I was testing out the cruiser (FJ-40)today,after doing some suspension mods,and noticed a "clunk"and felt something in the front end when I did a hard stop at anything above 5 to 10 mph.

I had a friend stand in front of me and watch while I braked and he said he saw the tie rod hitting the top of the spring when I braked.

Here's the background on the recent modifications.................

4" lift springs in front(new,but I don't know which brand.I found them on the LCML last year,they were all rear springs that had been sitting in a warehouse back east)

Rear springover using stock springs

fairly new Edelbrock IAS shocks in front(They still feel nice and stiff) Very stiff KYBs in rear
I do have to get longer shocks on all 4 corners to get more droop
but right now they all have plenty of compression travel.

Tie rod is in the stock position.(3"or so above the springs)I'm using mini truck steering arms with a "mini" knuckle out front disc conversion.Rear gm discs.
36" x12.50 TSLs

Do you think the front springs are wrapping???:confused:
I'm going to have a friend drive while I try to see if this is the case. I think I'll stand off to the side a bit :D
I'd hate to be run over by my own rig!!!

Oh, by the way, I don't have a front D-line hooked up right now.
the old one is too short.

I also experienced a lot of front end dive when braking.8" to 10"
I've got the front /rear bias set properly,although I probably should bleed them all one more time

Any ideas Oh great and wise Cruiser gurus??
I'll be home till Friday morning and will be out to sea on the Tugboat.Just wanted to get a little input before I leave.
Thanks in advance.
Bill

Originally posted by Kaiser Bill
I also experienced a lot of front end dive when braking.8" to 10"
I've got the front /rear bias set properly,although I probably should bleed them all one more time



I kinda doubt that you have the bias correct. Or perhaps you got the lines crossed.

Which master do you have? what year is the cruiser. Do you have a booster?

You should not get that much front end dive. My cruiser is super soft and I do not get much if any brake dive.

Plus something else is wrong if your hitting your tie rod o nthe springs when braking. Imagine what will happen with flex!!!

It does sound like the front brakes are trying to do all the work doesn't it.
As far as bias goes,I was assuming that since my proportioning valve was adjusted correctly before,that it should be ok now.
I guess thats bad thinking....I'll re-adjust that.

The cruiser is a '72
The master and booster are '90 supra (15/16 ths bore,4 whl disc model) SSB adjustable prop valve

I had bled the rear brakes with a Mity-Vac unit.I'l l rebleed all 4 whls the old "pump the pedal "way and see if the rears work a little better.

As far as flex goes,I did flex it out a bit using a friends tow truck.
We raised each front wheel individually using the wheel lift on the truck.We just lifted till one of the rears came off the ground.Poor mans ramp test:D
I didn't notice any problems at the tierod,but then again I was more concerned with measuring for D-line length at the time.

Thanks for the input Jason,I'll go check things out and get back later
Bill

Bill,
You mentioned that these lift spring that you used in the front were originally rear lift springs.

When I put my rear lift springs up front they sagged out completely. This is mainly due to the softer spring rates for rear springs as compared to front springs. The front springs are designed to deal with that boat anchor I-6:p

I'm guessing you are getting a massive amount of spring wrap cause they are rear lift springs. :confused:

I was wondering if that could be a problem???
But you wouldn't think the could be that soft.
Scott put these same springs on his rig.(All 4 corners tho)I'll see if he can make the same thing happen to his.He is running the F-motor still.

If the springs were too soft,he would have seen some problems by now.
I have to get out of the house and check this out.
It's too nice of a day to waste in the basement

:D :D :D

Bill,
Another thought occurred to me (ow! that hurt:D ) How tight are your u-bolts. I've had my rear ones come loose very slightly but it was enough to have a solid clunk in the rear of the cruiser. It went away when I tightened the u-bolts 1/2 turn.

U-bolts are still tight.
New developments ..........

I had a friend drive while I watched.

The tie rod is NOT hitting the spring,(He was wrong there)BUT the axle is still rotating,
the pinion is rotating up about 4" and the shackle is swinging back which lets the spring eye hit the frame.That was the clunk I heard and felt.

I forgot to mention that I had installed a shackle reversal kit earlier.So the front shackles are now at the rear of the springs.
I re-bled the brakes and tested on gravel and pavement and the bias and function are fine.(This was done a few years ago and there was no problem with the stock springs hitting.)I am also using stock shackles up front.(Appx. 2 3/4" eye to eye)

So,That brings us back to the same question....Why??
Dave, I am leaning towards your theory that the spring rate is to light,but then again like Jason M said,his springs are super soft and he hasn't much dive.

Anybody out there have any more ideas????

I guess I could add a leaf from my old springs and see if that would help.

If your spring eye hits your frame under compression, your SR needs work. You could start with a longer shackle, that would be the easiest fix, but may mess up your caster. If the front end is diving when you brake that seems like a porportioning issue, regardless of the testing you've done the real world results indicate you are braking a lot more in the front than the back. See if you can toggle the diving front end with porportioning valve adjustments.