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1986 Toyota 4runner Rear Suspension - Photo 66947314

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The rear suspension uses 63-inch-long leaf springs from a Chevy 1⁄2-ton pickup in conjunction with Bilstein 12-inch travel 5125 piggyback reservoir shocks on custom mounts. The soft springs offer a great ride and ample articulation, but a Ruff Stuff Specialties traction bar was required to keep axlewrap at bay.

The tubular front bumper, from Beefbuilt, provides an excellent approach angle and securely holds the Warn HS9500 winch wrapped in MasterPull synthetic cable and capped with a Factor 55 ProLink. Schedule 40 rock sliders and a rear bumper that Ian made himself round out the armor.

A bikini top intended for a Jeep provides shade for Ian’s to sons, Evan and Bryce. The factory hard top still fits back on in the winter. Rolling stock is 40-inch Goodyear Wrangler MT/Rs on Raceline beadlock wheels.

The tubular front bumper, from Beefbuilt, provides an excellent approach angle and securely holds the Warn HS9500 winch wrapped in MasterPull synthetic cable and capped with a Factor 55 ProLink. Schedule 40 rock sliders and a rear bumper that Ian made himself round out the armor.

Power comes from a 22RTE four-cylinder with a TEC aftermarket turbo kit. The kit uses a Garrett turbo in place of the failure-prone stock CT-20 turbo but works in conjunction with the factory fuel injection. The little mill leaves room for the Premier Power Welder and ARB air compressor.

An All-Pro Off Road cage keeps Ian and has family safe on the trail and ties into the stock rear roll bar, while tube doors from Shaffer’s Off Road provide increased visibility on the trail. The factory bucket seats remain but have been covered with generic parts-store seat covers.

The front axle is a 631⁄2-inch-wide Dana 44 filled with 5.89 gears, an ARB Air Locker, Warn chromoly axleshafts, CTM 300M U-joints, and Warn Premium hubs. It is turned by a custom steering linkage built from GM tie rod ends and 11⁄4-x0.250-wall DOM tubing that connects the factory steering box to Parts Mike high steer arms. The latest upgrade to Ian’s 4Runner involved replacing the front leaf springs with ORI struts from Purple Top Garage. The struts are mounted on Beefbuilt hoops and work in conjunction with a three-link and a Panhard bar built by Keith at Beefbuilt using parts from Ruff Stuff Specialties. The links are made from 2x0.250-wall DOM tubing and use 11⁄4-inch rod ends.

The rear axle is a 63-inch wide semifloat Dana 60 with 11⁄2-inch 35-spline axleshafts but built by BRC Motorsports. It uses disc brakes, 5.89 gears, and a Detroit Locker, along with a pinion flange from High Angle Driveline that retains the factory Toyota U-joints and driveline flanges.

The rear suspension uses 63-inch-long leaf springs from a Chevy 1⁄2-ton pickup in conjunction with Bilstein 12-inch travel 5125 piggyback reservoir shocks on custom mounts. The soft springs offer a great ride and ample articulation, but a Ruff Stuff Specialties traction bar was required to keep axlewrap at bay.

Factory turbocharged engines were offered by Toyota in ’86 and ’87 models as a stopgap to compete with Nissan’s V-6. While a manual transmission was offered in the Toyota pickups, all turbocharged 4Runners came with automatics. Ian kept the auto but added a gear-driven transfer case with 5:1 Trail Tamer gears behind the factory transfer case using Jp Eater adapter from O’Brien’s 4 Wheels West.