Installing a lift kit myself

Can anyone give me a little guidance here? I am not terribly mechanically inclined, but I have done a few minor things...

I have an '09 DC TRD 4x4 and I was thinking about a 3" lift or so. Are these very hard to install? Some of the pictures of part kits I've seen show only 4-6 parts, so how hard can it be, right? What are the better, easier kits to install if I wanted to tackle this project?

Also, I'm a noob when it comes to tire sizes, unless they are measured in actual inches (35x12.5x16, etc...) My truck currently has 265x70x16 and I want to keep my stock rims. I have read a lot on this site about 285x75x16... Is that taller, wider, what? Also, will that size tire fit on my truck without a lift at all? I'm willing to trim some plastic/rubber if I have to...

Thanks in advance!

 

welcome to TW. I have a couple links that will answer alot of your questions and also give you more knowledge then anyone typing an essay here.

Tire size calculator
05-09 Lift guide.

take a serious look at one of the best lifts for our trucks.

 

Thanks for the links, but the second one just redirects me back to the main forums page...

 

Dude - that is quite an undertaking unless you have access to a garage with the proper tools. I am not that mechanically inclined.

I helped my buddy (who is a master mechanic) install my 3" Tuff Country suspension lift in his actual repair shop.

Here are the steps as I remember them:
-Lift vehicle
-Remove rims/tires
-dissassemble front coils/shocks (you'll need one of those machines that compress the coils)
-add the lift spacers and reinstall the coils/shocks
-install more spacers in the front
-drop down the rear axle
-disassemble the rear leaf springs
-add the AAL, tighten down leaf springs
-reassemble the rear leafs
-add new u-bolts
-pop the tires back on
-get an Alignment

Was a good time to rotate tires too... so I did that as well... All in all - took about 3 hours - WITH the equipment needed.

A few pics of install can be found here: http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/14438-pics-my-taco-2.html

 

You can install a lift kit yourself - however, it's much easier when you have someone else with you that has some mechanical skills. Just for the fact of keeping it safe.

The lift you get will depend on the difficulties of how to install it.

Coil spacers & replacement coils in the front require you to compress the coil. You can rent coil compressers at your local Autozone or Pep Boys (or other). However - I'd recommend taking the whole assembly out and taking it down to a shop with a wall compressor and let them compress/install/decompress the coils for you = much safer that way.

Add-a-leafs & leaf paks are also easy to do. Again - having someone with you that has some knowledge - will make the job go easier, faster and safer.

I have a few write-ups on how to do different types of lifts....you can read thru them and get some info on what's involved.
http://www.lieblweb.com/tacoma/Mechanical/CornbredLiftInstall/CornbredLift.htm
http://www.lieblweb.com/tacoma/Mechanical/DayStarLift/Daystar.htm

 

oh sorry bro...
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/11282-tacoma-lift-faq-guide-read.html
and one more about some lift springs.
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/suspension/15772-toytec-884-885-886-coils.html

 

Janster is right you can do it yourself but you will definitely want some helping hands!

 

Thanks for the info guys. After some quick skimming, maybe this is something better left up to someone else. The whole "compress the coils" thing is the frightening part...

I just remember lifting my Z71 (back in the day) cost about $2000 between parts and labor (minus wheels and tires!), so I was looking for something a bit cheaper this time... I had always heard that lifting Toyotas was easier and cheaper so I thought it was something I might be able to do.

 

Dude - shop around. Many mechanics moonlight with jobs like this on weekends or after their regular hours end. Make friends.... shop around... and it'll cost you less.

 

Don't give up yet....

You can remove the entire front coil assembly on each side (3 bolts on top and one big bolt on the bottom), and take them to a shop with a wall mounted compressor. They'll do the compressing for you....and it might only cost you $40-50 bucks. Doing it that way is probably the easiest part of the entire install. You just gotta make sure they get the allignment of the strut and top plate bolts correct.
This is what we used when doing the 1st gen trucks...
http://www.lieblweb.com/tacoma/Mechanical/96TacomaDiagrams/images/FrontSuspLineUp.jpg

Are there any other Tacoma World members near you? It's probably cheaper to drive a couple hours to someones house (or pay someone to drive to your house to help you) than it'd be paying someone to do the work for you.

Find some buddies with garages....tools...etc. Gawd, I hate seeing folks get RAPED having someone install this stuff.

 

Damn!!! Noob to this site.
Got a 2000 V6 4X4 Extra Cab.
I'm seriously into doing the lift mod. Can't decide on 2.5 or 3". It's a daily driver, and go see family roughly 300+ miles away. So I don't want to kill my gas mileage.
Anyway, the writeups are amazing!!!!
Absolutely Outstanding!!!
I have a substantial amount of mechanical experience but lost most of my tools through a divorce. So... like it's been said... lookin' for friends in Boise Id. LOL...
Good Job on the info!

