Leveling Lift Finally Complete (pics)

[climb.on]

I finally found an evening that I could focus on doing this lift. Big thanks to everyone here for the various write ups and responses to my questions. I doubt I would have attempted this job without all the great info on this site. I hope this little writeup contributes to the cause.

I love doing this kind of thing myself. It always feels great to accomplish these projects -not to mention the money we save by doing it ourselves!

I leveled the front with 1" spacers (2"lift) from HERE . I decided to use these instead of the Daystars because I could skip a couple steps, by not having to fully compress the springs and press the old bolts out (as is needed with Daystars). I actually had bought the Daystars and decided to use these instead. (I have my Daystars for sale if anyone is interested). With this kit I still had to compress the springs, but only slightly just so I could rotate the strut so the new bolts would line up.

JA's WRITE UP was really helpful too. Although I found I didn't need to disconnect the steering linkage, or the ball joints either.

I went ahead and disconnected the XREAS too. THIS THREAD indicates where it is safe to disconnect it and it worked perfectly. I only lost about 2 drops of fluid. Here are a bunch of pics of the job, before and after.

It took me about 5 hours with a break for dinner and a couple phone calls.

My measurements:
Before: 33" in front and 35.75" in the rear.
After: 35.125" in front and 35.75" in the rear.
I gained just a tad over 2" which was exactly what i was looking for.

Like many others have said it didn't effect the ride, and I also notice the nose seems much higher from the drivers seat.

Before:

After:

In Progress:

Instead of separating the ball joint - removed these 2 bolts:

Disconnected XREAS:

Disconnected XREAS (shock side):

Swaybar Moved:

Spacer I Used:

Spacer Installed:

Another After Shot:

 

[eskimochaos]

Looks great, is the running board now higher in the front than the back?

That's my main concern with a leveling kit especially after you put some weight in the rear - your going to have some sag which looks silly imo.

Looks great empty lol!

 

[triguy74]

looks good man! i think that's the ticket for me...thanks for posting!

 

[purrfactor]

that looks great!

 

[climb.on]

Looks great, is the running board now higher in the front than the back?

That's my main concern with a leveling kit especially after you put some weight in the rear - your going to have some sag which looks silly imo.

Looks great empty lol!

...and mine will look great full too! Since, I have rear air suspension I don't have to worry about the rear end sagging even when I am towing - I load 'er up and she just levels that baby out (I love that).

I measured the running board height. The front is 1/2" higher than the back. I feel, the running board height difference is barely noticeable, even if you are looking for it.

I also may consider an attempt at raising the "programed height" of the rear ride height sensors by a 1/2" to or so. I read somewhere about HOW to do this, although I don't think I have seen anyone actually HAS done it. So we'll see.

 

[Tego]

Hows the ride after the lift?

 

[climb.on]

Hows the ride after the lift?

No noticeable difference in the ride. The only thing different that I notice is that the nose of the truck is higher as seen from the drivers seat.

 

[Tego]

No noticeable difference in the ride. The only thing different that I notice is that the nose of the truck is higher as seen from the drivers seat.

Noticeable or no?

 

[climb.on]

Noticeable or no?

No difference in ride.

 

[Tego]

No difference in ride.

Thanks a lot!!!

Its all your fault I'm ordering the kit now...lol! Hopefully he ships to Canada. :bigok:

 

[srfive]

Looking good! I like the stance.
Did you get an alignment after the lift?

 

[Forenaftrunner]

I may have to do the same. Huge improvement in looks. Great pics too.

 

[climb.on]

Looking good! I like the stance.
Did you get an alignment after the lift?

Yes, I just got the alignment yesterday. Although I didn't notice that it was pulling or anything, the report showed it was definitely out of alignment.

Thanks a lot!!!
Its all your fault I'm ordering the kit now...lol! Hopefully he ships to Canada.

An impact wrench will help significantly and a good spring compressor, floor jack, and jackstands are a must. Good luck with the project!

 

[srfive]

Yes, I just got the alignment yesterday. Although I didn't notice that it was pulling or anything, the report showed it was definitely out of alignment.

Cool, thanks for the heads up.
This will definitely be my future mod! :bigok:

 

[Jinxman]

Where'd you purchase your 1" lift from? I've got an 05 Limited with the rear air suspension and I like the way yours looks. Did you get the full 2 inch increase in oil pan clearance?

Thanks.

 

[dwulffusa]

Looks great. Now throw on a full face black manik grill guard and taillight guards.!

 

[climb.on]

Where'd you purchase your 1" lift from? I've got an 05 Limited with the rear air suspension and I like the way yours looks. Did you get the full 2 inch increase in oil pan clearance?

Thanks.

The title of the eBay auction was: "Toyota FJ Cruiser 2" LIFT LEVELING KIT 05 06 07 08"

The seller's username is blacktunaroll. He still is selling lift kits but I didn't see the exact one I had bought. I notified him that his kit would (and did) work on my 4-runner, but I don't know if he ever changed his listing to reflect that. He was cool, and responded to my initial questions about fit, so I would just contact him and see if he still has them.

Not sure about the added clearance on the oil pan, since I never did before/after measurements on the oil pan. But if it is on the same plane as the 2 fenders (where I DID do my before/after measurements) then I believe the oil pan would have gained the same clearance as the fender. If it is forward of the fender then it would be more, back of the fender it would be less. Probably pretty close to 2" anyway.

Good luck!

 

[Jinxman]

Thanks for the help. I've been looking at doing this and your post with the pics has made me decide to do it myself. I'll look that guy up on ebay but might just go with the Daystar kit anyway. My 4R is a grocery getter for the most part with a few offroad situations for back country fishing.

Thanks!

 

[Tacomaa1]

2

just bought 2" front level spacer from ebay motors store username giftmimore if anyone is still looking for a 1" thick spacer........i emailed the seller and they confirmed that it's 1" thick for the total of 2" of lift.... already installed 17" TRD Sport Rims with yokohama Geolander ATS 265-70-17 tires 32" tall to replace my 16" SR5 rims with the stock 265 70 16 firestone tires......... my wife had bought me 1.5" thick spacer and i figured i would make me high in the front of Runner so went and found the 1" thick one........

 

[Tulsot]

Tacomaa1

I'm looking for a true 2" front 1" rear and noticed Giftmimore on Ebay. Are you happy with your spacers?