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This kit is designed to replace the IFS suspension on 1986-1995 Toyota Pickup's and 4Runners. Installation
time is typically 2 to 3 days. In addition to common hand tools, you will also need a plasma cutter or torch,
grinder and 230V welder.
This kit is designed for use with 1981-1985 solid axles. In addition to this kit you will need to have a custom
drive shaft made. We recommend measuring for the drive shaft after the installation of the kit. Using a drive
shaft with a minimum of 10" of drive shaft slip spline will prevent the drive shaft from separating due to the
extreme flexibility of this kit. Drive shaft tubing should be a minimum of .095" thickness.
Kit Includes:
- (1) Front Leaf Springs (choice 3", 4", or 5")
- (1) High Steer Crossover Steering Kit
- (1) Frame Tube Jig Kit
- (1) Steering Stabilizer Kit
- (1) U-bolt Flip Kit
- (1) Knuckle Service Kit
- (2) Wheel Bearing Kit
- (1) Front Drop Hanger with Greasable Bolts
- (1) Greasable 5" Shackles (choice 5”, 5.5”, or 6”)
- (2) Shock Hoops
- (2) Bilstein Shocks (12" or 14")
- (2) Front Brake Lines
- (2) Vented Rotors
- (2) Bumpstop Extensions
- (2) Wheel Spacers
- (1) Bumpstops
- (1) Front Axle Gusset
- (1) Axle Diff Armor
- (2) Motor Mount Cover Plates
- (2) Spring Pad
Axle Preparation:
When installing a solid axle swap, new ring, pinion
gears and a locker are normally installed into
the front end. Our IFS eliminator kit includes a
knuckle rebuild kit and 2 wheel bearing kits. These
should be used to replace worn out parts in your
donor front axle upon reassembly.
A small 3/8" thick pad is provided for the driver
side (left) spring perch. This pad raises the spring
mounting surface to match the passenger side.
Weld the spring pad onto the left front axle spring
perch. Weld across the front and back. Do not
weld the sides so that the pad can be removed with
a grinder if needed in the future.
The upper axle gusset is installed on top of the
axle. Place the gusset on the axle and tap lightly
with a hammer to seat it onto the axle. Make note
of where the gusset contacts the axle and remove
all paint and grease from the axle housing. Weld
the gusset in place using 1" stitch welds.
The front diff armor welds directly to the face of
the housing and prevents trail damage to the ring
gear. Remove the paint from the front of the housing.
Place the diff armor in position on the housing.
The bottom of the armor should sit flush with
the step in the face of the housing. Start welding
the armor in place from the top down. After welding
the top two inches of the plate, stop welding.
Using a 5 lb sledge hammer, hit the un-welded part
of the armor until it is touching the housing. Continue
welding from the top to the bottom stopping
occasionally to hammer the armor down for a snug
fit. Near the bottom, repeated hard hits with the
hammer are needed to ensure a tight fit.
After welding on the gusset, armor and spring pad,
paint the housing as desired. Once dry, the 3rd
member, axles and knuckles can be reassembled.
During reassembly, discard the stock steering arms
and install the included high steer arms. The steering
arm with two rod end holes is installed on the
passenger side (right).
The steering arm with one rod end hole is installed on the driver side (left) of the axle. Also install the provided
wheel spacers and torque nuts to 100 ft/lbs. Wheel spacer nuts should be re-torqued after 100 miles of
driving. Two steering rods with tie rod ends are included with the kit. The shorter rod is the drag link and this
will be installed later. The longer rod is the tie rod. Install the tie rod with the left end in the only remaining
hole on the left side steering arm. On the right side of the axle, the tie rod is attached to the rear open hole on
the steering arm. The front hole is used for the drag link. Leave the jam nuts loose for now.
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IFS Removal:
Unbolt and remove the front axle half shafts, differential,
idler arm, tie rod, A-arms, sway bars and
torsion bars. Using a torch or plasma cutter, cut off
the A-arm mounting brackets. Once removed, use
a grinder to remove the remnants of the brackets.
