Page 1 of 1
Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:59 am
by dino
hi all
ive recently brought an "82 Fj40 cruiser and only just discovered that the leafs have either been replaced or re-set. is there anything i can do to solve the lack of flex and harsh ride???
thanks.
Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:03 am
by curly12
Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:16 am
by Sadam_Husain
40 series (any leaf sprung cruiser for that matter) cruisers are never going to have very good flex or ride, thats how they came out of the factory
I dont know what sort of condition your truck is in but often after 20-30 years the springs are usually pretty well sunk and buggared and dont do much, you can replace the springs (OME's are good) but dont get your expectations up too much.
I drop my tyres down to between 10 and 15psi off road and it makes the ride quite nice but when I'm on road pressure my tyres and ride are like bricks

Edit*
Thats about as good as you can get your flex with leaf springs on a cruiser

Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:53 am
by muddy
You can try pulling a leaf (or two) from the spring packs - it will soften the ride but sit a little lower. Pulling one of the shorter leaves is probably better. You can get the height back on the rear with longer shackles, but not a good idea on the front as it will change the castor angle. Also check that the shocks are not limiting suspension travel - you may get a bit more droop by replacing the shocks, especially if you put longer shackles on the rear.
Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 10:57 am
by Jerry
Ahhhh leaf springs ..... I remember those

, yep thats part of having them, they have their good and bad points.....what bushes are on it and what condition are they in? if they are nolethane consider going back to rubber
Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:15 am
by wopass
nothing wrong with the way leaves ride and flex, a little work and a set of 20yr old springs get quite supple and flex up very well.
just look for a few recent pix of mine

cant find them at the mo(work PC ) so you can look for yourself

Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sat Feb 23, 2008 11:47 am
by dino
thanks for the feed back fellas, im not too worried about the flexing part as i knew that these trucks didnt flex that well when i brought it ( the plan is to install a lockright). im only running 31's and theyre alredy close to the guards so i think pulling a few leves from each pack will bottom it out too easily
Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:51 pm
by dino
How much is involved with a body lift?? and what sort of price would I be looking at??
was thinking of takining 1 or 2 leaves from each pack and then doing a body lift to get back to the original hight.
Would this work

Re: Cruiser suspension
Posted: Sun Feb 24, 2008 8:52 pm
by dino
How much is involved with a body lift?? and what sort of price would I be looking at??
was thinking of takining 1 or 2 leaves from each pack and then doing a body lift to get back to the original hight.
Would this work
