Ironman 4x4 Lift Install and Review

[Tinman1985]

Ok a little background. So after I've had my '85 4runner for a couple years now, along with my brother getting one a few months back, my father has become envious of each of us and went on the search to find one. And finding a relatively clean 4runner on the east coast is becoming harder every day. But somehow he managed to find a '85 SR5 with every bell and whistle available as a factory option. No frame rust and just a hair of fender rust.
And since no truck in our family seems to stay stock for long, he decided to put a lift on it to get rid of the tired, old, saggy springs. He wanted something he could bolt something on and go. So he did his research and stumbled upon the Ironman4x4 kit. Seeing that not many people run it, he decided to give it a shot.
So first impression of the kit was that it was well put together and included everything for the driveway mechanic to install it. So here's a little before shot next to my 4runner(3" TG lift with 35's) his has 32" all-terrains.

So i'll let the rest of the pictures do the talking.

So after everything was done I am very pleased with how it came out. It rides great, able to retain stock steering, was very easy to install. It was all done with hand tools and a harbor freight electric impact gun. Probably took a day total taking our time, because my dad wanted to learn about everything as we went along so I helped explain what everything was. So I hope this helps anyone out if they are debating what lift to go with.

 

[Dous]

"Wow, nice install"

Looks like you guys took a page out of my book with the loose cardboard

 

[KidVermicious]

You don't see many reviews on the Ironman suspension, but the ones you see are all positive. I came close to pulling the trigger on this setup myself, thanks for the review! Tell your Dad I said nice truck.

 

[Surf89]

Looks good.

Never saw stock truck ( before lift) with 32s before. Good to see a picture of that. Something i have been mulling over in my head.

The lift looks good. Never seen it done before either.

With the new suspension , did you have to extend the brake lines ?

 

[Tinman1985]

Looks good.

Never saw stock truck ( before lift) with 32s before. Good to see a picture of that. Something i have been mulling over in my head.

The lift looks good. Never seen it done before either.

With the new suspension , did you have to extend the brake lines ?

As of now you could get away with leaving the brake lines alone and just driving it. If you wanted to articulate the axle much you'd either have to get longer brake lines or cut the bracket off the frame that holds the brake line and reweld it on the side of the frame.

 

[kchokiedoc]

Ironman 4x4 FC Kit install tips (TB, shocks, leaf springs)

[MENTION=84811]Tinman1985[/MENTION] I just did this full kit my on my 1987 4Runner and I wanted to give my input and tips to help anyone else lurking for info, but I don't have thread posting privileges yet (haven't owned a 4runner in 4 years and haven't posted). So all I can do is create a reply to a current thread, so I thought this one was most appropriate.

I went with the Ironman 4x4 FC kit with torsion bars, leave springs, and shocks. Shocks were straight forward. With the torsion bars, the lock nut was an absolute pain to get out, but I pretty much drenched it in PB blaster, torched it for a couple minutes and then tried to break the lock not from the adjusting bolt. I agree with some other rec's that you shouldn't even touch the bolt head and torque it that way, as you are asking for a snapped nut (and if you do, order from here []Page Not Found - Yotamasters). I did that soak-burn-turn every 30 minutes and it eventually broke loose.

Other tip was with mounting the leaf springs. The pins bolts that Ironman supplied in the kits had a thread OD of 14mm, however the middle of the pin was beveled out to 18mm OD. They also have a threaded mounting bracket that is screwed onto the pin. That is not needed for an '87, so remove that. However there is still an issue as the diameter of the frame-pin screw mounts (inner and outer) is 14mm thus matching the thread OD, but you can't get get the leaf spring pin bolt through to mount the front of the leaf spring because of that beveled thickness of the pin bolt to 18mm. Unfortunately, the PU bushings used for the leaf springs are made with an ID of 18mm, to match the beveled pin OD of 18mm. So you have two choices, either widen the OD of the outer frame-pin screw mount to >18mm (aka 3/4 [19mm]) or get a 14mm bolt that fits. If you do the latter, you will have 4mm of play between the bolt and the bushings, which IMO is never the way to go. So I would recommend using a step drill bit and increasing the diameter of the outer frame bolt mount from 14mm to 19mm (3/4''). Definitely a little nerve racking doing this but it worked out fine with a cobalt metal step drill bit and some 3-in-1 oil as lubricant. Keep in mind if you go this route you don't have to touch the inside frame-screw mount as that can stay at 14mm.

Other tip was regarding the leaf springs. They are made to accommodate weight up to 660 lbs in the rear. So if you put them on as shipped you're gonna have a helluva rake, so I talked to the guys at Ironman and they recommended taking the 3rd leaf out (from the top). That made it set pretty even in the end. Keep in mind if you do this, you will have to drill into the inferior side of the bump stop to create clearance for the nipple bolt as it will be very high and will prohibit the bump stop from sitting flush with the springs.

Other tip is do one axle at a time. I was an idiot and removed both leaf springs at the same time because I was irritated they were all seized and rusted thus causing me to rage quit and angle grind everything. Just makes your life easier to do one side at a time as its wayyyy smoother to line up the axle doing one side at a time.

I hope this helps someone. [MENTION=84811]Tinman1985[/MENTION] I hope this is appropriate to leave here as well.

Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions if y'all have any. I will upload any photos if requested.