Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hi i am wondering if the chassy from a standard coil surf is the same as my 93 ln106 hilux, i was thinking of buying the surf chassy, buying new mounts, unbolting all the links off the surf, welding the mounts on my lux and then bolting it all back in place...

Is this doable or you think it is a little more work than that?

Cheers

No the surf chassis is shorter.
You would need to cut all the mounts needed off and transfer to your chassis.

brad 93hilux wrote:Hi i am wondering if the chassy from a standard coil surf is the same as my 93 ln106 hilux, i was thinking of buying the surf chassy, buying new mounts, unbolting all the links off the surf, welding the mounts on my lux and then bolting it all back in place...

Is this doable or you think it is a little more work than that?

Cheers

Its easier said than done, certainly not impossible. There are a few threads on here where people have done that excact swap, search and you shall find.

but surf suspension is rubbish, the arms are carboard dunny roll tubes and they are like 80mm long

you might as well use nissan arms and mounts (they are just as cheesey) but they have some more aftermarket support, buying stronger and longer ones etc.

Judging the total suspension from the length of 2 out of the 5 link arms is a bit........

The Surf rear 5 link is an awesome factory system, when doing it custom on a Lux I agree though, if keen enough just use longer 80 series lower arms and move the mounts forward. Something I had intended doing eventually on my ex-4Runner....

i was thinking of bolting it all on as stockfrom the surf, (with differentt coils) but maybe using aftermarket trailing arms.

it would have to flex sh## loads better than stock, or is there another way of doin this.

I priced lukey's customs and they wanted bout $4000 so i'm looking at cheaper alternatives

Cheers

-Nemesis- wrote:Judging the total suspension from the length of 2 out of the 5 link arms is a bit........

The Surf rear 5 link is an awesome factory system, when doing it custom on a Lux I agree though, if keen enough just use longer 80 series lower arms and move the mounts forward. Something I had intended doing eventually on my ex-4Runner....

thanks, you must have jst got that in while i was typin my message.

About the only thing that will limit the flex in a Surf 5 link is the length of the shocks you can fit and keeping things out of the way. By this I mean in the standard 4Runner/Surf the fuel tank sits so that with no swaybar and long shocks, the upper drivers side arm can foul on lip of the tank. NOt that you'd have to worry about that on a custom application.

The main disadvantage of the short lowers is the rear axle can tend to steer at full flex, though I never found it any real drama...

Still, with the massive amount of mods that are:.... Rancho shocks (thats all)


This one's not a great pic for the rear, but you can't even see the sill level, yet look where the tyre is. Again, only mod is Rancho's and no swaybar.



That's not bad when the sill level sits just above the top of the rim at standard height, and they're 33" tyres (old pic )

Just to back Nem up! The surf/4run rear ends can be quite impressive! I've just got some std. height 80 series coils and rancho's which I measured the lengths to get as much travel as possible.

I did bend the drivers side upper arm bit as it hits the fuel tank on full droop. So would recomend beefing them up.

Considering they're obvisouly 35's too, that's pretty good down travel for the sake of a set of shocks

Coils rule

dudes.... axle steer

same as GQ's

if you use the mounts fair enough and use the arms, but cut them and add like a metre of links

bj on roids wrote:dudes.... axle steer

same as GQ's

if you use the mounts fair enough and use the arms, but cut them and add like a metre of links

So what you mean is use all the rest of the surf links but cut and extend the trailing arms?

Will extending only the lower arms stuff up the whole geometry?
Or is this ok?

what hes saying is do it, go for it. but do it custom. if your doing that you may aswell make it as good as possible. if you want to keep it standard looking then use 80 series setup.

if you use the surf setup and extednd the lowers then the geometry will be off, how much youll have to see.

i have read some where the 80 series rear is bout 3.5" wider than the lux housing, so if you use this rear factory set up, then the lower arms are gonna need the mounts on the diff cut and moved in towards the centre of the housing a little... is this correct (lux chassy must be narrower)

I was thinking of the surf set up as it would be easy to just unbolt my housing/springs/shocks and stick a surf housing underneath (with alot of measuring) and just weld up in place.

But am open for suggestions.

sorry i meant use the chassis mounts and links with a surf diff, hales1234 or whatever it is has done the conversion,

It depends on how far you want to go in the long run. If you want to turn it into a comp truck then go 80 series and all the extra work for really only the benefit of even more width.

If you want good flex and the benefits of coils go the Surf set up. You don't 'need' to extend any arms but it's probably worth it anyways in the long run. The standard arms aren't very strong so you may as well beef them up.

