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Weak Sauce Build

Discussion in '1st Gen. Builds (1995-2004)' started by wksos, Feb 16, 2012.

  1. Feb 16, 2012 at 8:18 AM
    #1
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    The time has come to rebuild my 2001 DC "correctly". I bought my Taco in August "11 and unfortunately didn't know what to look for when buying a lifted truck. I knew I wanted a DC Taco and only paid $8200 so I think I did ok.

    The kid I bought the truck from told me the lift was "all suspension"-that couldn't be further from the truth. Turns out it has a 3' BL and 2' spacer lift in the front. I got duped because I didn't know any better but atleast now I get to pull it apart and have some fun.

    I got my tax return and decided to undo what the previous owner did. I ordered the following parts:

    Allpro leaf pack
    Toytec/Eibach springs
    5100/5125 Billys
    B.A.M.F BPV bracket
    Energy body mounts
    Extended SS brake lines

    All parts have arrived and I will most likely be starting the work this Sunday.
    011_231e35836cefe32bf6772e774203e2f9573823a7.jpg
    Here is my truck as of now. Currently running 33x12.5x15 but that might change depending on the rubbing issues I have after all of the work is done. I don't know who would ever want a body lift-it rides like shit and feel like it's pretty unsafe.

    IMG_5194_9542536ffcbd5b4aeaf01ef989c46f70cfafeb71.jpg

    009_f948484d2191884bda29d277d59badc83312649e.jpg

    A couple days after I bought it...
    mail_7908fd84a4c5d01d2c6db16d5f034d229b5f0818.jpg
     
  2. Feb 16, 2012 at 9:09 AM
    #2
    TacoMX

    TacoMX TW's Official anti body-lift pundit

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    subbed...get lots of pics of the BL removal...mines coming off within the next month :D

    And are you sure thats a 3'' BL? Looks like a 2''...did you measure the pucks?
     
  3. Feb 16, 2012 at 9:14 AM
    #3
    MapleMoose

    MapleMoose Drunk Canadian

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    Ian
    West Kootenays
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    1996 Tacoma SR5
    3" Eibach Coils, 3" AP Springs, AP 6" Shackles Toytec Diff drop, BAMF Sliders, Deck plate mod,Volt meter, Highbeam mod, PIAA fogs, 18" Magnaflow, LED dash swap, Color matched Satoshi Grille, Custom Rear Plate Bumper
    sub'd

    X2 Looks like a 2" BL to me too. Let us know the stock body mount bolts lengths too
     
  4. Feb 16, 2012 at 10:53 AM
    #4
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Yeah I just went out and measured it.. its definately 3. I wish it wasn't, it would have been a lot easier to achieve the same lift with the parts I have.
     
  5. Feb 16, 2012 at 5:03 PM
    #5
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Looks like I hit a small snag. Need new u-bolts-I'm call 4Wheelsparts tomorrow and hope they have some in stock.
     
  6. Feb 16, 2012 at 6:53 PM
    #6
    MapleMoose

    MapleMoose Drunk Canadian

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    Ian
    West Kootenays
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    1996 Tacoma SR5
    3" Eibach Coils, 3" AP Springs, AP 6" Shackles Toytec Diff drop, BAMF Sliders, Deck plate mod,Volt meter, Highbeam mod, PIAA fogs, 18" Magnaflow, LED dash swap, Color matched Satoshi Grille, Custom Rear Plate Bumper
    I have the same All pro springs and Eibachs, but i havent put the springs on yet. Curious to how level you will sit. Also what length Ubolts are you getting?
     
  7. Feb 20, 2012 at 2:30 PM
    #7
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Got the 5100's in and man what a pain in the ass! I still have the BL on but I'll post some pics soon.
     
  8. Feb 24, 2012 at 9:30 PM
    #8
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I apologize for not getting pics up sooner but my schedule is pretty hectic.

    So I started installing the new suspension on Sunday around 11 am. I started on the back because I assumed it would be harder than the front. I could not have been more wrong! I installed the new leafs, shocks and brake lines with my buddy in about an hour and a half (with power tools of course). It went smooth and without a hitch.

    Next I moved on to the front and that's where the fun began. I didn't quite understand how spacer lifts worked but I found out pretty quick. I assumed that the spacer still retained the stock "top hat"-it did not. Luckily there is a salvage yard open on Sundays so I took off to see if they had a Tacoma. They did but it had been raped to hell-on my way out I asked if they had a 4-Runner around the same year and I'm glad I did. I got what I needed and started back on the install.

    I've always worked on lowered vehicles and I must say that lifting a truck is a very different animal. I had a lot of trouble getting the struts to fit back in but I attribute most of that to me getting tired and not thinking it through. I gave up late Sunday evening and finished up Monday.

