to look into new shocks all around and maybe stiffer coils up front, as I think quite a bit of the marshmellowyness is coming from up front. Eventually I'd like to get some sway bars for it for more stability on the street.
Ride is cushy. Not too too soft, but not very firm. I need to look into new shocks all around and maybe stiffer coils up front, as I think quite a bit of the marshmellowyness is coming from up front. Eventually I'd like to get some sway bars for it for more stability on the street.
Do you know how much it actually dropped?paulevans76 said:Got the overloads removed and it dropped the rear down to a reasonable height. Front and rear of the side frame rails are almost even with a slight (~1/2") rake down toward the front.
![]()
![]()
Ride is cushy. Not too too soft, but not very firm. I need to look into new shocks all around and maybe stiffer coils up front, as I think quite a bit of the marshmellowyness is coming from up front. Eventually I'd like to get some sway bars for it for more stability on the street.
Wow, I love this truck.
Would love to SAS my Trooper but I dont think I could do it!
Love it!
cheers
-Ian :blackeye:
Would love to SAS my Trooper but I dont think I could do it!
Love it!
cheers
-Ian :blackeye:
Believe me ian, you could do it. With the guidance from the forum and a little study, plus a bit of welding/grinding/cutting practice, you'd have it done in no time. Well... if it's anything like my Daihatsu SOA project, it'll cost 2x's what you think, you'll drive it for 1 yr. it'll sit another year, and you will still not have it the way you want it. JK! :lol:imamonstertruck said:Wow, I love this truck.
Would love to SAS my Trooper but I dont think I could do it!
Love it!
cheers
-Ian :blackeye:
I understand and agree completely.
As far as pics and sharing, your right about the purpose of forums, but we all know how challenging it can be to find time to do, share, and remember pics. So, thanks again!
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