Help with All Pro expo leaf install

Well I got the Expo Leafs put on today. Took 3 hours for the first side, 1 hour for the other! Was really actually pretty easy. Only thing I didn't do, didn't have the ability to do, is drill and tap the Expo Leafs so I can attach the Parking Brake line like the OEM leafs do. I have very noticeable takeoff vibrations from 5-35 but I'm assuming it's because I've got 4" of lift in the rear and .85 up front? Spindles will go on tomorrow along with an alignment and new tires, then we'll see.

 

I left mine loose due to it putting strain on the line. Or use a self tapping screw...

 

just cut the bracket off.. I dont think it will be long enough when you flex

 

Item 5 below, from page one.

Raising the front probably won't fix the vibration. Too bad you are 4" lifted. Vibration is pretty likely at that height. It may settle though. Allpro says 400# in the rear matches these springs and settles them to 3". It's more like 1000#. You may end up having to pull a leaf.

 

well badger you where right. i looked under the truck and noticed my leaf spring bushing split! gonna do the nuts when i get the new bushing in

 

Oh man, sorry to hear that. Hopefully you can get it right before you split another one. You will notice when you do this that the truck rides better too. When you bind the bushing with the stock nuts it creates a torsion spring effect. I don't know why the spring makers don't include the right nuts to "loose pin" the bushings with the kit.

 

Wish I saw this before my install! Great info badger!

I noticed the springs fit in the hangers pretty loose and by tightening them down to spec they bent in quite a bit! They ride great but notice my springs are only extending to 25.5" and they have about 5-10k on them from previous owner. Would using the nylocks and not torquing them down to 89lbs help with the flex? I did torque the ubolts to 75lbs on the flip kit but would that a cause any issues? Should I pull the spring hanger bolts and lube them or just switch them out with the nylocks? If so, what would I lube them with?

During shipping one of the brackets that help hold the pack together (one of the 2 towards the rear, with the bolt) broke and is just hanging loosly.....will this be an issue?

 

Just a heads up, leaving the hanger / shackle bolts loose or "just snug" will result in the holes pounding out in the steel hangers and shackles. They are meant to be torqued up onto the steel sleeve that is inside the rubber bushing, but should not be torqued until the spring is loaded and the truck is sitting level at it normal ride height. That way there isn't normally torsion on the rubber.

 

Badger, where can I find that lube? I have some that I use for my UCA's and driveshaft, will that work?

I knew the pack could flex more than 25.5", just not sure what's up?

Ya, one of the rivets broke, maybe a local spring shop can tac it back on?

This was my first thought as mine were pretty loose in there??

 

You can get it at auto parts stores around here. I don't know about where you are. You'll have to call around.

I've been doing this for at least 25 years on rigs that see a lot of off road use. One was over 8,000#. I have yet to see any problem with elongated hanger holes. If you bind the sleeve, that does not prevent wear at the holes, but it does cause the rubber to twist against either the eye in the spring or the sleeve. That's why in some cases they can even break. Binding the sleeve and bushing barely works with natural rubber bushings and low articulation springs. Add in poly bushings and high articulation, and you'll have problems.

 

So just snug or until the hangers tighten up?

Sorry for so many q's!

 

Tighten it till the gap between the rubber and the hanger is gone. On mine there really wasn't much gap. You don't want it sloppy, but you don't want it binding.

 

27 inches with or without timbrens?

 

Lots of good info in here boys glad i found This thread. Any updates since any of your installs? About to throw a set of used standard allpro on and see if they help. If not it’s off to buy the expo pack.

 

It has been six years and 120,000 hard miles since I installed my expo packs. They are still doing great. I installed Timbren bumps. I have about 4" till contact with the bumps, and a good 1" after that on the compression side. The Bilstein shocks that work the best with mine are these:
Bilstein 33-230351 5125 Series, Extended 26.38 in., Collapsed 16.13"
Bilstein offers two valvings in this shock size This one is the 255/70. That is compression over rebound, with 10.2 inches of travel. The other model is the 33-230268 which is valved at 360/80. I prefer the softer shock. The stiffer one will make the back end of the Tacoma skittish over washboard unless it is heavily loaded. Here is the Bilstein catalog if anyone wants to check for themselves: https://cart.bilsteinus.com/portals/0/PDF/BILSTEIN_Off-Road.pdf

I have a shell and a CBI rear bumper, so there is a bit of weight back there. My springs settled to 3" and never moved after that. No squeaks or other issues either. There was a question raised back in 2012, when I initially posted, about elongation of the hanger holes using a loose pin spring connection. So far nothing. I suppose it could happen if you were racing the truck, but I've been doing this for 30 years on my high articulation vehicles with no ill effect. If you feel you need extra beef at the holes, Ruffstuff sells these weld on reinforcements: https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/WWASH.html

This is not an endorsement of the springs, just my personal experience with them. I know that experiences have varied with these springs. Not knowing any of the circumstances, it's impossible to know whether the problem is quality control or use related. One thing I would make sure of is that you have bumps in place that limit the compression before the spring goes reflex. I set my bumps as I described to support the springs.

One last comment. 6 years ago my springs came painted with some cheap lacquer that I could literally scrape of with my thumbnail. I took a wire brush and removed it all, and then repainted with a good rattle can paint. I have no rust. I highly recommend this!

Good luck with your install Jacob!

 

How long are the flip kit Ubolts or the Ubolts you guys are using with these leaf packs? I couldnt find the length anywhere for the all pro. I have a set that is 7.75 in now with alot of extra thread can i reuse that or should i get the flip kit and new bumps?

 

Great thread! Even if it is 6 years old!