Toyota 4Runner Rear Shock Mount MinuteMod

By: Anthony Lim - June '04

When I was working on the rear suspension of my second generation 4Runner to match the height of the front SAS, I had to get longer shocks. I love the Rancho 9000 shocks, but the size I needed was not made with the upper bolt mount configuration. Allen Dickenson suggested ordering a set of brackets from Southern Offroad. I tried using it as is and found out that it limited my up travel.

I basically took this off-the-shelf product and drilled a hole to mount it horizontally. I marked the hole to be drilled by positioning it where I wanted it, then marked the hole from the top of the shock mount. Having a 2" body lift helped a lot - but it can be done without the body lift by eyeballing the fit.

Make sure you have enough room for the socket because you'll be tightening the nut after you mount the shock to the bracket. Once the hole is drilled, install the shock eye to the bracket loosely. This needs to be done first because there won't be enough room for you to insert the shock bolt after you install the bracket. You might need to insert the spacer into the bushing so the bolt will fit nicely. Tighten the bracket to the original mounting hole. You need to use a wrench on the top and tighten it with a socket wrench on the bottom.

With this bracket, I can have unlimited choice of shocks. I ended up using the Rancho 99012.

In the first picture, you can see the redrilled upper eye-type shock mount. This allows the proper length shock to be used, and opens up options for different shock brands to be selected.