Dutch

 

Sorry this is so long, but please read on....

Ok, so I've been reading a TON on the topic of lifts from this forum and I'm starting to lean towards the 5100s. But I still have a few question...

1. Is there any difference (other than having to take it somewhere to get the coils compressed) between buying the 5100s off ebay for $170, then buying the coilover kit from ToyTec for $430 ( )? Together they are about $200 cheaper than buying the assembled coil overs with shocks for $800 ( ).

2. If I get the assembled coilovers with shocks or the uncompressed coilover kit and have it compressed/assembled on the ebay shocks, this is just a simple "jack up my truck and take off the stock coilover/shock assembly and bolt on the new coilover/shock assembly" right? Or have I missed something (other than an alignment)?

3. The kits from ToyTec say something about spanner wrenches and swaybar relocaters... What is that?

4. If I lift the front 3", what will be the difference between that and the back? How much higher is the back from the factory? Just need to know how high I need to go in the back... (I'm getting the rear TSB done next week)

5. If I go AAL in the back (as opposed to blocks), who is a good vendor for the price? And is it as simple as adding another piece of metal to the stock leaf springs (i.e. going from 3 springs to 4) or am I replacing the entire assembly with a new 3 or 4 springs?

6. (Last question) I've heard some people here talk about not using wheel spacers with the 5100s... Why is this so bad? I'm not planning to buy tires anytime soon and I want to keep my stock wheels. However, I would like for them to stick out from the body just a little bit (1 to 2").

Thanks in advance for the pointers!

Jason

 

You can't get coilover assemblies already assembled. Whatever lift you buy, you have to take the assembly apart (compress coils) and install everything.
This is what a coil assembly looks like after you remove it from the truck -This is a stock assembly off a 2001 I believe:


Lift components are..... coil and/or strut (coilover strut).
The 5100 is an adjustable strut (coilover) - so you can use your factory coils with them. Other struts (coilover struts) are not adjustable and would require a lift coil or coil spacer to get the lift you want.

As for the rear - 5100's in the rear will not lift your truck. You'll have to get an AAL or new leaf pak to get the lift you want in the rear. The TSB will give you about 1-1.5" lift initially, however - over time, it might drop down to be only 1" or less lift.

If you get the 5100's in the front - you can set them to 'match' the TSB in the rear. And later on - adjust the 5100's taller if you decide you want more lift (again, more coil compressing).

Be careful how far you let the tires stick out beyond the body. Check your local state laws. Some states don't allow any part of the tire to stick out beyond the body. Here in PA....it's something they look out for constantly because it's illegal. Tires must be covered with flares.

 

Ok, now I'm confused... Does this not come already assembled from ToyTec so that I can just remove the stock and replace it with these?


ToyTec's website also says these are adjustable.

And from the Tacoma Lift FAQ/Guide:

Coilover lift kit: $1050.00 Free s/h
(DR Coilovers) Most common. Others are available such as Sway-A-way, Fabtech, All Pro, and Camburg to name a few?
These are the high end of the 3" lifts. Extremely easy to install, due to the fact they come already assembled. It is simply a matter of remove and replace. They are also very versatile, in that they are adjustable. Therefore can be adjusted to fit your needs.

As far as having my tires stick out, this is really what I wanted (minus having to buy new tires). I thought getting the wheel spacers might let me get there...



Maybe saying "1 to 2 inches" was me not knowing what I was talking about. The picture above doesn't really look like 2 inches.

 

Thanks! Any thoughts on the other questions?1. Any difference between the preassembled coilovers and the struts/coils purchased separately and assembled myself? ($200 price difference...)

2. Just an "unbolt the old, bolt on the new" front lift with the assembled coilover strut assembly?

3. What are spanner wrenches and swaybar relocators?

4. Stock height difference between front and rear? If I lift the front 3", will it be higher than the back (getting the rear TSB done next week)

Thanks!

 

So, the more I read on this topic, the more I think I can handle this job myself.

I can get the front 5100s off ebay for $169, then the coilover kit from ToyTec for $429. Together, that's $200 cheaper than buying the coilover/strut assembly together from ToyTec ($799). I also called O'Reilly's and they said I can rent a spring compressor for an $89 deposit that I get back when I return it. So that's free.

And from instructions I've read and videos on YouTube, it seems like a pretty simple unbolt and replace kinda thing. All I need is another pair of hands and some time.

Do I only need to replace the UCAs if I run 285s because they rub? Or should I do that at the same time too? I think I may run stock wheels and tires for a while. So, if the only reason to replace the UCA is because they rub with the 285s, I think I'll wait on that.

 

It's a pretty easy job. Me and a friend lifted my truck over this past weekend. We installed Toytec coils / 5100s, and rear AAL. Just take your time and double check everything