i want to give my truck a 2" lift and need an economical way to do it. im not gonna use spacers because that just sounds wrong. i have a 99' tacoma and recently way overloaded it with gatoraid (funny storry) and need some more beef in my rear springs. im gonna do the front with springs an shocks from arb. any advice?thanks

 

add-a-leafs are cheap, but they bring the suck
replacements are not cheap, but they ride nicely

you could also make a "bastard pack" using leaves from other spring packs, giving you a custom leaf pack. not too hard, just need some clamps and jacks

 

would that be like springs form another vehicle?p

 

zuk coil it

 

yeah. notice how each set of leaf springs is a whole bunch of individual leaves? well, find some that are the same width and re-stack a new set of leaf springs to give the lift and softness you want
that's a good suggestion. clayton: search for the "zuk mod"

 

Will do thanks!

 

These are all great suggestions..but if you have the funds, I'd suggest all new springs, shackles, and shocks. Old Man Emu, All Pro, WABFAB all offer nice kits. Of course, if that's what you're looking for!

 

the zuk mod looks a little sketch. I would want to put seats for thesprings in first. I'm leaning toward adding some old leafs

 

If you go with leaves from other vehicles, be aware of the width.
Toy leaves (2.36") are narrower by a bit than Chevy and Ford (2.5"). If you mix in Chevy leaves, then the toy u-bolts will not fit over the new leaves.
Mazda pickups have 2.36" leaves. Not sure about the Wagoneer leaves.
Those old Wagoneers, had 7-leaf packs UP FRONT!!

If your rear mains are worn out ( look like this : ~ ), then go with a whole new leaf pack (with the center pin in the same location, of course).

 

thanks for the tip. mine aren't worn out yet but throwing some more beef in there would make them last longer I presume. Now just the trouble of finding a pick-n-pull :/

 

Replacing the leaf springs would probably be the best option. Here are some links to quality springs at a good price. $50 a pop really ain't too bad for new springs!

Left spring:
https://amzn.to/2ThMQlD

Right spring:
https://amzn.to/2EuMShJ

 

Classic mistake made by people new to the forum and searching around for threads: watch the date of the last post. You just revived a 5-year old thread. Nothing wrong with that, necessarily, but I think the guy probably figured out his spring issue by now

Welcome to the forum!

 

Just trying to add content that would benefit the thread, not necessarily the truck. Other people read these things years after they are made when the same thing happens to them. Might you have any other useful information? I couldn't post as often as I like due to being a previous submarine sailor stationed abroad.

 

I might have all kinds of other useful information. I must have come off as rude. Maybe I was...not sure.

I'm letting you know the trend. Person shows up, doesn't check the last date of a thread and responds, not realizing how old it is.

So what's your experience with these springs? How do they compare to stock? Do they fit our trucks? They say 79-85. Do they lift the truck at all?

 

Oh. hehe. The springs are just stock but they will get a truck back to stock height. Spring steel doesn't really lose much of its strength overtime, but years of cycling will tend to flatten them a bit. The key is to get new spring steel for cheap and use good parts to rebuild them when the time comes. I am still looking for quality, greasable pads or inserts for this purpose. Anybody should be able to find quality shackles. I replaced one spring in the back of my truck like a dumba$$ and it made it ride funny and gave it a sort of hop when it got flexed. The other spring just let the new one do all the work and I had to spend another $200 or so to get a new spring for the other side.

 

Replaced stock springs on sons '89 Toyota truck few years ago. He had a few broken leafs so we replaced with new leaf packs. It made no difference in ride height as well they are still lame when putting weight in truck. I added a Superior overload spring. It did lift the truck 3/4" but I have yet to load up truck to see how it carries a load. With the stock springs they get levelled out with 600lbs firewood

 

To be honest, these are only 1/4 ton pickups, so 600 lbs of fire wood is a good thing. Ride height may or may not change, but the spring rate on new springs is definitely higher than the old ones. With that overload, did it ruin the off-road flex of your suspension? My father-in-law bagged his rear end for more load carrying capability and lost traction a hell of a lot more than with stock suspension. He wasn't able to get his truck up the same clear-cuts as before. Just curious as to how the overload does when flexed to the max.

 

Ive run add a leafs in a couple different stock trucks. I didnt notice too much difference other than I could carry a decent amount of firewood without the bed rubbing. The ride is similar maybe a little more bounce but not much. The gain is worth it IMO.

 

My springs are shot, and have been for a while. I tow a trailer with ~300lbs tongue weight, with gear in the back of the truck, so I added air bags. But since the springs are shot...I have to keep air in them to keep the truck level even when unloaded. Which makes for a rough ride. Even with new springs, I would have still needed air bags to keep the truck level when towing, so I spent the money on the bags instead of new springs. Ideally I'd put new stock springs and add a leaf, but I haven't been able to justify the money so far.

 

I won't know how truck carries a load until I get firewood again and we have 3' of snow on the ground. I have plenty of extra parts and could have added a leaf but I know by experience the truck would ride rough here in pothole capital of the world. I went with overloads as easy install without losing ride quality. I can't justify the cost of airbags for 8 or 10 loads of firewood annually.