Getting the Toyota FJ Cruiser ready for the 2012 season included some rear suspension repairs and upgrades. First, one of the Walker Evans shock was leaking. Working with All Pro Off Road they sent me replacement shock for the rear. Second, I have been running All Pro heavy or 3.5 inch lift springs in the rear. With the loads that I carry I have felt that these springs were to soft and had to much sag. To remedy this I ordered a set of heavy springs from ARB USA to replace the All Pro Springs.
Evidence of blown seal in shock
This repair requires the rear of the FJ to be jacked high and jack stands to be placed under the frame so the rear axle can be dropped to get the springs free. Both the lower links and the panhard arm needed to be disconnected from the axle to allow it to drop low enough.
Ready to lower axle
Disconnecting Panhard rod
With the axle lowered and the top nut removed from the shocks the shock were fully extended and easy to remove. With the old shocks off I moved on to replacing the springs. I still needed to push down on the axle to get enough clearance to be able to remove the old springs.
ARB on Left, All Pro on Right
The ARB springs are about 1/2″ shorter than the All Pro so it was easier to slide them back into place. It is key at this point to ensure that the top of the spring and bump stop are seated correctly and that the bottom of the spring is lined up in the bottom seat. After the new springs were in place I installed the new shocks.
Installation Complete
With the springs and shock installed it was time to reconnect the lower links and panhard rod. At this point the axle needs to be jacked back up to get all the bolt holes to line up. I aways carry the suspension portion of the service manual with the FJ so I got this out and set the torque correctly on all the bolts that I had removed.
With the FJ back on the ground there now appears to be less rear sag. It took about 1.5 hours to complete this service.
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