How can you make your toyota truck more road friendly, and increase its capabilty off-road? By installing a 4-link/coil rear end.

To some this may sound intimidating. For those of you who are building from scratch, or restoring your truck, this is something to consider. A 4-link has proven to have multiple benfits. I have done the upgrade myself, and I am completely satified. I will not lie, this is a large undertaking. For those of you with a SWB truck this will be simpler. For you, it is merely a job of fitting your body and power plant onto the chassis. For those of you like myself, the LWB modification is more intense. I have done this myself. There are a few things you will need before you begin.

1. complete 90-95 chassis (or rear half for you LWB guys, from torsion bars back)
2. 90-95 4runner fuel tank
3. 90-95 4runner fuel pump assembly
4. 90-95 4runner rear axle (save your 3rd member from the original axle, unless you use the whole chassis with axles)
5. 6' of fill tube (4' of filler hose, two 1 3/4" 90 degree exhaust tubes)
6. 1- good tube of epoxy
7. plenty of butt splice connectors
8. rear section of exhaust for 90-95 4runner
9. comprehensive understanding of local laws (for those splicing the frame especially)
10. working knowledge of 12V systems and wiring diagrams
11. good tape measure and precision measurement skills
12. PATIENCE
    

The tank from the 4runner IS the only tank that will fit within the chassis. There are recesses in the 4runner tank to accomidate the upper link. The 4runner tank is roughly a 21 gallon tank, plus to accomidate the factory fill location on an 80's model 2nd generation toyota pickup it will require the 6 foot fill tube. That length and diameter is roughly another 3 gallon capacity. Of course, you will need matching axles. For you SWB guys, using a complete 4runner chassis with axles has a benefit. For you LWB guys, reuse your 3rd member from your old axle to match ratio's. They are interchangeable. The benefits from this modification include:

• better stability                                     
• better flex
• greater articulation
• smoother ride
• reduced chassis stress
• reduced spring fatigue
• greater departure angle
• more crossmembers
• rear tie downs/tow points 

I have been running this set up on a LWB toyota for nearly 2 years, with no conflicts or troubles. It performs much better off-road and on, has better traction, tighter turning radius (due to flex), less tire wear, and better handling. If you do not know what your doing, this is not recommended.

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