Old Man Emu setups on 1st gens

Pic of the 04 Prerunner with OME 880's/nitros in the front and Dakar/nitros in the rear

 

How many miles do you have on this setup? I just installed dakars and 2881’s. Mine has just a little more rake than I’d like.

 

Just got them on recently so not many miles, have some rear rake too, but thinking will settle down a bit with the camper shell. I was debating if I should add the extra leaf at one point which would of been higher.

 

You may have to preload the rear some then. Those 881s are stronger than the 880s but once the strut tops out, well, it’s topped out. I have heard of people using a couple of those heavy QuickCrete bags in the bed to bring it down until the leaves settle a bit. One, or two, on each side between wheel well hump and tailgate. Depending on your location the overnight dew or just humidity can cause it to ‘set’ and it will mold to the ridges in the bed better.

 

2881’s and standard Dakar leaf pack. 285/75/16 KM3’s on stock Enkei wheels.

 

OME complete suspension kit along with JBA upper control arms. 881's in the front Dakar without AAL in the rear. Definitely a different ride, really happy with how it turned out.

 

Before - stock suspension all around:

After, OME Front - 880 Nitrocharger Sport Coilovers, Rear - Dakar Leaf pack + rear Nitrocharger sport shocks


I'm not happy with the massive amount of front rake. I was hoping for closer to a 2 inch rake but I'm between a 2.5 - 3 inches height diff between the front and the back. I also did not get the advertised 1.5 inch lift in the front, I gained 1 1/8 inch on the drivers side and not even an inch on the passenger side. The driver side with the trim packer leaves me at 37 inches fender to ground and the passenger side is 36 3/4 fender to ground. I thought I would be closer to 37.5 in the front.

Any Ideas why I only got an inch lift up front? I replaced stock coilovers.

As for the rear, I'm sure it will settle maybe a 1/2 inch or so, especially once I get a camper shell on it. I think I need to go for the 881 coils to get back to level/1 inch rake right? Pretty sure the 883s would be way too high up front for what I'm trying to do. Any advice is really appreciated.

 

880s are more for the 3rz trucks. I’ve got 881s on mine with a 3rz, plate bumper, and winch. But using middle setting of 5100s. For the rear I’ve seen where people get a couple of big sacks of concrete and place one on each side of the bed between the wheel well and the tailgate. Sort of expedite the settling process. The topper will help as well. If it doesn’t settle lower in a couple of weeks then you can look for a shorter leaf shackle.

 

Looks good. Yep, 881s would've been the the way to go. You would not like 883s at all with that stock front end.

I chose the 881s and Dakars w/AAL for my cap. OME recommends if you're going to be carrying 200 or more lbs then to AAL.

 

Thanks for the advice. I think I'll throw some sand bags in the back and drive it around a bit and see how it settles. I'm not expecting more than 1/2 inch of settle but I think if I switch to the 881s I should be much closer to level.

Thanks, I definitely think I need the 881's in front thought to get rid of some of the rake. Ive seen others get 882s for added height but I don't want to be squatting. After the 881 isntall if I still don't like the rake I can get shorter shackles or pull the overload leaf I think.

I wish I was more careful when choosing front coils. I was reading the thread for the 4cyl/reg cab where everyone was telling OP to go for 880's . Maybe I can get lucky and find someone nearby that wants to buy my old 880 springs. I'll post pics after I swap the 881s. I did the original lift kit install over a couple weekends but i'm taking the tacoma to a local shop to have them install the 881s. I don't have a spring press and I'll have to get an alignment anyway.

 

I swapped from stock coils on 5100s to 881s on 5100s after my bumper and guessed wrong. Ended up compressing springs manually 3 times in maybe 45min. Not fun cause my air ratchet was not cutting it with my tiny compressor.

 

OK - loaded my bed with about 250lbs of sand and drove around a bit, on and off road. God, I love how the truck handles now compared to the stock suspension. Also the extra weight dropped the rear end about an inch. If this is the height I can expect once the leaves are settled I'd be very, very happy.

I went ahead and ordered the 881s from wheelers, free shipping and no tax can't be beat! Also I got a 10% off code for joining their newsletter. I'll be looking to get those installed as soon as they get delivered.

I wonder If I should just rent a spring compressor and do the springs myself? I'll have to get an alignment after I change the ride height so it will already need to go to the shop.

Either way I'll post some pics once I get the springs installed. Truck should be looking pretty good next week.

 

I personally don't take chances on manual compressors. Nope. Just pay a local shop for that job.

 

When I did the front suspension on my Taco and my 4Runner, I just used the weight of the vehicle to install/compress the spring. I was pretty hesitant at first but the process makes sense and I knocked it out pretty quick and easy. Just some thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5E6u7dC7EHg there is a part 2 after this one.

 

Manual compressors aren’t hard or that dangerous if you take your time. I’ve got an extra long 1/2” drive ratchet I use and usually do 2-3 strokes each side all the way. Maybe start out at 5-6 strokes per until it gets just slightly snug, even the sides out, and then 2-3 each. Get you a moving blanket and fold it up into quartered and kneel on it while working the spring down. That’s with parts house manual compressors.

Now, if you want to be fancy? Get a macpherson style compressor off Amazon and a trailer hitch vise from harbor fright. Cinch that bad boy down in just a couple of minutes and be done. Make sure you have enough stroke on it to release the 880 after you take the strut off.

Not Tacoma struts, but this is a front strut on my Audi B6 Avant getting S4 springs. The rear got S6 springs and the coil of the rears were actually as thick as the 881s, just not as long. It handled both flawlessly.



8MILELAKE Macpherson Strut Spring Compressor Kit Interchangeable Fork Coil Extractor Tool Set

$96 8MILELAKE Macpherson Strut Spring Compressor Kit Interchangeable Fork Coil Extractor Tool Set

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DP2CDJU

 

In my younger days when we were young and dumb, we used to zip off the top nut with a impact and watch the shock shoot across the yard/street. Don't do that.

 

Do the JBAs give you any more clearance for the tire with the 3rd gen wheel backspacing? Id like to step up to 265s, but I'm concerned with how tight that is. I was thinking about putting some 1" spacers on or biting the bullet and buying aftermarket wheels.

 

New coils arrived!


I'm going to have SD Truck Shop swap em out. I was talking to the shop owner and was asking him his opinion on UCAs. He told me JBAs were junk and was highly recommending me these 'Built Right' UCAs. I understand he has a fabricator here in SD that makes them. Anyone here have opinions on these arms? Seems like nothing but positive reviews from what I've seen but there isn't a whole lot of info on them.

 

SPC.