Yet Another LIFT Question Thread...

[foyaboya]

Haha.. No. The reasoning behind that was I took off my wheel and found one of the links broken--snapped in half! I had no idea that it was broken or how long its been like that, but I decided now was a good time to get it replaced! And if you replace one you gotta replace the second.

As a side note, when you're down there and start pulling everything off it's a good idea to replace old parts anyways. I didn't do this for anything else, but I thought about it!

Oh OK I was worried the lift would affect my sway bar somehow. Your right it is a good idea. I have a thread going, with pictures soon to come, for when I replaced all my bushings for the front and rear sway bar. I am also going to go through the entire suspension system and attempt to replace bushings, grommets, rubber boots, maybe even body bushings. Try to get that new car ride, and tighten up the steering.
Thanks for all your great posts and findings!

 

[brian2sun]

Oh OK I was worried the lift would affect my sway bar somehow.

It will, that's why CoMarc's snapped. You can disconnect the endlinks when you go off road, get longer/stronger endlinks (like WabFabs), get drop brackets for the swaybar mount, or just do like many on here and run without a swaybar (but the last option will make you handle crappy on road).

You'll snap a stock endlink soon if you wheel a lot..

 

[CoMarc]

It will, that's why CoMarc's snapped. You can disconnect the endlinks when you go off road, get longer/stronger endlinks (like WabFabs), get drop brackets for the swaybar mount, or just do like many on here and run without a swaybar (but the last option will make you handle crappy on road).

You'll snap a stock endlink soon if you wheel a lot..

Brian is right, a lift and offroading will definitely affect those links. However, mine was already snapped before I put my lift on . Not sure how that happened or how long its been there, but they're fixed now! With the 2.5 inches I gained in the front and the fact I don't plan on doing any huge offroad travels I'm not too worried about getting longer swaybar link yet. The rears I am thinking of replacing both links with longer ones. I hear that the 2nd gen 4Runner swaybar rear links are much longer and we can swap those in, but I can't confirm that...

 

[blcktpgsr]

Brian is right, a lift and offroading will definitely affect those links. However, mine was already snapped before I put my lift on . Not sure how that happened or how long its been there, but they're fixed now! With the 2.5 inches I gained in the front and the fact I don't plan on doing any huge offroad travels I'm not too worried about getting longer swaybar link yet. The rears I am thinking of replacing both links with longer ones. I hear that the 2nd gen 4Runner swaybar rear links are much longer and we can swap those in, but I can't confirm that...

Yes the 2nd Gen 4runner stock rear swaybar endlinks are longer by approximately 2" compared to the 3rd Gens..For off roading that's a lot.

I got mine from the wreck yard but I feel that the added length still limits the flex or it could be my OME shocks, so I removed them completely. I have been running without the rear swaybar endlinks for 5 months now without any ill-effects.

 

[brian2sun]

Yes the 2nd Gen 4runner stock rear swaybar endlinks are longer by approximately 2" compared to the 3rd Gens..For off roading that's a lot.

I got mine from the wreck yard but I feel that the added length still limits the flex or it could be my OME shocks, so I removed them completely. I have been running without the rear swaybar endlinks for 5 months now without any ill-effects.

I did that with my old OME comfort shocks and they weren't quite long enough to keep up with the flex you get without the rear swaybar. I ended up bending the top studs on the shocks because they were being over-extended. You might want to take a look at yours. IIRC, The OMEs are about 2" shorter than the Billies and the Trekmasters.

 

[blcktpgsr]

I did that with my old OME comfort shocks and they weren't quite long enough to keep up with the flex you get without the rear swaybar. I ended up bending the top studs on the shocks because they were being over-extended. You might want to take a look at yours. IIRC, The OMEs are about 2" shorter than the Billies and the Trekmasters.

Yeah I even had a friend extend the 2nd Gen rear endlink another 1" thinking I might gain more flex, I guess it did help abit, but yeah you're right the OME's just don't have enough travel with the endlinks removed before over-extending, thanks man, I'll keep an eye on them.

I might be looking to replace mine with the Tokico Trekmasters for this very reason, I think I still have the part number for them.

 

[brian2sun]

Yeah I even had a friend extend the 2nd Gen rear endlink another 1" thinking I might gain more flex, I guess it did help abit, but yeah you're right the OME's just don't have enough travel with the endlinks removed before over-extending, thanks man, I'll keep an eye on them.

I might be looking to replace mine with the Tokico Trekmasters for this very reason, I think I still have the part number for them.

The part # for the rear Treks is GE4095.

 

[blcktpgsr]

The part # for the rear Treks is GE4095.

Thanks again brian2sun...you just saved me from rummaging through pile of post it notes on my computer table.

 

[CoMarc]

It's 1am, but I'm finally done! Everything is back together, pan-f'ing-hard bar is attatched, and all is well. I'm going to bed and will be taking it to a shop to have it aligned properly in the morning. Pictures and update after the break (probably when it gets sunny this friday/saturday and I have time to take said pictures). Goodnight.

Sent from my Android

 

[foyaboya]

Congrats!

Congrats Man! Another late night at the office eh? I also tend to be the late night mechanic, after kids are in bed and wife let's releases me :lol: Looking forward to your pics!:nicethread:

I am going to try an alignment method I saw over on YotaTech once I install my lift...
alignment-issues-cant-get-your-rig-aligned-after-lift-info-81538
Just need to brush up on my math skills! LOL

It's 1am, but I'm finally done! Everything is back together, pan-f'ing-hard bar is attatched, and all is well. I'm going to bed and will be taking it to a shop to have it aligned properly in the morning. Pictures and update after the break (probably when it gets sunny this friday/saturday and I have time to take said pictures). Goodnight.

