I have an IFS 95 pickup that i wanna lift, just a couple inches, for now at least. Ive heard add a leaf is the way to go in the back, but i dont know what to do in the front. Ive heard about ball joint spacers, but ive heard they put stress on your cv joints because they work at a slight angle. And ive heard of cranking your torsion bars, but i also heard that stock torsion bars cant handle that. So i just want to get some opinions on the best way to gain a couple inches of lift in the front?

 

Your best bet is to use a progressive leaf pack if you can find one for the rear. An add a leaf is basically a very thick leaf that either goes after or replaces the overload leaf and can be quite stiff. I recall downey sells 2" lift springs you may want to look into.

As for the front, the most economical and overall best lift is the balljoint spacers. They wont harm your cv angle at all really and are generally pretty easy to install. Your only other options are one of those 4" bracket lifts or using heavier/longer torsion bars and cranking them.

I like the baljoint spacers and the progressive leaf packs you add the best. There are other options like swapping a pair of chevy 89-95 1500 series 2wd truck springs in the back for 3-4" of lift but that isnt bolt on or other various leaf kits you can buy.

 

Personally I think the EASIEST way to lift the back end is blocks between the spring and diff, but only if your springs aren't sagging. I've got a buddy that did it with some large gauge square tubing (4") and a drill press. Front end, if you're only looking for 2 inches, do a combination of BJ spacers and crank the torsion bars a wee bit.

 

Blocks are bad, will eventually wear out the already weak toyota springs and cause axle wrap. When it all comes apart you will be sorry.

Blocks should never be used on any toyota truck.

 

The easiest way is a T-bar crank but 2" of lift would be pushing it's limits & would give a little bit of a rough ride, BJ spacers in combination with a slight T-bar crank is what I did to get 15" at the fender which was an inch - inch & a half or so over stock. It's a trade off; the "best" way is subjective. "Best" for one person might not be "best" for someone else.

 

Thanks for all the help.. I went on the Downey site and Im very impressed with what i see. I think i might be ordering a few parts from that site very soon.

 

The "best" way is to not lift it at all. That will maximize the longevity of the steering, which is the weak point on our trucks.

You can fit 33x10.50 with no lift.

 

Is there any way to protect the steering components when lifting a toyota? Or do you sacrifice them with a lift?

 

The angles get whacky and stress them in orientations they weren't designed for. You can go with something like the Total chaos steering upgrade, but it's big money.

 

Thats the only way? Even with a small lift of only a couple inches, the steering components will still be stressed enough to damage them?

 

The steering components will be at a steeper angle but as long as you don't go hammering it off-road with a front locker engaged & the front tires in a bind it'll probably hold up. Mine is doing ok so far & all I added was a an idler arm brace & improved bronze bushings to the idler arm.

 

I fixed my spring sag permanently.....they're still in there but the isolators push em back up quite nicely. I actually thought about going with a bit bigger of a block.....

 

The springs will eventually develop a downward sag, dont say I didnt tell you so.

 

No, not at all. It really depends how hard you wheel it. The only problem I have really noticed is that the lift wore through my aftermarket ilder arm quick. So I rebuilt an oem one and added a brace, no problems!

I also run a rear add-a-leaf. If you can afford it, go with a new set of leaf packs. The add-a-leaf hurts your springs while roughening up your ride. Mine rode a little nicer, but only because my springs were already sagging on the overloads..


Yeesh...

 

I'm going to have to agree with him on this one. Every time I drive my truck, I wish I had just gone with 1.5 - 2" springs and put ball joint spacers in but lowered my t-bars. My steering is shot and I've replaced everything several times. I have an idler arm brace which seems to be slowing the problem, but the truck's steering sucks now.

 

How big is your lift traben? Because from what im hearing, if you keep the lift small and get an idler arm brace, you should be ok, but there are not guarantees. Where can you get an idler arm brace from?

 

Downey makes one, or you can fab one. Even then, you're kinda delaying the inevitable.

Or go with the Total chaos one and be done with it.