Toyota Chevy 63" Spring Swap Kits

Also see:

• The Guide to the Chevy 63" Spring Swap for Toyota Trucks, 4Runners, and Tacomas

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With some $50 Chevy 63s from the U-Pull-It and some welding, you can have 2-4" of soft-riding, super-flexy lift for your Toyota pickup, 4Runner, or Tacoma. Swapping 63" long Chevy 1/2 ton leaf springs onto the rear of a Toyota has become a quick way of getting low lift without spending big bucks. Some people even add some low blocks or Chevy lift springs to give them a little boost in the rear.

Here's your predicament: You like working on your rig, but you work on your rig so that you can take it on the trail. You also like money, and when you see the prices out there for some lift kits, your mind assplodes. And then you see it: the Chevy 63" spring swap. Cheap lift springs from the junkyard. You just need to fab up a zillion brackets and weld them on your rig.


Now some of us like to spend hours in the shop measuring, cutting, fitting, re-cutting, re-fitting, tack welding, and so on, but you might prefer to spend more of your valuable time out on the trail. Perhaps there is a compromise solution?


Yes, yes there is. Toyota Chevy 63" spring swaps kits. 


You can get a kit that will include a varying number of parts to suit your fab skills and your willingness to do fab work. All of these kits are weld-on, and depending on what year springs you get, you may have to enlarge some spring pin holes. Of course, this is a ton less work than fabricating all the parts yourself, which means that you can get on the trail faster.

We have a ton of info about Chevy 63" springs, parts you can use, some measurements, and some thoughts on installation in our Chevy 63" Swap Guide.


We're going to do two things in this article: show you some kits and the parts they have and also give you a parts list so you can pick and choose exactly what you need. The "bare bones" kits are perfect if you have a big junk pile to pick stuff from. Pick the all-inclusive kit if you don't want to be bothered with any part-hunting.


Toyota Chevy 63" Swap Parts List

If you want to buy individual parts, here is the basic parts list that you'll need. You'll have to find the leaf springs on your own. You can buy them new (pricey!) but we suggest hunting around. Make sure you pick the correct years and tonnage of Chevy trucks.

• Front leaf spring hangers
• Rear shackle hangers
• Shackles - (5"-6" long)
• Leaf spring pins/bolts - 1/2", 9/16", or 5/8"
  
• U-bolts - 5/8" x 10" long x 3" wide
  
• Spring plates
• Extended brakelines for your whole rig or just the rear
  
• Lower shock mounts
  
• Shocks - Measure first!
  
• Bumpstops
  
• Leaf spring bushings - '88-'98 poly or '98+ poly
  

Toyota Chevy 63" Spring Swap Kits

There are a few kits that we like for swapping Chevy 63" leaves into your Toyota. They range from pretty much just shackles and hangers to a full-on setup including shocks. However, none of the kits includes extended brake lines or bumpstops. A few people also need to add shims or rotate their spring perches to improve the rear pinion angle.

So, here we go from least parts to most parts:

RuffStuff Specialties 63" Chevy Spring Swap Kit - SIMPLEST



RuffStuff 63" Chevy Spring Swap Kit Parts

Front leaf spring hangers	Yes
Rear shackle hangers	Yes
Shackles	4”-7” configurable
Leaf spring pins/bolts	9/16”
U-bolts
Spring plates
Shock mounts
Shocks
Extended brake line
Bumpstops

This is RuffStuff's simplest kit for installing Chevy 63s. If you have a bunch of parts, this takes care of some of the more time consuming fabrication. This kit does the bare minimum and will let you get your springs hung quickly. The shackle length is configurable with RuffStuff recommending 5" for this kit.

The front leaf spring hangers are the RuffStuff "frenched", ramped hangers and can be sunk into the frame for more clearance at the front.


Check price on Amazon

Barnes 4WD 63 GM Leaf Spring Swap Kit - PARTLY CONFIGURABLE



Barnes 63 GM Leaf Spring Swap Kit Parts

Front leaf spring hangers	Yes
Rear shackle hangers	Yes
Shackles	4”-6” configurable
Leaf spring pins/bolts	9/16”
U-bolts	10” x configurable
Spring plates	3/8” thick
Shock mounts
Shocks
Extended brake line
Bumpstops

This kit from Barnes is hefty and has heavy duty parts like the RuffStuff kits. The shackle length and axle tube diameter is configurable like the RuffStuff Ideal kit below, but Barnes has fewer options. We'd like to see a ramped front spring hanger here, but this is still a solid option to get Chevy 63s on your Yota.


