89FourRunner
New member
I wanted to clear up a few things about what some may believe to be rear end sagging on their 1st Gen 4Runners. Some new owners of 1st gens, who may be interested in a restoration could mistake a normal stance for some sag, and make a mistake along the way in attempting a "repair". This thread is not for those who want to add height to the rear, but are for those who want the original factory stance and proper height of a 1st Gen 4Runner when it rolled out of the factory.
I borrowed some pictures from around the 4Runner community, and I hope no members get offended. Please understand that I fully understand everyone has their own opinions and taste, and in no way are any of the examples meant to offend.
The relatively normal height of the rear end has always appeared lower on the 1st gen 4Runners. Some may argue that they "Sagged" in the rear from the moment they were rolled out (and that is sort of correct) of the plant they were first built in, but that is the case, and for anyone truly interested in having a 4runner that is anything like an original, then the picture below of James' 4runner is an accurate representation of a healthy rear end:
Two things must be taken into account when restoring the suspension:
1. The FRONT AND REAR FENDER WELLS ARE NOT EQUAL HEIGHT ON THE BODY, the front fender wells are higher, and the rear is lower. You should not be attempting to level a 1st Gen 4Runner by comparing hub to fender lip space! Look at James' chrome trim on the door, and compare to the lips of the fenders. See?
2. The 4runners rolled out of the plant, brand new, with the bump stops relatively close, inches, to the frame. They used the same springs as the pickup counterparts.
This gentleman's 4runner is sagging, by a bit more than an inch:
It is clear by looking at body lines such as the bottom of the door, that he has some minor sag. Normally, the truck would sit like James' above, and only show a very very slight decline towards the back, almost level. The rear wheel well is deceiving!
There are a ton of guys running Zuk mods or 2" add-a-leafs on here, and that is fine and great. Some members want more lift than TOYOTA originally designed, and others are looking to restore the height. I also understand that some think the rear springs was an oversight or mistake by TOYOTA, and believe they are correcting a factory issue, and that is an opinion I am neither for or against. I have seen throughout the forum many fail at restoring the height, and going a few inches too far. There has never been a pickup trunk stance to these 4runners, and the rear end should not be sitting higher.
If the rear is too high, your braking system is going to be a mess, as the rear brake proportioning valve will not be set where it should be set. At factory default, it is set properly when the truck sits like James' red 4runner above. Anything higher than that, and the truck will feel as though it needs new brake pads, or is braking with too little rear brake assist (because it is).
Let me show a great example:
These two photos feature Cometobank's 4runner after having his springs re-arched. The thing is, his 4runner was sagging very very little, and his re-arch was waaaay too high.
Before (with very very minor sag, I would almost consider normal and fine Maybe half an inch tops):
After re-arch:
Getting some lift in the rear is great if you want the rear end higher than how it rolled out of the factory, or if you plan on lifting the front (or if you just prefer it that way), but Cometobank's vehicle, as well as many others vehicles after "fixing" the rear are not accurate representations of how the 4Runner came out of the factory.
The bump stops were always close to the frame, even with brand new 4runners way back in the day.
How do I know these things? Well we had an 86 pickup and an 88 4Runner when I was young, and it was the same leaf pack, and resulted in the situation described.
Further (fun) proof:
Check out this 1st gen 4Runner commercial from back in the day. Notice anything about the rear end?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEy8HsVcWTo
It is great if you want to fix your 4Runner, and some of them are sagging really bad, but just be aware if you are over-lifting the rear, especially if you are doing a restoration and not a trail rig. If you have over lifted, and your brakes don't feel quite the same, make sure you adjust that proportioning valve!
Good Luck to all those restoring one of the best 4x4 Vehicles ever created!
I borrowed some pictures from around the 4Runner community, and I hope no members get offended. Please understand that I fully understand everyone has their own opinions and taste, and in no way are any of the examples meant to offend.
The relatively normal height of the rear end has always appeared lower on the 1st gen 4Runners. Some may argue that they "Sagged" in the rear from the moment they were rolled out (and that is sort of correct) of the plant they were first built in, but that is the case, and for anyone truly interested in having a 4runner that is anything like an original, then the picture below of James' 4runner is an accurate representation of a healthy rear end:
Two things must be taken into account when restoring the suspension:
1. The FRONT AND REAR FENDER WELLS ARE NOT EQUAL HEIGHT ON THE BODY, the front fender wells are higher, and the rear is lower. You should not be attempting to level a 1st Gen 4Runner by comparing hub to fender lip space! Look at James' chrome trim on the door, and compare to the lips of the fenders. See?
2. The 4runners rolled out of the plant, brand new, with the bump stops relatively close, inches, to the frame. They used the same springs as the pickup counterparts.
This gentleman's 4runner is sagging, by a bit more than an inch:
It is clear by looking at body lines such as the bottom of the door, that he has some minor sag. Normally, the truck would sit like James' above, and only show a very very slight decline towards the back, almost level. The rear wheel well is deceiving!
There are a ton of guys running Zuk mods or 2" add-a-leafs on here, and that is fine and great. Some members want more lift than TOYOTA originally designed, and others are looking to restore the height. I also understand that some think the rear springs was an oversight or mistake by TOYOTA, and believe they are correcting a factory issue, and that is an opinion I am neither for or against. I have seen throughout the forum many fail at restoring the height, and going a few inches too far. There has never been a pickup trunk stance to these 4runners, and the rear end should not be sitting higher.
If the rear is too high, your braking system is going to be a mess, as the rear brake proportioning valve will not be set where it should be set. At factory default, it is set properly when the truck sits like James' red 4runner above. Anything higher than that, and the truck will feel as though it needs new brake pads, or is braking with too little rear brake assist (because it is).
Let me show a great example:
These two photos feature Cometobank's 4runner after having his springs re-arched. The thing is, his 4runner was sagging very very little, and his re-arch was waaaay too high.
Before (with very very minor sag, I would almost consider normal and fine Maybe half an inch tops):
After re-arch:
Getting some lift in the rear is great if you want the rear end higher than how it rolled out of the factory, or if you plan on lifting the front (or if you just prefer it that way), but Cometobank's vehicle, as well as many others vehicles after "fixing" the rear are not accurate representations of how the 4Runner came out of the factory.
The bump stops were always close to the frame, even with brand new 4runners way back in the day.
How do I know these things? Well we had an 86 pickup and an 88 4Runner when I was young, and it was the same leaf pack, and resulted in the situation described.
Further (fun) proof:
Check out this 1st gen 4Runner commercial from back in the day. Notice anything about the rear end?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEy8HsVcWTo
It is great if you want to fix your 4Runner, and some of them are sagging really bad, but just be aware if you are over-lifting the rear, especially if you are doing a restoration and not a trail rig. If you have over lifted, and your brakes don't feel quite the same, make sure you adjust that proportioning valve!
Good Luck to all those restoring one of the best 4x4 Vehicles ever created!
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