michael1963

Well I finally broke down and bought the 2inch rear coil spring lift and 1.5inch BJ spacer kit from ToyTecLifts. Thank you Dylan by the way.

After reading the installation instructions, it was determined that I didn't have the proper tools or experience to do this myself so I took it to MY garage here in Kingston "AutoMaxx". Family owned and operated unit that I have been seeing on a regular basis for the past 5+ years. Won't take my truck anywhere else and if your ever in Kingston, this is the place that you will want to take your truck too! DJ (Don Jr.) was my mechanic-du-jour this time although at other times his father Don Sr. and younger brother Jamie, have had the privilage of getting their hands on my rig, didn't happen today. Oh and, I would probably be in a bit of crap if I didn't mention Sandra the mom, the head of the household and shop! Now, onto the photos...

Here is my height before the lift. 39.5 inches.


Here is the height after the install 41.5inches.


Here is the front before install;


Here DJ is modifying the inside of where the BJ spacer is to be installed (I can't even remember what that freaking part is called!) as per the instructions. A small piece of metal approx .5inchs had to be cut out so that the BJ spacer would fit properly.


And here is what the finished product looks like with my new ProComp extended shocks.


Here is the before of the rear. With my old Rancho 5000s.


Here is the difference between the old stock coils and the new ones.


Here is the old coils.


And here it is without the shock or coils.


DJ had to modify this bracket where the brake line was. Just took a 2inch round spacer and bolted it in the same place. Pretty kool if you ask me.



And here is the new coil and shock in place.


Here is how she sat before.


This is how she sits now.


Of course after all this playing around, an alignment was needed big time. Again DJ had to do some modifying because the large washers at the bottom for the cam were rusted in place but....it's all good now, actually better than it was before I took it in. She drives so smooth now, it's like having a whole new front end....oh wait....I do have a new front end, its only a few months old...oh well, still rides good!

All of this wouldn't have happened if my financial advisor and banking manager (aka my wife!) didn't let me have my funds! She hasn't seen it yet or tried to get into it now so that just might be another thread! She's only 5 feet tall and had problems getting into the truck before, this should be a hoot! Is there a thread about husband abuse???
So needless to say, this will be the last mod my truck see's this year. 35in tires might be next...

Thanks again to Dylan down at ToyTech Lifts for the phone calls back and forth and getting me the parts in what I'm sure is record time...5 days from Colorado to my front door by USUPS.

ALso, thanks to Ron Helmuth for offering me some help with getting me the parts if I needed to. And a big thanks to DJ at AutoMaxx for all your time, patience and me getting in your way to take the photos....I'll be back!

87 'runner boosted

sick lookin ride man. if i might ask, where abouts did you get the light bar on to?? i have an 87 4runner with the removable top and a sunroof, but im pretty sure I can mount one of those right in front of the back of the cab and just behind the sunroof...i think anyways....

bobby_duce

ugh this makes me wanna give in and do the same thing now! lol time for some aisin hubs, your cv boots will thank you. looks really good!

jbw

Looks great!
What kind of bodywork did you do to the rear quarter panels? (behind where the factory bumper end caps would be). It looks like you might have hacked some off back there, which I'm thinking of doing.

michael1963

Thanks buddy. My light bar is mounted on 4 modified metal brackets that come from between the door and the frame. My truck doesn't have gutter mounts and is smooth so, I had to come up with a plan 'B'. The light bar itself is being secured with 4 small bolts which actually make it very easy to take off and put back on within minutes. I don't have a sunroof so I don't have to worry about that but if I did, because of the height of the bar (4.5in), if I did have a sunroof I think I would still be able to open it up without any problems..

Here is what it looks like with the doors closed.


Here is inside the door, the brackets are riveted to the frame underneath the rubber stripping.

michael1963

Yep I said the same thing after seeing so many people doing that to their rigs. I just folded under all the peer pressure.
I'm pretty sure that on the divorce papers it will read, "Reason for Divorce? - YotaTech!" lol....

87 'runner boosted

very cool, I wanna get one of those bars and was thinking about making one for myself...like the idea you got there and might have to incorporate it into mine.

michael1963

Well it's all customized. I had to take it in for some body work last year. It was already in the plans for a new bumper so, the body work guy replaced all around the wheel well about 4in from the rear door to the rear of the well with a single piece of metal that comes that way. He filled in that gap with sheet metal from the tire to the rear underneath the tailgate. I think it looks good and other 4Runner drivers have stopped me to look at why my truck is different than theirs...I never did like that wrap around bumper.

michael1963

Thanks man. Well that was the only thing I could come up with at the time that would work and, it has been up there for the past 10 years and I haven't had any problems with it...except not being fit into any of those under ground parking lots!!!

Tubbyfatty

LOOKS GOOD!!!!! What springs did you get? Can you post a link to em?

michael1963

Thanks buddy. I don't know the name of them but here is the link where I got them from.

http://www.toyteclifts.com/index.php...mart&Itemid=72

Tubbyfatty

Oh ok nice. I wish I didnt spend money on new OEM springs and shocks because to get a 2'' lift isnt that much more then getting replacement stuff. Oh well.

Once again, looks good.

tried4x2signN

light years better than bracket lift IMO... And way more functional.

With that BL, you can choose to lift the drivetrain as well...

michael1963

I hear that. I took me 2 months of research looking for what I could afford and what I thought was the best kit for what I wanted. I went with ToyTec because of the price and they would ship to Canada where others won't.

Ron Helmuth

looks great Michael1963-good to hear the ride quality has not suffered-and in fact has improved

michael1963

Tanks Rons. Yeah it's so smooth now it's crazy!

ttrmike

Nice truck.

It seems that everyone that installs BJ spacers says that the ride improves, I wonder why?

michael1963

Thanks man. Yeah I don't know why. After we installed them, we did a front end alignment, which took a little doing as the nuts and washer at the bottom for the cam adjustment where pretty rusted, I took it for a spin down the road and on the highway....and I have never had a smoother ride in that truck ever. I'm just glad it went that way and not the opposite....that would have just really pissed me off!

ToyTec Lifts

Looks great Michael!

-Dylan

michael1963

Thanks Dylan, couldn't have done it without your help. Thanks again for your service.

Mike