Check price on Amazon

RuffStuff Specialties Ideal 63" Chevy Spring Swap Kit - MOST CONFIGURABLE



RuffStuff Ideal 63" Chevy Spring Swap Kit Parts

Front leaf spring hangers	Yes
Rear shackle hangers	Yes
Shackles	4”-7” configurable
Leaf spring pins/bolts	9/16”
U-bolts	10” x 5/8” x configurable
Spring plates	3/8” thick
Shock mounts	lower
Shocks
Extended brake line
Bumpstops

The RuffStuff Ideal kit is both the most configurable kit and has the thickest materials. The spring plates and shackles are 3/8" and the U-bolts are 5/8". The spring plates are multi-drilled for the spring pin to allow you to move your axle forward or back. The shackles come in 4", 5", 6", or 7" and the U-bolt size can be changed if you're using a larger axle tube, like a 14 bolt.

The RuffStuff kit has the "frenched" hangers which you can set into your frame for increased clearance. We really like that the hangers are ramped to make it easier for them to slide over obstacles.

You can even easily add in some spring perches if you want need to rotate your pinion a bit or just beef up the perches.

Check price on RuffStuff Specialties

Sky Manufacturing Toyota Chevy 63" Spring Swap Kit - MOST COMPLETE



Sky Toyota Chevy 63" Spring Swap Kit Parts

Front leaf spring hangers	Yes
Rear shackle hangers	Yes
Shackles	6”
Leaf spring pins/bolts	1/2” and 9/16”
U-bolts	9/16”
Spring plates	1/4” thick
Shock mounts	upper and lower
Shocks	2
Extended brake line
Bumpstops

The parts in this kit are a little lighter duty than the above kits, but you get almost everything you need to do a Chevy 63 swap. The U-bolts and spring plates are both thinner than the Barnes and RuffStuff kits. One thing we really like is that Sky includes an upper shock mount and shocks. This way you don't need to spend time worrying too much about shock position and length measuring. The front hangers are ramped, but they aren't boxed like the RuffStuff hangers.

This is a good kit if you need to spend as little time as possible gathering parts.


Check price on Sky Manufacturing

About the Parts

Whew! This swap needs a lot of parts. Of course, for any lift, that's about what you need. There are ways to be creative and save some coin, so read on.


Front Leaf Spring Hangers

The fastest way to make these is with 1/4" wall x 3.5" square tube with one side cut out. Chevy leaf springs are 3" wide with bushings, so the springs will slide right into the square tube. Make sure to cut out the side with the seam! Angle the tube so that the hanger can slide over rocks, otherwise you'll be getting hung up on the trail. Every Toyota-Chevy 63 "swap kit includes front leaf hangers.

Rear Shackle Hangers

We usually make these out of square or rectangular tubing. The strongest hangers are fully boxed, so we'll weld two pieces of square tube together and then drill through the seam with a hole saw to make space for the shackle tube. The shackle tube needs to be sized correctly and also perfectly square at the ends. Frankly, this is a lot easier to buy than it is to make! Every Toyota-Chevy 63 "swap kit includes these hangers.


Shackles

Shackles are easy! We'd go with 3/8" thick x 2" wide steel. Make the end holes 5-6" apart on center. Size the holes appropriately: either 1/2", 9/16", or 5/8". Spring swap kits will usually either include 5" or 6" shackles. Either is a good length to keep your Chevy leaves from inverting.


Spring and Shackle Pins

Again, these will be 1/2", 9/16", or 5/8". What sizes you use depends on the year of the springs and what size hole your upper shackle has. These should be Grade 8. When you size the bolts, ideally the threads are not bearing any load. The shackle plates and spring hanger holes should not be over the bolt threads. This means you need unthreaded bolt shanks of ~3.5" and ~3.75". Cut off excess bolt thread. 


Read this carefully! Kit hardware is either 1/2” or 9/16”. The stock Chevy 63” spring bolt holes are either 9/16” or 5/8”. If you use '99+ springs you'll probably need to buy some 5/8" bolts and drill your hangers and shackles.

