JC III

I would like to run 32's to 33x10.5's max without breaking the bank, no serious rock crawling or snorkel worthy mud boggin so I don't think there's any need to go too far over stock. I plan on 2" BJ spacers up front, not sure about the rear. I don't want to break the bank if I don't have to, but not sure an add-a-leaf added to the existing pack will resolve these flat rears...









Add-a-leaf (from Toyotec package w/the front spacers) or full pack (OME?) for the rear? Some posts on the web have mentioned the OME being too stiff, even after break-in, others say they are great. Are Skyjacker spring packs a better (softer ride) alternative? Any advice appreciated.

myyota

The 2'' ball joint spacers will work just fine up front, but by looking at the pictures of your rear springs, there shot, i would replace them with a new set of 3'' lift springs, and once they settle a little it will look perfect.

JC III

Thanks myyota, that's the kind of advice I'm looking for.

c0ugar69

you could do the zuk mod in the rear, 14 inch springs should be good with the 2"bj lift in front. i did mine and it is a lot more smoother.

JC III

Cougar, after a bunch of research today, it looks like definitely the zuk mod. Hard to believe I missed that option in all my previous searches but it's a no brainer for me, especially value/$. Just ordered the 14" 100# springs from ebay, 2" BJ spacers are on order from Toytec, now just have to find which Bilstein models to match with the lift. Anyone with any advice on those?

c0ugar69

cool, its not hard to do at all. I think you will be happy with the results. as far as shocks go I dont have any idea on what to get, havent replaced mine yet. good luck, post up some picks of your mod.

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

On the front you need something that is 10.25" or shorter compressed and 15.25" extended. Obviously, stem top and loop bottom. Best bet on the rears is to get your springs on and then measure stuff and droop on each side and find something that will maximize your outcome. You can run your old shocks on the new setup for a while til your new stuff comes. It won't hurt anything, it just won't be optimal. (note I only measured one side of mine and due to different mounting locations from one side to the other I bought too long a shock and ended up eating some $$, hence why I say to measure each side.) Way back when this mod first came out the "recipe card" front shock was a Rancho 5167 listed for a Samurai. Now many folks are going for OME and Bilstein. Unfortunately, don't have any part #s for you. IIRC the rears are something like 15 comp and 25 ext give or take a fraction of an inch. Good luck.

JC III

Will do Cougar.

Blknblu, thanks for the additional info. This is my first time doing a lift that isn't a kit so I've always just bolted on the shocks that came with it. The old ones need replaced anyway so now I have 2 excuses for new ones. So the measurement standard is oal...stem top to loop bottom on front and then loop top to loop bottom on rear? I'll be sure to measure both sides when it's done. Are the rear numbers you posted for the front and rear what you recall for a 1st gen with an approximate 2-3" lift?

Thanks again for all your help and prompt responses guys.

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

The measurements I noted are for my 1st gen when I had 3 inch lift springs (settled to 2 inch) in the rear from Downey. (no longer in business) Ball joint spacers up front and t bars cranked back down for minimal lift but softer ride and more droop. So yes, 2-3 inches of lift in the rear. Front, probably ended up about where I started. Looked like this on 31's after a couple years of hard wheeling:


Here is how the front sat, so you can see I had plenty of room to crank up the t bars if needed for 33's.


Bilsteins part numbers are really confusing. I found this:
BE5-6582-H5 86-89 w/ 3-4 lift front
BE5-6583 86-89 w/ 3-4 lift rear
B46-1139-HO 90-95 w/ 2-2.5 T bar lift front

90-95 2wd / 4wd HD F4-B46-1468-H0 front F4-B46-1469-H0 rear
86-89 HD F4-B46-1139-H0 front F4-B46-1140-H0 rear

The B numbered parts come from the 5100 shock app info
The F numbered parts come from the basic vehicle app guide and I assume are the blue/yellow shocks.

