Leaf spring is broken, need new shocks and struts. Advice?

Hi TacomaWorld,

My Truck has been jumping around for a while and starts to not just shake but almost bob side to side sometimes on the highway at high speeds if a bumpy road is hit. I tried to replace the shocks and struts recently but was informed of my leaf spring issue and when they lifted the truck the back wheels were hanging on the left side. Toyota gave me a wopping $2,000+ quote for the job

I use it for moving and hauling work and like to take it off-road in the desert? How much should I expect to pay to get a leaf spring, shock, strut assembly, and how much should I spend on labor? Please help out! I don't want to spend all my $$!

Thank you

 

Yo for $2k you can get an amazing setup if you buy it from wheelers off-road, all-pro off-road, toytec lifts, downsouth motor sports or headstrong off-road. Check out the suspension area:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/forums/suspension.18/

 

I spent less than 1/2 to redo my suspension- and did the labor myself.
I bought:
Bilstein 5100's
General Spring Replacement Leaf Springs
Moog Front Coils
Front Spring Insulators
Toytec Hardware pack
-
All in I spent a tad over $840 on parts and shipping.
I am not a terribly competent mechanic, I rented the spring compressor for free and had the job done in about 12 hours of work. A good mechanic could do it in much less time. I did have use of a lift which helped alot. Truck rides so much better. If I was going to do it again myself I would pay a shop with the ability to assembly the front struts or buy them assembled. I also did inner and outer tie rods, upper and lower ball joints, sway bar and rack bushings, and installed a rear sway bar in that 12 hours.

 

Where did you buy the parts? The shocks and springs are not as confusing, but the leaf springs don't appear to be as visible or accessible. Pepboys has an $80 gift card for buying 2 or 4 Monroe or Rancho products. Can I get any good Monroe shocks from pepboys, like the higher end ones? The pepboys is very close to me or otherwise I could go to 4 Wheel Parts (www.4wheelparts.com/stores/store-info.aspx?sNo=42) on Monday and buy the parts. I know they have the shocks and struts. Not sure about the leaf springs. I live in Los Angeles by the way, if anyone has suggestions around here.

 

Call up Mary at Headstrong Offroad - you'll get way better quality stuff. Bilstein is a favorite for guys trying to not spend a lot and it's way better quality than monroe or rancho stuff.

 

I bought the shocks from Down South Motorsports, the leaf Springs from General Spring, coils and insulators (moog) from Advanced Auto Parts- I had the luxury of time- took about 5 days to get everything in.

I would read all the threads you can on shocks- I did and decided the Bilstein 5100's were the right choice for me.

 

That sounds like a good way to go - general spring has good prices for a good product I believe. I like part stores for what they are, but suspension stuff should be higher quality if you want to have a good ride that will be worth the money in the years to come. Any of the vendors mentioned here know what they're talking about and don't try to needlessly up sell you. Plus they're mostly tax free for the people living out of state from them and may give a TW discount if you ask for one.

 

@clintoncladj

Hey Bud,

Just did this a few months ago. Hit up wheeler's for OME 880 springs. Have them assemble them with OME struts and grab the matching rear shocks. Grab your self Dakar leaf pack from Wheeler's as well. (If you run the bed empty 90% of the time, you can get away with removing the 3rd leaf). Now you will have everything shipped from one place, and your coil overs are shipped already assembled. Also grab their steel braided upgraded brake lines. You will need new lines when you do a lift. Plug-n-play!

Now, I have the exact same set-up and intention, but I have a constant load of 150lbs in the bed, so I didn't remove the 3rd leaf leaf. Let Wheeler's know I sent ya, and you'll be squared away. With this set-up you should see a 2" lift (If you really are a PreRunner). Your front will probably settle down to 1.5" after a bit, keep in mind this is with stock bumpers installed.

Also, pay once, cry once. Reach out to my good friend Jason @Speed Freek if you want the best installer and overall Tacoma whisperer.

There are many set-ups but this is a perfect setup for what you want and really use your truck for. Anything else is just more expensive and overkill. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.

Best,

Officer Carpenter

 

Jason:

 

Thanks Cory!!

That time lapse video is awesome!!! Mind if I steal it and post it in my thread, that is super cool!!!

 

For sure!

 

Welcome to TW. I'm tagging thread to watch vids later.

 

Jesus christ, yet another story from a Stealership.

I spent less than $2k, and got mid-travel Kings and Total Chaos UCAs (rear is still oem leafs with shackles and 5100s for now).

I think you can do better than OEM for $2k...

Wheeler's has a FULL OME suspension system for like <$1200. It is far and away better than OEM (for what you want to do with it), and you can honestly do all the labor yourself. If anything, have Wheelers assemble the front coilovers (they aren't "struts" BTW), and I *think* the leafs come with bushings already installed, so it would literally be a bolt on operation. Talk to a human and tell them what you want and what/how you drive, and they'll set you up with the proper coils, etc...

Since you have a pre-runner, I won't preach about a diff drop kit...

 

@Speed Freek no problem champ!

@jbrandt *coilovers, not struts. Got it. Thanks for the correction buddy