Grind the until frame is completely smooth and
flat (see photo). When removing the A-arms, part
of the engine motor mounts will be removed. This
is normal, and later, plates will be installed to fill
the void created by removing the IFS suspension.
Remove as little of the motor mount as possible.
When using a torch to remove the IFS brackets, it
is possible to nick the frame with the torch. If this
has happened, fill the nicks by welding them up
and grind flush with the frame. Use a relatively
high setting on your welder when filling nicks.
IFS Suspension Removed
IFS Brackets Ground Off
Front Spring Hanger:
With the front stock suspension removed and the
frame cleaned, installation of the new spring hangers
can begin. The front spring hanger has a front
and back side to it. If you look close, the spring
hanger ends are offset from the tubing by 1/8".
These hangers should be offset forward for installation
(see photo).
The front spring hanger can be installed flush with
the front of the frame or offset up to 3/4" forward
of the front of the frame depending on the desired
shackle angle. With 4" and 5" springs we recommend
offsetting the front hanger 3/4" forward of
the front of the frame. With 3" springs we recommend
installing the front hanger flush with the
front frame crossmember.
Front Spring Hanger Continued:
Center the hanger left to right on the frame. Hold
the hanger in place with a C-clamp (see photo) and
tack weld the hanger in place. Do not finish welding
the front hanger until after you have placed the
entire weight of the truck on the springs and verified
your shackle angle. Shackles should be just a
little back of vertical during this test. Later the
springs will break in and shackles should be about
20 back.
Frame Tubes and Jigs:
To mount the front shackles, tubes are installed
into the frame. Jigs are provided to properly position
the tubes in the frame. Each jig is labeled with
an arrow and "R" or "L". The jig labeled R is for
the Right side (passenger) and the jig labeled L is
for the Left side (driver). The arrow points toward
the front of the truck.
Place the frame jig onto the frame and center the
jig in the body mount under the firewall. Mark or
scribe both the inside and outside of the frame
rails. Using a plasma cutter or torch, cut the holes
through the frame. The jigs can also be tacked into
place and used as a guide during cutting. Slide
each frame tube into the frame. Center the frame
tube in its hole. After centering the tube, push the
tube toward the outside of the frame 1/4". Weld
the frame tube in place. Now do the other frame
tube, centering it up and then pushing it out 1/4"
before welding into place. Weld both the inside
and outside of the frame around the shackle tube.
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Final Spring Hanger Welding:
Weld the front spring hanger in place with a series
of 2" long beads between the frame and hanger. Be
sure to fully weld around the spring hangers as this
is where most of the stress will be transferred to
the frame. It is normal for there to be a small gap
between the bottom of the frame and the top of the
hanger. Two small gussets are provided for the top
of the front spring hanger. These should be welded
in place to support the outer end of the spring
hanger. See photos below!
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Install Leaf Springs:
Weld the provided bumpstops on to the top of the
u-bolt flip plates.
Grease (using axle grease) the small, short bushings
and install into the leaf springs.
The end of the spring that has a full double wrap
goes in front. Hold the spring in place, then slide
120mm long greasable bolts through the spring
and hanger. Grease the exposed threads of the bolt
before installing the crimp nuts.
Pick up the rear of the spring and install the rear
shackles through the frame tubes. The shackle
bolts are 150mm long. Use two 3/4" spacers on
each shackle as shown in photo. Grease the exposed
threads of the of the bolt before installing
the crimp nuts.
Place the axle under the truck and lower the truck
with the springs installed down onto the axle.
Spring pin bolts should fit into the holes on top of
axle housing spring pads. Use the provided u-bolts
to attach axle to springs. Torque u-bolts to 90 ft/
lbs.
Install Leaf Springs Continued:
Re-torque u-bolts after 100 miles. Check the u-bolt
nuts are tight after every off-road trip. Loose ubolts
will cause failure of the leaf spring pin bolts
and can result is loss of steering control. Keep
your u-bolts tight!
