Stock Axles, Shackle Lift???

[mturner]

Hey everyone, I was curious what the gear ratios in the stock axles of an 85 are?

And I've been still trying to decide how I want to lift my truck. Now that I have it in my hands finally, TTR might have right after all. I think I might go with a 3" body lift, but also saw that u can get 2" shackle lifts? Rather curious, because I'm going to be replacing the shackles and bushings front and back anyway, so I thought i'd ask what everyone thought about that? Or if you have experiance with it.

And if I did go with a shackle lift, I assume that the overall lift, no matter how u do it, it doesnt matter, as soon as u go over 3" u are going to need the extended draglink correct?

LoL oh jeez... I think I'm confusing myself!? :confused:

Oh and yeah... I have trouble getting the truck into reverse. Like I have to go into first and get it moving forward first then quickly try to get it back into R. Sometimes that doesnt even work??? Or am I just being a bitch and need to suck it up?

[wa4x4]

my 4runner does the same thing. I have to go 1,2 then reverse

[fourwd1]

Your axle ratio is probably 4.10, the most common ratio for 4 cyl/5 spd Toys.

Shackle lift is one way to go, if you just want room for bigger tires a BL will do. All depends on your needs/use.

To get 3" of lift from shackles the shackles will be 6" longer than stock shackles, so that will effect ride and handling somewhat.

You only need a drop draglink for over 3" of Suspension lift, not for a BL.

The tranny thing is normal for a high mileage tranny, stuff inside is worn.

[KToy]

pretty normal for a tranny.

as you said about the body lift and shackle lift. things to consider.

1. for every 2 inches of longer shackles you get roughly 1 inch of lift. so like mentioned earlier. if you want a 3 inch shackle lift your shackles stock in the rear are 4 inches and i think 4 inches up front. so you would need 10 inch shackles front and rear. thats not lenght in shackle either thats the eye hole to eye hole. so you would need a 12 inch peice of steel and then a hole an inch in to make the 10 inch shackle. as a side note, my rear shackle is 8 inches eye to eye and my front is 4 inches eye to eye. i would not recommend going bigger than 6 in the front and 8 in the rear.

2. body lifts. they are great for clearance of tires tranny and engine and what not. but if you plan on doing suspension later you will end up cutting it down or buying a new body lift to compensate for your suspension lift. side not, on my truck i have 9 inch suspension lift and 3 inch body lift. 1 inch body to every 3 inch suspension if you want a vehicle that is stable (general rule).

i had a 3 inch body lift on a stock 91 toy and loved it with my 33's. cheap lift. looks decent except for the major frame you can see. but i wasnt into wheeling i was into looks. and i wanted 33's. so bam slapped the body lift on and some 33's and i had no rubbage and i could go camping and what not and it was no big deal.


if your going to rockcrawl in this truck you going to have to do some sort of susupension lift.

if you are on a budget, buy shackle material. make some 6 inch shackles for the front and the rear. gives you about a 1 inch lift and a little bit better ride.

then throw on a 2 inch body lift to give you the 3 inches your looking for. or throw on the 3 inch body lift to get the 4 inches your looking for.


if your absolutley penniless. this is what i would do. 3 inch body lift. longer shackles. cut of your torque bar weld the rear 3rd member. that gives you 4 inches of lift. not to stable but you can wheel it for now. then throw on some 35's and hammer down. then when you get money buy a nice 4 inch lift from marlin.

[sparky]

the easy way to figure shackle lift is you get 1/2" lift per 1" added to your shackle lenght over stock. if they get to long your ride will turn to crap. and you will not be able to stuff your tire because the spring will not be able to get any longer.

[mturner]

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions!

Hey wa4x4, dude... ur right 1,2 then R works great! Now I dont feel like a dumbass in the parking garage when I'm trying to backup and there are people waiting to get by!

Thanks for the info on the axles fourwd1. I figured they might be 4.10, wasnt sure though.

I'll keep everyone updated as soon as I do something... oh... haha another question... new topic I guess... but down the road, probably the last thing I'll do... exo cage. What kinda of tubing is used and how expensive is it?

[sparky]

use 1.5" DOM tubing with a wall thickness of .120"

i have no idea how much it costs! call your local steel supplier! :moon: