Help intalling my Tundra springs

[cox380]

I installed my TRD Tundra springs on to my Bilstein struts today and The first one I did was fine but the second one I did I noticed the top-plate wasn't straight. The spring was also bowwed to one side. Looking straight down at the top plate I saw that the spring wasn't seated perfectly centered so I compressed the spring again and centered the spring best I could. I then released the spring compressors very evenly thinking that I may have took one off to fast causing the spring to bow but after they were off the spring is still bowwed. Can some please help me was plannig on doing my TRD lift tomorrow but I got to get this problem licked first.

by the way they are 4x4 TRD springs(yellow/yellow & yellow blue) and HD bilsteins BE5-2450 and tacoma top plates going on to my 99 4runner SR5

[MTL_4runner]

It doesn't sound like the spring is seated right if it is bowed like you mention. Don't leave it like that for very long or you may damage the spring. Set the bottom part of the spring in the strut perch first, then turn the top plate to match the impressions in the rubber from the previous spring. Now you can decompress the spring. If you need to turn the mounting hole to match the A-arm, just use a socket extension with a floor jack handle slid over it to torque it into place (no need to compress/decompress the spring to line everything up).

Any pics of the assembly?

[Seanz0rz]

make sure the spring is seated properly at the base too.

[cox380]

I'm going to it try again this morning. This isn't my first time doing this. I've installed coil spacers onto my friends 97 4runner and it was so easy. This TRD Tundra spring is so darn hard to compress. Any more tips would help me very much. Thanks

[bamachem]

the easiest way to do them would be to take them to a shop w/ a hydraulic spring compressor and pay them $20. seriously, it's easier that way.

if the spring is bowed, then it's not seated in the lower cup correctly or the top plate isn't sitting correctly on the stem (or the stem is bent).

[cox380]

Well I had to redo it a couple more times but I finally got it on straight. Thanks for the replies.

[SD4runner]

Yeah I've had this happen to me a few times... I ended up just throwing them on anyways w/o any problems. Looking back, I would have just gotten it fixed.

Taking to a shop is the easiest way for sure. Make sure you check their prices beforehand though. I got screwed last time and they charged me $65 to do it. I WAS PISSED...