1st gen rear long travel help

Truck that is in question is a 1997 Tacoma extended cab V6 4x4.

I would love the truck to be able to rip in the dirt but also be able to go hit trails that require articulation and some ground clearance. Front end is already going to be settled with a Solo 3.5 kit; the rear end however is where I’m looking for some input.

Looking to get the best of both worlds here is tough and I understand that it’s not always going to be possible to get the truck to perform perfect in both aspects.

So what I’m really wondering is how much travel is it possible to get in the rear without switching to SUA so I can still have my ground clearance. Anyone build a similar setup and still getting decent performance in the rear?

 

Having a similar vehicle, I would just say go Sua. It's easy, it works, trim the u bolts a little. Not so much you can't disassemble the leaf pack. Maybe there is a U bolt flip kit too.

 

I never understand the ground clearance argument when a. there’s a diff a few inches away from the spring perches and b. the springs are super close to the tires which means they’ll most likely be moving up and over the obstacle that the tire is going over. Short answer is no, you will never match the performance of the front with a SOA rear. If you’re set on staying SOA for some reason, check these builds out down here where there are one or two SOA.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/1st-gen-long-travel-discussions.750980/

And these builds


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/el-taco-diablo-mall-crawlin-now-with-lt-for-tall-curbs.523955/

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HDrKWk7_26k&pp=ygURVGVycmEgY3JldyB0YWNvbWE=

 

If he’s concerned about bolts being damaged - I was considering this too and modded some ruff stuff spring plates to protect the bolts. Still haven’t got the truck out of where it’s being built but if and when I do I’ll see how the idea works haha

 

Also have found these for bolt protection. https://jdfabrication.com/collections/pickup-85-to-04-rear-suspension/products/spring-plates-1

I was just trying to figure out if there would have been an easier way to achieve my goal of being multi purpose than making the commitment to being Spring under and diving down that rabbit hole. Definitely cant afford going to cantilever.

 

Just build it in steps.

 

Multipurpose is super broad - it can mean something different for one guy to the next. Drive your truck and see what it needs to suit your preferences. Those JD look similar to the new RS plates that weren’t out when I got mine - it’s funny because they look very similar to how I modded mine - I’ll chalk it up to convergent evolution.



https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.co...t_ZCmuq0Ds9VwELSIedCCqvaFgoQtrq0aAkybEALw_wcB

 

The answer to the specific question of... how much travel you can get in the rear without SUA?




I've got my bumps and straps limiting me at just over 13.5 inch travel.

There's not much more uptravel I could get without the diff hitting stuff on up travel. (And as you can see... I cut A LOT of the bed side wheel wells to keep them clear of the tires).

There's no more down travel. The Chevy 63s droop all the way at almost the same point my straps limit on full stretch. (straps stretch one inch per foot of straps).

I'm running Chevy 63 inch leafs with longer than normal shackles (7 inch) to give maximum droop.

I have about 5 inch upravel and 8.5 inch down travel. With the other limiting factors surrounding (up travel - axle, diff, tires clearance) (down travel - brake lines, locker wiring, diff breather, etc) I don't see how SUA could be that much better, barring it being a dedicated race truck... which wouldn't have leafs anyway, it would have trailing arms.

 

Not sure how SUA would give me much more, usable, travel with the way I use my truck.

Those are 37 inch tires.