I have a 1987 4Runner SR5 that had a broken leaf spring. The wrecking yard wanted 200.00 for the pair. I opted to go with a brand new pair for the same price. The problem with the new springs is it lifted the rear of the truck and it made the ride very stiff. So I removed two leafs which made the truck both level and the ride very smooth.

However, the issue is when I load up the truck it sags a lot. I looked for a leaf spring helper kit and couldn't find one for my truck. They found one for a 1979-1999 Tacoma truck.

1979-1999 Toyota Pickup & Tacoma 4wd - LP-15 1500 lbs Helper Spring (pair) [815] | $104.00 | SD Truck Springs | Leaf Springs, Helper Springs and Suspension Parts

Question: Will the leaf spring helper kit for a 1979-1999 fit and work on my 1987 4runner? The parts guy said he didn't know and I would be taking a chance.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Wellington Mar

Put the leaves you removed back in.
Put some weight (like a few sand bags).
Let it sit for a couple of weeks
New springs will settle.
Did you pay attention to what your rear shackle angle was between the old and new springs were?

thanks for your reply.

I had it worked on in a friends shop. He passed away last year and the family clean up most of his pile of parts, junk etc. My old leaves as well as the leaves that were removed were tossed. I also had an add a leaf installed before but that got tossed as well. No I didn't pay attention to the shackle position. Hence I was looking at another possible solution to my issue with helper leaf springs.

depending on what leaves were pulled from the 'new' pack adding a helper leaf could ending up stressing the current leafs since what you listed is a 1500 pound helper leaf. I have never had luck with helper springs on a complete set of tired springs.

Look into adding some air bags possibly? Just inflate them when you want to carry extra weight.

Or go to a spring shop, and they can put one back in.

thanks for all your guidance and recommedations. I think I'll go with putting one leaf back.