bj40 suspension opinions wanted

[tow99]

heres the facts:
1980 bj40 1b diesel with a turbo
5speed, pto winch,40 series diff with lsd full floater rear.

at the moment im tearing it down to repair the body.

ultimately what i want is a 40 that i can use for abit of everything and while i have the body off ill be trying to tidy up the chassis and thought it would be a great time for upgrades.
i want to keep it on leaf springs just for simplicity but what have people used in the past and had good results?
its got bilstein shocks on it at the moment but i think i want to go between 3 and 4 inches higher and then they will be no good.looking at running tyres around 35s if i can
where in welly would i find a good bastard to bounce ideas off so i can start heading in the right direction and stop standing there looking at it day dreaming.
any help or ideas would be awesome
cheers tony

[muddy]

If you want to make it higher, then you also need to go wider - otherwise it'll get VERY "tippy". So look for 60 series axle sets ideally, with the bonus of disc brakes. Or 30mm(+) wheel spacers. Try to get a 60 series power steering setup while you're at it. To fit 35's - you're looking at trimming both front and rear guards as well as a suspension lift. I'd suggest you look into flipping the spring packs (which lengthens the wheelbase and improves approach/departure angles as the axles aren't in the centre), and a shackle reversal on the front springs (fixed mount at the front with the "swinging" shackles at the rear like the hilux). This will give the lift you want as well, and the rear is easy with longer shackles. Of course this also affects driveshaft length, and the shackle reversal has implications regarding the travel in the slip-yoke.

You'll need to get it all certified, so sort out your plan first so you get everything done in one hit.

[tow99]

im trying to sort out the 60 series ps at the moment and was waiting until i had mounted the box to do a shackle reversal so then i could do it all at once.already have the 60 series brakes on the front.does anyone do a kit that includes lifted leaf springs(mine are rooted) aswell as shackle reversal with greasable shackles thats available in nz?ive seen afew kits on us sites but frieght would put the price through the roof.rear guard clearance wont be a problem soon as im planing on loping the rear of the body off.are 80 series diffs wider than the 60's and 70's?how much wider are the 60s compared to the 40's?

[Sadam_Husain]

if your staying leaf springs dont get old man emu for the front IMO they are shit and sit down really low not far off the bumpstops and have fark all flex in them unlike 70 series old man emu springs front springs that I think are pretty shit hot for an off the shelf leaf spring.

you can stick wider 60 or 80 series axles under it which will be an improvement and give better stability but dont go thinking thats going to be a huge gain and solve everything for the work and cost involved coz there still a short high COG truck that flops over easily . Personaly I think if your going to piss about with the amount of work to do shackle reversals and wider axle housings and new spring perches and shit you should be bringing yourself into this centuary and coiling it, if you put 60 series axles under it the spring RH perches start climbing up onto the diff pumpkin unless you outboard the spring mounts onto the outside of the chassis rails and if your thinking of 80 series axle housings its a bit of a waste to cut all the coil and radius arm mounts off to weld leafspring perches onto it

[tow99]

i know what you are saying and agree completely but im trying to get it going so i can use it and the budget is abit tight while trying to repair my 70.if i started trying to coil it i probibly wouldnt get round to finishing it thats why i would prefer to get a kit throw it on and have some fun without blowing a whole lot of cash and watch it siting there.so old man emus are out who what other brands are out there?might try fliping the springs round and see what happens.at the momoent not really woried about having it road legal but would like to be able to get it back legal when the bank balance allows.