Sent from my Android

 

[CoMarc]

The LIFT is on!

Okay, the moment some of you have been waiting for! Pictures and Update!

First off, I want to link my other thread I started that I got a lot of great input on putting the rear in (front wasn't too hard, and I found a lot of good info out there on it). See Putting in Rear LC coils... for any future go-ers wanting info.

And here they are:

BEFORE

(same picture I have in my signature currently...)

AFTER

(A bit dirty from the days of rain we've had here in Denver)

I gained roughly 2 inches on both sides in the front, and 4 inches in the back on both sides creating a pretty big rake! This is just the initial reading, but that is after I put the spare tire back on and an alignment. I don't know how far the back will settle (perhaps half an inch?), but I definitely want to raise the front end.

The rake might be a little bigger than I want (it still looks good), but the ride is absolutely awesome! 100x better than the stock crap that was in there! I took my wife out on a ride and I didn't try missing the pot-holes, sewer covers, or any divet in the road. She was very suprised with the ride quality and was also very happy with it (as am I)! Wow! What a difference! I'm very happy with my decision of what parts to go with.

As they are the adjustable Blisteins I should be able to put it up a notch (it's currently on the lowest setting). So, to adjust those 5100 Blisteins, what all is needed to put it up to the next level, and how much would I expect to gain from the middle (next) notch?

 

[rjaudi]

I believe each notch is .65 inches. You need to disassemble the strut and put the clip up one notch.

 

[rickashay]

Wow, that looks great!

 

[CoMarc]

Wow, that looks great!

Thanks! I couldn't be happier! ..Well, except till I get the front lifted a little more with the adj blisteins. I'm getting comments from all my friends also loving the look! And I just can't beat the feel of the truck and how awesome it's riding. It really is smooth (for the most part). Unfortunately, I did have to put the running boards back on for the wife. They don't look too bad, but it definitely doesn't make it look as lifted anymore.

I still have to get the diff drop and panhard drop installs, but I'm not too worried about either just yet. The front CVs don't look to be at a severe angle at all, and the backend is holding up very well so far. They'll happen in due time.

 

[foyaboya]

Congrats CoMarc!:trophy:Looks great! More inspiration to get mine done! Do you have a pic with the running boards installed? I only ask because my wife will also want them to stay on...

 

[CoMarc]

Congrats CoMarc!:trophy:Looks great! More inspiration to get mine done! Do you have a pic with the running boards installed? I only ask because my wife will also want them to stay on...

Thanks! Althought not an easy task, it was still all do-able by myself (someone who isn't mechanically inclined, but can figure stuff out). I did about 95% of the work completely by myself too, only had some simple help from the wife when I needed another set of eyes to see what I was doing on the other side of the truck.

I don't yet have a picture of her with the running boards, but I plan on taking a picture sometime with them on. Unfortunately, we're predicted to have another week of rain this week here in Denver. I'll see if I get a chance to take it, however, as soon as I can!

 

[quicksilvr]

Nice job CoMarc! Lift looks great. I just read the whole thread, because I'm getting ready to do basically the same lift. But with older used parts...that were cheaper. lol.

The only thing I'm worried about is getting out of my garage once I install everything....it might not fit!

 

[CoMarc]

Nice job CoMarc! Lift looks great. I just read the whole thread, because I'm getting ready to do basically the same lift. But with older used parts...that were cheaper. lol.

The only thing I'm worried about is getting out of my garage once I install everything....it might not fit!

Thanks, Quicksilvr! I had the same worry in my garage, but luckily I can still get in and out. No roof rack or cross bars, though, and I won't have room for them anymore if I want to park inside my garage. However, my rear hatch door no longer can go up all the way. It hits the top of the garage door frame before it opens all the way.


On another note, I'm going to take the 4Runner in to get those front shocks put on the next notch. However, I'm wondering should I go all the way to the top notch? Does the ride get a lot harsher when I do so? With 3.5-4 inches in the back I wonder if this would give me a reverse rake also. Anyone set their 5100s to the top spot, and what lift increase did you see?

 

[CoMarc]

So, I took my truck to the shop that did my alignment asking them to dismantle the front shocks and set them up a notch. I watch them drive my truck into the bay, lift it up, look at it for a bit, then lower it and drive out.

At first I'm thinking, wow, that must have been easier than I expected! They didn't even take the wheels off! Then the guy comes out and says "sorry, they're not adjustable..." First thought, maybe I somehow got the wrong 5100s from Toytec? No, that's not possible.

As I'm driving away now I'm thinking the person who looked at the truck was not very smart or didn't get the directions I made that said they would need to take the shock/coil apart. So now I'm stuck either I get some coil compressors and do it myself or find another shop that'll listen to me. I'm not sure if I feel up to taking the shocks/coils apart myself which is why I took it to a shop in the first place.

What do y'all recommend? Is it possible to compress the spring without taking the tophats off, then move the plate on the Blistein shock up? Or does the coil need to come off completely? Anyone recommend a shop that may know what they're doing?

 

[rjaudi]

What Bilsteins did you get, the Tundra or the tacoma? I removed my shock assembly in my garage and drove to the local Midas. They removed the springs from my old shocks and installed the springs in my Bilsteins for 20 bucks. I would do that if you could.