Provided the geometry matches the original it will work fine. If you want to extend the arms you have an easy way as you will have to choose the position of the mounts anyways. If you choose to extend the lower arms, you choose by how much and where to put the mounts. In light of this you can choose where to mount your upper control arm mounts in a position that will maintain the factory geometry of everything, easy.

I know alot of people that modify standard Surfs/4Runners use 80 series lower arms on the Surf diff (moving mounts on chassis forward), then raise the upper arm mounting points on the housing. Raising the upper arms at the diff replicate the original linkage angle/relation between upper and lower arms. Quiet simple and i think this is what people like Overkill and Cheezy do (i'm talking on a standard Surf, yours would be custom so you can choose mounting points on chassis, which i'd imagine would make it alot easier to get right.)

yeh thanks for the info, this is exactly what i was after..

Dear Brad

Here are a couple of pics of my hilux with the surf rear end.
May be able to make something out.
I took these after fitting a rear prado tank.






This may give you an idea on the ride height of my lux.All coiled up.
This is running on 285's (33" old school)



Cheers
Dazza

[/img]

Is it ok to use sitck to weld it all on or is it advisable to only use mig?

P.S. i can weld with the stick welder really well and know how to set it up properly with correct amps...

brad 93hilux wrote:Is it ok to use sitck to weld it all on or is it advisable to only use mig?

P.S. i can weld with the stick welder really well and know how to set it up properly with correct amps...

Should be sweet using a stick welder.

Hales, that is some sweet looking fab work there

IF YOU GET STUCK , LET ME KNOW AS I`VE DONE THE CONVERSION BEFORE. I USED 80 SERIES UPPER AND LOWER REAR ARMS AS THEY ARE LONGER. IF YOU WANT MORE INFO GIVE ME A RING.

LUKEYS 4X4 CUSTOMS - 0409 991742
LLANDILO N.S.W 2747

CHEERS.....

www.lukeys4x4.com

why does everyone use stock links?

how hard is it to make your own links?

TOTALLY UNDERSTAND EASY TO MAKE LINKS BUT FOR AVERAGE JOE, IF YOU BEND OR BREAK ONE YOU CAN BUY THEM OFF THE SHELF. OTHER THAN THAT MAKE THEM TO THE LENGTH YOU WANT.

LUKEYS 4X4 CUSTOMS - 0409 991742
LLANDILO N.S.W 2747

www.lukeys4x4.com

lukes4x4 wrote:TOTALLY UNDERSTAND EASY TO MAKE LINKS BUT FOR AVERAGE JOE, IF YOU BEND OR BREAK ONE YOU CAN BUY THEM OFF THE SHELF. OTHER THAN THAT MAKE THEM TO THE LENGTH YOU WANT.

LUKEYS 4X4 CUSTOMS - 0409 991742
LLANDILO N.S.W 2747

www.lukeys4x4.com

ahhh, got it...

but what if you make them strong

bj on roids wrote:why does everyone use stock links?

how hard is it to make your own links?

Stock links make engineering a possibilty. Non std links makes it almost impossible.

lukes4x4 wrote:IF YOU GET STUCK , LET ME KNOW AS I`VE DONE THE CONVERSION BEFORE. I USED 80 SERIES UPPER AND LOWER REAR ARMS AS THEY ARE LONGER. IF YOU WANT MORE INFO GIVE ME A RING.

LUKEYS 4X4 CUSTOMS - 0409 991742
LLANDILO N.S.W 2747

CHEERS.....

www.lukeys4x4.com

If you use the 80 series upper and lower would they just bolt up to the surf housing mounts or would i have to change the mounts, i am aware if i choose to use these before i would not have to reweld on the chassy as i would just weld them on to suit.

Also does lukes do the chassy mounts to suit so i don't have to butcher off the factory mounts for the upper and lower links.
Cheers

You'd say so maybe try superior or if it's getting engineered ask him he might know of somewhere local to you.

i was goin to go down this path but chose a 3 link a-frame over it but if anyone ios interested i have a surf rear quarter chasis with everythign on it from housing to links and brackets, coils, etc

Getting slighty off topic, but hopefully the actual point of this thread has been covered...

Would it be worth putting 60 series diff's under a HiLux and keeping the leaf setup? I've seen leaves working pretty well and possibly have access to a written off 60. I'd be doing it for the extra width, if I can get the diff's at the right price.

Would this just involve cutting off the old spring perch, welding a new one on top (for spring over) and closer to the centre and getting u-bolts to suit?
Are there any hidden catches that make it more difficult than it sounds?

Or as long as I'm going this far would it be worth my while just going all out and doing the coil conversion?

I'd consider doing the rear coil conversion but the front scares me!

Don't 60's have offset diff unlike lux in centre correct me if i'm wrong so tailshaft angles could be a drama