Kit hardware

Kit hardware come in 1/2” and 9/16” for a couple reasons. First, kit parts might be used for other purposes. For instance, the front spring hangers with 1/2” holes above will fit other domestic springs, so you could use another spring that fit if you wanted. Second, the rear shackle hanger may use a common and easily-replaced bushing, such as a Jeep Wrangler leaf spring bushing. This bushing takes a 1/2” bolt. For a kit with a 1/2” spring hanger bolt hole, you’ll need to drill it at least to 9/16” to use it with Chevy 63”s.

63” Chevy leaf spring bolt sizes

‘88-‘98 springs take a 9/16” bolt. ‘99 and up springs take a 5/8” bolt. It’s a little unclear whether all ‘99+ springs have 5/8” bolts as the most commonly used springs are the ‘88-‘98 ones. The later springs are still perfectly fine to use but you need to be aware of the hardware differences. If you buy a kit, and your springs take a 5/8” bolt, you’ll need to:

1. Drill out your front hanger and lower shackle holes to 5/8”.
2. Buy 4 5/8” bolts to attach the front and rear of your springs.

9/16” or 5/8” drill bits can be easily had for $10-$20. You should get one with a 1/2” shank, and you’ll need a 1/2” drill (preferably a drill press) to run either one.

U-Bolts and Spring Plates

Stock rear Toyota leaf springs use an upside-down, squared-style U-bolt to clamp the leaf spring to the axle. The U-bolt threads point at the ground, which makes them catch on things under the axle tube and also messes up the screw threads.


You cannot safely reuse the stock Toyota U-bolts and spring plates for Chevy 63s because they won't fit properly. Instead you need a U-bolt with a true "U" shape that will point the threads up and spring plates that are sized for the U-bolts. Some Chevy 63 swap kits include U-bolts and spring plates.

9/16" or 5/8" are both sufficient for U-bolt diameter. Toyota axle tubes are about 2 7/8" in diameter, so you should use a 3" wide U-bolt. The U-bolt needs to be long enough to account for the axle diameter, spring perch, Chevy 63 leaf pack thickness, spring plate thickness, heavy washers, and heavy nuts. A 10" long U-bolt does the trick and can be cut down once you're happy with the setup.

The spring plates should be 1/4" - 3/8" thick. 1/4" thick plates should have some kind of reinforcement, like a bend. If you make these, remember: while the U-bolt diameter may only be 9/16" or 5/8", you should drill a 1/16" or so larger so that it's easier to put everything together.





Extended Brake Lines

We haven't seen any Toyota 63" kit that includes extended brake lines. Because of the huge increase in flex you'll be getting, you need longer brake lines for your Toyota. If you don't replace the rear rubber soft line, which is about 19" long, you'll risk pulling it apart and losing brake pressure. This will probably ruin your day. You have two options here:

1. Replace front and rear brake lines: Assuming you aren't lifting only the rear of your Toy, you're probably going to need front brake lines as well. You can get "short" extended lines for 2-4" of lift or "long" extended lines if you think you'll need the extra travel.
2. Replace only the rear brake line: Trail-Gear offers a 26" long rear brake line (comes in the "long" option above) individually. Beyond that, you're probably looking at getting a custom brake line made up.
   




Shock Mounts and Shocks

The factory shock mounts are on the old Toyota spring plate. Some Toyota-Chevy swap kits include shock mounts, and some let you make your own. Since you're eliminating that, you need a way to connect shocks to the axle tube. You can easily fab up some shock mounts that can be welded to the axle. Make sure your shocks won't bind by cycling your suspension before you final-weld everything. Shocks usually take a 1/2" bolt.


You need extended shocks. If shocks don't come in the kit, you'll have to measure full extension and compression.


Bumpstops

Bumpstops are another item that don't come in any Chevy 63 kit. Some people do run without bumpstops, but you run the risk of bending your Chevy springs.


The factory bumpstops are attached to the Toy spring with the U-bolts. Since you're eliminating this setup, you need to figure something out.


To keep costs down, you can weld some tube to the bottom of the bumpstop and weld that to the frame. Again you'll need to measure to find the right height for the tube. The Chevy leaves can go negative, but if they go really negative on a regular basis you'll wear them out or bend them.


Spring Eye Bushings

You don't need to get bushings unless the ones in your Chevy springs are worn out. If you can, get leaf springs with good bushings. If not, you can separately buy new bushings. '88-'98 bushings are different from '99+ bushings. All Chevy 63 kits do come with bushings already installed in the shackle hanger, so you only need to worry about spring bushings.