4x4 suspension lift

[butter fingers]

hey gang , my 86 4x4 has a shot out front end .I was looking at rough country's mild suspension lift kit, 1 1/2" to 2" ( shocks , leaf spring shackles, tubular upper control arm and hardware . my  question is they have the kit listed for  86 to 94 d21  4x4 trucks . do you guys think it will fit my 86 ? do you know of a downside to this lift kit ? are there any other similar lift kits available that I don't know about ? I am  not wanting anything wild , just a touch of lift since I need to rebuild my front end any way . any knowledge on this stuff would be great ,  Keep On Trucking !!

[KELMO]

I am not sure about the fitment between 720 and D21.

Their kits are usually for looks, not function. If you intend offroading I would advise calling them and asking if the kit serves that purpose.

[datzenmike]

For 2" do a body lift. The only suspension part that wears out are the shocks, just replace them. The front is torsion bar and the height is adjustable... at least back to stock height if sagged. The rears are stiff enough on a 4X4. Never raise a vehicle using longer shackles. Use blocks or re-arch the springs.

[butter fingers]

thanks guys for your replies , a body lift is cosmetic or for kids that want to fit on bigger tires . I was hoping an aftermarket upper control arm might  give the truck a little more ground clearance and add more travel . Has anyone  messed with their 4x4 front ends ? Again I am not wanting to go crazy,  just improve on the stock set-up . Thanks ! 

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I did a quick google search and found a lift for 83.5-86 720 trucks - https://www.4x4parts.com/i-18915104-720-pick-up-suspension-lift.html

 

Lifting an IFS suspension is not always a great idea because of the limitations built into the geometry of the control arms, cv joints, ball joints, etc. But in this case, a minor 1.5-2" lift is totally attainable without any adverse affects. Any more than that and you're getting into custom fab territory.

 

Body lifts are not my preferred method of lifting a vehicle either. With a body lift, you only gain tire clearance, but the associated headaches that go along with a boy lift make it not worth the trouble. If I'm lifting a truck, I want diff and frame clearance too, not just tire clearance.

 

If I were building a lifted 720, I would probably solid axle it, but if I were forced to use the IFS, I would make custom upper and lower control arms that widen the truck too. I would also incorporate upper shock mounting that could take coil overs to be able to ditch the torsion bars. This would also require custom axle shafts and custom steering linkage, but the results would perform much better than anything off the shelf.

[butter fingers]

the "4x4 parts" control arm looks just like the" rough country "arms  and that is good . a mild improvement is all I need  to satisfy my needs . I  like the way Nissan built the truck and don't want to change it much . I had some guy locally tell me that he advanced his timing (z24)from the stock 5 degrees and it helped it run stronger , how much advanced he didn't say . thanks again !

[bottomwatcher]

I am running an earlier version of that. The Jim Commer racing 2-3 inch lift is what they well billed as. I am running around 2 inches because it rides much smoother if you keep some down travel. I am not sure what Mike was meaning by the only things that wear out are shocks. I am runnings 31s  and about every 70k miles it is time for a front end rebuild. Balljoints, inner and outer tie rod ends, idler arm,  shocks and at 100k seems to be time for a new centerlink. About 1 k on my current rebuild and so much tighter and smoother.

[datzenmike]

You said 1-2" of lift and a body lift is perfect as it doesn't mess with the steering or suspension geometry, drive-line angles and is quick and cheap. That's all.

 

No upper control arm swap is going to increase the ground clearance. The 720 ground clearance is changed by adjusting the torsion bars and being IFS you are extremely limited in doing this.

 

If your control arm ball joints are worn out in 70K then something is wrong. In any case the shocks will have lost their effectiveness 3 time over during that time. Inner and outer tie rod ends, idler arm, and center link are steering components.

 

The Z series uses dual plugs and the correct timing is 5⁰ +/- 2⁰. The +/- is for variations is gasoline octane and altitude. Beware advancing more than what the factory suggests as too much and the cylinder pressure builds too soon and pushes down on the rising piston and usually pings but you may not notice it. Safer to set at 5⁰.

[bottomwatcher]

The upper A arms are longer which keeps the camber close to stock when raising the vehicle since the LCAs are so much longer than the stock A arms. Also the new arms have a different angle for the ball joint so it is closer to stock. If you just crank the torsion bars it sets everything to spending most of its life at the extreme of the angles it was designed for causing accelerated wear. Anyways when you add larger tires you add unsprung weight and leverage. You are basically beating your suspension with a larger hammer so parts wear is accelerated. I have used rancho 5000s for 30 years now and they seem to last pretty well. I always throw in new shocks each rebuild. The weakest link has always been the idler arm. The nylon bushing just isn't up to the task of larger tires. I have been using the moog heavy duty arms for years and they last. All of this is easy to check if you slide under the truck and have someone swing the wheel side to side while you watch all the wiggling down below.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Wow, you've done your homework and you nailed it on all counts.

 

For the idler arm bushings - have you considered having some custom machined out of delrin or maybe even upper and lower bearings? Calmini makes an idler arm brace for later trucks that supports the arm on both ends - https://www.google.com/search?q=custom+idler+arm&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=bALfB3_RU1OehM%3A%2CNTKeKHLTwcUZDM%2C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kR3kx92inchMdhCzDXF2MgOhkCDYw&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdr_qW1u3pAhWLtJ4KHZv2BygQ9QEwAnoECAQQHw&biw=1920&bih=938#imgrc=bALfB3_RU1OehM

 

Here's a custom Toyota arm - https://www.polyperformance.com/total-chaos-86-95-4wd-toyota-idler-arm-95130?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=TCS-95130&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-u2Bl9bt6QIVQT2tBh0f2g7xEAQYBSABEgILxvD_BwE

 

Don't know if you've ever seen a 320 idler arm, but they are basically half of a steering box. Super stout.

[butter fingers]

Hello Gents , I want to thank you all for the great supply of information . I recently joined Ratsun and it is already paying off ! Have a nice day , Butter Fingers .

[bottomwatcher]

This is the idler I have now. A moog  heavy duty. I didn't change it this last front end redo because it was still good. The stock idler used nylon which is too soft but so thin hard to replicate the bushing in any other material..  That Toyota arn looks beefy but that is a lot to pay.

[Charlie69]

butter fingers I have partially amputated 3 fingers on my left and a also have bad arthritis I drop every thing I pickup and I am a little more crude than you are and I call it shitty hands!  LOL