    I got an alignment and man what a difference. All of the old struts would compress but wouldn't decompress. They were shot-it was such a rough ride and I'm really loving it now. I didn't get any pictures while doing the suspension install but here are some after shots. Keep in mind the truck still has the BL until this weekend so it's pretty far up there.

    ***I will be taking pics of the BL removal.
    010_6fd816bbb68ee16b6b3ff529d6564aa903107a2c.jpg
    011-1_015048aad52723b0c77d10e33249a87c8aba11ee.jpg
    014_fbfdd5a82460be555a58a2d689ee282738a69c37.jpg
    015_7bc2aeaa62986588f4d7d122c078a95c46d2d4da.jpg
    017_1fb5478863a59eb746dac95b93f51936650c1d9e.jpg
    018_6ed875f41002f320cdb4b046580a5703b886360e.jpg
    020_ecd5cf7e424257a9c814e60663319928be4fe752.jpg
    And..... I blew up a ball joint.
    023_0ce457907859ec5ffecc2911d89e8db2d8d838ef.jpg
     
  9. Feb 24, 2012 at 9:38 PM
    #9
    deadhed61

    deadhed61 :notsure:

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    A little lift and a little armor
    how did that happen with the ball joint?
     
  10. Feb 24, 2012 at 9:44 PM
    #10
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I was trying to remove it because I couldn't get the strut back in with a ball joint remover/pickle fork. I fucked the boot up and still didn't get the ball joint out. Honestly I was already tired and frustrated and should have just walked away instead of making a dumb choice and screwing up the ball joint.
     
  11. Feb 24, 2012 at 10:00 PM
    #11
    deadhed61

    deadhed61 :notsure:

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    A little lift and a little armor
    Your truck looks much better already. Aside from the ball joint it looks like you're doing well!!!
     
  12. Feb 24, 2012 at 10:52 PM
    #12
    MapleMoose

    MapleMoose Drunk Canadian

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    West Kootenays
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    1996 Tacoma SR5
    3" Eibach Coils, 3" AP Springs, AP 6" Shackles Toytec Diff drop, BAMF Sliders, Deck plate mod,Volt meter, Highbeam mod, PIAA fogs, 18" Magnaflow, LED dash swap, Color matched Satoshi Grille, Custom Rear Plate Bumper
    Did you keep the stock shackles? How much lift did you get in the back. Im curious because i have the same Eibach/5100 setup in the front and i bought the All pro standard 3" springs. Im on blocks right now but wondering if your sitting level?
     
  13. Feb 24, 2012 at 10:59 PM
    #13
    TacoMX

    TacoMX TW's Official anti body-lift pundit

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    Truck looks good man. Cant wait to see it without the BL.
     
  14. Feb 24, 2012 at 11:21 PM
    #14
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    To answer your previous question the leafs use the stock length u-bolts. Yeah I'm running the stock shackles and it seems slighlty raked but mostly level. I really like the stance a lot but I wanted it to be a little higher in the back and really wasn't going for level...

    Thanks TacoMX-I'll get plenty of pics for you man. Honestly I don't think the BL will be all that hard. The hardest part will be lifting the body up a little to remove those spacers but I have a secret weapon for that! My friend has a cool air lift, I'll post a pic. Made the suspension worka lot easier.
     
  15. Feb 26, 2012 at 1:06 PM
    #15
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    So I took the BL off of the cab. I couldn't do the bed because I really needed someone else to lift the bed off but I'm pretty impressed with myself for getting it done. I learned a lot and made some mistakes but in the end it all worked out. I will post pics later and explain how I did it.

    New tires tomorrow!
     
  16. Feb 27, 2012 at 12:58 PM
    #16
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    So I started the body lift removal on Saturday and everything went pretty smooth until the end. It's actually really straight forward and I did it by myself but could only do the cab portion BECAUSE I was by myself. It looks a little funny with the bed being higher but I don't care-I just needed to know if I would rub with the 33x12.50x15's. I don't rub a bit, not even at full lock. The bed lift will be off by Thursday.

    I took a few pics but like I said it was really straight forward-if you are slightly mechanically inclined this will be cake. On to the pics with some explainations:

