Tacoma Spring refurbishing

I'm going to lift the front of my 05 Double Cab 2.5 inches. It's a non tsb what would be the best donor springs for the back? I'm wanting to sit level to a slight rake. What would be the right length to cut the donor leaf. I know these are dumb noob questions but this is my DD. I cant really afford for her to be down very long do I'm trying to have everything prepped and ready before I start.

 

Honestly there's no accurate way of knowing from what I've read. It is dependent on spring condition length which spring you use etc..... like mine I picked up a set out of an older f250. I used one spring and it gave me close to 3" of lift. Now that it has settled I am at 2.5".

My advice would be to get a full leaf pack set off your donor. Take them down and cut your first where you want it and install. Drive it for a week with some weight in the bed to help the spring settle a little. Then get your measurement. I will be adding another leaf in mine this weekend since I have to take them apart anyways. I was in a hurry and forgot to put the rubber pads back in.

And hopefully i can ditch my 1" block and have a little rake.

 

Ok, I tried to lay that out info wise, the first reference to the 1 ton S-10 springs could probably be forgotten, at least around here, I've only found 1 in 3 years of looking, but I stand by my statements of narrowing your search to early model chevy (& some Fords) trucks, 1970's thru 80's series half & 3/4 ton..

Theres def some truth to your post, it IS a bit of a crap shoot to know exactly how its going to turn out, there again probably 90% (or more) guys that do this MOD achieve what they were looking for, a lift of 2"-3", much improved ride quality on/offroad, with increased load rate without having to stress over every bump when loaded...

 

But I'll put this out there 1 more time if it helps someone in decision making...

You can use any leaf spring off any make/model car or truck if it meets the minimum requirements...

1. width, the closer to OEM spring width you are the better...

2. think about what you're trying to achieve, if your looking for more lift than anything, you want to seek out leafs with more ARC, not too much tho', remember, a little good steel goes along way...

3. If load rate increase without the lift is what your after, look for leafs with less ARC but maybe a little thicker & again, look for stock width..


The end result depends on the amount of time you invest seeking out THE best donors you can find, sometimes it takes me a whole weekend of looking to find the right ones....


It's not rocket science but if one thinks you just go & grab the first set you see, I can practically gaurantee you'll be dissappointed...


Hope this clears things up a little, I'm usually here to help & if not theres alot of guys here that have done it with success that'll chime in with their advice (always welcome)

 

If you are stripping the leafpack down to the main & building off it you'd want the end of your 1st donor to be about 8" from the center of eyelett on the front end of main spring (spring hanger end is the forward end)

Cut remaining donors in succession taking 3.75" off each end of donor used...

If just adding leafs to existing, just cut 3.75" off each end of donors used...

Now, I always hear "How many do I add ?" This is subjective, 2 leafs added of normal,even ARC will yield 2"-3" lift (with the afore mentioned good things)

So with that in mind the more you add obliviously more lift & firmer ride will result, keep it under 4" of lift tho'. as 2nd gen rear shackles will limit out & not desired

 

Hey Doug
So I am thinking of doing some more work to my rear suspension to add a bit more flex.
I had the typical non-TSB. I added 3 Chevy one ton leafs to that AND left the overload. That's 5 leafs + overload. Thus much reducing the articulation in the rear. (I was thinking I would be hauling my four wheeler and hunting gear in the bed much more then I do. I sold the 4 wheeler.) since the first overhaul (thanks to your work here) I went from a p rated tire to an E and I regularly have 450 lbs in my bed including my bed cap now.

What would you do? Leave the added leafs and remove the overload? Or remove the shortest/stiffest leaf and leave the overload? To get a bit more flex and a bit softer ride.
Or any other opinions. Thanks for all help you can provide.
This is a few pics of how I flex now with said 450 lbs in bed.



I am comparing to this gentleman on the trail same spot

 

Hi David long time buddy, I remember talking to you last year i think it was... & sure, we can get you some more articulation , especially if not needing the total extra capacity you needed before, can you get me a couple good pics from the side that show as much of the front & rear (hanger end/rear shackle end) as possible ?? Then I can tell you exactly which to keep & which to cut & at what lengths will be needed, trhanks again... OH how have they held up so far for you ??? (always looking for feedback)

 

Sure I can grab a couple pics for you. I will be traveling for work today so it might be later in the day. The OMD style setup tweaked for my needs has been great. (800+ lbs over 1800 mile trips) My needs have just changed over time. I have found the Tacoma can get me and my gear to my hunting location without the 4 wheeler.

Issues along the way that have been overcome:
Initially with this setup I had issues with topping out the shock(or is it bottoming) at full extension. Longer shocks, problem solved. Takeoff shutter, carrier bearing spacers, solved. More interesting thou, I noticed if I hit a larger heave on the highway (roads here suck at times) it would launch my rear end. Shocks are new. Almost out of control. I found it was mostly due to the lack of additional weight when not loaded up. So I clamped the whole pack to the overload 2" in front of and behind the ubolts on each side. This helped tremendously to control things on the highway but made it stiff in town. I left it like that for 8 months. Then removed the clamps when I got put the cap and e rated tires on the truck. Now I am just looking to tweak it to a little bit for a better footing while crawling the rocks up here in the NE. Every little bit helps. A locker may be in my future. Overall with 30k miles since install, I cannot be more happy with this setup.
That is my experience so far. Hope that kinda helps with feed back.

 

Oh no, thats perfect, objective criticism is always good , every build here is a little different, requiring some tweaks to the process here & there, helps to make sure theres some redundancy in it

 

Doug - any chance my tired springs can benefit from your refurbishing? Or are they too far gone?

Also - any suggestions on spring to look for if I want to stay stock height? I think in one of your posts you suggested Dodge Dakota springs, any others? Thanks!

 

FRom what I see they're rebuildable, & yeah the Dakota springs are less ARC & slightly thicker..

 

Sweet! Going to go do some junkin' - my favorite.

 

Finally got my springs installed with the help of my wife yesterday at the Auto hobby shop on base. She's a great tool passer haha. She was skeptic of this mod and was very worried about the outcome. But as soon as we went on a test drive, she immediately liked how it rode. Got about the same height as my deaver AAL which i think is 2". It's a whole lot smoother than my deaver AAL. I also still need to get me some clamps for them. I kind of hoped for a little more lift then my AAL but still very Happy with the outcome. Thanks for the advice Doug. OMD FTMFW!!!

 

Thats great Randy !! Just add another leaf or replace one of leafs with one of more ARC, done ! more lift, & tell your wife she owes me dinner for being a doubter !! haha

 

Man. Lookin good. Makin me jelly

 

Don't be jelly bro'... just get on board dude !!.....

 

subd per mngment.


can my stock pack be resurrected to do add ~3 inches about stock and more flexy. already have a aal from toytec and its probably about at +1 over stock imo right now. thought about daraks but not plannin on carrying a ton of weight all the time and dont want a harsh ride.

 

Good to see a guy that takes direction !!.. & getting you 2.5"-3" of sustainable lift is no problem, the Dakars are a good spring, I just dont get the extra overload which most seem to end up taking out, I've taken out 2 myself for local guys...but if serious get me a couple good pics from the side so i can evaluate...

 

will do capt.

stand by for pics and q's


over & out.

 

carry on...