Start hitting those bolts with pb blaster now! Soak them every few hours if you can...

Remember to make a LSPV lift bracket to re-gain your lost rear braking after the lift.

 

^Or just do what the rest of us do. Take some bailing wire or weed-eater cord and tie that bastard up!

Something like this:

 

Hahaah!!! Thats awsume I guess you need all the braking power you can get with them big meats...

 

Haha, ohhh yeah. Specially once I run down these 35s and throw on some 37s

 

So I went to change my oil and install new shackles today... I got the oil done, but I cannot get the original nuts on the shackles to budge. I even spray some PB blaster on there and no luck. It was kind of a dissapointment since I wanted to do this myself, but looks like I'll have to try get someone to just loosen eveything then put it back on so I can do it myself. I'm assuming someone with an impact hammer or w/e can do this, your thoughts?

 

Keep shooting it with pb blaster, and use a looong breaker bar to get it loose. Even try hitting the bolts on the shackles with a hammer, it usually helps to break the nut loose. If all else fails, make friends with someone at an automotive shop, or someone with some air tools!

 

Ok, so I thought I'd give it another go today before I'm back to school for the week. I used the extension handle of my floor jack as a cheater and all seemed well untill I snapped my 3/8 drive ratchet So I went to the store and bought a new one. I then borrowed a 1/2 drive ratchet and socket, but it was no go and I didn't want to break that one either. So, looks like I'll have to try and stop by a garage sometime this week and get them to get it loose for me.

 

are they just the shackle plates or did you get a entire shackle with new bolts and bushings? if so then just those mofo's off

if not.. go to kragens or chucks or whatever is in your area, most places like that rent tools. fairly cheap. tell the guy that you just wanna zap it with an impact wrench in the parking lot real fast, he might cut you a deal.

im out of ideas..

theres more than one way to skin a cat.

 

for stuff like that, you don't want to use ratchets for that exact reason. You need a 18 or 20 inch breaker bar and put a extension on it if you need.

 

The nuts broke free on mine no problem but then I had to use a ball joint separator and hammer to remove my shackles after I got the nuts off. They were frozen on with rust to the bushings. Those things came out with quite a few whacks.....

Glad you posted your one of the few runners I have seen with the rear seat delete option.



I have mine it came with the 4 runner but they put in aftermarket seats.

 

I have used my 1/2" in the same way, and it hasn't failed me yet....yet.
All you had is a 3/8"? The next mod should be craftsman's 4 drawer tool box! Gotta have tools man! I just got a torque wrench, and I'm about to make a trip to the parts store to get some snap ring pliers. Gettin tired of using two screw drivers and having the snap ring fly off.

 

Ya, I don't have many tools, nor do I have room to put them. Next tool investment will definitly be a good torque wrench (actually that will be on my Christmas wishlist!) But, the good news is I talked to an instructor for an automotive course here at my school, and he said he can help me out next week! So I'm just gonna bring the truck in and prabably just cut the old shackles off and save some effort. Probably going to do this on Wednesday, so I'll be shure to post with the results.

 

Don't cut the shackles off! Save them. Take an impact gun to them, that should do the trick.

Shoot, I got a 30/40 dollar torque wrench at O'reillys with a lifetime warranty. I can't justify any more than that. Put a good craftsman tool set on your x-mas list.

 

Good news! I just got back from the shop at my school, and the new shackles are ON! It wasn't easy though. As suspected they were on there pretty good, especially since they were corroded etc.. The impact gun did take off the nuts but the bolts on the leaf-spring eye would not come out without taking some heat and severe hits with a hammer. Then another problem arose.. the bottom bushings on the new kit were too small for the leaf-eye on the stock springs.

We called around and no one sold any bushings around here (the auto-part supply here sucks). After some thinking and puzzling, the guys came up with an idea to put some steel tube over the busings to make them fit more snug. It took some experimenting to find the right size pipe, but heres what happened. On the stock spring eyes, there is a piece of tin (or something) on the inside. They torched and chiseled them out and the pipe they cut FIT LIKE A GLOVE to make the new bushing snug.

After hammering those in the end of the leaves, they put the greased bolts in and vola, it actually worked. I was lucky they had the tools and especially that pipe to rig up the bushings. I didn't get any pics during this, but heres how it looks now. It's definitely boosted and it even has a nice rake to it. Took them about two hours, and best of all they did this for FREE. I bought them coffee and offered my computer services to them in the future.

I tried to find some pics to show a before and after not perfect but these should do:
Taken November 2005 before paintjob and new shackles.



Taken today.




P.S. Incase anyone missed the previous posts, these are 6' wab fab shackles. Good quality kit. Just beware the leaf-eye bushing are too small for stock leaves. I love how my truck sits now!!!

 

Lookin' good

 

Thanks. I just loaded the bed with a couple safety stands, 3 ton floor jack and other random crap, put the spare tire back underneath and it didn't look saggy!

 

Nice! If you bought a 2wd you wouldn't have to worry about the sag