Front lift, done, rear lift, done! (updated)

[oly884]

:clap:

Finally got around to lifting the sucker! Went pretty easy, only took a few hours.

Before:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32321600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32321600x1200.jpg)

During:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32351600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32351600x1200.jpg)

After!
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32401600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32401600x1200.jpg)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32411600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32411600x1200.jpg)

Thanks to Steve Schaefer at Sonoran Steel for the front lift, it's top notch!

[localmotion]

awesome Oly! Do you plan on doing the rears with the sleeper shell on? How much lift is it?

[oly884]

awesome Oly! Do you plan on doing the rears with the sleeper shell on? How much lift is it?


Yeah, I'm just going to lift it with the camper on the truck. It's an over all lift of 2"

It's already made the truck handle much better with the camper on it, with the rear springs, it will be MUCH better.

[oly884]

Rear springs arrived, hopefully tonight I can put them on!

[Chapman88SR5]

Looks awesome!

[oly884]

Done and done, will post pics when I'm not completely drained, sore, dirty, and all those other fun things you are after working on the rig!

Let's just say that she's solid and Alcan Springs and Sonoran Steel will get my business any day!

[oly884]

The work starts:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32421600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32421600x1200.jpg)

The level of the rear with the old springs and air bags at 80 psi (100 psi is the max)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32431600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32431600x1200.jpg)

The truck felt fairly top heavy when going around corners, the rear suspension was simply too soft even with the air bags almost at the maximum.

This is a fun one:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32441600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32441600x1200.jpg)

That is the rear springs with the air bags deflated, talk about a bit of sag....

New springs courtesy of Alcan Springs, 250 lbs/inch rate, 3" lift with no weight in the bed:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32451600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32451600x1200.jpg)

Old vs. new:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32461600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32461600x1200.jpg)

And now's the fun part, the new springs with the new air bags not even inflated:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_32481600x1200.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_32481600x1200.jpg)

So now I pump the air bags up to 20-40 PSI, and have the ability to pump them up even more when I get more load.

Initial impressions are simply amazing, the truck now feels like it was meant to with the camper on it. Goes around corners wonderfully, no massive/uncomfortable body roll, suspension is far from being too stiff/too soft. It is just right!

Again, thanks to Steve @ Sonoran Steel, and Charles @ Alcan Spring for the products and help!

[oly884]

Kids, this is what happens when you overload your overload spring leaf! :rofl:

Way beyond time for a new and better set! :thumbup: :wrenchin:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/DSC_32461600x1200.jpg


Dude, you have no idea how glad I am to have those things off....

That over load was from my move back from Montana. I had to get a few "toys" (eg. guns and ammo) back to seattle as I did not want them sitting in a storage unit. Well, combine all my guns and ammo, along with my camper, and I have A LOT of weight, haha!

Will post some pictures of the entire truck when I get them!

[slosurfer]

Very Nice!!! :thumbup:

That overload spring is classic. :laugh:

[Chapman88SR5]

Looks awesome! Those new springs should help just a little huh?

[Erich_870]

Congrats Oly,

Looking good! :thumbup: Definitely want to see some pics this summer putting the springs to the test!

Erich

[oly884]

Thanks guys, can't wait to get her out a bit more!

Erich, I wouldn't worry, you won't have to wait till this summer.

[sschaefer3]

Glad to hear it worked out so well. What a lot of people do not realize is that in the years since swapping my 4Runner in 2005 I have done a ton of work with leaf springs and the older Trucks/4Runners/Tacomas in Phoenix. Like I told you on the phone, you want to really see something amazing put a traction bar on that thing. The traction is unreal.

http://www.trail-gear.com/anti-wrap.html

Here it the latest, Back & Blue just left after a full SAS.

http://www.yotatech.com/f66/blknblu-s-sac-155872/

I still have to put the final pics up, I'll get to it one of these days.

[Terracoma]

It seems like every Tacoma I've come across had an overload spring with negative arch, including mine...

Nice upgrade! :thumbup:

[oly884]

Thanks guys, some more pics from my latest camping trip:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_3333.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_3333.jpg)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_3336.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_3336.jpg)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_3330.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_3330.jpg)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_3346.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_3346.jpg)
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/th_DSC_3349.jpg (http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y86/oly884/?action=view&current=DSC_3349.jpg)

[Chapman88SR5]

Very nice. How was the camping?