    First I looked around to determime what needed to be removed first. There where a few brackets that needed to be removed along with the stock brake line bracket. **I forgot to disconnect the steering extension-this became a major issue, don't be like me!!!
    Alternator:
    002_e3ae332a0aef7d2e7fd6f5b3532bdcb707ce9715.jpg
    Stock brake line bracket-there is one on the passenger side also:
    004_86712d4321fb896e1144a3841925c68b6ce50587.jpg
    The I removed the bumper by disconnecting these lovely brackets:
    008_8cc41b78b385b32e5072ca1082909fdfe0469f53.jpg
    Next it was on to removing the body lift bolts. The front ones were behind the front bumper:
    020-1_b333f6004a69b227554dd59d2228a573eed52196.jpg
    There is another set in the front floor board:
    023-1_953de5dc8a6d2bbc3440387fa8848dbb82c3b5a6.jpg
    And there is one more that I did not take a picture of behind the rear seats in the corner.
    I highly recommend getting the energy suspension mounts if you are donig this-came with everything and feels really nice. You will need to remove the stock mount/brackets and use Energy's:
    041_4d77b1a9759552995a365eed131906caae20387d.jpg
    I lifted the body by the nerf bars. ***I realize this isn't the safest way to jack up the vehicle but I lived and in no way suggesting you do what I did. Lift the body at your own risk!
    034_027e81fbc4555d484dc4507b715678833c4aedb8.jpg
    I failed to mention that it has been suggested that you remove one side at a time. This is what I did. One issue that I ran into was that I did not see any body alignment marks. I feel like I got mine pretty straight but I have no way to tell really other than eye-balling it.
    Taco lean?
    030_adb89342a3d4a3af6de56b21f530a7812c4d7a29.jpg
    037_12058f2a768f90497103c6266e87e1e5a07fc3d7.jpg
    Now back to that steering extension. I can admit that sometimes I get ahead of myself and I did for sure in this case. I got everything down and dropped the body down, went to back out and the wheel spun freely. Tires didn't move. I thought shit what did I do?! Looked underneath and saw it... I removed it and for some reason it seemed like the stock steering shaft was about 2 inches too short. I ended up stripping a bolt for a connecting peice and decided to go to the junk yard the next day for that peice.
    I went to th junk yard and found my peice but thought hey, while I'm here let me see how hard that whole steering assembly is to extract. It wasn't.. The only problem, or so I thought, was how much they would charge me. I had to get a set of top hats from there and spent $71 on two used rusty struts so I assumed I was fucked here. I licked out and got some chick that didn't know how much to charge me-$24.98. I feel like I got some of the money back they fucked me out of last week.
    Enough of that-here is a pic of both parts. The top one is my original, if you look close you can see that it is shorter than the new(used) one.
    044_5242a06110b7fa5c194a7f746a840b95f6996793.jpg
    And here is why. I pushed this up, causing my steering wheel to spin freely and it wouldn;t move back down enough to connect the steering.
    047_8c4ac4caa1c462a3d92dbf000ece6c47f91f0de0.jpg

    I realize this isn't exactly a guide but hopefully my experience will help people in the future that want to attepmt the same proccess.
    Since I had no rubbing issues at all I stuck with 33x12.50x15 and ordered some Kuhmo Venture M/T. Got them for $196 a tire (usually $273 at Discount). I'll post more pics when the bed is dropped and tires are on.
     
  17. Feb 27, 2012 at 1:03 PM
    #17
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    I forgot to mention that if you have an auto the gear selector underneath the truck has can and will need to be adjusted. The bolt needs to be moved towards the rear of the truck or it will come out of gear.

    I really don't get why anyone would install a BL. After doing this work and seeing what a BL really is I am extremely opossed. The ride is pretty nuch night and day and it seems extremely dangerous to ride around with a BL.
     
  18. Feb 27, 2012 at 3:15 PM
    #18
    MapleMoose

    MapleMoose Drunk Canadian

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    Nice! Whats the stock bolt size? And how is the condition of the stock bushings?
     
  19. Feb 27, 2012 at 10:10 PM
    #19
    TacoMX

    TacoMX TW's Official anti body-lift pundit

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    Daniel: Thanks for the pics man, and good to see some insight before I do mine.

    I am confused though, why do you need to remove the brake line bracket? I thought the coils in the hard lines for the brakes gave the leeway for the BL?

    And no problems with the AC hoses?
     
  20. Feb 28, 2012 at 7:10 AM
    #20
    wksos

    wksos [OP] Well-Known Member

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    Jr-That's a very good question, I had to make a couple trips to Home Depot before I got exactly what I needed. My original intention was to measure the bolts from the BL and just get bolts that were 3' shorter. That didn't work out. The bolts I ended up using where grade 8 (the zinc ones from the BL were rusting-they were grade 5 I believe) and ended up using 3 different lengths. I used 5' (front mount) 3 1/2' (middle mount), 4' (rear mount). Thread pitch doesn't matter because the bolts are straight through but I used 3/8 bolts.

    crainz-Yeah I'm using the standard pack. I think it will be slightly raked but will look great.

    Taco-I was just being careful by removing those lines. I wanted to bend them myself instead of seeing where they moved and hoping they didn't kink and leak. No issues with the ac lines or fan shroud.. they cut the fan shroud instead of relocating the radiator thankfully. Just check out your BL and double check everything during the proccess.
     

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