Fabtech: Yay or Nae?

while were on fabtech. i wanted to use their 3inch spindles to lift my truck. i wasn't gonna use their coilovers though. but has anybody used their spindle lift??

 

There is nothing wrong with fabtech they just need some minor substitutions. First swap out the axle blocks for deavers and the rear shocks for the icon resi's. Then up front remove the spacer lift, add a UCA from Camburg or TC and add Icon coilover resi's. That completes your upgraded "fabtech" lift

 

Well said. I put the all pro pack in the rear and will be running probably some billie 5150's, and then in the front i am changing to 12" travel rr kings and then the camburg UCA's.

 

12" travel shocks!!!! You only use 8" travel shocks when you have long travel. There is no way you can fit a 12" travel shock with only a UCA. If you want Kings for stock lower arms on 1st GEN's you want this
http://downsouthmotorsports.com/i-1...96-2004-toyota-tacoma-4wd-2wd-pre-runner.html

On 2nd Gen you want this
http://downsouthmotorsports.com/i-1...05-2010-toyota-tacoma-4wd-2wd-pre-runner.html


BUT If you are going to get upper control arms then ICONS are actually better because they offer and extended travel option that will take advantage of the extra travel an UCA will give you. Its only about 1" more than the Kings but might as well get what you paid for. Either way there is NO 12" travel shock that will fit in a tacoma front end

 

Well according to the tape measure it will fit. They will be a little long extended but sitting on the street they will have 6" of up travel.

 

Oh and for long travel, they use shocks that have 8" of travel in either direction. So 16" total.

 

I just noticed you have a fabtech 6" lift. You may be able to fit a 12" travel shock into that area but like you said you then only get to use 6" of its travel??? And you wonder whats wrong with Fabtech? If you want to buy a $550 shock and only use half of it than thats your deal but seems like a waste of a good shock to me

 

Long travels use a 2.5x8 shock. Its 8" total travel. You end up getting 13" of wheel travel and only 8" of shock travel due to the fact the shock is located inside on the arm and the wheel is mounted on the very outside.

 

I was being sarcastic. If you notice I suggested removing everything that is Fabtech

 

How will i only be using 6" of it? Its a 12" travel shock, sitting on level ground there will be 6" of that 12" showing, full droop is 6" so therefore using the other 6" of the shock, full stuff would use up the 6" of exposed shaft. The difference being in the way that the coilover is built. Look at the dirt logic coils here:



The shaft at the bottom is about 8" long. I am eliminating that and going with this:



So eliminating that bottom shaft, Giving me more travel, and a better ride.

 

Well the kit you have is designed for that dirt logic shock. When you bottom out I guarantee that your shock is almost bottomed as well. Simply replacing the shock with a longer travel is not going to make your suspension arms travel any farther. Go ahead and buy the 12" travel king shock if you want but I am willing to bet anything that your Fabtech Kit is NOT going to use all the travel of that shock. Like I said a long travel kit from Camburg or Total Chaos has around 13" of wheel travel with an 8" travel shock. Your kit does not improve travel. Its a lift kit. Please explain to me how you will be getting more travel from a lift kit than a long travel provides. You need to do more homework before you waste money on a shock that doesnt fit. Go ahead and call either Fabtech (877-432-2832) or King Shock (714-530-8701) and ask them. Im willing to bet you that they say no way a 12" travel shock fits in your 6" lift and uses all the travel. Im just trying to give you a heads up but since you know it all go ahead and buy them, install them, and take some pics for us

 

May i begin by telling JD that he is correct. . In THEORY, a 12" travel shock should fit, but as we all know, theory's are not always correct. I am currently looking at all of my suspension geometry. I am going to remove the wheel/tire, the coil over, and the Fabtech bumpstop and cycle the suspension and see where i can get from there. I should have some numbers and pictures to post up after xmas. Have a good and safe holiday everyone.

 

Yup the only way to do it is tear it apart and cycle the suspension. That way you dont waste money on more shock than your arms can handle

 

Says the guy that has this:
Suspension:
Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5" Remote Reservoir Front Coilovers
Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.0" Remote Reservoir Rear Shocks
Wheeler's 1.5" Add-a-Leaf
Total Chaos 1" Uniball Upper Control Arms

 

Oh dont get me wrong, i plan on twisting the stock arms into a shape that nobody has ever seen before. haha, then replacing them with camburg uppers and total chaos lowers(if i dont have a heart attack when buying them.lol) But i will also be removing the fabtech bumpstop and fabricating a bracket for air bumps.

 

Ummm hate to tell you but that stuff he has is pretty much top of the line until you go long travel. You obviously dont do your homework. Icon and Total Chaos have waaaay more rep than your 6" Fabtech. You may sit higher but he has more travel. So good luck at turning at speed lol

 

Throw the rear shocks in the garbage and get some Rancho5000s.
If you want to do something extra, get your rear leaf packs worked on/upgraded. I took my truck to a local spring shop and told them to throw the spacers in the garbage and make me some new/updated spring packs that were heavy duty. It's cost around $650, but worth it!! The truck doesn't sag when I have a case of beer in it anymore!
Both of my front springs broke, Fabtech sent me a set under warranty no problem.
The rear of the two front cross members where the front diff bolts to broke. The perch that was welded on wasn't reinforced and Fabtech had made a revision change that has proper support for that perch after I got my kit. They sent me the new cross member under warranty, no cost, no problem. Also, I live in Canada, they had no issues sending me the stuff.
I got my 6" lift kit back in 2006, so all of the bugs are well worked out by now for the 2nd Gen Tacoma. Great company to deal with.

 

3 inches of lift? Whatever.
The rest of his posts in this thread are pretty ignorant too....not very helpful.

 

Actually, I need some lower control arms for my 89 Toyota 4x4....I can't find any anywhere....know of where I can get some? I just checked chaosfab.com....couldn't see any either.

 

Its not all about lift. Even for rock crawling you need articulation. Fabtech just adds height so you can "look" cool. That does nothing for off road performance. A long travel only lifts around 2-3 inches. So you think your fabtech will outperform a Total Chaos long travel kit too?