Six u-bolts are provided with the kit. Two round ubolts
should be used on the passenger side on all
axles. 1979-1983 axles use two additional round ubolts
on the driver side. Later 1984-1985 axles use
two square u-bolts on the driver side. All u-bolt
threads should face up.
After installation of the u-bolts, cut off excess bolt
threads so that the u-bolt is flush with the nut.
Shocks and Shock Hoops:
To install the shock hoops it may be necessary to
cut open the inner fender. If 14" shocks are used
you will most likely need to bring the shock hoop
up through the fenders. This may require relocation
some items directly above the shocks. If your
using 12" shocks and short style hoops, there is no
need to cut open the fenders.
Shock and Shock Hoops Continued:
Using the two 5" X 2" plates, cover the ends of the
motor mounts. Weld the plates in place and grind
off any rough edges.
Install shocks and hoops so that approximately
60% of the shock is in the tube and 40% is out or
as close to this as you can. Exact positioning will
depend on the spring height, vehicle weight, and
shock choice. Shocks should be mounted vertically
with the "Can" or body of the shock in the up position.
Test the fit shocks before making any permanent
welds. Do not weld near the shocks unless the
chrome plating of the shock rod is covered. If weld
splatter attaches to the shock rod, it will damage
the shock seal and destroy the shock. This type of
shock failure is not covered by warranty.
With the hoops tacked in place and the shocks installed,
use a ramp or forklift to flex the suspension.
Make sure that the shocks are not limiting
compression or extension travel. Adjust the position
of the shock hoops as needed.
After the hoops are installed, install two gussets on
each shock hoop. The gussets (1" round tubing)
will need to be finish trimmed to fit before welding
in position. Steel shock sleeves (included with
shocks) should be installed in the top and bottom
of each shock before installation. See photos below!
Shock Hoop
Bumpstop Extension
Drag Link & Pitman Arm:
Place the steering wheel so that it is in the center
of it's movement left to right. Bolt on the pitman
arm using the stock nut and washer. Connect the
left side of the steering Drag Link to the front most
hole in the right side steering arm. Tie rod ends
should have approximately 3 exposed threads. Do
not expose more than 1/2 of the tie rod end threads
as this can cause an unsafe driving condition.
With the truck on the ground, set the tow-in of the
front tires at 1/8". This is done by turning the Tie
Rod with the jam nuts loose. Measure the widest
part of the tire at the front and rear of the tire. Adjust
the Tie Rod until the front is 1/8" narrower
than the rear.
Once completed, turn the steering wheel all the
way left and right. Verify that the wheels turn the
same amount left and right. If not, adjust the
length of the drag link or adjust the position of the
pitman arm.
Tighten the pitman nut to 130 ft/lbs. Tighten the
jam nuts on the Tie Rod and Drag Link using an
adjustable wrench.
Steering Stabilizer:
The steering stabilizer included in the kit is designed
to help reduce steering wheel vibrations at
higher speeds. To install, weld the notched end to
the passenger side frame rail. Pull the shock out
half of it's length. Using the provided u-bolts attach
the stabilizer to the upper steering rod.
These instructions are designed as a general installation guide. Installation of many Trail-Gear
Products require specialized skills such as metal fabrication, welding and mechanical trouble
shooting. If you have any questions or are unsure about how to proceed, please contact our shop
at 559-252-4950 or seek help from a competent fabricator. Using fabrication tools such as welders,
torches and grinders can cause serious bodily harm and death. Please operate equipment
carefully and observe proper safety procedures.
Rock crawling and off-road driving are inherently dangerous activities. Some modifications
will adversely affect the on-road handling characteristics of your vehicle. All products sold by
Trail-Gear Inc are sold for off road use only. Any other use or application is the responsibility
of the purchaser and/or user. Some modifications and installation of certain aftermarket parts
may under certain circumstances void your original dealer warranty. Modification of your vehicle
may create dangerous conditions, which could cause roll-overs resulting in serious bodily
injury or death. Buyers and users of these products hereby expressly assume all risks associated
with any such modifications and use.