Suspension or front steel bumper first?

[str8flexed]

I am putting on new suspension including new UCA as well as a front steel bumper and winch (approx 200lb total). The front springs I have are:

Dobinsons C59-352 - 200-240LBS heavy load front weight, 2.0-2.25" lift. 385/385mm, 18mm wire, 730LB

Which should I do first? I was thinking of doing the bumper first, and yes it will sag a little, and then the suspension the next weekend. Then an alignment right after the suspension install.

Reasoning is: if I do the suspension first then maybe the ride height will be high at 2.5-3”, and at this height the CV angles and everything will be stressed, and then after the bumper install I might even need a second alignment for the now reduced height?

Or, will it be okay to ride high and stiff for a week? I don’t want to have to do two alignments.

 

[srsrogerissrs]

Bumper -> Suspension -> Alignment.

 

[str8flexed]

So far, most have said to do the suspension first.

Well, does the ride height on the springs affect the alignment?

For example, I will align it after the suspension, but then adding the front bumper it will sag it from 3” (??) to the 2-2.25”. Will I need to realign?

 

[tacoyota]

why not just install the bumper first? Then when you install your suspension, you can setup how many inches of lift you want to run and get an alignment. Changing your ride height should not affect your alignment drastically, maybe just a little camber.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Bumper, suspension & alignment

If extra weight or a dip in the road or hard braking changed the alignment then the tires would pull one way or another any time any of these happened. Adding weight shouldn't change the alignment.

But if you're going to do the suspension lift the following weekend then doing the alignment last is the easy way and it won't make much difference which way you do it.

It took me 8 days straight, working 8 to 10 hours a day to install my ICON Stage 7 lift. Plan on it taking more than a weekend. Gather all your notes on instructions, torque settings and how to guides before you start. I watched a few videos and studied my notes before I began.

Make arrangements to support the front wheel hub as you remove the OEM UCA. Don't let the wheel spindle, axle and brake drop or you'll break the ABS brake sensor line. I used blocks of wood and string line to support it.

 

[str8flexed]

That sounds like a crazy amount of time! I thought it takes most people maybe 4-7 hours to do everything? That’s with two people I suppose.

I can’t take more than a weekend since it’s a DD.....

 

[mrblah]

Ideally u want to add weight before you mess with your suspension, but since we don’t live in an ideal world, do what you want but just know what limitations you are working with, and go from there.

 

[Xtremluck]

That sounds like a crazy amount of time! I thought it takes most people maybe 4-7 hours to do everything? That’s with two people I suppose.

I can’t take more than a weekend since it’s a DD.....

It took me about 8 hrs to install my Icon CDCV suspension setup by myself (Basically Stage 7 minus the rear LCAs and hydro bump stops). I had access to a shop lift though. It's pretty straightforward

 

[DesertCanyons]

Fast times on the lift

It took me about 8 hrs to install my Icon CDCV suspension setup by myself (Basically Stage 7 minus the rear LCAs and hydro bump stops). I had access to a shop lift though. It's pretty straightforward

You made really good time for doing all four wheels. Having a lift and being a seasoned mechanic really helps. I'm a bit of a newbie at auto mechanics but I figure things out really well before I start. I was working on my garage floor with a floor jack, several bottle jacks, 5 or 6 jack stands and an old rug pad to lay on. Knee pads help and so do work gloves.

I had a lot of work to do with the 4 trailing arms and track bar on the rear axle. If your truck has KDSS it adds a level of difficulty. Read some threads here about installing a lift with KDSS. Before I could start I had to cut off the front skid plate because the Toyota dealer had over-torqued the bolts with their impact wrench after doing the "free oil change". That took a while and a couple of trips to the tool shack. I also added 1/4" rubber wheel well liners to the back wheel wells to close the gap between the body and frame and cover the CDCV remote reservoirs and still make them accessible for adjustment. That came out really nicely.

Read the instructions well. Make notes of the torque settings and anything else you learn. I printed the thread on KDSS because it had a lot of installation info on it. I kept a notebook full of ICON instructions, KDSS instructions and suspension illustrations with torque settings. I had it on a table where I was working. Watch some videos and notice the tools they use. Have all the tools ready in advance. Be safe and place jack stands below everything you lift. Do one axle at a time. Do the front one weekend and the back the next, unless you get the front done in under 5 hours or so.

Check fender heights over the center of the wheel before you start and when you finish. Write it down for each wheel and compare to the finished lift. If there's lean after the lift you'll be adjusting the front springs or adding spacers on the rear springs.

 

[3wbdriver]

I installed my SSO bumper and winch first and drove around on factory springs for about 3 months before I could get around to upgrading the front coils. It sagged about 3/4" and rode a little softer but not objectionably so. I never felt I was in danger of losing control. Of course my setup only totaled ~130 pounds. Yours sounds heavier. So if it's only a week between sessions I would go with the suspension first. Your alignment won't really be hurt by driving around with it slightly off for a week, so if you want to wait until you have the bumper installed to do an alignment you should be ok. It may pull slightly one direction or the other but unless you are commuting 100 miles a day each way you're not hurting anything.

Unplug your ABS sensors and fold back the wire holder for the ABS wire while doing the suspension install. This will allow enough slack so the wire should be okay. But there are no guarantees on that. Sometimes the mere act of uncrimping that bracket from the wire is enough to throw off its resistance and require replacement.