Steve's budget lift: Tundra 5100's, stock front springs, rear daystar 1.5" spacer
 

So like the thread title says, I'm making a thread about my budget ~1.5" suspension lift. Originally I had wanted to do a full 3" lift but after adding up all the extra parts/etc that I would need to make it right I decided to be a guinea pig for running the STOCK '00 front springs on the tundra struts and using the adjustability to gain a mild lift (and thus avoid buying front springs).

What precipitated this is I had a loud clunk going on in the front end of my truck and after digging around under it, it was obvious the lower shock bushings were trashed. My wife and I also have some pretty huge expenses coming up as I go back to school so I didn't want to spend a lot. Enter the Tundra 5100.

What I did:

-Tundra 5100 front shocks: 24-188265
-Tundra 5100 rear shocks: 24-100144
-Daystar 1.5" rear spring spacer kit: KT09107BK
-STOCK '00 front springs

I wanted to leave myself head room for a future more substantial lift, and I got a REALLY good deal on the 5100's on Jet.com (275 shipped) thus why I picked them up. I had read a some posts here and there about how people had successfully paired the tundra front 5100s with stock springs. I figured I would post this up to put the debate to an end once and for all: they fit, perfectly. I put the tundra 5100's on the middle spring perch setting and gained tentatively around 1.25" of lift. The ride is much better, noticeably firmer but not harsh. More like a car, and less nose dive on braking.

As of this post I haven't put on the rear spacers or the 5100's out back yet, but I will update it as I finish this project. I know there is a lot of people saying don't get the spacer lift for the rear, but I figured for $40 off of amazon I would give it a shot with these other parts. I know I will need to extend my bumpstops due to the longer compressed length of the tundra rear shocks. I don't plan on trying to stuff my wheels far into my wheel wells, so if I lose some compression-travel I'm ok with that. I'm not worried about losing a spring at "full droop" since I rarely go offroad, mostly in the fall when hunting.

Things I ran into and what you may have to do to get this to fit if you want to do this setup as well:

-use the stock bottle jack to push the upper control arm down FAR like stated in the other lift threads
-You will still likely need to pry up on the bottom of the shock even doing the above trick to get the lower shock bolt through
-Use spring compressors, you don't have to compress the stock springs that much to get them to fit onto the tundra shocks
-I tried the "no spring compressor" method initially, but gave up on it. I'm glad I did, but it was NOT working for me and I'm not scared of spring compressors, I've used them many times before.
-You will have to "shave" the top rubber spacer that goes on top of the top hat (between the top hat and the big washer on the top) to easily get the top nut on. I trimmed it down after looking at the 4runner rubber bushings, they are about 3-4mm shorter in height than the ones that come with the tundra struts. I just used a sharp knife to cut it. Worked like a charm and everything went together fast.
-Took only about a couple hours after I stopped trying to avoid the spring compressors.

I have a 1.5" body lift on my truck as well. I tried to go that route to clear my tires after a new set of wheels started causing some rubbing issues. I'm hoping another ~1.25" in the front will help rubbing at full lock on the bolts for the mud flaps near the pinchweld.

I know there has been a lot of questions about using stock springs on tundra struts in the front, so I figured I would put this to rest. I love the way the front feels now and I got a little lift for cheap. I will update if I run into any issues.

-Steve

Any pics ?

I don't have any decent ones yet but I will post up once I'm done.

Just got the rear spacer installed last night, still waiting on the 5100 shock bushings to put those on. The truck sits just about perfectly level. The rear driver's side is about ~1/2" higher than the rear passenger side right now. I Might get a trim packer to raise the passenger side up a tad if it settles out and remains the same.

Thoughts on the rear spacer install:
-I used a pair of regular jackstands and they were too short to hold the truck up by the frame just in front of the rear wheels. I ended up supporting it all the way in the back on the trailer hitch and it worked fine.
-I used the stock bottle jack to help lever the rear axle so I could get the springs out, I didn't need to unhook the panhard bar, I only unbolted the swaybar at the frame mounting points (the nuts with the bushings you can see right behind the wheel) not the mounts on the axle to save time.
-My rear shocks came out easy since I had the body lift to give me room to work, I used the SpeedyGarage tip of holding the ratchet in place up top but twisting the dust cover to unscrew the nut. Worked like a charm.
-I didn't need to unbolt the brake lines/etc.
-I had to get creative once the spacer was installed to work each corner of the axle up and shim it off the floor to get my big craftsman jack back under the pumpkin and lift the truck back up. Again this is because my small craftsman jack stands weren't tall enough. I will be investing in taller stands for working on the truck in the future.

Once I get the shocks installed I will report back on the ride, but I know the front firmed up nicely and rode way better.

-Steve

Just to add an update to this thread again, I put on the rear tundra 5100s the other day. Still have yet to do anything to extend my bumps stops yet but so far I absolutely LOVE the way it rides. This is how it should have been from the factory. I guess my old struts were in worse shape than I thought. The front end firmed up nicely, but definitely not harsh at all around town. The rear isn't nearly as wallow-y. Right now it looks like I have right around 1/4 - 1/2" of rake. I don't have any hub to fender measurements yet but will post some up with a pic soon, but like I said earlier it looks like I gained around 1 - 1 1/4" up front at the middle setting with factory 00' springs. Considering I have barely over 300 into this setup I am very happy with the results. With this on top of my 1.5" body lift gets me exactly where I wanted to be without needing hundreds in extra parts. :pimp:

-Steve

A quick shot in the garage. It sits about 36" ground to fender F/R. Don't hate on my tiny snow tires too much, I bought them before body/suspension lift so they didn't look that bad at stock height. They're 245's, I got a good deal on them.

this is great, im running stock coils up front and they work well with the tundra adjustable shocks.

Looks good.

Thanks for the work and info, this sounds like a great option for a mild lift.

What was the final cost for you on this lift?

When you say stock front 2000 springs, tundra or 4runner?

I just finished almost the same lift last night. I still have the rear to do. Went with the tundra bilsteins all around and TRD tundra coils upfront.

About $315 bucks.

I used the stock 2000 4runner front springs.

-Steve

Anybody used 99 coils on the 5100?

coils
 

I'm running 99 coils on 5100's on the bottom setting for a 1 inch lift. About to change them out with non trd tundra coils for a 2 inch lift.

As a followup to the ride, it has softened up a bit and honestly I couldn't tell much difference from the stock ride at this point. The damping on the tundra 5100's is good for the factory 4runner springs. My clunk in the front end is still around, so I have a set of whiteline LCA bushings on order along with new front lower ball joints (why not while I'm in there, peace of mind) and steering rack guide. Again, might as well do it since I have the 'old style' and I just want to pay for 1 alignment. Most of the rubber on the truck is dry/cracking so I'm not surprised I have to do the LCA bushings, plus with the extra strain put on them while installing the new front suspension, the clunk has gotten a lot worse. Plus while I have the LCA's off I can wire wheel them up and slap a coat of chassis paint on them to cover up some rust that's starting.

-Steve