What shocks are you running in the rear with your cruiser coils?

Edit: I see, Edelbrock shocks now. Were those the ones that everyone was getting for 25 bucks or something like that?

The reason I ask, if your shocks are too soft, they will cause the same symptoms that you are describing as soft coils.

Edit2: I couldn't tell, are you still running your rear swaybar?

 

Alright I was hoping you'd chime in haha. I know, these shocks are pos which is contributing to the softness. and yes i am still running my rear swaybar, i was looking for some new endlinks but didnt find any (not that i looked very hard). The softness isn't the major reason I'm considering doing this...my whole front end feels like its going to fall apart any second.

 

Ya, I probably should look for endlinks also, but they are actually holding up surprisingly well.

What specifically are you feeling in your front end?

I don't remember, did you crank your tbars at all when you did the bj spacers? If so, the first thing I would do, would be to uncrank them back to where you just have the 1.5" lift from the spacers. You will probably have some forward rake after that, but it shouldn't be bad. I've been running mine raked and most can not even tell, it definately isn't raked hotrod style or anything. This will take some of the strain off your front end as you should only lift IFS 1.5" whether it be by spacers or tbar crank.

I know my front end sounds terrible, but it is in no way going to fall apart. I know what all my "noises" are. ONe of them is my idler arm, it is braced and still straight, it does need new bushings. It isn't going anywhere, but it does make some noise on bumpy roads, also it isn't so bad that I cant' get it aligned. The real cure for this is of course a TC idler arm

My other noise going over bumps, is from my spindle bushings, makes a clunk on most bumps.

I also have the SS IFS brace, which gives me peace of mind.

Anyways, my point being, that if you have noises in your front end, it is from worn out parts and they will not magically go away when you uncrank your tbars. I'm sure you already realized that but I am just throwing that for others sake who may read this.

If you do end up swapping out your coils, I would suggest getting a matched shock and coil OME kit. It sounds like you have an idea of where you want to go and that's good. I also realize the $$ situation with changing out parts. I have noticed that many of the people who have ditched the cruiser coils, had them paired with either really cheap shocks or the wrong sized shock all together. To bad some of us don't live closer so we could test drive each others rigs to feel the difference.

Edit: I reread and see that you did crank your tbars. Do me a favor, take measurements from the top of your rim to the fender at all four fenders.

 

Yeah they're cranked but to be honest...i have no idea how much. I'll take the measurements as soon as i get back home (I'm on campus right now). I really want that brace...but I dont think there's going to be another batch coming out anytime soon.

If I do end up keeping them...I'll probably end up getting OME shocks all the way around. I talked to the guys at trdparts4u and they said that the N71E's should fit in the rear with just the N98's in the front. Then probably order the SS ifs brace and maybe an idler arm brace (that tc ones waaaay too expensive for me haha) thanks for the help though.

 

LC coils too soft????

i did exactly the same thing but the 80 coils were plenty stiff for my taste. even with BJ spacers and full t-bar crank, there's no way you can level the front with the 3.5" added to the rear.

i don't go to hard-core trips, so i don't need to carry the extra equipment, supplies. i'd go with the regular OME coils if i do it over again. in my case, the rear is till higher than the front. see my sig. for my rig setup. i'm pretty happy with the ride on stock torsion bars, many people said the aftermarket 26mm bars are bit harsh on the ride.

 

I have lc coils and bj spacers too. My truck feels like its going to tip all of the time. I am thinking about cutting out the coils and adding leafs.

 

What kind of shocks do you have run4her?

Slosurfer:
Measurements at the fenders are-
right at 16" on both fronts
16 1/2" - Passenger rear
16 3/8" - Driver Rear

Just ordered my truss from sonoran steel. He said he thinks he has enough to make them, just waiting for a few more to call their orders in.

EDIT:
I'm probably just going to stick with the LC coils and upgrade the shocks front and rear. After reading through the entire cruiser coil/bjspacer/longer shock thread ---
Front: OME N98's
Rear: Rancho 5009s??

Looks like they never really came to a conclusion on what was best for the rear, no pn's on the bils or OME's

The truss should help with my feeling of the front end falling apart (no difference in feel i'm guessing, just mentally). Then probably an idler arm brace or something of the sort. Any other suggestions?

EDIT AGAIN:
According to this link, the stock wheel to fender height is 13.5-14". So I guess I have about a 2" lift on the front. I'm going to back it down half an inch (giving me a 1 inch rake front to back) no matter what, but will it make a significant difference?