The 1979-1983 2wd Toyota Pickup Truck uses a similar torsion bar suspension design to the 84-95 trucks. However, due to a different ball joint/knuckle design, the 84-95 parts are not compatible with the 79-83 control arms. Therefore, aftermarket 2″ drop spindles such as Street Edge or Belltech are not able to be used with the rest of the 79-83 suspension parts.
The solution: Upgrade the rest of the 79-83 suspension to 1984-95 suspension parts and then 2″ drop spindles can be used.
Parts I used:
1991 2wd Toyota Pickup: Lower Control Arms, Upper Control Arms, Lower Ball Joint, Upper Ball Joint, LCA Bushing.
I could have used 84-88 parts here, but went with 89+ Pickup parts, just in case I wanted to swap in a set of 3″ Lowering DJM Lower Control Arms for 3″ of additional drop. DJM 3″ LCA’s are compatible with 89-95, which use a slightly different lower ball joint mounting hole pattern than 84-88. (Now that the truck is done, I can see that it is plenty low with the 2″ drop spindles and re-keying the torsion bars.)
1984-88 2wd Toyota Pickup Hub, Wheel Bearings, Front Strut Rods (the two holes in the end of the 79-83 strut rods don’t line up with the two holes of the 84-95 LCA.)
I was able to re-use the 1979-83 2wd Toyota Pickup Torsion Bars, Anchors, Brackets, and Anchor Bolts
I took this as an opportunity to upgrade to larger 1988 1-ton Toyota Pickup Calipers and Rotors (and master cylinder) rather than the standard 2wd brakes, and this caused clearance issues with using the 2″ drop spindles, causing the calipers to contact the upper control arm. So skip the 1-ton brakes and use half ton calipers/rotors instead!
Here is a how-to video of the installation from start to finish:
- Remove all the original suspension parts.
- Remove the original LCA bushing and replace it with a new one to match the year of the new LCA you chose to use.
- The LCA has to be modified to accept the 79-83 torsion bar brackets, because the 79-83 brackets are slightly longer. So the solution is to drill a new hole through both sides of the LCA to allow the outer bolt of the bracket to go through. These holes should also have a steel tube placed between them, to prevent the walls of the LCA from flexing inward after the bolt is torqued. I was originally going to use the 84-95 torsion bar brackets, but discovered that the 84-95 use a slightly larger diameter torsion bar. So although the 84-95 bracket would have prevented me from having to modify the LCA with an extra set of holes and steel rod, the 84-95 torsion bar bracket is not compatible with the 79-83 torsion bar. I originally saw this as an opportunity to order stiffer aftermarket torsion bars from Sway-a-Way, but they were on backorder. So I chose to modify the LCA’s instead of hunting for a used pair of OEM 84-95 torsion bars. BEFORE you assemble/install the LCA, be sure to swap over the original bump stops from the 79-83 LCA’s, They’re a direct fit, but it’s a tight area to work inside while tightening the nuts with a wrench.
- Install the new upper control arms using the original hardware. Save all the shims, as these will need to be added to the bolts when it comes time to adjust caster/camber.
- Install upper ball joint. Upper BJ installs on the underside of the UCA from the factory. Now is the time to decide to do a Ball Joint Flip to gain some additional drop by installing the ball joint on the top of the upper control arm instead of on the underside.
- Install lower ball joint.
- Install the drop spindle.
- Install new wheel bearings, races, seal and grease into 84-95 hub.
- bolt hub to brake disc.
- Apply grease to spindle and install Hub/disc onto spindle, torque and stake with cotter pin, install dust cap.
- Install pads and calipers. I used caliper mounting bolts from 84-88.
- Install torsion bar. I marked the top of the torsion bar and torsion bar bracket before removing the torsion bars.This way I can re-install both in the correct position to ensure they’re even. If you’d like to re-key the torsion bar, now is the perfect time. Just be sure you rotate both torsion bars the same number of teeth, in opposite directions. Install anchor bolt on rear of torsion bar
- Install front Radius Rod aka Strut Rod. The Rods need to be 84-95 to fit the LCA, but keep the original 79-83 brackets that attach the front of the rods to the frame. Also a good time to replace those old rubber bushings. I used Prothane front strut rod bushings: 60277 qty 4, metal sleeves (7/8 X .083 X 2.025 inches) 60574 qty 2
I replaced the steering components while I was at it:
End links, tie rods (inner and outer) are for a 1991. I ordered a new Relay Rod for a 79-83 and I reused the 1980 steering stabilizer, pitman arm, and steering box. The idler arm was fine, so I reused it as well.
Installing wider 4wd fenders for turning clearance and fine tuning the ride height by adjusting the torsion bars:
At 20:20 in the above video, I discover that one-ton calipers are not compatible with drop spindles, due to the top bolt contacting the upper control arm when the suspension is compressed. This was solved by unflipping the ball joint, bending up the edge of the UCA, and using the stop bolt to limit the steering range.
The rear is lowered with 3″ leaf springs, 4″ blocks, and the frame has a mini notch.