Help with All Pro expo leaf install

Hello TW I need to ask for some help with my rear leafinstall, I know there are several how to intalls threads but I cant find anythat address my questions so here they go. Please help I have never done this before and don’t want to learn thehard way.

First question: howthe hell do I know which is the front side and which is the back side, and isthere a left or a right side, or does this even matter



Second question: This shackle on the rear of the originalleafs, do I put this back on the new leafs or leave it off.



Here is a second pic of the shackle that is on the originalleafs, does this come off and install on new set.







Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. These are new allpro expo leafs that I amgoing to install.

thanks

 

the military wrap goes on the front(left on the pic) you remove the shackle with the leaf in one shot then install it on the new leaf before putting in the truck. Wheres ya bushingS?

 

I installed my allpro standard leaf pack with the large leaf clamps toward the rear. Also do you have longer sq u-bolts? with my standard leaf pack I needed 8 inch long bolts and have approx a 1/4 thread protrusion. All pro didn't tell me I needed them when I ordered them and I asked if I needed anything else.I ended up at a local spring maker that weekend and they didn't have anything sorter than 11 inch so I used a cut-off wheel on a die-grinder and cut them to the proper length.And yes you will re-use the shackle and its bushing you should have new urethane bushings for the leafs. I found the hardest part for me was installing the extended brake lines.

 

Thanks, the bushings are in the box and I got all new ones so I dont have to mess with trying to pull the old ones out. Thanks for your reply greatly appreciated.

 

I have the extra leaf set up from toytech and it came with a longer bolt, I also bought a bolt head extender because i have a shimm that may need the extension. thanks for the heads up, they didnt mention it to me either but I read some other post and saw that they had probs with the bolt as well.

 

I also bought the flip kit with my set up so I hope I will be ok but thanks guys for the heads up, I will post pics of all the steps to help other people with any questions they might have.

 

All-Pro is terrible about not telling you things you need to know. Here are a few tips that might help.

1. Be sure to lubricate all the bushings and bolts going back in the springs.
2. If you can, find some 14MM locknuts to replace the stock nuts on the spring bolts. Just tighten them barely snug. You don't want to bind the spring. They need to pivot to work properly.
3. When installing the flip kit lubricate the threads before installing the stover nuts. WD-40 is fine. Otherwise they may gall and seize going on. these need to be tight but not back breaking tight! You are compressing the plastic sleeves between the leaves as you tighten. You don't want that over done. I would tighten them, drive the truck a ways and recheck them.
4. You will need a 27" shock to work with those springs. A bilstien 5100 is a good match. The Bilsteins All-pro sells to use with these springs don't work as they are 24"
5. There are two clips that hold the E-brake cable on the stock spring. On the expo spring there is no mounting point for the last one. You are probably better leaving it unattached. Otherwise the cable may not reach at full droop.
6. Watch the brake lines and wheel speed sensor wires when you sepaprte the suspension. They will reach but don't go too far.
7. If you have never done this kind of work, be extremely careful jacking and securing the truck! You will have to jack the rear pretty high to separate everything. Remember that the E-brake will not hold the truck since you have the rear tires off. The truck can easily swing side to side and fall. You can do one side at a time, but the pin in the spring will be harder to locate since the axle will be cocked. Be careful!
8. Before I installed my springs I took a wire brush and knocked the loose paint off. It comes right off so it just takes a minute, then I cleaned and repainted them. It will keep them from rusting later.
9. You may end up with DL vibrations after the install. You would be wise to measure and record your DL angles and the pinion angle before you start for future reference
10. Save the OEM steel cup washers off your old shocks to use on the new ones. They have a special lip that fits into the upper shock mount to center the shock rod. The expo spring will move the axle approx .75" to the rear which will make the alignment a bit harder. With the OEM washers though you can get the right fit with a little care.

 

Thanks badger bad ass writeup it has helped a bunch.

 

Do you have any pics of them installed?

 

If you are asking me, no I don't have any pics of the springs. I have pics of the truck after the install. What are you wanting to see?

 

Thanks badger for posting some great tips. We are training some new employees right now who are more familiar with the older truck (pre-Tacoma) crowd, who are typically more experienced with this stuff. I apologize for the lack of instructions on our part, we're working on that. However, we are available by phone for any tech questions.

Also, here's more info:

It is very common to move the axle back up to 1" to allow for a better fit of the tire in the fender well when the spring compresses.

If you are installing new springs we recommend you add 300 lbs of weight to the bed of the truck for this test to simulate the spring height that will result after the springs have had a chance to settle. The springs will settle in after your first hard trail run or about one month of regular driving.

All springs need to be installed with the double military wrap towards the front of the vehicle (non-shackle side).
Springs are the same left to right, so they are not side specific.

All factory mounting hardware and shackles are retained with installing these springs, except the u-bolts, but our u-bolt flip kit comes with the longer u-bolts that you will need.

 

Installed mine last night! No problems at all!

 

Baadassss springs I love mine... Paired them to 10in icons...

 

thanks of chiming in allpro.. OP..remove the spare tire also..

 

These really are good springs. They handle a LOT of weight, but even running empty they give an excellent ride. I had probably 800+ pounds of firewood in my truck a couple weeks ago and the back barely squated. These springs have a half leaf in the front to help reduce axle wrap, and in my truck the axle wrap was virtually eliminated. I think they are best for heavy trucks though. I'm very happy with them.

 

I would like to know what shock length and valving would you recommend for these leafs??

 

Great Tips, Very well written.

 

Got by all pro ex leafs and new shocks installed after about 4 hours with no instructions with the product, but used the great post by badger. I will post pics of the install I tried to take some as I went but half the time I was pissed off. If there where some instructions even simple ones for common questions this would have gone a lot better. All said and done the all pro rear leaf package looks great and truck sits nice. I will post pics of everything soon.

 

how much did that leaf pack lift it from the back? I was thinking of getting it.

 

i have a DCLB with about 250lbs (cap) and some other stuff.. Initially i got 3.5 inches. Im sure it will settle down to just under 3