What I don't understand is why they have different front shocks between 89-90 and no mention of t bar lifts with 86-89. The front ends are all the same from 86-95. The 89's came w/ V6 available and some (though few) 90-95's had 4cyl, so it doesn't seem to be about weight up front. I don't know what gives.

It seems like you could use the BE6583 out back and the B46-1139-HO up front, but I really don't know as you can't find any measurements listed. Maybe you could check with a vendor who can verify that valving and lengths will be correct.

Or if it's all too much of a PITA you could get OME. I found this vendor with measurements listed:
http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/...ces_shocks.htm

Looks like N98 up front and your choice of N94 or N85 out back.

JC III

I am calling a Bilstein rep today to discuss lengths (since they don't publish the ones for the standard shocks) and maybe I can find a "crossover" shock with the extension/compression I want and still get the valving I want. I am concerned about getting a shock that is too firm so I am veering away from the OME fronts (all the listings I see say firm). Though I have heard almost no negative comments about them, the same goes for the Bils and it seems as if there are a lot more folks using them. I think it will all come down to just a guess though since I don't have a way of testing both on the vehicle.

I should get the lift on this weekend and after I take measurements I'll know for sure. I'd love to get full droop and still not have to worry about over compression damaging the shock. I'll post what I come up with.

Thanks for all the advice gentlemen!

JC III

Did the Zuk rear spring mod this morning...worked out great. Definitely the way to go for cheap rear spring replacement, imho. I'll post a new thread tomorrow with before, during, and after pics.

Thanks for all of those who steered me in this direction, definitely the way to go.

BLKNBLU

iTrader: (1)

Any new info on the Bilsteins?

Also,

1Calypso

OME does have soft (comfort), medium and HeavyDuty (sport).
I just ordered the medium setup for mine, as I had a similar setup on my 05 and was reaslly pleased.
GOod luck!

JC III

Sorry BlknBlu, forgot about this one when I started the second new one. I have not decided on the bils yet because honestly, by the time I got it all back together I had forgotten to take measurements of full extension and compression without shocks limiting travel. The shocks definitely limit full droop for the rear, by at least a couple of inches. I got caught up in other parts of the project and haven't taken the time to pull the shocks, jack it up and measure. I will though, and I'll be sure to post what I find out. We got sidetracked by a pesky tps problem and Herculining the rest of the interior.

You see the "before" above, here are the rest...

During....



After....




Still haven't had time to install the bj spacers (side-tracked again) but hope to make the time in the next couple of weekends. With the spacers, it should have just a bit of rake without the top and level with the top, exactly what we wanted. I will say the ride after the zuk mod is great, can't imagine doing it any other way. I'm so glad I listened to the guys who have done this before. The 14" 100# black magic springs were the perfect compromise between good lift, smooth ride, and load capacity. I can't imagine an easier, more cost effective, more productive mod. It's a whole new truck with the rear sag fixed. I know good shocks will make it even better.

1Calypso, we decided against the OME strictly on price. This is going to be my son's dd when he gets his license may'11; he bought it with his own money and has worked his butt off all summer to buy the parts to fix it up. I'm just helping him direct his purchases in the most efficient manor and teaching him how to work on his rig. For $75 and the opportunity for him to learn some stuff, it was an easy decision for us. Besides that, it worked great!

Razed, that's interesting to hear. I've heard a lot of guys who go offroad with spacers and have done quite well. We aren't into the boulder bashing thing, just getting into/out of the places we hunt and fish. I'm not a big fan of body lifts so we went with the spacers. I've done pretty good on alignments in my driveway taken a lot of measurements and following the multiple on-line do-it-yourself posts. I've also already worked out a trade with a guy who has the closest alignment shop (35 miles from where the truck sits) who will do his best to get it spot on if I can get it close. With 32's on here now without the spacers there is no rub taking it through terrain that is the norm of what we will see so I would assume the spacers would only add to that capability. Time will tell if we made the right decision.

JC III

That's a good point with a good description. I'll repost when I get time to put them on and run them through the hollers around here some. Thanks for pointing that out.