DIY: OME FJ Rear Trim spacer install notes

[sequoia10]

Warning, don't check your rear suspension lean (towards driver side, unless of course you have left hand drive HiLux Surf or you may very well find yourself installing this cheap (about $15) spacer on your truck.


I had exactly 10mm lean towards driver side on rear suspension after installing Toytec ultimate lift. OME FJ rear trim spacer made rear suspension to be perfectly level (within 1mm or so).


Installation was surprisingly easy, just need basic tools and couple heavy duty portable spring compressors (found mine in Amazon for about $30).

1. Park truck on level ground and engage parking brake (don't forget wheel shocks on front wheel(s) for safety)
2. Remove spare (to gain access to rear suspension)
3. Install spring compressors (on driver side rear spring) and tighten until snug, see pic:

4. Lift up rear and put on jack stands (remember to loosen lug nuts on rear wheels first though)
5. Remove wheels and put floor jack below rear diff to support it.
6. Disconnect rear stabilizer bar on both sides
7. Loosen (or remove) top nut of rear shocks.
8. Use floor jack to jack up rear differential to compress springs as much as possible (stop when you feel car starting to lift off from the jack stands)
9. Tighten spring compressors little bit through the wheel well (that should keep you safe if they were to fail (I would not go under the truck to tighten them)
10. Lower the jack slowly to unload suspension (you may need to leave jack supporting rear diff slightly, if it looks like break lines are getting tight)
11. Slide bottom or rear spring out towards the disc brake (if it doesn't come out go back to step 8. and tighten them bit more) just slightly.
12. Slide the OME trim spacer above the spring and push spring back in to place (careful not to put your fingers ever above the spring, in case compressors where to fail)
13. Jack up rear diff again to compress springs and release some of the tension on the spring compressors.
14. Carefully loosen the spring compressors and remove them.

15. Re-tighten shock top nuts and reconnect stabilizer bar on both sides.
16. Put wheels back and put truck back to ground...

 

[j-dub]

Thanks for these helpful instructions. I just added a OME 10mm trim spacer to the drivers side rear of my 5th Gen 4Runner after using Bilsteins to level the front. This was the ticket to even the ride height from side to side and it was super easy to install.

Since I was only adding it to one side, I only removed the anti-sway bar link and the lower shock eyelet on the drivers side. Jacked up the frame right in front of the rear tire till the rear tire was just barely off the ground and the spring was already loose. I used one spring compressor to slightly compress the spring and added the spacer. Slowly lowered the vehicle till I could re-attach the rear shock, lowered all the way and re-attached the anti-sway bar link. Tighten the two fasteners and done. I took me longer to get the tools out than to do the install.