ball joint spacers for no lift

[fishnhuntfreak]

Iv searched all over Google and couldn't find an answer. Iv got an '87 4runner and I got a set of ball joint spacers free when I picked up a 4.88 front third from a guy doing a sas. i'm running 33x10.50 and have no rubbing at all. what I'm wondering is if I throw in the ball joint spacers and crank the torsion bars down in order to achieve no lift will I get the bad side effects and reliability issues on things such as idler arms, CV joints etc? In theory this shouldn't change steering/front end geometry too much while giving me a better ride and a little more travel on my ifs. thanks y'all in advance!

 

[SLC97SR5]

Yup, you are exactly right.

I used a pair of spacers on my '87 prior to doing a SAS and adjusted the torsion bars down. It gave a very plush ride with some additional travel.

The only issues I encountered were bent tie rods and worn idler bushings due to playing too hard in the rocks.

 

[Crenshaw]

Do it! My last two trucks I've run BJ spacers at maybe an inch higher than stock (which comes from relaxing the torsion bars significantly) and really like the ride. If you run stock height you won't run into any problems that you wouldn't have to deal with anyway.

The bent tie rods and worn idlers are just an issue with these trucks no matter what. I bought a lifetime warranty idler from autozone ages ago and just replace it every year or so, or sooner if necessary. There are a couple options for idler braces out there which I'm sure would help the situation, as well as replacement brass bushings from 4crawler.com .

 

[AxleIke]

This is a great idea, and exactly what I did on my 87 4runner.

A semantic correction is that it DOES change your geometry, as your upper and lower A arms are no longer parallel, but assuming you take it to a proper alignment shop, there are no major side effects to the lift, and you will thank yourself for the ride.

I ended up with a total chaos idler arm, a fully custom steering system with 1/4" DOM and FJ80 tierods, but before all that, I had less idler failures than when the truck was cranked up in the air.

IMO, keeping these stock height on narrow 33's is really the best way to keep the suspension together, even in rough terrain. My old 87 had no TRE issues or idler issues after the TC arm, even on more difficult trails (33x9.5 BFGs, F/R locked, Dual cases, etc):