Finally pulling the trigger on Kings + Dakars

So I decided today was the day and found a smoking deal on doing 2.5 Kings front + rears w/ adjusters and reservoirs. I also got a set of Dakars and JBA upper control arms. All said and done got it for a little under $4K through a contact. I know some of you out there have already done this and was curious anything I should know for install?

A couple of buddies and I are going to attempt it and know I will need to bend some metal to get some bolts out but wanted to see if anyone had any pointers or knew of any good threads?

How far did you adjust the driver's side to account for the Taco lean?

Do I need to do the diff drop? The shop I bought them through said no but the more I am reading up the more I think I should.

Thanks in advance, I'll be back with some photos before and after.

 

LARGE pair of channel locks for bending the inner fenders.
No diff drop on 2nd gens.
It's pretty easy just time consuming. Took me about 4 hours to do front C/O's & UCA's by myself but over an hour was dicking w/the anti-sway bar & trying to get the PS UCA bolt out because I didn't have big enough channel locks.
Here's a Total Chaos youtube video that's very helpful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbsTJgb6S_c

 

Darn,you must have gotten a $100 an hour raise,lol

 

Thanks for the feedback. Did you keep the sway bar? I got the adjusters because i was planning on removing it and would bring peace of mind having firmer suspension driving on the highway.

 

That passenger side UCA bolt is a serious pain in the ass. First I bent, then I cut inner fender metal and still could not get it out. Finally had to grind off one side of the bolt's integrated flat washer by the bolt head to get it out.

 

I left it off.

 

I have 2.5 Kings with resi and adjustment knobs in front with total chaos uppers, currently saving up for the rear but to answer your question I left my sway bar off. Once you install them I recommend getting an alignment and driving on them for a week or 2 before adjusting them

 

Uca bolts are a bit of a pain. Unclip the air bag harness in those areas as the bolt get snagged on them. Don’t need diff drop. I removed the sway bar and never had any “oh sh!t” moments. I recommend compressing the springs as little as possible. If you have a weight on the front (plate bumper and /or winch) get stiffer springs but cranking the collars down a lot takes away from the plush ride. Just my opinion. You will love how your setup

 

I have fox 2.5, but no sway bar and no problems, but on a daily could be a pain. Only bothers me on the roundabouts.

One of my UCA bolts I had to cut, Amazon prime had one to me the next day and I installed it in the opposite direction so I can get it in and out.
The other side I could bend the metal enough to get it out...

Longer rear brake lines would be a good idea...

I used a 1/4 spacer on the drivers side to keep the spring adjustment close...

The adjusters are nice to have for going from off road to on road or if you add weight ect....

I live in the rust belt so I clear coated mine to help protect them from corrosion and fluid film them through winter... Working good so far...

 

OP - let me know if your front coilovers come with misalignment spacers for the lower shock mount on the LCA. I'm curious I have heard some kits do and some kits don't.... The set that was sent to me later by the vendor seem way too big to fit the slot for the front LCA mount.




As for protection I sprayed a good layer of Mavcoat on them then fluid film them for the winter. In the spring I wash them down, take them off the truck and clean them up a bit. Then reinstall. This next winter I'm going to try some coilover covers from Step22 and see how well that works with Mavcoat and fluid film still applied. Mine do look like they have seen some corrosion from the salt but nothing I don't think will hurt adjusting them.

 

What Spacer did you use for the driver side? I am curious about it and would like to shy away from adjusting one shock more than the other.