illzoni
New member
Don't know if this will also apply to other generations, and I'm certainly no expert, but following is what I figured out on my '87...
My 4Runner has a Chevy rear leaf spring mod in the rear end, so it sits pretty high back there. The front has a 1-1/2" ball joint spacer, but based on my measurements and compared to info gained in these forums, it didn't seem like my front was getting any lift. Had spoken with a local that seems to know his Toyota trucks, and he recommended cranking up the torsion bars. Advised to jack the front end off the ground, then crank them 10-12 rotations for about 1" lift.
So I lifted the front end, getting the wheels off the ground. Used a 22mm socket and 25" breaker bar to put 10 rotations into the left side torsion bar bolt. It took considerable effort to turn. Then I did 10 rotations on the right side, but with noticeably less effort required. Those 10 turns gained me about 3/4" on the left and about 1/8" on the right. Disappointed with the gains, I put another 10 turns into each side, and only got another 1/4" on the left and 3/8" on the right. What the heck, 20 turns only got me 1" on the left and 1/2" on the right.
Then things got strange. My inclinometer was showing about 5% lean to the right. Got the truck to a nice flat lot and found the right was riding quite a bit lower....argh!
Just hours before packing to head out for a weekend camping trip, I dragged out the wrenches, floor jack, and creeper for another try...
This time I started on the right and put the 22mm socket and breaker bar to to it. Turning slowly, I watched the long nut above the bracket and noticed it was spinning. Ugh! So I checked the left and saw the same. Well, at least I may have diagnosed my saggy right side problem.
I scrounged a small section of ruler from the junk drawer and measured the length of bolt exposed above the long nut. The right had quite a bit less exposed bolt. So I used a large adjustable (aka Crescent) wrench to hold the long nut still, and cranked the right side adjustment bolt until I had about 2" of exposed bolt above the long nut. I did the same on the left side (it required fewer rotations to get there).
Now the front end of my '87 4Runner is nice and level, with each fender measuring 37-1/2" from the ground and 8-3/4" from the top of the tire. Yes, the front suspension is a bit stiffer, but not terribly so. I can live with it and prefer the more level stance.
Summary:
Under each rocker panel, at the rear end of each torsion bar, is a 22mm bolt head on the bottom of a frame-mounted bracket. The first couple of inches above the bolt head is blocked from view by the bracket, but above that is a long (maybe 1-1/2" to 2") nut, with some of the bolt protruding above it.
Counting turns of the bolt is useless if you're not starting even, so I recommend measuring the exposed bolt above the long nut.
Lift the front wheels off the ground and adjust the bolts until they're even (as measured above the long nuts). Turn clockwise (righty tighty) to expose more bolt and lift the front end. Turn counterclockwise (lefty Lucy) to expose less bolt and lower the front end.
Hope this helps someone without the trial and error I had to go through.
Jon
My 4Runner has a Chevy rear leaf spring mod in the rear end, so it sits pretty high back there. The front has a 1-1/2" ball joint spacer, but based on my measurements and compared to info gained in these forums, it didn't seem like my front was getting any lift. Had spoken with a local that seems to know his Toyota trucks, and he recommended cranking up the torsion bars. Advised to jack the front end off the ground, then crank them 10-12 rotations for about 1" lift.
So I lifted the front end, getting the wheels off the ground. Used a 22mm socket and 25" breaker bar to put 10 rotations into the left side torsion bar bolt. It took considerable effort to turn. Then I did 10 rotations on the right side, but with noticeably less effort required. Those 10 turns gained me about 3/4" on the left and about 1/8" on the right. Disappointed with the gains, I put another 10 turns into each side, and only got another 1/4" on the left and 3/8" on the right. What the heck, 20 turns only got me 1" on the left and 1/2" on the right.
Then things got strange. My inclinometer was showing about 5% lean to the right. Got the truck to a nice flat lot and found the right was riding quite a bit lower....argh!
Just hours before packing to head out for a weekend camping trip, I dragged out the wrenches, floor jack, and creeper for another try...
This time I started on the right and put the 22mm socket and breaker bar to to it. Turning slowly, I watched the long nut above the bracket and noticed it was spinning. Ugh! So I checked the left and saw the same. Well, at least I may have diagnosed my saggy right side problem.
I scrounged a small section of ruler from the junk drawer and measured the length of bolt exposed above the long nut. The right had quite a bit less exposed bolt. So I used a large adjustable (aka Crescent) wrench to hold the long nut still, and cranked the right side adjustment bolt until I had about 2" of exposed bolt above the long nut. I did the same on the left side (it required fewer rotations to get there).
Now the front end of my '87 4Runner is nice and level, with each fender measuring 37-1/2" from the ground and 8-3/4" from the top of the tire. Yes, the front suspension is a bit stiffer, but not terribly so. I can live with it and prefer the more level stance.
Summary:
Under each rocker panel, at the rear end of each torsion bar, is a 22mm bolt head on the bottom of a frame-mounted bracket. The first couple of inches above the bolt head is blocked from view by the bracket, but above that is a long (maybe 1-1/2" to 2") nut, with some of the bolt protruding above it.
Counting turns of the bolt is useless if you're not starting even, so I recommend measuring the exposed bolt above the long nut.
Lift the front wheels off the ground and adjust the bolts until they're even (as measured above the long nuts). Turn clockwise (righty tighty) to expose more bolt and lift the front end. Turn counterclockwise (lefty Lucy) to expose less bolt and lower the front end.
Hope this helps someone without the trial and error I had to go through.
Jon
